PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – University of Pennsylvania graduate and mental health professional Morgan Reed wanted to create something that would help relieve everyday stress and anxiety.
She now runs a Black-owned business called A Little Mental, which sells three varieties of “AroDough,” short for aromatherapy dough.
“The softness of pastel colors, the way the colors look, all of this has been scientifically proven to naturally reduce stress and anxiety,” Reid said.
Reid developed Alodou for adults as a way to deal with stress and anxiety on his own without medication. The dough can be smelled, squeezed, shaped or just rolled in your hands. Alodou is “designed to take stress wherever it goes.”
“People have used it to calm themselves down on planes or when they’re stuck in traffic, and I’ve used it myself when I’m having a panic attack,” Reed said.
Ms. Reed is a Philadelphia-based mental health professional and operations specialist who earned her Master’s in Counseling and Mental Health Services from the University of Pennsylvania and her Bachelor’s degree from Villanova University.
The events of 2020 meant Morgan struggled to cope with the mental strain of lockdown.
“I thought, ‘I have a master’s degree and I’m starting to lose the healthy ways of dealing with the big emotions and feelings I’m having.’ I was born in the ’90s and I love going back to that nostalgia. I also know how beneficial aromatherapy can be. I thought I could combine the two.”
And so Arodou was born. It was advertised as a way to “relieve stress by smelling the fragrance.” Fidget toys like hand spinnersAroDough comes in three scents: lavender, spearmint, and creamsicle, each with their own unique benefits.
The product was a natural extension of Reed’s company’s overall mission: supporting mental health.
“At A Little Mental, we allow you to explore your inner child and your imagination, which helps you to come back to the present moment. These are all subtle ways that you can actually work on your mental health, and that’s really the big vision for A Little Mental,” Reid said.
Reid launched A Little Mental in 2020 during the height of lockdown, at a time when people, particularly from minority communities, were seeking answers about their mental health.
“They didn’t know where to go, they didn’t know a safe place where they could ask certain questions, they didn’t know where they could find resources that fit their identity, and I wanted to be able to provide resources.”
Reed offers clients an access point to take care of themselves through $10 in a jar, without labels or stigmas surrounding mental health.
