Photo: Supplied
Dave Sharma and partner Liane Simmons of Phoenix Soap Company.
Phoenix Soap Company founder Dave Sharma spent seventeen years as a paramedic in the Jane and Finch area of Toronto, embracing his work and taking as many extra shifts as possible.
It was a career he had chosen as a young child when paramedics had rescued his father. He wanted to be a hero like they were. In the neighbourhood where he worked he had seen it all – victims of shootings, stabbings, beatings, and overdoses. Then one day last September, he found himself the target of a shooter and everything changed. Two weeks later he found himself in the back of an ambulance as a patient instead of a paramedic, and he faced the stigma surrounding mental health issues first hand.
He says soap changed his life. As he worked to improve his mental health and address his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and create an identity outside paramedicine, he was advised to find a hobby. During a visit to a Christmas market, he discovered Hot process soap, and decided to give it a try. As he experimented with the product, his focus shifted from the horrors he had witnessed on the job to something concrete and constructive. He found himself beginning to mend.
He is supported in this venture and in his recover by his partner Liane Simmons, who is a social worker trained as in clinical traumatology.
Phoenix Soap Company specializes in the production of artisan hot process soap, 100% soy candles, soy wax melts, and lip balms. These handcrafted products provide an affordable luxury experience with sensuous lathers and attractive scents. They are created at their home in Seagrave and sold in markets and in retail outlets including Makers at Vaughan Mills, We Made It in Cobourg, MYLUX Shop in Port Perry and Handmade Heaven in Oakville, and online through their website phoenixsoapcompany.com.
Ten percent of every purchase is donated to Canadian charities supporting first responders and their families surviving with PTSD, such as Wounded Warriors, I’ve Got Your Back 911 and Operation Prefrontal Cortex.
The name of the company was selected to represent Dave’s journey as he finds his way back to health. He sees the process as one of rebirth and hopes the connections and donations he and Liane make through this new venture help others facing similar struggles, particularly first responders, find the help they need to once again feel like the heroes they are. For more information, drop into the Phoenix booth at the Springville Market on June 2nd or visit their website at https://phoenixsoapcompany.com. KG