Christmas and New Years

Well, this Christmas was an interesting one for me, really nice but really odd and with an even more oddness lingering in the background.

In Short, on my mom's side of the family, my aunt, who has never smoked, lived across the street from the beach for 25 years, goes to all her checkups regularly and plays tennis once a week, was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. We're all so startled and shocked and thought this was so odd, it made for a Christmas that had that looming as a part of it, and we're all just staring off into space thinking how's that possible?

On top of this, my uncle her brother, has had his parkinsons, which was brought on almost 100% due to the pesticides and herbicides he used in his orchard for over 20+ years, get significantly worse and spent the weeks prior to Christmas and Thanksgiving, falling and bruising his face, lip, etc. to the point where he had to go to intensive care. He's better but that was the precursor to Christmas.

In addition to this, my Cousin's husband Bob, last year was not doing good at all. He had pulmonary fibrosis and his lungs were not doing good at all. He couldn't finish sentences, he couldn't breath, it sucked. Out of the blue earlier this year, he actually got called in with a donor for a Lung transplant. He got the lungs, and is doing fantastic. So, I was there at Christmas talking with him in good health, playing with my nephew, hugging my cousin (his wife), and that was so great to see, with my Aunt who still feels awesome, and all of us thinking wow, this is alot of stuff going on and everyone is still awesome but concerned.

As I returned I thought to myself about all this stuff and how much I love my family, and what amazing things can be done to help people be healthy.

I had met with Aunt, upon receiving her diagnosis, and gave her a DVD on Gerson Therapy to watch. The next week she bought a Vitamix. At Christmas, I made a list with my other cousin(who is severely Gluten intolerant and trying to get more gluten savvy) of Nutritional suggestions and strategies, to help my aunt get the ideal nutrition as she starts her first week of Chemo.

Upon return, although I don't think I needed a reminder, about the fact that all these foods that come into contact with healthy fats and plastics, non organic veggies, preservatives are totally a life and death matter. And for my uncle, whose condition is very estrogen related, Xeno-Estrogens toxins of any type, are all things which SIGNIFICANTLY contribute to his condition being worse.

And it was a great reminder that I am so done with being PC about how I feel regarding these types of items and their packaging.

At the early part of the year a buyer for a chain in the U.S. not only declined my items at a regional level for an area (which would have been fine if it was stated as, thank you for your submission, not interested at this time) and left at that.

Instead this individual took it upon themself to state that it's "misleading" to state on my labels that my oils and food items are "xeno-estrogen free bisphenol A free, gluten free and MTBE free" which they are, and also in glass, made no mention of the cold filtration for oil, no mention of the finer grind on the protein, no mention of the Dioxin Free aspect of the soaps, no mention of the herbicide and pesticide free wildcrafted ingredients , and spammed it out to all the managers in the chain in an effort to intimidate them from ordering individually at a store level. Needless to say to have a statement like that made was baffling, since everything else available was all in plastic, and could not safely make those claims, or that it was not ok to be stoked that we were offering a purer, better choice, for each item available in contrast to anything else available on the market. It made no sense. What's wrong with being excited to provide an unprecedented level of purity and nutritional purity? Or with educating customers as a part of the process? there just seemed to be no depth involved in the statements.

I tried to clarify that I was highlighting all the strengths and distinct purity of the contents and line, and that especially as a Cancer survivor myself, these strengths were very important to me and things I want others to know so they feel comfortable buying it. Upside, they were then given the ok to do so, but with that as a precedent, they were outspokenly concerned for any retaliatory actions they may incur, and it completely eclipsed all the positivity and uniqueness and good vibes of my line before they even saw or learned about the items.

I had thought well, maybe it was one of those things where it's supposed to be a brief, kind of keep the momentum going, point counter point type of thing, similar to a debate class, having not interacted with this individual before, and addressed the totally false statements that were made, how it didn't fit with their public store ethos, tried to put it all back on a positive, and hopefully clarify any concerns that there may be. Mind you I was never met with in person, never phoned or talked with, never offered a chance to help ease any concerns, or maybe just make a brief personal connection clear where I was coming from in a positive way and show how odd that it was that they said one thing publicly, and yet practiced this behaviour behind closed doors.

My efforts to help clarify and ease any concerns were not welcomed or met with gratitude. I received a very volatile tantrum esque email, which included all the names of all the managers in the region for that department, berating my efforts to clarify any misgivings and demonizing my company (that I worked on for over two years, and launched out of my own savings) and myself, harping that I dared to question this persons statements. My thought were hey you came out swinging and making massively and aggressive false statements about someones company, while simultaneously missing all the unique strengths of each item in the whole line, and spammed it to all your managers in the region. Seriously, you had to know that was going be addressed. You don't just get to say whatever you want, and insinuate sin in someone's company where there is none, and walk away thinking no one will do anything or defend themselves, that's crazy. The fact that you even said it and spammed it clearly highlights your mental and emotional instability, or malicious intent at the very least..


A simple "thank you,not interested" would have been fine, but to spam a berated statement to potential buyers, no, that is not normal, or ok to do. No buyer in any chain across the nation(that would be from washington to florida, texas to the dakotas, new york to la) I've ever worked with took it upon them self to do so and it was a loveless hostile act indeed. What really sucked is that I only wanted to see the items in about a selected 7 stores for that area, and had only made the effort to speak with this person, because the staff I had met had all asked if I could speak with the regional buyer first so it was easier to bring in if it was regionally approved. I didn't want to because it was quite a process with lots of paperwork, but I did that to possibly make their lives easier. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.

To this day when speaking with any staff if they ask something about my company it never has anything to do with a specific product strength or is a product related question, or any of the positivity of the compassionate contribution, or cancer research and survivors, it all goes right back to this ridiculous theatrical nonsense that was first spammed out and dragged my company name through the mud. They still express reluctance and concern that if they bring a product of mine into the store in that region, they are concerned for retaliatory actions against them from this person. It's so sad. I've long forgiven it, and try to be loving, and even sent this person a gift later on in the year in an effort to be as much at peace with everyone as I can possibly be, just human to human, in the eyes of God.

Individually the staff has independently also decided that was not cool, and ventured to try and bring things in despite that. They have all had fantastic sales every where they did. And they are mostly the stores that were my selected hopes to begin with so I guess it all works out fine.


After this Christmas, I also was reminded that not only am I so over it, this issue, and my energy to try and be even remotely PC, but that this is about people's fucking lives. It is about their life and death health, and it is about having a better choice than toxic crap with pesticides in standard BPA plastic. Xeno Estrogens, MTBE, BPA and pesticides and Herbicides are all very real threats to peoples health. And for Cancer survivors? Holy shit, it's a huge huge thing to avoid at all costs in all forms.

If you go around defending companies that poison people and can make their health worse, give them cancer, make their parkinsons worse, make their cancer recurr, make their hormones all unbalanced, then you're just a monster, it's disgraceful. Quit being such a wuss and tell them "No thank you, it's in standard plastic, I don't want it. The jury's in and that stuff is bad". Or at least say "Yay, it's totally organic and in amber glass, Sweet!" and make it available as a healthier choice among the one's in plastic. Customers deserve healthier choices if it's available.

Thankfully customers are much smarter. Not only was that the only person to react that way, but everything within my line has had fantastic success everywhere it's carried, in a huge huge huge way. Customers are resoundingly voting with their dollars for my efforts, my company, and to have things that are cleaner and healthier than things with Healthy Fats in standard plastics, and soaps and bodycare with fucking dioxin. The ocean thank's you, the birds thank you, the landfills thank you, generations to come thank you, Surfrider Foundation thanks you, Race for the Cure thanks you, and customers in spades thank you.

I didn't start in this industry to make friends, I worked my ass off and continue to work my ass off to provide better, safer, cleaner healthier choices than were currently available, for people like my aunt, my uncle, myself a lymphoma survivor, my cousin, my other cousin, my mother who is a breast cancer survivor, and anyone who just wants to have an ounce of prevention be a pound of cure.

Next someone wants to try and give me shit about putting Xeno-Estrogen free on the label, MTBE Free on the label, Bisphenol A free on the label, or gluten free on the label, entertain this idea, giving a cancer survivor shit, about having kick ass products that provide people with hypoallergenic healthier choices and packaging that doesn't put them at risk again for a life threatening illness, makes you a monster, and a yucky human being. It's that simple. People on Chemo don't have time for your posturing. They need better choices NOW.

My urge for PC is gone, and in light of my aunt and uncle all you've done is succeed in awaking an angry giant. Giants have big feet so don't be surprised if your toes get stepped on standing in the way of healthier choices and the customers that want them available for their families friends and loved ones.

I do however forgive this person, wish them love, good vibes, give them the benefit of the doubt that there may have been business factors (say, a huge inventory of plastic encased EFA's, etc.) and think that they are probably a very nice person that just didn't pay attention to the details under a very rushed stressed week, and may have made a mistake. It happens, and there's always room to grow.

Any product specific nutritionally related questions or inquiries, regarding the integrity and efficacy of any item desired are always welcomed. Childish personal attacks however, there's just no time for, and no point in responding to, that's not a good way to live.

LOVE MERCY COMPASSION. Treat others as you would want to be treated.

A decision out of love, is a decision for love. And a life of love is the way it's going to be.

LOVE WINS.

I wish you all a Happy New Year filled with Love Mercy and Compassion. :)