If you have been anywhere near cannabinoid therapy over the last decade, you have felt the ripple effect of one simple truth. When conventional options fail, families will keep searching. Realm of Caring exists because two mothers refused to accept hospice as the end of the conversation, found an option that helped when nothing else would, and then turned that hard earned breakthrough into a mission that now supports people worldwide.
Realm of Caring is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on research, education, and free one on one support to help people navigate cannabinoid therapy with clarity instead of chaos.
From our seat at Beard Bros Pharms and Media, we respect organizations that do the unglamorous work. The kind that does not fit in a hype headline, but changes outcomes. Realm of Caring is that kind of organization. Here is the origin story, the mission as it stands today, and why it matters for patients, families, clinicians, and an industry that is still learning how to grow up.
Where Realm Of Caring Started: Mothers Looking For Anything That Worked
Realm of Caring was built by mothers searching for alternative solutions for severe epilepsy when conventional treatments failed. In our interview with Executive Director Sasha Kalcheff-Korn, she described the origin in the bluntest terms possible. Two mothers. Kids in hospice. Pharmaceutical options exhausted. They found CBD as a last resort and it helped. Then they made a promise that no family should ever have to go through that alone again.
That founding story is not just inspiration. It explains why Realm of Caring operates the way it does today. The organization was created to serve families in crisis, with practical guidance and credible education, not a sales pitch. It was born in the gap between what patients needed and what the system could provide.
Publicly, Realm of Caring has shared its history and team background on its About page, including the “Who We Are” section and leadership bios. https://realmofcaring.org/about/who-we-are/
The nonprofit was co-founded in 2013 by mothers Heather Jackson and Paige Figi, tying the organization to the broader public awareness of CBD in pediatric epilepsy.
If you want a deeper long form read straight from Realm of Caring on its journey and impact over time, this is worth bookmarking. https://realmofcaring.org/from-grassroots-to-global-a-12-year-journey/
The Mission Today: Free Support, Education, And Research That Reflects Real Life
Realm of Caring did not stay small, and it did not stay limited to pediatric epilepsy. According to Sasha, the organization now serves roughly 70 percent adults and 30 percent pediatrics. The needs expanded because the questions expanded. People are using cannabinoids for a wide range of conditions, and the market is flooded with products that are not always easy to evaluate.
Realm of Caring’s model is built around three pillars that show up consistently across its public materials.
Support: Free one on one guidance to help people navigate cannabinoid therapy, product quality questions, and how to talk with medical providers. Realm of Caring emphasizes that its care team support is free, and it offers ways to call, email, or schedule phone or video appointments. https://realmofcaring.org/contact-us/
Education: Research based resources for consumers and healthcare professionals, translating complex science into information people can actually use. Realm of Caring’s main site describes its focus on educating consumers and healthcare professionals on accumulated research. https://realmofcaring.org/
Research: Observational studies designed to understand real world usage and outcomes, including how people use commercially available products. The point is simple. If people are using these products anyway, we should be collecting data that makes that use safer and more effective.
Realm of Caring frames this as a public health mission, and we agree with that framing. The industry does not need more hype. It needs more guardrails. Evidence backed education is one of the cleanest guardrails we have.
The Part That Hits Hard: Cannabinoids Should Not Be A Last Resort
Cannabinoids should not always be treated like the last option after every pharmaceutical has failed. Realm of Caring advocates for earlier and broader access to cannabinoid treatments alongside traditional care, especially when patients and families are looking for options with a different risk profile.
This is not an anti medicine stance. It is a pro patient stance.
Cannabinoids alongside other medications, including cancer treatments, symptom management, and quality of life protocols. The reality is that people are already doing this. Realm of Caring’s role is to help them do it with better information and better communication with their patient medical teams.
If you want to understand the organization’s approach to support and education, start here. https://realmofcaring.org/
The Care Team: The Quiet Work That Keeps Families Standing
Every cannabis nonprofit talks about community. Realm of Caring backs it up with direct support infrastructure.
Realm of Caring’s own reporting highlights the scale of its call center support, including hundreds of thousands of inquiries and millions of minutes spent on the phone with people looking for help. That kind of work is not glamorous, but it is what keeps people from feeling like they are drowning alone. https://realmofcaring.org/from-grassroots-to-global-a-12-year-journey/
For clinicians and researchers, this support layer matters because it captures what patients actually experience. For families, it matters because it reduces panic, confusion, and bad decisions made in isolation. For the industry, it matters because it normalizes the idea that cannabinoid therapy should be approached with the same seriousness as any other health decision.
If someone is looking for direct help, the cleanest action step is here. https://realmofcaring.org/contact-us/
How Realm Of Caring Is Funded: Community First, Industry Aligned
Nonprofits do not run on mission statements. They run on funding. Realm of Caring’s funding is driven by donations from grateful families and corporate partnerships, especially within cannabis and hemp. That combination makes sense. Families who received free support often give back because they understand what that support meant. Corporate partners often contribute as part of community investment and corporate responsibility.
This is also where the industry has a chance to do something right.
Cannabis and hemp companies make money in a space built on patient demand, patient outcomes, and patient trust. Supporting existing nonprofits that already do the work is a smarter move than reinventing the wheel, and Sasha referenced conversations along those lines with national advocates urging companies to support established organizations rather than starting new ones that duplicate efforts.
From our perspective, this is the kind of partnership that makes the whole ecosystem healthier. Brands can help fund research and support programs, while nonprofits help push credible education and better standards. That is how you create a market that lasts.
Research And Real World Evidence: Why Realm Of Caring Keeps Investing Here
One of the most consistent frustrations in cannabinoid therapy is that people are using products faster than the science is being published. Observational research is a practical answer because it captures real world patterns.
Realm of Caring currently facilitates multiple studies and has a clear research pipeline. A public example of its research focus and collaboration with broader institutions can be seen in external coverage such as Business Wire’s announcement describing federal grant related collaboration and the organization’s free support hotline mission.
This matters because real world data can help answer questions the market still struggles with.
- What outcomes are people reporting and in what timelines?
- How do dosage patterns evolve?
- What adverse effects show up and in which populations?
- How do people evaluate product quality?
- How do cannabinoids fit alongside other medications?
It is not theoretical. It is the difference between guidance and guessing.
Events And Scientific Credibility: Putting The Work In Front Of The Right Rooms
Realm of Caring is not trying to be a festival brand. Their event focus is science heavy, which is exactly where this organization belongs. The next confirmed priority event mentioned in our interview was a cannabis research conference in San Diego in October.
Public listings for the National Cannabis Research Conference show dates of October 19 through 21 in San Diego at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Diego Mission Valley. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/10th-annual-national-cannabis-research-conference-tickets-1720691106419
From a marketing standpoint, events like this do two things.
They reinforce Realm of Caring’s credibility with clinicians, scientists, and policy stakeholders.
They create content opportunities that can be turned into previews, on site coverage, and post event summaries that keep search traffic alive long after the badge scanners are turned off.
We also discussed using Beard Bros platforms like The Green List as a hub for conference visibility and search ranking. The move here is simple. Highlight the event before it happens, then publish a recap that lives forever and continues to drive interest.
Why This Origin Story Still Matters
A lot of people know the headline version of CBD’s rise. Fewer people understand what it takes to build a nonprofit that stays grounded after the spotlight moves on.
Realm of Caring started in the most intense place imaginable. Families at the edge. Kids with severe epilepsy. Parents making decisions that nobody should have to make. Instead of stopping at personal relief, the founders built infrastructure so other families could find answers faster and safer.
Today that infrastructure looks like free care team support, research based education, and real world research designed to keep cannabinoid therapy credible.
That is why the origin story is not just history. It is the operating system.
If you or someone you love is exploring cannabinoid therapy and needs credible guidance, Realm of Caring provides free one on one support and research based education.
Get Started Here: https://realmofcaring.org/contact-us/
Learn More About Realm Of Caring: https://realmofcaring.org/about/who-we-are/
Support The Mission: https://realmofcaring.org/
