Have you ever heard of Empower Bodycare? If not, we’ll introduce you. It’s the kind of high-quality CBD oil you’d even give to your mom. Trista Okel first started making CBD-rich oil in her kitchen crockpot to help her mom with aches and discomfort. She’s a Portland-based activist who’s been at the forefront of the recreational use movement since it began. Trista has realized her CBD products potential in increasing awareness of the vast benefits of cannabis and today is the founder and owner of Empower BodyCare, a hemp, and CBD-based wellness and lifestyle company. The company offers a variety of natural remedies and products.
Kenneth Loo was intrigued by Trista’s story, as his own mom has long suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome, which developed into arthritis in her hands. “For years,” he said, “she has been unable to sleep through the night without being awakened by the shooting pain that now comes up to her arms.” He heard of Empower BodyCare through a pro-bono services program, High-Grade Hope, run by his firm Chapter 2.
Though skeptical from so many other remedies failing to be consistent, he sent her a package to try. “Today, I’m happy to report that my mom is sleeping through the night and the pain in her hands has been severely minimized by these CBD-infused products. My business partner Clara Jeon’s and her mother share a similar experience and we all have become avid endorsers of these products.”
If the proof is in the pudding, that pudding is CBD oil! Long before cannabis was a popular pain relief medication, Trista’s proven results with her mother convinced her of the plant’s power to help people lead more enjoyable, fulfilling, and pain-free lives. She began sharing her oil blend with friends and family members who raved about the miraculous effects, touting the recipe as life-changing. Today the care in crafting remains the same to Trista though the demand has far outgrown the capacity of a crockpot.
Empower BodyCare: Beginning The Brand
Trista officially founded Empower BodyCare in 2013 with a single product – her signature topical oil, carefully crafted with CBD-rich oil, lavender, bergamot, and jojoba oil in addition to a proprietary blend of essential oils chosen for their benefits. 2014 saw the company expand into self-care products, with CBD-infused topicals as soaking salts and lotions.
Michele White joined Empower BodyCare as Chief Operations Officer in 2016 to accommodate and elevate the company’s rapidly changing organizational structure. Having worked for several nonprofit organizations, her fundraising experience not only helped position Empower BodyCare for more growth but Michele also leveraged her background in advocacy and community organizing. Empower BodyCare takes on multiple activism roles in the wellness community and donates a portion of every online sale to organizations supporting LGBTQ+, minority, and women’s rights.
2017 saw Empower BodyCare branch into the retail market with The Luxe Collection – a high-end line developed for Nordstrom and other luxury stores. The company’s devout following has since skyrocketed and can be found worldwide, with Empower BodyCare offering great merch like water bottles and clothing as well.
Gold Standard of Safety, Quality, and Transparency
The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill allowed many CBD companies to enter the quickly growing national market. But with an influx of companies looking to hop on the bandwagon, the industry witnessed a lack of oversight and credibility, as well as an abundance of misleading (if not downright false) claims.
Empower BodyCare took a decidedly different path by first building a close relationship with East Fork Cultivars, one of the first USDA-certified organic hemp farms in the United States that are Sun + Earth certified – which means it takes a three-pronged approach to growing, including earth care and cultivation, human empowerment and community engagement. The result is ethically grown and safe CBD that is vigorously tested for cannabinoid content and contaminants.
Working with Columbia Labs, an experienced testing facility versed in cosmetics and topicals testing, they publish batch-specific certificates of analysis so consumers know exactly what they are putting on their bodies.
Teamwork & the Dream at Work
Growing a CBD brand in today’s market is tough work, especially on a national level, but together Trista and Michele have developed a mutual support system that elevates their individual strengths, their mission, and their company – rooted in a shared desire to make a difference in their world. They are married and live in Portland with their two rescue dogs, Lucy and Riley. And, yes, the dogs do have their own bottle of CBD oil.
Do you support ethically cultivated cannabis products? Let us know in the comments below.
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