Daily Inspiration: Meet Cassie Wheeler

Hi Cassie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m fairly new to Phoenix after only moving here almost two years ago in October 2020. My husband and I are originally from the central coast of California. He is from Santa Maria and I am from the small town of Lompoc. Although our home is beautiful it was the affordability of Arizona that drove us here, as well as being close to family.

I grew up riding horses and showing livestock in the local 4H club. In my spare time I enjoy camping, shooting, reading, playing video games, and of course, making candles.

I started Angels Touch Candle Co. in November 2020 in remembrance of our daughter, Adeline, that I lost stillborn at 27 weeks in May 2020. I got interested in candle making during the pandemic and thought that I would someday learn to do it. After losing our daughter I felt more motivated than ever before to keep her memory alive and starting a candle business just made sense, since it is also symbolic for parents who have experienced infant loss/miscarriages to light a candle on the anniversary of their little angel gaining their wings.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all! The hardest challenge was, of course, losing my daughter. The second hardest challenge was learning how to live without her. Making the candles was the easy part. I got pregnant with my son in early February 2021 (my little rainbow baby); for those who don’t know, a rainbow baby is a baby born after a mother has lost her precious baby. It symbolizes a rainbow after a storm. Around March 2021, I decided to take a break from making candles as I was too tired from the pregnancy and working a full-time job. So I closed my shop temporarily. It wasn’t until recently that I opened up shop again and moved Angels Touch off of Etsy and onto its online store.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an Accountant by trade. I fell in love with accounting in 2018, and while majoring in Marine Biology, I decided to take a couple of courses in Accounting to see if I truly enjoyed it. I did, and I got into the commercial real estate industry as an Accounting Assistant. Over the past few years, I’ve worked my way up from Accounting Clerk to Property Accountant to Staff Accountant.

I hold two certificates from Cuesta Community College in San Luis Obispo, Ca. One is a Certificate of Specialization in Business, and the other is a Certificate of Specialization in Accounting. When I left California, I had two courses to complete for my Associate’s Degree. I aim to finish my degree this coming year and then move on to my Bachelor’s degree. I’ve found that working in accounting while attending school has helped me drastically as I learn by doing. You can only learn so much from a book.

Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share? We’re always looking for lessons we can learn in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis.
The most important lesson I’ve learned from the Covid-19 crisis is not to take life for granted. Every day is new, and it’s important to make the most of it. Tomorrow isn’t promised.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://angelstouchcandleco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelstouchcandleco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelstouchcandleco

Image Credits
Images Credited to Angels Touch Candle Co. Logo Image Credited to Little Black Logo