Living With Courage, Creating With Purpose – Exclusive Interview with Brian Stewart Caldwell-White

Brian is a health and wellbeing advocate whose own experiences with mental health, neurodivergency, and prostate cancer inform his writings. Brian covers human and pet health, as the health of the dog he adopted is paramount to his own mental health. Brian also is highly informed about physical and cognitive disabilities and LGBTQIA+ health issues, due in part to him being a disabled gay man. As founder of Barberras Botanicals, where the motto is "If it's good enough for the dog, it's good enough for me", he inspires readers to embrace wellness, inclusive living, and health autonomy for humans and their pets.

Brian Stewart Caldwell-White, Health and Wellbeing Advocate

Who is Brian Stewart Caldwell-White? Introduce yourself, your hobbies, your favorites, you at home and in business. Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I am a 51-year-old gay man, living with recurred prostate cancer and a prognosis of Autism. I also, through the power of talking therapies, live from day to day with a diagnosis of depression, anxiety disorder, and PTSD. I live in South West Scotland, in a beautiful village called Creetown, and I live here with my fiancé and my rescue dog, Barbara. I love to wild swim, I love walking with my dog in the glorious countryside, I occasionally take bike rides, and I love to bake cakes and sweet treats. I love creativity, and when I get the chance, I paint, draw, make jewellery, and make pottery. At home, I have learnt to share responsibilities and tasks, which, because of my Autism, is a hard thing, but in business, I can satisfy that control need because I don’t have any business partners. I am a sole Founder for a reason. I was asked by Channel 4 Productions to be a legal expert on one of the exposés they did about Debt Purchasing Organisations’ malpractices and be one of three other experts to review all legal submissions by the three international and national organisations that were being investigated before the programme was aired.

What inspired you to start Barberras Botanicals?

I was inspired to launch Barberras Botanicals because of my battle with prostate cancer and mental health issues, and Barbara’s battle with anxiety.

As a result of having a prostatectomy in 2015 to save my life, I was left with an out-of-control condition called Dysuria and Nocturia, and I also was diagnosed with Bursitis of the hips. After trying prescribed medicines for three years post-surgery and being given the bad news that my prostate cancer had recurred, I eventually discovered CBD oil. Within a month, the 7–9 times per night visits to the toilet began to reduce, and within six months they were reduced to 2–3 times per night (increasing much-needed sleep time), and urgent visits to the toilet during the day were reduced to normal daytime visits that had no urgency.

Since beginning daily use of CBD, my recurred prostate cancer appears to have stalled in its development, and this has helped me avoid damaging radiotherapy, which would likely have led to further complications.

My dog also has anxiety, and after months and months of him being sedated every day with Trazadone (a prescribed anti-anxiety medication) plus being ill with it, we discovered the wonders of Hemp Seed Oil. The way the oil deals with the anxiety is to reduce the inflammation caused by the anxiety, and this way, we can then train his anxiety out of him.

Knowing that natural alternatives to prescribed medicines (CBD and Hemp) could have great results without the debilitating side effects of the drugs I and my dog were prescribed, and knowing talking therapies worked better for me than prescribed medications, and knowing, because of my time working as a medicolegal case manager during and after the pandemic, that the NHS is not always the best solution to prevent or cure illness, I decided to found Barberras Botanicals.

What role do pets play in your business mission and product development?

Pets play a pivotal role in my business mission and product development because pets are generally the most loved and important part of a human’s life. My dog inspired me to found Barberras, and he inspired the name. Without that inspiration, I would be unlikely to have ever stepped out on my own and become a business owner. Barbara came along when I was at a very low point, in fact, I was suicidal after the breakdown of my marriage, and like all pets do, unequivocally, he gave me love and support unconditionally. So, what better reason to give them the same support to help prevent and/or cure common ailments as we do for our human customers? Plus, creating the supplements we do for our pets also puts money back into the pockets of pet owners, as what they can take, so can you. Our motto is, “If it’s good enough for the dog, it’s good enough for me.”

What are the most common health issues people or pets bring to you, and how do you help with those?

The most common health issues for both pets and humans are anxiety/stress and problems with chronic pain, mobility issues, and inflammation.

We are already well-versed in what helps best, and this is why our best sellers are Barberras All-in-1, which contains Ashwagandha, and Barberras Mobility Improver, which contains powdered Green Lipped Mussels. We not only know they work because of feedback from our customers but also because of thousands of years of use by indigenous peoples of India and New Zealand. Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic medicine, commonly taken to aid convalescence but more recently discovered as a great aid for better sleep and reducing anxiety. Green Lipped Mussels have been eaten as a food staple by the Māori, and when studies were done on their elders, they were found to have the lowest cases of arthritis and joint inflammation. After some research, it was discovered that the Omega-6 fatty acids within the mussels were found to have high traces of natural anti-inflammatories such as glycosaminoglycans and chondroitin sulfate.

Can you explain how “Anthropomorphic Transfer” matters for wellness supplements?

This value matters in the development of Barberras health remedies as it means that the naturally occurring ingredients used can be safely consumed by both humans and animals (pets in our case) and be equally effective in both humans and animals in preventing or dealing with common health issues. This practice is already carried out by doctors and vets and has been the case for quite some time. For example, my dog was prescribed Trazadone for his anxiety, and this medication is regularly prescribed to humans for anxiety. Also, humans and animals can be prescribed certain brands of antihistamines to cope with allergies and hay fever. We knew this, and because we love our pets, we decided that whatever we need to take, our pets should be able to take also, hence our motto. It is also, as we are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis, a great way to medicate pets and their owners at a fraction of the cost of a vet or doctor prescription.

How do your botanical supplements differ from conventional remedies?

They differ because of our intentions to, where it is safe to do so, create supplements that have an Anthropomorphic Transfer value. They are also created from a place of lived experience. For example, Barberras Prostate Complex is a preventative supplement designed specifically for men. It was created to try to avoid men having to go through what I went through when I was 41 so that they can keep on top of their prostate health, as not doing so is life-altering and even life-ending. We create our supplements with insight and experience, not from a place of chasing profit.

Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Brian Stewart Caldwell-White