Community Highlights: Meet Karen Hadden of Badass Tea Co.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Hadden.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Many people in my community know me through The Helicopter Daughter — a boutique centered around self-care and wellness for those navigating cancer, chronic illness, and anyone dealing with overwhelming or difficult life seasons. The business was born after the loss of my parents, both of whom I cared for through serious health journeys — one battling chronic illness and the other metastatic cancer.

In 2024, I underwent open heart surgery. During recovery, I struggled deeply with cardiac depression and the emotional aftermath that so many people rarely talk about. On the outside, you’re healing and beginning to look “normal” again, but internally, you’re carrying fear, intrusive thoughts, uncertainty, and a quiet loneliness that’s difficult for others to fully understand.

During that season, tea became part of my daily rhythm. Pairing tea with small moments of self-care helped me move forward when it felt difficult to even think beyond the next day. Creating a slow, intentional morning rhythm became incredibly grounding during one of the hardest chapters of my life. That experience ultimately inspired me to create Badass Tea Co., a Mentor-based tea company rooted in resilience, comfort, and intentional living. I wanted to provide blends that inspire moments of pause and self-care — teas that feel approachable, beautiful, and supportive for everyday life, no matter what season someone may be walking through.

Today, Badass Tea Co. along with The Helicopter Daughter has become a way to help people create small moments of calm and comfort in the middle of very real life challenges. What began from my own healing journey has grown into a business focused on intentional living, wellness education, and helping people reconnect with themselves through simple daily rhythms.

A large part of my focus now is women’s wellness and heart health through tea — especially helping women understand the connection between stress, nervous system regulation, and small habits that support overall well-being.

Building a business rooted in wellness while walking through my own healing journey has required vulnerability and honesty. What inspires me most is hearing from people who tell me that something as simple as a cup of tea helped them slow down during a difficult day, supported them through a hard season, or became part of a new rhythm that helped them care for themselves better. I think so many women spend years caring for everyone else while ignoring themselves in the process.

As I continue growing both companies, I hope to create awareness through speaking opportunities, wellness experiences, and conversations around women’s heart health and intentional living. Sometimes growth is more about learning to slow down, listen to your body, and redefine what success means.
More than anything, I want to continue creating a business that feels meaningful — one that reminds people that healing, comfort, and resilience can often be found in the smallest daily rituals like a cup of tea, that help carry us through the hardest seasons of life.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This experience has shaped me in ways I never expected. I think one of the biggest struggles has been learning how to find a new rhythm, both personally and professionally, after profound loss, caregiving, and then the most challenging of heart surgery.

For a long time, I was taking care of everyone else while putting myself last. Then open-heart surgery forced me to reevaluate what truly mattered for my health and well-being. My only focus became healing, but combined with the emotional weight of cardiac depression, it was also an incredibly isolating experience.
Like many small business owners, I had to adapt, pivot, and rethink what I truly wanted my business and life to look like moving forward. Over time, I realized I no longer wanted to build something based solely on hustle and constant busyness. I wanted to create a business that reflected the slower, more intentional life I was personally trying to build.
That shift led me to focus more deeply on wellness, tea rituals, women’s heart health, and meaningful connection rather than traditional retail alone. In many ways, those experiences shaped the heart of The Helicopter Daughter and helped transform it into a tea and wellness-centered brand alongside Badass Tea Co., a business rooted in authenticity, lived experience, and a genuine desire to help others find a new rhythm after difficult seasons.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Badass Tea Co.?
One thing that sets Badass Tea Co.™ apart is the way we approach tea as an experience rather than simply a product. I wanted to create a brand that feels approachable, comforting, beautiful, and personal. Whether someone is visiting our booth at a market, attending a workshop, or sitting down for a Restorative Tea Session™, the goal is always the same — to help people create a moment where they can pause, breathe, and reconnect with themselves.

We specialize in handcrafted tea blends designed to support different moments in everyday life. Alongside our teas, we also offer wellness workshops, tea experiences, and Restorative Tea Sessions™ that combine tea, conversation, and intentional self-care practices in a calming and supportive environment.

Through The Helicopter Daughter™, our Restorative Tea Sessions™ have become one of the most meaningful parts of the business. These sessions were created as a gentle space for women who are navigating overwhelming every day situations including stress, burnout, grief, recovery, major life transitions, or simply feeling disconnected from themselves. Using tea as the foundation, the sessions focus on slowing down, nervous system support, reflection, and creating healthier daily rhythms in a way that feels approachable and comforting. We bring together practical conversations around stress, intentional living, women’s wellness, nervous system regulation, and heart health in a way that feels warm and accessible rather than clinical or overwhelming.

Community involvement is deeply important to us. Through both The Helicopter Daughter™ and Badass Tea Co.™, we strive to create experiences and collections that support causes within our local community. From special tea collections supporting domestic violence awareness initiatives to hosting Galentine’s events benefiting our local humane society, giving back and creating connection are important parts of our mission.

What I’m most proud of brand-wise is the emotional connection people have with it. Customers often share that our teas or sessions have become part of their morning routines, healing journeys, or moments of comfort during difficult seasons of life. Knowing the brand has become part of people’s daily rhythms in such a meaningful way is incredibly rewarding. Creating a business that feels authentic to who I am and what I value means everything. From our blends to our wellness experiences everything is intentionally designed to help people create small moments of calm, comfort, and resilience in everyday life.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Honestly, much of this business has been built independently through a lot of trial, perseverance, and personal growth. There were many seasons where I simply had to figure things out as I went while navigating caregiving, grief, recovery, and rebuilding my life at the same time.

That said, I’ve been incredibly grateful for the support of my wonderful husband, George, who has helped bring so many of my ideas and designs to life, along with the loyal customers, workshop attendees, and members of the local community who continued showing up, encouraging me, and believing in what I was creating as the business has evolved over time. Small businesses survive because people choose to support them, and I never take that for granted.

I also have to add my personal experiences for shaping the heart of the brand. My parents, their health journeys, and my role as a caregiver profoundly influenced the compassion and intentionality behind everything I do today. In many ways, the struggles themselves became some of my greatest teachers.

After open heart surgery, I gained a completely different perspective on wellness, resilience, and what people are silently carrying behind the scenes. That experience deeply shaped the direction of Badass Tea Co.

I think one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that support does not always come in the form of a formal mentor. Sometimes it comes through customers who share their stories, people who continue recommending your business, community members who show up to events, or someone simply telling you that what you created helped them through a difficult season. Those moments have meant more to me than they probably realize.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thehelicopterdaughter.com | badassteaco.com
• Instagram: thehelicopterdaughter | badassteaco440
• Facebook: thehelicopterdaughter | badassteaco
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-hadden-7277468/