When Pain & Passion Collide
I recently discovered that all businesses are born from one of two things—either trauma or passion! If you’re like me, your first instinct might be to resist the idea that trauma could have played a role.
After all, who wants to admit that their deepest wounds might be on display for the world to see? That’s dirty laundry, for heaven’s sake! And our decent maternal lineage—the one we either cherish or pretend to have if we never actually did—would have told us that we certainly don’t air it for public scrutiny. Well, I surrendered to the truth, and here’s the story of my dirty laundry.
Aidan - My Little Boy
My business began as a rabbit hole that spiraled from a “trauma” named Aidan. Aidan is my 15-year-old son, who was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Costello Syndrome at just 18 months old.
He has a personality that could rival world-class comedians—he has me in stitches most days! But since he’s a boy (and I realize I’m speaking to fabulous, stunning, goddess-like Aphrodite women here), being a boy mom has meant embracing fart jokes, toilet humor, bad smells, and general chaos. My ladylike, snooty 20-year-old self would have died a thousand deaths if you had told her what lay ahead in my future.
The Genesis of The Hemp Cream
As fun as this teenage boy's life is—and I assure you, his presence and love in my life far outweigh all the naaaasty!! teenage boy stuff we moms endure—Aidan’s disability is severe and has, at times, been truly traumatic.
He almost died at birth, with sugar levels so high they would typically have killed a grown man. He spent 13 days in the neonatal ICU. He never slept for longer than 15 to 45 minutes at a time for the first five years of his life—something I later learned was a symptom of his syndrome.
The Big C Word
Aidan has a thickened left ventricle wall in his heart, numerous orthopedic issues, and has undergone multiple operations on his legs, feet, and spine, as well as surgeries on his throat (for adenoids and grommets) and his eyes (for growths). But the major issue—the one that keeps me on edge—is that he is highly prone to aggressive cancers, which means we have to do abdominal scans every three months.
And that—the big C word—is what sent me tumbling down the rabbit hole that eventually led to the creation of The Hemp Cream. You may be starting to connect the dots, right?
Cannabinoids have been known to help combat cancer, but until I was personally affected, I assumed people mainly wanted this substance legalized so they could get high. I sympathized with their pain and legitimate illnesses, but in my mind, their push to change the laws seemed a bit extreme.
However, this was now my little boy—and suddenly, the dynamics had changed!
He was seven years old when I began looking deeper into the effects of the plant, specifically the oil, and discovered that this golden, black, tar-colored liquid contained nothing short of miracles within its drops.
At this point, my research turned into a serious pursuit—an in-depth exploration of its effects on humans and what this oil could truly do.
When Desperation Hits Opportunity
The next step came when my business partner and I were approached by a company in Cape Town—the first in South Africa to be granted a license to manufacture the oil. They needed a team to handle the logistics of exporting the oil from Lesotho to Canada without the cargo officially touching South African soil, as it was still illegal in South Africa at the time.
Since Lesotho is a landlocked country completely surrounded by South Africa, the cargo had to pass through South Africa to reach Canada. This was a complex operation that would take months to materialize. And while the eventual payday was set to be HUGE, I needed money immediately.
With a special needs son and exorbitant expenses, I couldn’t afford to wait. In South Africa, we certainly don’t have the luxury of significant government support—so this Mommy had to make a plan.
Manifesting Miracles: The Power of Asking
I still remember sitting outside on the veranda when my friend and business partner asked me, “What do you need to do to make money?” Without hesitation, my exact words were, “I need a miracle product.”
As a side note, ladies, please know this: when you truly need help with a problem in your life, and you sincerely ask the greater Universe / God / Spirit to bring you an answer, that answer will come. And I promise you, right here and now, if you put your question out there—the one that’s weighing on your mind, the one you desperately need an answer to—it will be answered!
As I sit here writing this article as if by divine confirmation, my mom—who has no idea what I’m doing—has just sent me a WhatsApp message flashing across my screen that simply says: “A MIRACLE.”
Miracles happen, my darling ladies. And I say this with absolute sincerity: this message reaches you now, in this very moment, as a confirmation of your miracle today.
My answer came, and today—almost eight years later—I have a business that started with just two miracle products, which has now expanded into a product line of over 30 products, transforming the lives of women every day.
Divine Inspiration: The Birth of a Skincare Revolution
Over the next couple of weeks, I experienced what felt like divine downloads—just like the updates we get on our phones to upgrade our apps, except mine came in the form of sudden brainwave ideas. And one of those brainwaves was skincare.
I wanted a skincare product infused with this miracle oil. I delved into more research and added extra phyto-infusions, including essential oils known for their powerful benefits—anti-ageing, acne treatment, fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation and more. It was as if I was guided to the right articles, with the information practically jumping out at me.
I also decided that I wanted base products that would be exceptional on their own, even without the added benefits of the infused oils. That’s when the real experiments began. I went hunting for the perfect base products—and it was my mom who had the brilliant idea of what to use.
She has quite the inventor’s mind herself! In a previous business of mine (a microwave cupcake mix that SHE formulated), she once dreamt about an ingredient. In her dream, a voice literally spoke to her, telling her to use it—and that one ingredient completely changed the game, making the product a success.
The Moment It All Became Real
By this point, I was having an ABSOLUTE ball. The formulating stage—creating a new business from scratch and seeing its potential—was exhilarating. Testing the products as they were being developed, taking my before photos, and, of course, roping in my family as guinea pigs were all part of the process!
From there, I went on the hunt for pretty packaging, NAMING the products, and THEN, I had to find REAL clients.
At the time, my Microwave Cupcake Business had 14,000 followers on Facebook, a loyal customer base who had actually started following the page because of my beautiful boy, Aidan.
The page was called Raising Aidan (it still exists—although it’s not very active at this point). These customers had followed Aidan’s antics and challenges since the launch of the cupcake business. And who better to ask to try my new products than my Raising Aidan family?
Some of these clients and supporters are still my friends to this day, and for that, I hold them close and will forever be grateful. Sometimes, we meet friends who become lifelong family through what we call “business.” And today, I can boast many of these relationships.
I offered FREE Trial Kits in exchange for before and after photos. And as those photos started coming in from my clients, THIS was when I experienced my absolute SHOCK—when the GRAVITY of what I was sitting on truly started to sink in.
From Homemade to High Demand: The Results That Launched a Business
Within seven days, I was seeing literal facelift results. Clients were sending me pictures of their faces—red and inflamed in their before shots—that, just seven days later, looked creamy and smooth. Others were sharing photos of acne that had cleared up, and some even had fine lines that were already looking shorter and softer.
Personally, I hadn’t noticed a significant difference at first—aside from an instant change in skin texture, which happened overnight. But that changed the moment I saw my own before-and-after photos side by side. I nearly FELL OFF MY CHAIR IN SHOCK!!!
I had literally had a facelift. My jowl line had lifted.
Before I knew it, my first orders for full-sized products were coming in. At this point, I didn’t even have LABELS! I was tying handwritten labels onto jars using hessian string and cute brown cards. Sure, it looked rustic and charming—but it was far from professional.
But the products were working.
Before long, one of my clients offered to design labels for me, and from there, things just took off.
Within six months, I was earning enough to move into a bigger place to accommodate the three of us—my mom had moved in with us by then, and she was about to become an integral part of my business. Thankfully, this was the best thing that could have happened because, as fate would have it, our logistics business—exporting oil from Lesotho to Canada—had fallen through. And so, this business had now become my main focus.
And THAT is how the story of The Hemp Cream began.
From One Woman to Another—Here’s What You Need to Know
In my time as a business owner, I have certainly experienced my ups and downs. Over the years, I’ve seen businesses rise and fall, and I’ve also had my fair share of encounters with keyboard warriors. With a screen as their shield, people become very brave, throwing out negative “reviews” and comments on business pages and ads without a second thought.
I remember not so long ago, a woman publicly declaring on one of my ads that “this was a scam” simply because my Trial Kit, which I was selling, wasn’t being given to her for free. I’ve seen incredibly damaging comments on other business pages, where it’s painfully obvious that the writer hasn’t even comprehended the nature of their post—but is still determined to cause deliberate harm.
If you are a business owner—or even just progressing in your career—THIS WILL HAPPEN.
It even happened on my Raising Aidan page, where I was simply sharing my journey of raising my DISABLED CHILD - IT HAPPENS!!! And as a business owner, you need to be tough—delete, move on, and do not let it break you.
As women, we face attacks on our personalities, our looks, things we cannot change about ourselves, breakups, failures, losses, deaths, and devastations—traumas that will test us to our core.
But my darlings, believe me when I say this: as massive and devastating as these events may be, if you choose to use them to create something beautiful in your life, you can change the trajectory of your future.
Having come through one of the most traumatic experiences of my life to date, I have made a decision. I will take this platform—right here—and use it to change women’s lives for the better.
This business supports me as a single mom, allowing me to provide for my son. But beyond that, I will use it as a platform for my passion—my passion to inspire women to overcome their traumas and hardships, to create hope where hope may have been lost, and to find their passion.
To dig deep within themselves and realize:
"If she can do it, I can do it too!"
A Little Assignment for Your Soul
Now… I have some homework for you. Today, take five minutes just for yourself. I don’t care how you do it—just do it. This is your first instruction from me to you.
If you truly want to improve your life starting TODAY, it’s entirely up to you to follow through.
During those five minutes, sip a cup of coffee, tea, or something soothing that allows for a moment of self-reflection. And while you do, start thinking about what it is—whether from your past or present—that truly excites you about LIFE.
I’ll tell you mine:
It’s HEALING!
To see The Hemp Cream products today, and order them, you can do so online at www.thehempcream.com
Chat soon, lovely ladies,
Love
Melissa ❤️
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