"WE SAW A GAP, SO WE DECIDED TO FILL IT."

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Co-founders Carly Shaw and Jillian Linares are from Queens, NY and currently live in Denver, CO. Their combined expertise in wellness, research, education, and sustainability are at the core of Refreshingly Human, and what makes their mission so dynamic. 

Carly has her Masters Degree from Columbia University's Spirituality Mind Body Institute, where she studied wellness psychology with a focus on nature's impact on our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. She has worked in hospitals, farms, schools, non-profits, and as a consultant for research and education-based initiatives. 

Jillian is a middle school Montessori teacher, author, poet, and adventurer who has a personal commitment to "be the change we wish to see in this world." Her devotion to education and healthy living is the driving force behind her personal and professional passions. Jillian embodies tenacity and optimism, and strives to be a role model for each and every student she teaches. 

"As NYC natives, we know the value of finding calm during commotion.  We were in third and fourth grade when 9/11 hit our home. Natural and human-caused disasters have been no strangers throughout our lives, and it seems their prevalence is constantly increasing. However, the coronavirus pandemic is an entirely new breed of disaster for most of us. COVID-19 has magnified the intricacies of what it takes to survive and heal, both during and after a major tragedy. 

Our response to something like this is deeply individual and varies from person to person. Heroes on the frontline have kicked into survival mode, others dread going into any sort of public space, and many of us find ourselves somewhere in between. Between our own experience here in Denver, and speaking to our friends and families back home, we knew the devastating psychosocial impacts of the virus were essentially another condition in need of a remedy. We saw a gap, so we decided to fill it.

We thought, 'What is a problem that needs to be solved right now?' Of course, there are a ton of answers to this question. But a feasible answer for us, was that people are afraid. People are afraid to do daily or weekly errands. People are afraid to go on walks. People are afraid to live. And while all of this is completely valid, we felt people still need to feel a sense of autonomy during this pandemic. And bam - that was it.  

Jill and I both have experienced the benefits of CBD - I use it for anxiety and she uses it for body aches and pains. It seemed like a natural marriage, blending CBD with disinfectant. Considering masks have become a new norm for everyone, we knew a 2-in-1 calming and cleansing agent would drastically improve people's quality of life. Offering one clean product that supports our physical and mental health will give people the freedom to live their lives a little more fully. And that's our goal at Refreshingly Human."

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Carly + Jill