Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Najifa Choudhury. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dr. Najifa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I have high-functioning anxiety and was struggling to find something to help calm my racing thoughts on days when it was hard and I didn’t feel like myself. I tried 5 different prescription medications but experienced more unwanted side effects than benefits to continue on. I also didn’t like the fact that the majority of medications to help your anxiety were habit forming, had to be taken every day, and had side effects. That’s when I started to give CBD a try and I was taken aback by the positive results and how it allowed me to feel like myself again not only on my anxiety but also with sleep and my knee pain. I knew I could help so many others discover the benefits of CBD, especially with my professional background as a pharmacist, because most people still do not understand all the medicinal benefits of CBD or how they can incorporate it into their lives. After I had this realization, I knew this was a perfect business idea for me to pursue especially because I was really passionate about helping others and de-stigmatizing cannabis.

I started Dr. Peace Lily to bridge the gap between prescription medicine and plant medicine because you shouldn’t have to choose one over the other. Unfortunately, there are not enough healthcare providers with the expertise and knowledge to help their patients safely incorporate CBD into their lives or help educate them on how it can help. That’s where I saw the biggest gap and opportunity to start Dr. Peace Lily because people more than ever are now turning to holistic medicine and wanting a healthier way to live.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m a pharmacist by background and the founder of a health/wellness company, Dr. Peace Lily that focuses on CBD products for anxiety, sleep, and pain. I started Dr. Peace Lily almost as a side hustle while working full-time as a pharmacist. I didn’t really know what my end goal would be with my company but I just knew that I enjoyed educating people about CBD/cannabis and helping them start their holistic healing journey. When the pandemic hit and everyone’s anxiety went through the roof, my business really started to pick up. ABC Channel 7 and several other bigger news outlets around Metro Detroit wanted to interview and feature me about my company and how CBD could help people who were struggling. Before long my company just took off and I had thousands of loyal and thankful customers who were turning to my brand to heal. What my customers appreciated the most about me was the fact that I was a pharmacist, had the credibility and credentials when offering free consultations, and did all my due diligence to ensure my CBD products were one of the top ones in the industry. What most people do not realize that is CBD is not a regulated industry and 70% of products on the shelves are mislabeled and have poor-quality ingredients. When I started my company, I made sure to source my CBD oil from farms that were located in America, extract using the cleanest method, and manufacture it in an FDA-registered facility, and my company was science-based.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Dr. Peace Lily was all self-funded from my pharmacist job. I worked full-time at an adult clinic and every paycheck I made as a pharmacist, I put towards my business. But I have now come to a point where I am seeking angel investors and want to raise capital to really grow my business. There are so many facets of my company that is doing well and I just want to put more fuel into those areas by raising capital or finding a great partner who’s mission aligns with mine.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Providing my audience and customers with a ton of science-based education and resources really helped build my credibility and reputation. As a pharmacist, we are already highly trusted by medical professionals because we prioritize our patient’s health and value transparency. So when I started my company, I took to social media to deliver educational information in a run way by making engaging stories, reels, and TikTok videos. I prioritized my customers and answered every question I received from a customer to help them make an informed decision about what they put in their bodies and what’s best for their holistic healing journey. I’m also one of the few healthcare providers who advocate for cannabis and knowledgable enough in it to counsel my customers on dosage, drug-drug interactions, and product recommendation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://drpeacelily.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.peacelily/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dr.peacelilycbd
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/najifa-choudhury/
• Other: Personal IG is @navigatewithnajifa

Image Credits
Jaky Janine and Jenna Joann