We had the good fortune of connecting with Ben Pasquel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started TerpNutrition because someone that I loved and cared about was suffering mentally and physically. My girlfriend, Megan Loda, suffered from a ruptured L4 and L5 at the young age of 21. The doctors said that she was a 21-year-old with an 80-year-old person’s back. She started losing feeling in her left side of her leg and doctors rushed her to surgery. After her surgery she had multiple doctors tell her that she will never be able to workout again in her life because of her back and I just did not believe that. I witnessed her prescription medication go up and her mental health decline. I knew there must be an alternative, so I started looking into CBD and the hemp plant to help with the inflammation and pain that she was dealing with. I noticed that quality is everything when it comes to the supplements you consume. Unfortunately CBD has limited amount of regulations, so people will cut corners which could harm the consumer. I knew at this point I wanted to create a brand that not only focused on the highest quality products but also the transparency of our products. Today, Megan has proven all of those doctors wrong and has competed in 3 NPC bikini shows and has trained thousands of girls to embrace a healthier way of life. Once the 2018 Farm Bill was passed, I saw how misunderstood Hemp and CBD were so I decided to make it my mission to share my knowledge of how the hemp plant can have so many great benefits. I wanted to create a company that empowered people to take control of their health both mentally and physically. TerpNutrition’s core values are quality, transparency, education, and community. We have created a community of health and wellness experts around the nation who are not just promoting a CBD brand, we are promoting an all-around healthy lifestyle.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Getting to where I am today was not something I envisioned when I was attending college in Virginia. I feel like now I am living my dream and it’s only just begun. I grew up with the understanding that you have to go to college, get a corporate job, and then work there for 20-30 years and then start a business of your dreams. Through networking and surrounding myself with entrepreneurs, I soon learned that I was further from the truth. As I mentioned before, I saw first-hand how cannabinoids positively impacted my girlfriend’s life. Living in Virginia at the time and working a 9-5 corporate job, I knew that I wanted to spread my knowledge of the benefits of cannabinoids and educate people on the misconceptions behind “all cannabis is bad”. I had a vision, so I set forth pursuing my passion of helping others in 2018. I quit my 9-5 and moved to California with my girlfriend to learn everything I could about cannabis and how you can implement it into your recovery regimen. I soon learned that cannabis, including hemp which is legal on a federal level according to the 2018 Farm Bill had its fair share of challenges. One of the most common challenges I see in the CBD industry is that most merchant processors or credit card processors do not work with CBD companies. This is just 1 challenge out of hundreds, but if there is a will there’s a way! I approach every challenge not as a burden but as a learning experience. Although I have a lot of education as well as experience, I believe you are never too good to continue bettering your craft.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since we moved to Arizona in January 2020 we have gone on a LOT of hikes! Being outside and exploring is one of my favorite things to do out here. I never expected to find the desert so fun and beautiful! If a friend would visit and if nothing was shut down because of quarantine, I would definitely take them on some of the beautiful hikes that I have experienced such as Toms Thumb and Superstition Mountain. Then following these exhausting hikes, I would rush to one of the hundreds of amazing restaurants found throughout Scottsdale and surrounds areas. Then if we had time, I would take them up to Sedona for some more hiking!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to give a huge shout out to Megan Loda for the amount of support she has had during my entrepreneurial journey. Being in such a new and misunderstood industry has had its challenges that most entrepreneurs will not have to face. Having such a strong woman by my side has been a blessing to overcome everything that has been thrown my way. Megan’s outlook on self-love and doing what you believe in has inspired me to get to where I am today.

Website: www.TerpNutrition.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terpnutrition/
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ben-pasquel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerpNutrition
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerpNutrition
Other: personal Instagram @TheFitBigBen

Image Credits
Denise Marie Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.