The Story Behind HOLISTIK Wellness, Our New Go-to CBD Powder
Love your CBD, but don’t love the taste of CBD tinctures or the calories of CBD gummies and chocolate? HOLISTIK Wellness CBD powder is for you. HOLISTIK CBD comes in convenient and delicious STIKs each paired with one to two natural, functional ingredients like chamomile, ginger, and lemon. Just pop open a STIK and pour the powder into your favorite drink, using the STIK to quickly stir it in. They come in yummy and oh-so-portable pastel packaging and 5 problem-solving formulations including Beauty, Digest, Recover, Sleep, and Stress.
We caught up with the charismatic CEO and Co-Founder of this Black-owned cannabis company, TJ Stouder, to find out how best to incorporate this new CBD product into your routine (and ours)!
What inspired you to start HOLISTIK Wellness?
I’m originally from Indiana. As a cannabis consumer, let’s just say it’s frowned upon there—the perfect example of the stigma. I grew up professionally at Procter and Gamble, learning about building a brand that a consumer can trust. The number one thing I came away with is that in business, the consumer is king, and your brand is subservient to their needs. My professional cannabis journey began shortly after leaving P&G in 2017. Although I didn’t leave for the Green Rush and it’s a dream job, I didn’t picture it being my next step.
Out of necessity, I started learning about the full potential of broad spectrum cannabinoids, as my mom needed the push to get over her own stigma with the plant. After seeing her misconceptions about this natural plant firsthand when I suggested that she try it, I set out to change her mind. After six months of effort, it paid off. That’s when I realized that consumers need a brand they can trust (like the trust she has for her son) to do the hard work for them—to explain how and why this plant should be a part of our everyday lives. HOLISTIK Wellness was born and exists with this clear mission as our guiding light, to simplify the journey to CBD wellness.
How do you integrate HOLISTIK CBD STIKs into your daily routine?
I usually have about 1-2 HOLISTIK CBD STIKs a day, sometimes more when we have a day filled with meetings. Before the pandemic, I traveled quite a bit. That’s a portion of what inspired the portability and flexibility of our product; it needs to be ready when you are. I always have a STIK nearby, and it’s really convenient to stash a ten-pack for the trip. My favorite place for a STIK is when I sit down on an airplane, to ease the nerves or to focus on some plane work. Traveling also usually consists of some late nights and early mornings, so I love a sleep STIK before bed to keep rested despite not being on my normal schedule. That said, nowadays, I stay home a lot more and find myself grabbing for my morning Recover STIK as my consistent daily go-to. I love the ginger in it.
How has introducing CBD drinks into your daily routine had a positive impact on your life?
Fortunately, I’ve always been a pretty healthy, happy guy with no major ailments to complain about. So I never came into CBD seeking a 180 turnaround. That said, life is a roller coaster. Some days are stressful. Some nights are sleepless. Some workouts feel like they hurt for days. Some meals just don’t sit right, and some days the skin doesn’t shine like when we were younger. I find the STIK-a-day CBD drink routine to be a simple way of centering myself mentally and physically, which makes that roller coaster more like a smooth ride over rolling hills. The road may go up and down, but I’m peacefully driving the car. I listened in on a recent study of thousands of consumers on how CBD products make them feel. By far, the most consistent response was “a general sense of wellness.”
How do you suggest people educate themselves on CBD products?
Start with safety before looking at anything else a CBD source has to tell you. Moreover, before considering any CBD product, ensure it’s from a reputable company that makes all of the information you need to make decisions readily available. The most important information you should easily find is their 3rd-party test results, to make sure it doesn’t contain any heavy metals, microbials, pesticides, and to document potency. At HOLISTIK Wellness, our door is always open ([email protected] or @holistikwellness), shoot us a message and let’s learn together.
Would you share your favorite recipe for CBD drinks using Holistik?
I’m doing you a disservice by doing so, because your creativity is what makes our product great for you. So take these with a grain of salt and shoot me a message when you improve them. My two unique favorites, beyond a simple glass of cold or warm water (which is my normal go-to) are a Recover CBD Tonic and an Even KEEL CBD Cocktail.
Recover CBD tonic ingredients
3/4 glass of sparkling water (I choose Grapefruit Bubly)
A splash of citrus juice (I choose Simply Grapefruit)
Lots of ice
1 Recover STIK
A Recover CBD Tonic is perfect for a hot day, with a nice breakfast, or even as breakfast when you’re in a hurry. My other guilty pleasure, which I call an Even KEEL, isn’t so guilty because it turns a 3-cocktail night into a 1-2 cocktail night.
Even KEEL CBD cocktail ingredients
1 Stress STIK
KEEL Vodka (low alcohol, great taste, not to mention a great cocktail name)
Soda to taste
An Even KEEL has a lemony twist and more importantly, keeps me feeling fresh and clear-headed through the evening and the next day.
How do you combat the stigmas that sometimes surround the use of CBD products?
First of all, I stress that cannabis is natural and grows in the ground, which quickly makes people a bit more confident that this could be something naturally good. Second, we look to produce CBD in the cleanest way possible, so you’re truly getting it in its natural form. After those two important boxes are checked, just, “Why not give it a shot?” We offer sample sizes as low as a single dose. I always tell people, “With everything you’ve heard about CBD, isn’t it time you gave it a shot?” So many products ask for $50-100 just to give it a try. We don’t subscribe to that and think we’re on the hook to prove that to you before asking you to invest in being our customer.
Is there anyone in particular in the cannabis industry who you admire?
There are too many to name who sacrificed to force the opportunity for the legal cannabis industry to emerge. I think they can be summarized as the ‘caregivers,’ who gave their life’s work, their time, their passion, and often their freedom to fight to deliver this beautiful plant to those who needed it. I’m excited for the months ahead when records will be expunged of cannabis ‘crimes’, and so many good people will be given back a shred of what was wasted in the War on Drugs. Naming one would overlook too many. I admire every person who paved the path to where we are today with cannabis legalization.
Besides revolutionizing CBD wellness, what are your future goals?
First, a humble thank you, we’ll do what we can! Beyond CBD Wellness, I’m sure you’ve noticed I like to say cannabis instead of CBD or hemp. It’s a big plant with even bigger potential, and I’m excited beyond words about things we know are already in the innovation pipeline and even more so what we’ve yet to learn about its potential. I think the next 5-10 years will be filled with innovation—from textiles to health and wellness Products to recreational products. Net, there’s much more coming 🙂 In parallel with all of it, sustainability; a big mission for us is turning our STIK from recyclable to fully biodegradable (the good kind that doesn’t put chemicals into the earth). We’re hard at work on this mission and excited that one of the top contenders is actually a hemp-based resin. Is there anything this plant can’t do? In the meantime, for every STIK sold, we collect a plastic bottle from the ocean (4x the plastic), and I’m hopeful to hit big numbers in collecting even after we’ve changed our STIK.
Your wind-down routine, including how you use CBD for stress?
Winding down after a long day usually starts with a Recover CBD Tonic or a simple hot lemon water with a Stress STIK to ease my mind out of the day. Then, I love to get out and smell some fresh air, whether that’s a bike ride, short hike, or just bringing my Golden Doodle, Sativa, out for a stroll to the dog park. I find that even a moment in nature can refresh you from top to bottom. More important for winding down is to never be wound up. I try not to stress about the little things and enjoy the ride.
Any words to live by?
Life is 10% what happens and 90% how you deal with it. Let’s be honest, 2020 sucks (nearly past tense), but look how much stronger we are for it. Watching people cope and soar above unimaginable difficulties, heroes emerge from all walks of life from healthcare workers to food line volunteers, businesses evolve overnight to serve new needs in new ways, and the many, many more miracles in between the chaos, show the underlying strength that just assure you, everything is going to be alright. Go us!
