FEELING POWERLESS LED TO THIS CBD BUSINESS

There are not many times you instantly connect with someone. And when it happens, no matter how quick or small. It is truly something special. Most times, however, it is easy to connect with others based on similar struggles. Laura and I bonded on the ugly journey of self-discovery, and acceptance. I was inspired by her pursuit of alternative methods to deal with her struggles with anxiety and depression.

Soul Addict is the product of Laura’s quest to gain power and the right way to heal. I had the pleasure of getting her story. – P.R.

P.R.: What inspired you to start Soul Addict?

Laura White: I started Soul Addict after my own struggles with anxiety and depression since my teens years. I’ve always joked that I just have always felt deeply, so dealing with both of the above has just been an inevitable part of my path. In early college, I knew I didn’t want to take medication like in high school when, yes, it helped, but I personally felt like a walking zombie.

So in my early twenties, back in 2008/9 I totally changed my lifestyle and I think at that early of an age it came pretty easy to me. In New York City juice shops and trendy vegan restaurants weren’t everywhere yet, but it was fun to follow these new things called ‘blogs’ (starting to feel old now!) and see the cool places to go. I followed Kimberly Snyder a ton back then before she was writing books about healing through understanding the basics of food combining and viewing food as medicine.

Each season I gravitated towards Ayurveda, and natural movement, and doing a ton of research into understanding the gut health and mental health relationship, I ended up learning a ton about my own health.Those self-teachings have always served me well until about a little over 2 years ago.

I began experiencing debilitating anxiety again.

I was going through a ton of changes as you do in your late twenties and was feeling overwhelmed to the point I’d wake up in the mornings and really couldn’t get through work without feeling like I couldn’t breathe. I decided that maybe it was time I revisited a doctor with an open mind.

However, I still wasn’t sure getting on medication was something I was personally ready for. I wanted advice and an expert’s opinion. I went to that appointment excited to see my options and I remember walking away with a prescription for an antidepressant and feeling really quite powerless.

I felt like that was the only choice I was offered during my visit that day. I can’t explain it but I intuitively began researching cannabis when I got home and was blown away to find that CBD (Cannabidiol) from Hemp was something that was available on the national market. I sourced a bottle of CBD oil from a farm out in Colorado and after giving it exactly one month to see if it helped my anxiety- I felt it was so life-changing and empowering that I knew more people needed to understand this plant better.

How has CBD Oil affected your personal relationships?

I would have to say that there’s something really powerful about turning to nature for answers on things we experience in this life. Having access to CBD has truly made me a calmer, happier person. Directly overlapping with my relationships and the attention I can take off of helping myself. And turn that energy into giving back to people in my life. It’s kind of like nature’s domino effect in a way. When we’re healthy and feel good it’s natural that this vibration becomes the ruler of your life- you have more positive energy to spread and can focus on your goals and what you want out of life versus falling into what I like to call the ‘band-aid approach’ that we’ve created here in the U.S. 

Why do you think there has been such a rise in the THC, and marijuana culture?

I personally don’t think there is a rise, per se, but more of an awakening and an open-minded culture that’s beginning to thrive as our generation has grown into power. This has allowed people to be more upfront about Cannabis use and creating a greater conversation about how we view it as a nation. For years it’s been propagated and aligned with the War on Drugs and it’s allowed for this really narrow-minded dialogue to be the norm and not many people wanted to touch that stereotype, until now. Now you’re seeing this movement of destigmatizing both hemp and marijuana where people from all walks of life are more willing to share their experiences. Allowing new aesthetics for cannabis to emerge that more appropriately represent its diversity. There is actually this really great campaign by MedMen that came out in January in California, that’s a great example of what I’m talking about.

How is social wellness connected to the weed culture?

Personally, I think the most exciting aspect of everything that’s happening right now within the Cannabis industry is the fact that there is a breaking down of these stereotypes- and there are so many amazing products for everyone who might be ‘canna-curious’. Some people find cannabis allows them to be more creative and open, while others might prefer to not to have the associated ‘high’ and use hemp CBD to help find calm and relax. So there’s something for everyone who is seeking a greater wellness through these plants and therefore, I believe, there’s definitely a kind of overlap and uncalculated social wellness aspect to that. When people find something natural that helps them be the best version of themselves that’s pretty incredible, why would we want to negate that?

What is Soul Addict, who is the team and what is the future of the company?

I think our main mission right now is to continue to spread education about the use of CBD oil and the sustainability power of Hemp. Though our products are really for everyone, we’ve focused our attention towards women and creating products that speak intuitively to women. I believe the relationship between women and plants is truly a magical one and Soul Addict’s mission is an ode to this.

We’re still a small indie wellness startup consisting of myself, my partner Max, and my family has also been a huge supporter. We are very organically becoming a family business as my Mom and Dad have both helped me launch the farming side of our operation. We moved from my spirit city of New Orleans back to my small hometown in Western North Carolina on my family’s farm to begin growing sun-grown hemp. I guess I don’t really know what the future holds for Soul Addict as the industry is still in its infancy, but I do know that going back to nature and keeping the farm going to help spread education is one of the most important aspects I hope Soul Addict continues to grow from.

Where does the name Soul Addict come from?

As far as the name of our company, when first launching Soul Addict. I knew the name of our company was punchy and bold which was really important to me. I knew ‘Soul Addict’ was exactly what I wanted our company to represent, bringing awareness and education towards this idea of becoming addicted to nature and self-discovery verses a mainstream view of addiction and it being ‘bad’. We’re constantly surrounded by addiction from our caffeine habits to technology, so SA is really about being more self-aware and consciously becoming addicted to things that heighten our wellness. 

How does your brand stand out in the sea of new wellness brands?

I don’t really do much comparing as I believe my nature isn’t very competitive, to be honest, maybe it was because I was an only child? But what I do know is Soul Addict is a company I’ve created because I’m an all-in kind of girl. I’m not trying to create a trendy brand boasting a trendy new wellness product- I’m creating a company of service and that’s what I do think makes us a little different. It’s about the people we touch by our products and the fact we’re here in the Earth, digging and growing and learning about this plant. That’s what matters the most in my eyes is how much we’re giving and not what we’re trying to say about ourselves, you know?

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Read this recipe for a CBD Smoothie for Zen here.

Check out more stories on marijuana and mindfulness here.