Connor Moore, host of the Realness Podcast, came to Colorado to speak to cousins and PurePower founders Don McLaughlin and Sean McCabe about the power of plants for his show. They were also joined by Julianne Vaccaro, a spiritual, health, and trauma coach and all-round wellness specialist.
Don and Sean opened up about how they both made the decision to leave their high-stress, high-powered corporate positions and take a leap into the unknown: in Don’s case due to some major burnout, and in 
Sean’s case following a traumatic brain injury. For both cousins, hitting bottom made them seriously reconsider their priorities and refocus their energy. It was also at this point that they discovered the healing power of plants – and hemp in particular.
Interestingly, all four of the people on this podcast could identify with the benefits of gaining clarity and inspiration from a period of darkness. Anxiety, addiction, the overstimulation associated with the digital age, and the limitations of prescription antidepressants were all common themes, as was the healing power of nature, botanicals, and exercise.
The “squadcast” also discussed the importance of the 2018 Farm Bill, which finally legalized hemp in the United States, albeit in a regulated way. In addition to espousing its healing properties, the PurePower founders are passionate about the benefits of hemp for regenerative agriculture: so much so that they support research at the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania, the pioneers of regenerative, organic agricultural research whose work has already shown the positive environmental impacts of hemp cultivation.
Although hemp is a key ingredient in all PurePower products, 
an important part of the podcast conversation highlighted how hemp and CBD alone are not a cure-all. In fact, they act more like a “Trojan horse” that allows all the benefits ofPurePower’s unique blend of botanicals to come through, enhancing the body’s natural ability to strengthen. More than this, the group discussed just howimportant an all-round, holistic approach to health is, encompassing diet, lifestyle, and mentality, in addition to supplements.
Quotes:
Connor: “It’s interesting how the dark times really help you to decide what you value and what you want to invest your energy into.”
Don: “This is not about CBD. This is not about one thing that’s going to be the miracle cure-all. CBD certainly helped us make other changes that lasted, but we’re not just looking to CBD to solve everything. Instead, we use it as a compliment and support for other lifestyle changes that are really where long-term change happens.”
Julianne: “All these natural herbs and adaptogens and medicinal mushrooms – what they’re doing is really enhancing the body’s natural function, whereas Western medicine is more focused on fixing problems, never mind the side effects.”
Sean: “When we were thinking about PurePower, we thought how else can we help people in a broader way and a more holistic way… it’s not just about hemp.”
