Anxiety can be a crippling mental health challenge. But one Bendigo mum has found a way to tackle it, play with her kids and bring a new product to market all at the same time.
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Emma Clohesy’s business Happy Hands Happy Heart makes a range of naturally scented play-dough.
It is handmade and scented to enhance well-being and calm.
“With the store-bought stuff parents don’t know what’s in it. That smell has to come from somewhere,” she said.
She began making play-dough in her photography studio, a blue building with red trim to the side of the family home.
The studio smells faintly of lavender, vanilla, cinnamon and three other scents used in her products.
Mrs Clohesy said the idea for play-dough began when she realised she needed a way to deal with anxiety.
“My anxiety was proving difficult to manage. Part of the reason for that was that I had always needed a creative outlet,” she said.
“Doing anything creative helped because it made me concentrate and think in a very different way.”
Mrs Clohesy already had a photography business, but working and caring for kids was proving a challenge.
Then she discovered play-dough.
“It was an activity that kept my hands busy, fulfilled my need to make and create, and didn’t require ‘me’ time, because I could play along with my three young kids. It worked, it worked really well”, said Mrs Clohesy.
Mrs Clohesy’s son Taz said his favorite type of play-dough was chocolate scented – a special product rolled out over Easter.
Mr’s Clohesy said Taz has become a “company director”, testing each and every product before it is rolled out to the website and market stalls.
Mum brings in the dough
She started rolling out play-dough products nearly two years ago.
It proved so successful that in 2015 she decided to wind down the photography side of her business.
It also captured the attention of Motivating Mum, a national networking group for mums in business.
Mrs Clohesy is a finalist in the group’s Brilliant Biz Mum Awards. The national awards celebrate and showcase the outstanding hard work, determination and achievements of mums in business.
The awards will be announced tomorrow night in Melbourne.
“I have worked extremely hard at finding a balance that fits my family and I. So this nomination is pretty special,” she said.
