Angie Poller is Finding Purpose Through Her Pain

Content warning: the following contains traumatic themes that may be confronting for some readers. 

Meet Angie Poller, just one of the women who has taken back her financial independence with the support of MECCA M-POWER partner Global Sisters – an organisation with a mission to enable economic security for women.

Poller is a single mother of two from Ripley, Queensland, whose life was derailed by a relationship steeped in domestic violence and a workplace injury sustained almost three decades ago that left her with chronic pain.

Thanks to Global Sisters, Poller has been able to build a business based on her experiences, with a goal to positively impact the lives of those suffering from pain.

Poller was only 23 when she was left with a lacerated nerve in her neck and a diagnosis of Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), sometimes described as the most painful condition known to humankind. Without a job and unable to work, her situation was only made worse by the increasingly controlling behaviour of her partner.

When Poller finally made the decision to leave after years of physical, psychological, social and financial abuse, she and her two children had only what they could fit in the car. Since then, Poller has been doing everything she can to keep her family afloat.

However, the spectre of financial trouble has always haunted her, with a reliance on the disability pension and more than 60% of her income going solely to rent. With the current cost of living crisis, Poller and her family look set to live on $160 a week.

But ever resilient, Poller’s not giving up. In fact, she’s doing the exact opposite.

Having connected with Global Sisters in 2020, Poller has used their support, training and resources over the last four years to launch her own business, Remedii. It’s something she is immensely proud of: “Without Global Sisters, I quite simply wouldn’t be here. Thanks to them, I have a community. I know they’ll always be there to catch me if I fall.”

Remedii stocks a range of handmade packs designed to provide relief from pain through heat or cold therapy. The pack is lightweight, adjustable and discreet, making it perfect to wear at work or home.

It’s the embodiment of Poller’s life experiences, business knowledge and commitment to helping others suffering with pain. “I am determined to find a purpose to my pain. I decided to create my business to share this product with people who are searching for something that wasn’t available,” Poller explains.

Global Sisters CEO Mandy Richards, who’s been a part of Poller’s business journey since the beginning, says Poller is “nothing short of remarkable, especially in the way she remains so positive and determined.”

This determination comes from a drive to support others, Poller tells us: “The only reason I ever decided to do this was to help people. Remedii became a business because I realised I could use the money I made to support research. Eventually, I want it people to be able to donate packs while also buying for themselves.”

Although Remedii was designed with CRPS in mind, Poller hopes their products could also be used to help ease the pain of conditions like fibromyalgia and endometriosis – a condition that impacts one in nine Australian women.

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, and MECCA M-POWER is partnering with Poller on a special MECCA-coloured range of Remedii products that will be sharing with our team members.

It’s our hope that this collaboration, alongside a business-wide endometriosis education program, will help give Poller the momentum she needs to achieve the freedom she has always deserved.

You can shop Remedii on the Global Sisters Marketplace or at @my_remedii on Instagram.

Since its inception in 2013, Global Sisters has supported over 6,000 women around Australia in microbusiness ventures. In doing so, they both generate income for women and give them the skills and resources necessary for sustainable, long-term self-employment. Jump on the Global Sisters website to find out more, and follow them on Instagram or Facebook to stay up to date with their remarkable success stories.