Our Story

The Heart Behind Cottonwood Collective

We didn’t start Cottonwood from a place of perfection. We started it from a place of survival....

There is a moment when you hear the word “cancer” where the ground shifts under your feet. Nothing feels the same afterward. In the middle of Michael’s chemo, when the days have been blurred and fear sat so close it felt like a shadow, I needed something to anchor us and honestly keep my mental health in check. Something pure. Something I could control in a season where almost nothing is controllable.

Cottonwood was born in the quiet moments, the early-morning coffee before the kids wake up, the long drives to Michael’s chemo appointments, the days when life felt unbearably heavy and unbelievably precious at the same time.

The process became therapy, rendering tallow while he rested, infusing herbs while we waited for lab results, blending oils while trying to hold our world together. These products aren’t just skincare; they are pieces of our story. They are built from the belief that healing should feel human. That ingredients should be safe enough for the people you love most. That even in the darkest valleys, you’re allowed to create something light.

Cottonwood is our reminder that beauty can grow in the middle of hardship.
It is our family choosing hope, choosing gentleness, and choosing to build something lasting even while walking through cancer.

If you’re here, you are part of that hope.
And we’re grateful in ways words don’t quite capture.