Kat W MHA, CPC of San Gabriel Valley on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Kat W MHA, CPC and have shared our conversation below.

Kat, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about your customers?
One of the most surprising things I have learned about our amazing customers is their deep support both for small business owners and also support for the return to natural solutions.

In the present day, there are so many greenwashed business making claims of fair trade and veganism, and while some of that may be true, there are still ingredients used that are not ideal for human skin or safe to use around babies and pets. Customers are increasingly growing aware, and as they learn my story about becoming allergic to the same chemicals sourced from vegan ingredients, we have all began this learning process together for which we can identify and avoid drying and harsh ingredients.

As our skin and bodies return to the use of simple, nature made ingredients, the results are evident, and customers report feeling better in their own skin. We are losing trust with bigger brands and turning to our local soap makers, candle makers, shampoo makers, and more, and it is so nice to see support for local community makers as society has used in past centuries.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
The Sugarwitch Co. has been a labor of love that began when I learned that I had anaphylactic reactions to coconut. I learned that coconut is made into many chemicals, not just in food or the oil, and it adversely affected my skin and respiratory system.

Fast forward to now and 30 total food allergies later, coupled with years of research on the correlation of food allergies to other topical allergies and the effects of food allergies as environmental dangers as well, I am so proud to share our line of top 11 allergen free bodycare products, as well as natural soy candles and allergy-conscious spiritual care products where there is no “secret ingredients.”

Our entire allergy-friendly apothecary is filled with everyday items that take severe allergies into consideration. From lotion to candles to fun bath items for children, a whole family can incorporate fun and great-smelling items back into their everyday lives.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before realizing who I needed to be, I had a rough start, even before I developed all of the food allergies. As an eldest daughter with a lot of pressure put on to succeed, but also as a quiet student who essentially was a doormat amongst peers, I excelled but also did not stand up for myself enough.

In my early 20s, I began seeing health issues arise – mysterious weight gain and swelling, fatigue, seemingly random vomiting, heart palpitations, an entire combination that did not seem normal for an otherwise active young adult. My doctors told me simply that I needed to lose weight so that I could not have anxiety because it was apparently due to me “being uncomfortable with how [I] look.” This was not my problem. It was time to advocate for myself.

After going from doctor to doctor and receiving the same “diagnosis,” I learned that a lot of doctors 20 years ago did not take patients seriously if they just looked a little overweight. It was ridiculous. Finally, I had found a doctor who saw the red flags, got me tested, and I eliminated allergens from my diet, and the swelling that was mistaken as “fat in odd places” disappeared.

This taught me so much about both advocating for myself and also my persistence to live without issues. But there was one more problem – what products were there that I could still use? The answer was hardly any.

As a staunch DIY-er, my persistence continued and I ended up making everything for myself as I was not satisfied with the lack of solutions for a person like myself. I made my own makeup and solutions for soaps, detergent, and more. I continued more research and continued for advocating against the use of “hypoallergenic” as a statement on products. This mission still continues. There is no such thing as “hypoallergenic.”

I went from just letting people and doctors tell me what they thought I was or tell me to be satisfied with the few solutions available to making my own way. I learned that you can never just let someone’s idea of you define you and make you miserable. It’s up to you to create your happiness.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
There came a time during this recovery period from the adverse effects of years of having undiagnosed severe food allergies in which people close to me were not very nice – family members offered me Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, other family members tainted my food to see if this was “real,” someone that I trusted with my whole life at that time tried to indefinitely get rid of me by eating one of my most serious allergens and sharing cups or toothbrushes with me.

As I started to look and feel better and began obtaining a grasp on my health again, I learned that some people just don’t want others to succeed or be happy. It’s unfortunate. And to have family not believe you – well, that part was not surprising (eldest siblings, you know!).

I was hurt but not defeated. I was starting to feel better, so why stop?

This made me get up and moved far away from the people tampering with my food and hurting my feelings. I got away for many years, and not being exposed to those foods made me feel a ton better. I kept my work on the down low and vowed that if I could succeed in creating products for myself, I would not release them until they were something I would buy from the store in quality. I hid that part from the world while I conducted research and finished my advanced degree. I probably looked the roughest I had in years. But after launching everything, most of these folks had not seen me in a long time.

And once they did, I was in a higher place than I was before. The resilience and motivation to live but in a much better way pushed me to be here – oh, and maybe it proved that the allergies were real!

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
One cultural value I protect at all costs is the importance of family. Ironically, as a mixed person, I come from 2 cultures in which this is generally important, but the people in my extended family seemed to have thrown that out the window.

With my own family now, I still place value in this, in caring for each other and working together. So the folks that work with me now are family members, and everyone works great together. We value each other’s individual talents and how that contributes to the overall end result, and that in itself is a beautiful thing.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I definitely am doing what I was born to do because honestly, I don’t really think I ever listened to a darned thing anybody told me to do after a certain point. Between the requests of my parents when I was young and whatever those early doctors told me was wrong with me, plus their supposed solutions, none of those served me and I have been thriving on my own accord. I may not be a doctor or lawyer or someone who successfully finished a weight loss program – but that is because I’m doing tons of better things and am happy with both myself and my work-life balance.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thesugarwitchco.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/thesugarwitch_co
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/thesugarwitchco

Image Credits
The Sugarwitch Co.