The Path to Healing: How Teamotions was Born and the Journey We’ve Taken Since
Growing up with a sister is a beautiful gift. You have a built-in best friend, a confidante, someone to keep you out of trouble (and sometimes lead you into it!)
That’s how it always was with Rachel and me. I was the youngest of three sisters, and Rachel was the oldest, the leader. Rachel loved being in charge. Like many oldest sisters, she bossed us around quite a bit, and like many younger sisters, I didn’t mind blindly following her around.
I looked up to her every day of my life (even when we didn’t get along), and I knew that she would always have my back.
That’s why it was so hard when tragedy struck our family and took away the Rachel as I knew her.
Tragedy, Loss, and Grief
In 2008, Rachel gave birth to two beautiful twin baby girls, Aubrey and Ellie. But instead of watching all the milestones and celebrating with family, Rachel had to watch her babies die. Ellie lived for 7 days, and Aubrey for 14.
I mourned the loss of my niece, as did our entire family. But of course, nobody mourned the way Rachel did.
When her daughters died, Rachel’s spirit died along with them. To love so strongly and then lose that love—it changes you.
I watched Rachel’s light disappear from her eyes. Her heart was shattered. She didn’t know how to cope. I saw her become a shell of who she used to be.
As anyone who has had a loved one experience such a strong loss knows, the hardest part isn’t just watching them suffer—it’s being completely helpless, knowing there’s nothing you can do to ease their pain.
That crushed me. I knew that I needed to step up and lead, that it was my time to be the “big sister.” And I wanted to. But I didn’t know how. I couldn’t change what had happened. I couldn’t bring Rachel’s spirit back.
I did the only thing that I knew to do—be there, be present. I rarely knew what to say (there was nothing I could say), but I sat with her, in silence, feeling her pain, loving her, hoping that somehow that would be enough.
Rachel did everything she was “supposed” to do after her loss. She went to the grief groups, practiced exercises, read books, and sought help. But grief is a scary, sad, strange path. Nothing seemed to be enough.
I spent a lot of time with her, watching her do the work, hoping that she would find some peace. But Rachel needed something more. The problem was that neither of us knew what that “more” was or how to reach it. Rachel didn’t know how to heal herself, and I didn’t know how to help her.
The Light Bulb Moment
As time went on, I noticed that Rachel always had a cup of tea in her hand no matter where she was or what she was doing. If Rachel was there, so was a cup of tea.
There was something comforting about a cup of tea—the routine of making it, the warmth of the cup, the aroma wafting up. It was just a small thing that Rachel could control, making a cup of tea for herself.
I can’t begin to count the number of days I sat with her as she sipped on her tea and cried. All I wanted was to find a way to help her, find a way to offer her something MORE than what she was trying, to help her along her path of grief.
One morning she was having a particularly tough time. (Grief so often is like that...some days are worse than others, without rhyme or reason).
I wedged myself onto the couch next to her and her cup of tea and told her, “I wish there was something I could put in your tea to make you feel better.”
As time went on, I noticed that Rachel always had a cup of tea in her hand no matter where she was or what she was doing. If Rachel was there, so was a cup of tea.
There was something comforting about a cup of tea—the routine of making it, the warmth of the cup, the aroma wafting up. It was just a small thing that Rachel could control, making a cup of tea for herself.
I can’t begin to count the number of days I sat with her as she sipped on her tea and cried. All I wanted was to find a way to help her, find a way to offer her something MORE than what she was trying, to help her along her path of grief.
One morning she was having a particularly tough time. (Grief so often is like that...some days are worse than others, without rhyme or reason).
I wedged myself onto the couch next to her and her cup of tea and told her, “I wish there was something I could put in your tea to make you feel better.”
In cartoons, when people have big ideas, you always see the little light bulb click on overhead. It seems silly, but in that moment, Rachel and I felt that little light bulb. We connected eyes and knew that there was something to the idea.
Maybe there was a way that we could do this...a way we could offer some healing, not just for Rachel, but for anyone who needed something “more.”
But...how?
We weren’t sure. But we knew that this path was worth walking.
Creating Teamotions
Rachel and I didn’t know where to start, so we dove headfirst into research mode. We read books, made phone calls, and consulted with doctors, naturopaths, and herbalists.
We discovered that there were herbs out there that could do what we wanted them to do—promote healing, offer focus, and help people unleash peace. These herbs, adaptogens, had been used for centuries for medicinal purposes, and were backed by science and history.
But we also discovered that nobody out there was doing what we wanted to do. Tea was used for healing, of course—for sore throats, stomachaches, for sleep and energy...but not for emotional needs.
There wasn’t a tea that nurtured your mind, body, and soul.
Grief is felt in all of those places. That’s what makes it so hard to overcome. While your heart and soul suffer, your physical body changes. Those physical changes drain you, making it feel impossible to heal.
It creates a vicious cycle, the same cycle that Rachel had been stuck in.
But there was a way that we could help.
That’s how Teamotions was born.
It took us a year and a half to formulate our blends, making sure every ingredient was purposeful, every blend was beautiful, and every sip was therapeutic and delicious.
Our tea blends contain balancing adaptogen herbs and nourishing botanicals making it the first and only line of teas that support emotional well-being.
Sharing Our Tea with the World
It wasn’t enough to just create the tea that we knew the world needed. We also needed to get it in the hands of people who needed it!
While we worked on our products, we also learned how to run a business and how to get our tea out there.
We found a competition—the North American Tea Championship. This was our shot. In 2010, we entered our tea in the flavored herbal tea category. We won first place.
In 2011, Teamotions was launched to the public. With Rachel by my side, we exhibited at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco where we won Best New Product.
But most importantly, people started reaching out about how much our products meant to them, and how much they were helping. As we read reviews, I couldn’t help but reflect on how far we had come.
The tea itself was helping Rachel, but in a way, the Teamotions journey was part of her healing too. We weren’t just providing a path for healing for Rachel. We were sharing that path with others who needed it too.
It wasn’t enough to just create the tea that we knew the world needed. We also needed to get it in the hands of people who needed it!
While we worked on our products, we also learned how to run a business and how to get our tea out there.
We found a competition—the North American Tea Championship. This was our shot. In 2010, we entered our tea in the flavored herbal tea category. We won first place.
In 2011, Teamotions was launched to the public. With Rachel by my side, we exhibited at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco where we won Best New Product.
But most importantly, people started reaching out about how much our products meant to them, and how much they were helping. As we read reviews, I couldn’t help but reflect on how far we had come.
The tea itself was helping Rachel, but in a way, the Teamotions journey was part of her healing too. We weren’t just providing a path for healing for Rachel. We were sharing that path with others who needed it too.
Growth, Healing, and Well-Being
Since then, our company has grown and blossomed. We’ve sold over 50,000 tins of tea. But more than anything, we’ve made an impact. We’ve shared the beauty of Teamotions with people who needed it most.
Rachel still drinks Teamotions teas today. In fact, so do I. They have helped us both take better care of our hearts.
They have also helped countless others do the same. That is our wish for the world—that Teamotions can help you take better care of your heart, that you can cultivate emotional well-being, and that you can start your own path to peace, one sip at a time.
Shop Teamotions today to experience the healing for yourself!