Dawn Fable spent over 10 years struggling with generalized anxiety disorder, which was exacerbated by the overwhelming stress that motherhood can bring. In search of a solution, Fable turned to numerous remedies and discovered CBD along the way—and since introducing it into her life, it’s had profoundly positive effects in reducing her stress levels, increasing her quality of life, and allowing her to stay present as a mother.

After experiencing the benefits of CBD, Fable launched Press Pause, her own line of CBD products developed specifically with mothers in mind.

On the latest episode of The Motherly Podcast, Fable opens up to Motherly co-founder Liz Tenety about the emerging science behind CBD and how it’s benefits transformed motherhood by reducing her day-to-day anxiety.


“So many women, we all struggle with some sort of anxiety at some point in our lives, particularly when we become moms,” said Fable. “I can remember one night I was rocking my daughter and my thoughts were just really spiraling wildly out of control in terms of what I needed to accomplish that evening or the next day, or with preschool or all of those things.”

This struggle with anxiety was impacting Fable’s ability to live in the present with her children, so in a moment of clarity she recalls telling herself, “‘I need to get my thoughts under control, my anxiety under control, and really be able to enjoy this time having my baby.'”

Ultimately, Fable found CBD to be the most impactful remedy to her anxiety.

“I was introduced to CBD, and it really made a profound difference in my anxiety levels. And incorporating CBD into my daily life, just allowed me to sort of let go of some of those disastrous moments and let things roll off my shoulders a little bit more. And I found it to be more grounding as we go through the stages of motherhood.”

She recounted a story about Thanksgiving, and how CBD contributed to her staying calm despite the innate pressure and craziness that comes with hosting a holiday dinner.

“I was hosting a Thanksgiving dinner at my house and we had 18 or 20 guests coming. And prior to my love affair with CBD, I would have been an absolute basket case. I would have been running around the house, yelling at everyone, making sure that all of the place settings were perfect. I would have been a total stress case and it was so funny because it was that particular Thanksgiving that I served our dessert on paper plates from the 4th of July. I could have cared less.”

“And what that allowed for me is to just sort of—it’s so overused—but don’t sweat the small stuff. And just having that more grounded approach allowed me to really roll the little things off of my shoulders.”

And because Fable’s early experience with CBD changed her life, she shared her story with other moms.

“I feel like the universe works in really mysterious ways. And sometimes you just have a larger calling and I discovered CBD and Press Pause very accidentally… I started to just sort of shout from the rooftops to other women who I knew were experiencing similar struggles, that they should try CBD and start to incorporate it into their lives.”

“And so at the time, when this was three years ago and CBD is a very unregulated industry, and you don’t know as a mother what companies you can trust. I mean, goodness, we’re seeing CBD being sold at gas stations these days. So, after sharing my experience with CBD, many women really encouraged me.”

They said, “Gosh, Dawn, you know, you have such a compelling story to tell. It’s so relatable for what women and what moms are going through. You should really start a company, you know, and be very mindful of quality ingredients.”

And so Fable did—she launched Press Pause. Her line of CBD products are made with high-quality ingredients, and part of her mission is to ensure women and moms are consuming it safely.

Fable explained that as an emerging remedy, there are certain misconceptions and ambiguity around CBD. She helped clear that up, by breaking down the science behind how it works.

“We all have something called an endocannabinoid system, which is very similar to that of an immune system. And when you take CBD, essentially what happens is it puts that endocannabinoid system in homeostasis or balance.”

Ultimately, that balance means your body’s neuro-transmitters and pain signals aren’t over-firing, which in turn keeps anxiety – amongst other chronic pain like arthritis – at bay.

Fable also explained that research shows that unlike cannabis, CBD doesn’t get you high. Which for mothers, especially, is an important consideration to take into account. Be sure to listen to the rest of our podcast to hear more of Fable and Tenety’s conversation.