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1/26/2021 0 Comments

MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN BLACK COMMUNITIES: DEFEATING THE STIGMA

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Break Free Center for Wellness in Manchester, CT
By Rode Bataille
“You don’t wait until your car breaks down to get an oil change, by then it is too late. But we treat our mental health that way. If anybody deserves the gift of therapy, it is us,” explained Sharron Riley-Seymour, a licensed counselor at Break Free Center for Wellness located in Manchester, Connecticut.

According to SAMHSA’s 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, “Sixteen percent (4.8 million) of Black and African American people reported having a mental illness, and 22.4 percent of those (1.1 million people) reported a serious mental illness over the past year.” The challenges of stigma make this statistic even more daunting.

Mental Health America explains that “historical adversity, which includes slavery, sharecropping, and race-based exclusion from health, educational, social, and economic resources translates into socioeconomic disparities experienced by Black and African American people today.” Socioeconomic status, in turn, is linked to mental health: People who are impoverished, homeless, incarcerated, or have substance use problems are at higher risk for poor mental health.

How is it that Black communities suffer at a 20 percent increased rate of mental health setbacks than any other racial group, yet they are one of the racial groups least likely to seek therapy? Disparities fuel the combination of mistrust and access to information about mental health and counseling, which lead to hesitancies around pursuing help for issues around generational trauma, depression, anxiety and other struggles. The percentage of counselors who identify as Black and who can alleviate mistrust, is small. 

Along with Riley-Seymour, Hasson Stavis and Yanique Grant are part of that small circle of professional Black therapists in Connecticut. Stavis is a licensed marriage and family therapist at HealThy Soul Clinical Services in Glastonbury and New Britain, Connecticut, and Grant is a licensed clinical social worker and is a clinician/psychotherapist at Courage to Be in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

Riley-Seymour wants Black individuals to know they are needed and that there is no limit to their potential in pursuing a mental health profession. There is a critical need for supporting communities who need a therapist that looks like them and embraces them wholeheartedly.
Stavis knew since he was 7 years old that being a healer was his calling. He decided to be a therapist earlier on and began working in the mental health field while in college, where he completed a co-op at Saint Francis Behavioral Care in Portland. 
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Yanique Grant, Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW
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Sharron Riley-Seymour, Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, CCTP
“Healing from trauma takes time and this might extend beyond the time the trauma itself occurred. Helping clients of color and clients in general heal from their traumas and generations pasts allows the client to truly evolve with a greater sense of purpose and being.” - Hasson Stavis, LMFT
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HealThy Soul Services
Grant shared that she chose to pursue a career as a mental health professional because she loves helping people “get to the bottom of who they are, how to manage their stress, and to be that person helping others through their journey.” According to her, she believes every therapist gets into therapy a little bit for themselves, too. 

Grant, Riley-Smith and Stavis are all working to help break the stigma that holds many Black individuals back from receiving mental health support.

“Normalize therapy as much as you can,” said Grant. 

A first step is to seek therapy by simply browsing online listings—like on PsychologyToday.com or ShopBlackCT.com—to see which therapists are available, reading through profiles and seeing if there is a connection with any through a consultation. 

“Consultation is a great entry into therapy to see if you mesh with the therapist,” explained Grant. 

And, therapists offer a variety of different treatment methods, which can be a helpful deciding factor.

Stavis’s practice focuses on getting clients to the point where they need without leading or providing them with a direct solution. He allows the solution to organically surface so that clients can own their outcomes for themselves. This practice has a foundation in Internal Family Systems and a few trauma modalities.

Riley-Seymour specializes in Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). 

“It’s traditionally thought of as a trauma therapeutic model,” she explained. “But it also looks at cognition, our thoughts and core beliefs we have about ourselves, our emotions and body sensations and how these are all interconnected.”

Stavis and Riley-Seymour have noted patterns between clients who also identify as Black.

“Transgenerational trauma and pain go back a lot farther for my Black clients because on top of individual trauma, there are also 400 years of trauma and abuse that they may have to address from slavery,” shared Stavis. “Healing from trauma takes time and this might extend beyond the time the trauma itself occurred. Helping clients of color and clients in general heal from their traumas and generations pasts allows the client to truly evolve with a greater sense of purpose and being.”

Black clients tend to have patterns and core beliefs of feeling undeserving, in addition to dealing with a high rate of imposter syndrome, anxiety, negative internal dialogue, and more.

“Many of my Black clients feel as if they are unable to accept awareness, ownership, and acknowledgment of what has happened to them as a collective people as well as their individual experiences of being black in America,” explained Riley-Seymour.

It is extraordinarily powerful how Black mental health professionals combat racism, racial inequality, and eradicating the broken line between black communities and therapy. 

“It’s hard being a human and it’s okay to heal; I think it’s important for clients to understand this,” encouraged Stavis.

“Waking up every morning in this skin, feeling good about who I am, and feeling good about what I do, is an act of resistance,” shared Riley-Seymour. “That is the work—when I show up for clients, the greatest gift that I can give is strengthening them so they can do what they need to do. We are in a society and we are in a culture that has been designed systematically to tear us down.” 

Pushing to destigmatize seeking mental health support in the Black community is a necessity. In the end, changing the narrative will help those who need it most.

“There’s a huge deficit in the way society portrays people of color, which is [the belief] that you can go but so far,” said Grant. “contribution is to break down that barrier because it’s a fake narrative and you can absolutely change that narrative and you can go so much further than what society is telling you.” 

“Whatever you put your mind to, you are capable of,” added Riley-Seymour. “You have the same amount of time in a day as Oprah, and as anyone else you look up to. All that they can accomplish in their day, so can you—so own your moments. Make and manage choices that include self-love.” ​

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AUTHOR

Rode Bataille is a fifth-year student at the University of Connecticut majoring in Philosophy and Sociology with minors in Human Rights and Crime and Justice. On campus, She is a student recruiting specialist (a tour guide), the vice president of the Nubian Dance Team, and The Major Experience Mentor for Philosophy. When she's not in class or at work, you can find her writing poems, dancing (or singing) when no one is watching, and reading a ton of books from her favorite poets and authors. 

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11/2/2020 1 Comment

Magnolia Wellness: Deeply Rooted

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By Brenda De Los Santos
Gizelle E. Tircuit and her daughter, Janelle Posey-Green, started their New London-based holistic mental health practice, Magnolia Wellness, LLC, in 2016 not only to benefit the community, but to allow them to feel good about what they were doing.

Tircuit is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) with a background in education and is currently at the write up stage for her Ph.D. in Counseling, while Posey-Green is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who has worked in the non-profit mental health field. They feel that the hearts of big institutions were in the right places when they were smaller, but as they grew they missed the mark. They didn’t want to have to meet a certain quota for how many clients they needed to see in a week. 
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Being the owners of their own practice allows them to steward Magnolia Wellness LLC in the exact direction they want to be in. They offer programs such as DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy), Positive Parenting, SMART Recovery group therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), CBT (Cognitive behavioral therapy ), sound healing, energy balancing and cleansing, as well as ancestral healing practices and other Holistic treatment approaches.

“We have an eclectic approach,” says Tircuit, “Many times it becomes a combination to find what the client needs.” Posey-Green adds, “One thing that Mom and I are adamant about is finding out if we are the right fit for the person. It’s not just about money. That's one of the things I didn’t like about bigger places. It goes back to ethics, it’s all about what the client needs.” Tircuit maintains her teaching license with a certificiaton in Special Education, so that she can support families with 504 plans and IEPs.
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Originally from New Orleans, the mother and daughter pair take much pride in their roots, and have incorporated the magnolia, Louisiana's state flower, as their business namesake. Posey-Green uses her Creole roots as a springboard for teaching her clients practical ways to incorporate indigenous self-care practices into their lives at home. She uses sound bowls and smudge sticks, as well as teaching people to regulate their own energies with fire breathing, dance, and sound. She says that many of her Black clients come for these indigenous practices that don’t necessarily come naturally to them.

After moving to Connecticut from Louisiana, Tircuit says they went from living in a community in Louisiana where her children saw Black adults who were doctors, attorneys and all the other professions in a community made up of different professions and families to Connecticut where there were only two Black families in their community. She didn’t let that deter her and made sure to expose her children to Black professionals. “Janelle [Posey-Green] was exposed to many Black women professional therapists,” says Tircuit, “We are all very close, and she got to see these beautiful Black professional women.”
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"One thing that Mom and I are adamant about is finding out if we are the right fit for the person. It’s not just about money. That's one of the things I didn’t like about bigger places. It goes back to ethics, it’s all about what the client needs.”
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The impact on Posey-Green was profound. “My mom never stops. There is nothing she can’t do because I’ve seen her do so many different things. As an adult, I know I can because she did.” Tircuit admits she had reservations about opening up a private practice, but she says Posey-Green was her cheerleader. “We motivate each other and we are inspired by each other as a family,” she shared.

Magnolia Wellness also strives to impact their community as a whole. Posey-Green has taken on the role of being a community leader, creating several online communities. After COVID hit, the CT BIPOC Mental Health & Wellness Initiative was created to provide a safe space to openly discuss the impact of the pandemic and racial trauma on Black, Indigenous, people of color. Posey-Green says CT Therapists and Healing Practitioners of Color was created because “we are not all the same, so we deserve options. You shouldn’t have to stick with a professional just because they have the same cultural background as you.” And SECT Naturalistas was created when she was working with teens and found that many did not have role models who looked like them. While Posey-Green takes on being the public face for these communities, Tircuit’s contributions are more in the background. ​
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Although most therapy appointments are currently being done virtually, the mother-daughter pair says that being treated in their practice is an experience. Whether a session is done online or in person with sage burning or an essential oil diffuser going, their clients are treated with dignity and taught stability and endurance. “It all goes back to our roots, our sense of community and culture,” says Tircuit.

Magnolia Wellness is located at 302 State St, New London, CT 06320. Click here to learn more.
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AUTHOR & PHOTOGRAPHER

A New London, CT native, Brenda De Los Santos (she/her) has always considered herself a creative. As a child and teen, she was always drawing, painting, or whatever other visual medium she could try. In college at Boston University, she signed up for a photography class on a whim and immediately became hooked - she fell in love with telling people's stories with photos and graduated with a degree in photojournalism. 

After working on staff at daily newspapers for years, Brenda took her photography in a different direction and now focuses on portrait and wedding photography. Brenda celebrates diversity and is incredibly proud of her Puerto Rican heritage, which means her ancestors are Indigenous, African and European. She loves getting to capture the unique backgrounds of her clients as well.

In 2019 she started a photo project, “Small City, Great Women,” which celebrates the great women of her hometown of New London through photos and words.

When she is not photographing people, Brenda loves to photograph the beauty found in nature and the landscapes around us. 

​Aside from photography, Brenda is a person who believes in the good in people and the beauty of the human spirit. She gives back with photography and in her personal life as a volunteer with Help-Portrait, Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep and Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters.

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10/29/2020 0 Comments

Ask The Doc: Chronic Inflammation and Food Allergies

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Photo: integrisok.com
By Dr. Ceylon Cicero, ND; Natural Practices
What is inflammation?​

Inflammation is a necessary body process that is important—if we did not have inflammation, we would not have immunity. It is a necessary part of our immune response—or how our bodies defend themselves—and anti-inflammatory medications can be helpful as well. Congestion, pain and swelling are all signs and symptoms of inflammation, which may result from the presence of foreign pathogens such as harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, tissue damage of any kind or fevers. Inflammation happens naturally as a necessary process to repair and heal. It can happen any and everywhere in the body--and we need it to. 
 
To maintain optimal functioning, our bodies are constantly changing and balancing. Our bodies like to be balanced and will do whatever it takes to maintain that balance in order for survival—even damaging or injuring another part of the body in the process. Inflammation, while it is a necessary process, can be overdone and cause some damage to the body as well.  With the body and with health, a good rule is “anything in moderation” (well almost anything) and that goes for inflammation too. Our bodies can produce an acute inflammatory response or a chronic inflammatory response. Acute inflammation is short lived (minutes to days) which is necessary for repairing. This includes things like a cut finger or a twisted ankle. Chronic inflammation is long lasting (days to months, or even years) and is damaging. It creates imbalances in the body that can lead to hypertension, diabetes, anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain, hair loss or other ailments.
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"Managing the inflammatory response is how you manage your health. You have a lot of control over your lifestyle choices and helping your body heal itself. 'You are what you eat' is not just a saying, but a way of life."

​Chronic inflammation can be caused by modern day luxuries and our lifestyle choices, including:


  • Excess sugar consumption: Poor dietary choices, processed foods, overeating.
  • Chemical exposures: Pesticides/herbicides, poor air quality, toxic environment, skin care and hair care products.
  • Pathogens: Bacteria, fungi, viruses, resistant bugs, GMO-foods causing molecular mimicry.
  • Poor sleep: We need restorative sleep regularly to help us heal and repair.
  • Sedentary/less active lifestyle: We need to move to keep everything in the body moving too, including the lymphatic system (part of your immune system).
  • Stress: High stress, extreme production, no work/ life balance, psychological, physical, emotional.
 
Managing the inflammatory response is how you manage your health. You have a lot of control over your lifestyle choices and helping your body heal itself. “You are what you eat” is not just a saying, but a way of life. If you are eating foods that are causing inflammation in your body, you are then inflamed. Food should work for you, not against you. A very good start to prevent inflammation is to identify your food sensitivities and food allergies! 
 
For follow-up care regarding but not limited to chronic inflammation, schedule an appointment with Dr. Ceylon Cicero at Natural Practices, 10 Crossroads Plaza, West Hartford, CT 860-951-8308. We provide testing for food allergies among many other things. We have seen a great number of patients who have experienced an enhancement in their lives emotionally, physically and mentally—all from discovering their inflammation responses to certain food allergies and more!

Click here to visit Dr. Cicero's website.

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AUTHOR

Dr. Ceylon Cicero is a Connecticut licensed, board certified Naturopathic Physician, educator and mother of two. She is a 2003 graduate of the University of Bridgeport, College of Naturopathic Medicine. Dr. Cicero provides healthcare services to adults and children with both acute and chronic illnesses. She also works as an adjunct professor in the Connecticut Community College system teaching Anatomy and Physiology to aspiring health care providers. She feels that expanding the minds of our future and exposing students to the variety of health care options available today is very important.

Dr. Cicero's practice focuses on metabolic disease, allergies, Lyme disease, tick borne illness, gastrointestinal health and a variety of acute and chronic disorders; while using many naturopathic modalities including acupuncture, nutritional and lifestyle counseling, botanical medicine, hydrotherapy, and homeopathy. She has an eclectic style of practice using variable diagnostic tools including, but not limited to, applied kinesiology, laboratory testing, and functional medicine. She views each patient individually searching for the cause of the issue to ensure healing and not just symptom relief.

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10/16/2020 0 Comments

Isankofa Natural Skin Care: Back to Basics with Sustainable and Responsible Ingredients

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By Terrence Irving
“My whole purpose is...if you can’t eat it, you probably shouldn’t have it on your skin.”

It’s a warmish fall day and I’ve just arrived at the suburban Willimantic studio of Isankofa Natural Skin Care, owned and operated by Sahra Deer. She greets me outside along with her marketing manager. Kids, including Sahra’s daughter, are outside enjoying the weather. The smell of leaves is in the air, but so is something else. Something really, really good.

Not even a Covid-19 mask could prevent the first impression that Isankofa inevitably leaves its visitors: the wonderful scent of the products that await inside. Ingredients such as apple, peach, and pumpkin are autumn-appropriate.

Once we get started, Sahra quickly makes it clear that Isankofa is about much more than just nice smells.
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THE ISANKOFA WAY

We’re in the studio now and the source of the enticing aroma is before me on several rustic wall shelves. The professionalism and care is obvious: everything is neatly organized and aligned. The products are carefully labeled with a description and list of ingredients, complete with Isankofa’s branding. Sahra also accepts online orders that can either be picked up in person at the studio or shipped directly to customers.

Early on in our talk, Sahra points out a subtle fact about human anatomy: our skin is our largest organ. When asked about Isankofa’s “why,” Sahra expands:

“The company started for [a] couple different reasons. My mother, and a few of my cousins, and one of my aunts had breast cancer.”

Questioning the concept of conventional deodorants and antiperspirants, which are well known for containing chemicals which aren’t exactly healthy, Sahra’s outlook on self-care evolved. She took action, gaining an interest in natural skin wellness, then developing her own deodorant. 

Eventually, her resolve was only strengthened by one of her children’s skin conditions: “And then when my daughter was a little bit older, she ended up having horrific eczema…[Her prescribed treatment consisted of] all these chemicals that never seemed to help. So then, that’s how the body butter started.”
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MORE THAN JUST A NAME

Sahra’s father is a Rastafarian who used to be an antique dealer in her native Jamaica. Naturally, then, she admits an affinity for mixing old with new in her business. 

Her strong connection to (and fondness for) the island nation is evident beyond her accent. It also explains the “I” in “Isankofa”:

“The Rastas don’t believe in the you, the me, or the we, they believe in just the ‘I’,” she explains.

Enter Iyaric, the Rastafari English dialect. A manner of speaking created to combat oppression, convey piousness, and maintain African roots, Iyaric makes extensive use of “I”, both as a word and as a concept.

With the “I” portion of her business’s name, Sahra goes on to explain the rest. The Rastafarian culture, popularized in America by the late and great Bob Marley, is widely associated with Jamaica only. Few are aware of its African roots, including the West African nation of Ghana. Enter “sankofa,” an ancient concept born there. The exact definition varies slightly depending on where you look. Sahra’s does great a great job of conveying the point:

“‘Sankofa’ means...to look into the past in order to have a prosperous future.”

Sahra is very up front about Sankofa’s influence on her business philosophy and product development: she borrows from ancient self-care methods and recipes, modernizing them for her customers. She puts it frankly: 

“Sometimes I feel that people have gotten so smart that they need a 360, back to stupid.”

In other words, when it comes to keeping your skin healthy, simple is best. From Africa to Asia to North and South America, people have been caring for their skin naturally for millenia. Figuratively, then, the Isankofa brand challenges us to ask ourselves, “Why fix what isn’t broken?”
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“My whole purpose is...if you can’t eat it, you probably shouldn’t
​have it on your skin.”
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QUALITY YOU CAN SENSE

Meeting Department of Consumer Protection standards in Connecticut isn’t easy. Sahra takes great care to ensure that Isankofa’s facility, ingredients, and production methods do so.

“I am making [each product], so my name is out there on the line...I try to use locally-sourced, organic, fair trade...and most of all, food grade, ingredients. Even down to the lye that we use,” Sahra explains.

I already described the pleasant effect Isankofa products have on your sense of smell, so we can scratch scent off of the list.

Let’s move on to what you can see. The products are clearly packaged well; Sahra also makes it a point to use biodegradable shrink-wrap on Isankofa’s soaps. This stuff isn’t mass-produced, so you can see just about every speckle, hue, and swirl of the unprocessed ingredients used to make them.

Touch is an easy one. Isankofa is primarily, after all, a small business focused on natural skincare products. From oils to balms to butters to soaps...with actual grains of rice in them. The list goes on. Everything here is created to keep your largest organ feeling and looking healthy.

And what about taste? A bar of “Aren’t Figs Rose-mantic?” soap literally looks like pudding. The reason is that it actually contains, well, food. Figs, olive oil, and coconut. 

Perhaps noticing that I was staring at the soap as if we were in a pastry shop, Sahra offers a lighthearted dose of reality:

“It’d be really nasty, but yes, you could eat it.”

STAYING ON COURSE

Like many other small businesses around the state, Isankofa was hit hard by this year’s Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to in-person retail, Sahra is used to inviting customers into the studio for classes as well as attending markets with like-minded vendors.

She explained, “Last year was a really great year for the business. It grew leaps and bounds. And I felt like...finally, 2020 was gonna be my year...and that did not happen.”

Still, Sahra remains optimistic and focused on the Isankofa’s mission of continuing to provide quality skincare products that respect our bodies and our environment. As of this writing, new email list subscribers are eligible for a discount as well as those who return Isakofa glass bottles to the studio for recycling.

“I want to make sure that I have an affordable, natural product...for people that look like us...I tell people all the time: I don’t expect you to drink the [natural skincare] Kool Aid. But, try one thing [before writing it off].”

So what are you waiting for? Give Isankofa Natural Skincare a try today. Your skin—and your conscience—will thank you for it.

Click here to visit Isankofa Natural Skincare's website.
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AUTHOR & PHOTOGRAPHER

Terrence Irving is a Connecticut native now residing in the southeastern part of the state, Terrence Irving is a wedding photographer and owner of Terrence Irving Photography. Also an engineer by trade, he enjoys bridging the gap between technology and the arts through his work. He values diversity in all forms and is very enthusiastic about being a part of the ShopBlackCT team.

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6/29/2020 4 Comments

Your CBD Store Simsbury: Giving Back and Improving Lives

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Pictured: Co-owners of Your CBD Store Simsbury, Katonya Hughey and Nakia Kearse. (Photo: Corey Lynn Tucker Photography)
By Sarah Thompson
Nakia Kearse and Katonya Hughey always knew they wanted to go into business together. A friendship that sprouted 14 years ago when they were corporate colleagues has now flourished into a business partnership with proud new roots in Simsbury.

CBD. It’s a buzz word that has been around long enough for many people to know that it has something to do with cannabis, but perhaps not long enough to fully grasp the wide range of benefits it offers. The growth of CBD products has been so immense that industry analysts predict the U.S. CBD market will reach $20 billion in sales by 2024. For Kearse and Hughey, it not only has helped them with friends, family and personal health challenges, it has offered a great way for them to give back and help people in their community improve their lives.

Hughey was born and raised in Bloomfield and has frequented Simsbury since childhood. Kearse, a resident of Simsbury for the past 14 years, has enjoyed raising her children in the town she now calls home. Both have a deep affinity for Simsbury, which is why it made perfect sense to set up their business right in the heart of the Farmington Valley town, on Hopmeadow Street.
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“As I thought about my community, I reflected on the number of stories I’ve heard over the years about friends and their loved ones with health concerns or just looking for something to help them feel better.   And after not finding many options locally to seek out these natural alternatives— like CBD—in a place with people you could trust and who cared—that is what we set out to create.  A neighborhood store, with high-quality products and a strong community connection,” explained Kearse.
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Because one-size-doesn’t-fit-all for using CBD products to address ailments, Kearse and Hughey take customized approaches to each person who
walks through their doors—something they have dubbed “helping one
neighbor at a time.” 

With education, consultation and community at the heart of their business model, the pair work hard to ensure that all who come into their store feel comfortable and informed.

“We strive to be consultative,” shared Hughey. “We put a premium on listening to our customers’ concerns in order to provide appropriate solutions.”

According to Project CBD, cannabis has a rich history as a medicine going back thousands of years. CBD is one of more than a hundred phytocannabinoids unique to cannabis. These cannabinoids endow the plant with its robust therapeutic profile. Cannabinoids interact with the body's Endocannabinoid System.  The Endocannabinoid System is a system of receptors responsible for regulating many vital processes within the body including immune response, communication between cells, appetite, metabolism, memory, and more.  CBD binds with these receptors to help your body achieve homeostasis—a state of stability, balance or equilibrium within a cell or the body. 

“We make sure that customers understand that it is an alternative to traditional pharmaceutical drugs,” explained Hughey. “We talk through all the benefits and the different ways of ingestion. CBD is a natural anti-inflammatory.  Each product works differently and can impact each person in a different way. We explain the whole process to them.”

Because one-size-doesn’t-fit-all, Kearse and Hughey take a customized approach to each person who walks through their doors—something they have dubbed “helping one neighbor at a time.” 

“Our goal is to help,” shared Kearse. “We’re not here to sell something that doesn’t work.  We want to help people discover what works best for them, their routine and their goals.”
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This promise is even backed by a 30-day refund guarantee on all their products—including their most popular—Topical Creams, Oil Tinctures and delicious edible treats like and Peach and Watermelon Rings.
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Kearse and Hughey also stay on the cutting edge of new developments in the market. Because the store is part of a larger footprint of stores, they are connected to regulations and how the market is evolving.

“We are excited about some of the new science exploring other powerful cannabinoids and the use of other natural ingredients to target specific needs,” Kearse explained.  “Like our new CBNPlus tincture that is infused with lavender and valerian root, to help relax and calm before bed.  It has CBD, but also a higher concentration of CBN, another cannabinoid found in cannabis.  Or our Maxine+Morgan capsule that is includes CBD and other natural ingredients like fennel, tumeric, ginger, cramp bark and valerian root.  This products helps women suffering with premenstrual and menstrual symptoms.”    

After having opened their doors in February of this year, the pair was full steam ahead with doing in-store sampling and offering high-touch in-person demos to showcase the power of their high-quality CBD products. They could easily point out the unique QR codes that are on each product that link directly to third party lab reports, ensuring a consistent quality process and transparency all the way through.

And then boom—COVID.

Just one month into their new business, they were forced to shift gears. But, finding solutions is what Kearse and Hughey do best, so in a matter of weeks they launched a new website with an online store, virtual consultations, curbside pickup and even delivery.
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What has catapulted them into a more grassroots effort has kept student athletes with aches and pains and people with arthritis, gout, sleep issues or anxiety reaching out for help.

And beyond helping customers find relief, Kearse and Hughey have supported first responders in Simsbury and Bloomfield with CBD care packages and are working to develop a forum that will allow community members to discuss racial injustice, bias and inclusion in a safe space.

​“We both have a history in diversity and inclusion,” shared Kearse. “As we see the level of unrest, a lot of the times people just don’t know how to have the conversations and they want to help, but don’t know how. They have questions but don’t have a safe place to discuss what’s on their mind.  Many may not have close relationships with people of color, so they are left looking at TV or reading something in the news as opposed to having real-life interactions.”

“We can begin to have some of these conversations that are deeply meaningful for us as a country, so this is simply not a movement for a day, but something that can have a long-lasting effect on the way we interact and live. Our goal was to be a neighborhood store, to understand the needs of the community and try to serve them not only with CBD but with other things, and this was a gap that I think we were uniquely positioned to try to help fill,” she added.
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The store is also partnering with Signs Plus of East Granby to benefit Simsbury A Better Chance (ABC)—a non-profit organization making a difference in the lives of academically talented young men of color from underserved communities. Black Lives Matter signs and t-shirts printed by Signs Plus are being sold at Your CBD Store Simsbury, and $5 of the sign and shirt proceeds plus an additional 5% of CBD sales from customers who buy a sign or shirt will be donated to ABC.

Now that their store is fully operational, Kearse and Hughey are experiencing the joy of helping one neighbor at a time have health without the “high”—benefiting from the therapeutic properties of cannabis without the psychoactive effects. 

“We always had a desire to do something different—something where we could truly give back and help,” said Kearse.
​
In just a few short months, they are fulfilling their dream of building strong, lasting relationships with their neighbors and offering high-quality service and products for a better community.

Your CBD Store, at 1243 Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury, is open Monday-Friday from 11:00am-6:00pm, Saturday 11:00-5:00pm and Sunday, 11:00am-4:00pm. Visit their online store at ycbdsimsbury.com, find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Your CBD Store offers 10% off for new customers (use code "neighbor); is hold a Fourth of July sale (July 1-5) with 25% off entire orders; and a Shop Black special on 7/7 - buy one get one 50% off.
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​Author

Sarah Thompson has spent more than twenty years working in agency, media and community-based non-profit organizations. She is the senior marketing and communications director at the Village for Families & Children, and is also a local photographer specializing in portraits and weddings.

​Sarah is deeply committed to anti-racist work
,  raising anti-racist children, connecting and empowering people, fostering community and championing for those who need it most.

​She has received awards from the Florida Press Association, American Graphic Design Awards, Constant Contact and Photos.com for her work in advertising, website design, digital marketing and photography.

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PHOTOGRAPHER

Corey Lynn Tucker Photography
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​
Born and raised in Connecticut, Corey Tucker is a creatrix. She is self taught and pursues art, fashion, culture and ethical travel. Corey started her own photography business and creates styled shoots, portraits, fashion and wedding photography.

Corey is passionate about the planet and social justice.  She embraces culture and diversity. Nature is her church and she enjoys finding beautiful locations to share with her couples for adventurous photography sessions. She started The Luminists and leads photographers on monthly photo art tours, has taught photographer workshops and mentors photographers. She loves styling and dreaming up magical styled shoots to change the wedding industry through sustainability and diversity.

Corey has volunteered at Help Portrait, donated her photography skills, done giveaways and supports her community with her talents.  She sells prints to benefit The Innocence Project and happy to be a contributor to ShopBlackCT.com.

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6/23/2020 40 Comments

Win this self-care gift BASKET!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER: MELANIE S.!!
To celebrate the launch of www.shopblackct.com, we're giving away a self-care gift basket packed with great items from Black-owned businesses listed on this site! 

INCLUDED IN THE GIFT BASKET:

​Lavender Mint Massaging Soap Bar (Heavenly Bodied)
King Me Loofah Soap (
Heavenly Bodied)
The King's Butter (
Heavenly Bodied)
A Kingly Scrub (
Heavenly Bodied)
Earrings (
Shanta's Vintage Boutique)
Necklace (Shanta's Vintage Boutique)
Shea Lip Butter (Royal House Products)
Sea Moss Face Masque (Royal House Products)
"Love" Clip (​Clouded Boutique)
Sativa Seed Lip Oil (​Clouded Boutique)
Coconut Lip Gloss (​Clouded Boutique)
"The Penthouse" Gold Paparazzi Necklace and Earrings (​Jewels Exclusive $5 Bling)
Whipped Unscented Shea Butter (
Ray of Sol)
Soap Tray (Ray of Sol)
Handmade Body Soap (Ray of Sol)
CBD Bath Bombs (Your CBD Store - Simsbury)
Pure Uncut Egyptian Musk Oil for Body and Burning (Royal House Products)
Retail value: $210+

HERE's HOW TO ENTER:

1. Comment in the blog comment section with your name and which item you are most excited about winning!
2. Follow SHOPBLACKCT.com on Facebook (CLICK HERE) and Instagram (CLICK HERE).
3. Share this giveaway page on your social media.
​4. Complete the form below.

The winner will be chosen at random on July 8, 2020 and will be contacted by email and announced on SHOPBLACKCT.com social media.
​The gift basket items will be shipped to the winner. Open to US residents only. No purchase necessary.
    Note: Failure to complete all of the entry steps will result in disqualification. 
Submit
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