Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Reed.
Hi Rebecca, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
You would never think a candle company could have such a profound story, but here I am.
I have always been creative and dreamed of owning my own business. But as life went on, I became more of a passenger than a driver. I went to school, started a career in healthcare, and my creativity took a back seat. I felt content enough to play by the rules…to own a house, get married, and I very much looked forward to becoming a mother one day.
Then life threw me a curveball.
I became lost in the uphill battle of infertility.
Years of failed procedures, miscarriage, heartache, and loss started to turn my heart cold. For nearly eight years, my focus was on one thing: becoming a mother.
Eventually, we made the incredibly difficult decision to close the door on fertility treatments and pursue adoption. We spent two years on a waitlist, hoping to be matched with a baby from Thailand. We sat (im)patiently while I worked hard to heal from nearly a decade of fertility treatments.
Then life threw us another curveball. This one was much scarier.
My incredibly healthy, fit husband had a grand mal seizure while working out at the gym. A few moments later, we learned that he had a malignant, life-threatening brain tumor. A neurosurgeon walked into the room and told us that our time was now limited together.
He was whisked off into surgery just days later.
While I sat for hours waiting to hear whether I would recognize my husband when he woke up…or whether I would even see him again…I received a call.
We had been matched with a baby boy in Thailand.
In order to adopt internationally, we had to maintain a clean bill of health. I told the agency what was happening, and they confirmed that we were no longer eligible to move forward with the adoption.
So there I sat, at 37 years old, wondering if I was on my way to becoming a motherless widow.
You’re probably wondering… what does any of this have to do with candles?!
Well, when you are faced with a future you can hardly bear, not much matters anymore.
Not knowing how much time I had left with my husband, I took a leave of absence from work, and the days became very simple:
Wake up.
Light a candle.
Drink something warm.
Breathe.
That was it.
And slowly, while watching the flicker of candlelight and feeling the warmth of my tea, the roots of my soul started to wake up again.
My creativity was coming alive. And I hadn’t seen her in ages!
I remembered that I used to draw. I used to paint. I used to write. I remembered dreaming about having a creative little side hustle of my own.
Creating became therapy. It became my break from reality and a tiny spark of joy in days that desperately needed one.
So between doctor’s appointments, lab draws, test results, treatment days, pharmacy runs, symptom monitoring (or worrying), and MRIs, I started reading about candle making.
Wax melting points. Wick sizing. Scent blending. Names. Colors. Logos. All of it.
My newfound candle obsession became exactly what I needed to tend to my heart and, even for a little while, forget what was happening around me.
I knew I wanted to start a candle business, but I also knew I wanted it to be different. I wanted it to mean something. I wanted it to be more than just candles.
The simple ritual of lighting a candle and sipping something warm had brought my husband and me comfort during some of our darkest moments.
And then it clicked.
I could combine the two.
That is when **Wicks & Sips** was born.
I also knew I wanted to be intentional about what went into the candles I was creating. After everything our family had been through, using thoughtfully clean ingredients mattered deeply to me. I began researching candle waxes, fragrance oils, and what actually makes one candle different from another. I wanted to create something I could feel good about burning in my own home and sharing with others.
Today, Wicks & Sips candles are poured into glass sipware designed to have a life long after the candle is gone.
But Wicks & Sips has never really been about the candles or glass mugs…
It’s about the ritual that started all of this.
Light the candle.
Pour something warm.
Sit for a minute.
Breathe.
Because sometimes life changes in an instant. Sometimes the future feels unbearably uncertain. And sometimes taking care of yourself looks as simple as slowing down long enough to notice the warmth in your hands and the little flicker of light in front of you.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Creating the products and having this creative outlet has felt as natural as breathing, but getting the product out into the world has come with its challenges.
Marketing your own product can feel a little egotistical at times, and I often find myself wondering how I’m coming across when I’m trying to make a sales pitch. Building a website and growing an email list have been learning curves as well, but I’m incredibly lucky to have so many creative people in my corner, helping and supporting me along the way.
It can also be intimidating, and the imposter syndrome definitely creeps in. I’ll show up at a market surrounded by artists who have spent years perfecting their craft, or walk into a successful business owned by seasoned entrepreneurs and ask, “Would you be interested in selling my candles?” There’s always that little voice wondering, *Who am I to be doing this?*
But I will say this: when you’ve had to be brave enough to walk through brain cancer alongside your soulmate, there isn’t much left that can scare you.
So I ask anyway.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have big goals and aspirations for Wicks & Sips, and I believe what sets the brand apart is not only the sustainable, reusable concept behind the candles, but the mission at the heart of it all.
I want this business to make a difference beyond the products I create. A cause incredibly close to my heart is supporting brain cancer research, and I am proud to use Wicks & Sips as a way to raise awareness and funds for the Glioblastoma Foundation.
I want to keep creating not only because it has brought light into my own life, but because I hope it can bring a little light to others who may be walking through a dark season of their own. And as Wicks & Sips grows, I hope its ability to give back grows right alongside it.
That is what I’m most proud of: creating something born during one of the darkest chapters of my life and turning it into something that can bring comfort, connection, and hope to someone else.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I’m actually a school nurse by day! People who only know me through Wicks & Sips might assume this is my full-time job, but I also work in healthcare while building this little brand! It can make for some very full days, but I love that I get to have both a career centered around caring for others and a creative outlet that has become so much more than I ever imagined.
Pricing:
- My candles are $25
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wicksnsips.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wicksandsips/
- Other: https://cozycorner.myflodesk.com/ly226wll3c
