Letting in the light

It started as a form of stress relief, but rolling pure beeswax candles brought light back into Cate Burton’s life and sparked a new business venture, writes Eva-Maria Bobbert.

Nine years ago, having successfully climbed the corporate ladder, Cate Burton knew she was burning the candle at both ends. She had been devoting long hours to the demanding role of business banking manager at Westpac. Then, on a sunny Sunday morning at the weekly family brunch in Bondi, Sydney, she realised something was very wrong.

“I felt funny, so I went to the bathroom,” says the usually energetic 34-year-old, who was Westpac’s youngest-ever female business banking manager at the time. “I was standing at the basin and suddenly began thinking: ‘I’m going to die.’ I couldn’t breathe properly, I was shaking all over, I had chest pains and felt nauseous. I really thought it was all over for me.”

Cate’s worried parents drove her home, collected some of her belongings and took her to stay with them for the long weekend. Cate didn’t know it at the time, but she had just experienced the first of many panic attacks.

A glimmer of hope

Within a week of returning to work, Cate’s episodes had become so regular and intense she was unable to undertake many everyday tasks, such as driving. “It was ridiculous,” she recalls. “My parents had to drive me to my client appointments, then they would wait in the car for me while I was doing multi-million dollar business deals.”

A psychiatrist prescribed Valium, but Cate didn’t like the effects of the drug. “It really dumbs you down, and even though it was better to feel like a zombie than to feel in a constant state of panic, I didn’t want to live like that,” she says.

Managing her panic attacks seemed like an overwhelming problem at the time, but it turned out to be a positive turning point in Cate’s life. Her psychiatrist suggested instead of focusing all her energy on her work, she take up new hobbies. Cate tried several, including oil painting, ceramic painting, weekly meditation sessions with a Buddhist monk, and beeswax candle rolling. “Candle rolling is a great way to switch off,” says Cate. “I obviously needed plenty of therapy because I was making lots of beeswax candles. Initially I gave them to friends; then, because I had such a good response, I started selling them at markets.”

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