You’ve probably been hearing a lot about CBD—aka Cannabidiol, or one of the chemical compounds found in the Cannabis Sativa plant. Health benefits being discussed for products infused with CBD include reducing anxiety, depression, pain and insomnia—without the psychotropic effects associated with smoking marijuana.
Recently, we heard about The Press Pause Project, a line of CBD rich products made for and by women. Their mantra—asking women to “take a moment and press pause”—spoke to us, as did their line of organic, fully-tested and certified, CBD-infused products, which include creams, capsules, a tea and more. Here’s what else you should know about CBD and the two moms behind The Press Pause Project, Dawn Fable and Torrey Benson.
How did Press Pause come about?
Dawn Fable: Several years ago, my husband and I invested in a CBD company. As we got more involved with the company, I started meeting different people whose lives had been positively impacted by CBD. I was astounded to hear the testimonials and the myriad of different ways it was changing their lives. Diabetes, arthritis, auto immune disorders, sleep, pain, you name it! I had struggled with generalized anxiety disorder for 20+ years and was disenchanted from the side effects of my anxiety medication. After the birth of my 3rd child, my anxiety was accelerating wildly out of control and I wanted to try something natural. I turned to CBD and it made a profound impact on my anxiety—so much so, I was able to wean myself off prescription medication. I started shouting from the roof tops about the positive impact CBD had made in my life. So many other women around me were struggling with the balancing act of life—trying to keep it all together and I wanted to share how CBD could help them…..including my very best friend and business partner, Torrey Benson. Months ago, she called me and confided in me, she had just had her first ever panic attack. I encouraged her to try CBD. Reluctantly, she took my advice. Fast forward as we were celebrating our 40th birthday’s in Laguna and were talking at breakfast how much CBD had helped us both. And that, is the beginning of Press Pause.
What does “Press Pause” refer to—such a great name!
DF: Like many women, we are so blessed to be surrounded by incredible girlfriends. Several years ago, that very group of amazing women assembled a series of evenings called the “One Little Word Club.” Each of us were to choose a word—a word that spoke to us, a word to reflect on and a world to be accountable for as we went on with our daily lives we were uniquely drowning in. As the wine flowed freely and conversations became more raw, we each recognized we were all struggling in some aspect of our lives-careers, marriages, struggles with kids, finances, keeping up with our social media images-you name it! We shared our words and they were all so powerful, but for one women her word was “PAUSE.” We agreed that we all needed a moment of Pause when life starts to spin wildly out of control.
Torrey Benson: Us gals don’t have time to STOP. However, we do have a moment to Press Pause!
Is it hard to talk to people about CBD, if they associate it with smoking marijuana?
DF: That’s been difficult. Unfortunately, so many people compare CBD to Marijuana or cannabis and there’s a stigma around it. We want to educate people—especially Moms—that CBD does NOT have the psycho-active effects or “high” you get from marijuana.
TB: This one was HARD for me! It took Dawn years to get me on board. Once I did the research and tried it for myself, I realized it was legit!
What do you love most about your product line?
DF: First of all, our products are made for women by women who are learning how to embrace imperfection. Each of our products were custom formulated for the things that most women struggle with, anxiety, tension, sleep, and pain. We were very mindful in our product development in putting just the right amount of CBD in each product as well as using other organic and natural ingredients to elevate the healing power of each formulation. We wanted to create a lifestyle brand with a product that has benefits throughout our crazy days as women- ie; our tea is a pretty fabulous way to start your day and calm the chaos of getting the family ready for work or school. Our tincture is incredible for anxiety and sleep and allows you to dose up and down to find the perfect fit for what you’re body needs. Interestingly, we included the CBD capsules for our parents’ generation. They are creatures of habit and used to taking pills. Some of our biggest customers are our parents’ generation who are struggling with arthritis, pain or sleep. Oh, and we can’t forget the balm—that stuff is incredible and so beneficial for pain or tension after a long day—awesome for headaches or sore muscles too!
TB: I keep one bottle of Press Pause Tincture on my nightstand. Right before I lay down, I squeeze some of that goodness under my tongue and await my peaceful evening (until the puppy has to go out or one of my little people wake up with a nightmare!). I also regularly apply the healing balm to my neck, shoulders and lower back before tucking in. Morning comes and I dose again with my trusted tincture that I keep on my desk and in the kitchen. Then as needed throughout the day, I have another tincture and capsules in my purse! I have found that in moments of mounting anxiety (late to pick up, too many emails to respond to, children screaming, etc.), a little dose really helps. It’s so subtle that I don’t recognize the power of it until later.
CBD is clearly entering the mainstream—what has that been like?
DF: Oh my goodness, CBD is everywhere, it’s crazy! We often joke that CBD is the next avocado toast—probably even bigger! In one sense, we are thrilled that CBD has been more widely accepted and embraced by the mainstream—especially, he medical industry recognizing the powerful healing benefits in modern medicine. We also believe this is helping people evolve with the negative stigma associated with CBD and Cannabis. But, it is also creating a very problematic environment as there is little regulation around this industry and no barriers to the point of entry. Anyone can up and start a CBD line. It’s unfortunate, really, as so many brands are trying to capitalize on people’s desperation in wanting to feel better, all with overpriced and subpar products. So we really encourage people to do their research in finding a quality product. Make sure the COA or certificate of analysis is displayed on a website. This will ensure that your product is safe, 3rd party tested and does not include heavy metals or pesticides and falling within the legal limits. Check your ingredients—make sure the ingredients are natural, organic and using the finest quality. Be mindful of companies who use USDA organic certified hemp extract and processed naturally. We at the Press Pause Project are thankful to have all of these safety precautions in place and are proud to be producing the highest quality of products.
What’s next for The Press Pause Project?
DF: It’s been such a wild and purposeful ride so far! We are pinching ourselves and so thankful that we’ve been able to change lives along the way. It’s been incredibly rewarding to get text messages and testimonials of how we are helping others so significantly. So we definitely want to continue to do that on a larger scale. We are committed to evolving our product line to ensure we are formulating the best products out there. We want to continue to educate and empower women and get past the negative stigma of CBD. As we grow, we hope to give back to non-profits around women—perhaps mental health, low income women etc. We will always vow to support women in their passion project. We’re super excited as we’ve just included female budding artists in our packaging inserts …Stay tuned!
TB: The Press Pause Project is a movement. A movement to educate, empower and acknowledge. Us moms aren’t going to lose our drive to be the best. We will survive, but we can’t always do it on our own. We will stand by our fellow mommas and support, listen and spread the love! Our goal is to grow the movement and continue to provide the best and most appropriate products for our mom tribe! How do you Press Pause? Join the movement! #presspauseproject
This post is sponsored by The Press Pause Project.
