Liz Benditt on Sustainable, Patient-Safe Holiday Gifting
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): A Further Inquiry
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/09/18
Liz Benditt, CEO of The Balm Box and five-time cancer survivor, champions functional, scent-safe, and reusable gifts over novelty items. She advises wrapping with shipping boxes, choosing artificial trees, and using gentle, unscented products. Families can share cars, embrace reusables, and reduce plastics. Sustainable gifting prioritizes usefulness and daily habits. More info: http://www.TheBalmBox.com.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Today, we are joined by Liz Benditt, a five-time cancer survivor turned entrepreneur. She is President and CEO of The Balm Box, a mission-driven brand offering functional self-care and gifting boxes for cancer patients, founded in 2020. In addition to teaching undergraduate marketing courses at the University of Kansas School of Business, she also serves on the board of the Mainstream Coalition and Education First Shawnee Mission. She lives in the Kansas City suburbs with her husband, two children, and a dog. Thank you so much for joining me today. What are some practical, creative, and eco-friendly gifting ideas for the holiday season?
Liz Benditt: In my work with The Balm Box, I focus on helping people undergoing cancer treatments—especially around the holidays—with functional, sustainable gifts. Despite being a year-round business, we see a sales bump in the fourth quarter, just like many retailers, as people think more about gifting during that time. For someone undergoing treatment around the holidays, the most meaningful gift is something useful—items that provide relief and comfort—rather than motivational slogans or cliché keepsakes. Functional gifts are inherently more sustainable: they are used and appreciated, not discarded.
Jacobsen: How can people reduce waste when wrapping these gifts?
Benditt: If you are shipping a gift, consider using the shipping box itself as the wrapping—many are decorative enough and eliminate the need for extra wrapping paper. In other words, the box itself becomes the package.
Jacobsen: Any eco-friendly holiday décor tips?
Benditt: I actually focus more on what is safe and comfortable for treatment patients. Scented decorations can be problematic—fragrances may be triggering for those undergoing chemotherapy or radiation, so it is best to avoid them. As for trees, a single beautiful artificial tree that you can reuse each year is more eco-friendly, avoids mess, and minimizes scent concerns.
Jacobsen: How can folks minimize exposure to problematic products while keeping their homes safe and comfortable?
Benditt: Many patients become more cautious about products in their home, particularly cleaning supplies and scented items. Simple steps like opting for unscented, gentle products and reusing durable décor can help maintain a safe, nurturing environment during treatment.
It is tricky. You do not want to get yourself too wrapped around the axle over chemicals, products, and treatments. You never really know. Sometimes you can go down the rabbit hole of wondering what caused your cancer, and then you end up avoiding things like non-organic mangoes or other foods. You can make yourself absolutely bonkers, and I do not think that is healthy. But at the same time, there is certainly nothing wrong with cleaning up your act when it comes to eating healthfully. The key is balance—you can go too far either way. So yes, it is important to be careful, but you also do not want to live in fear. For example, you probably do not want to be inhaling Pine-Sol.
Jacobsen: Do not tell the horse girls this, but I once worked on a project at a horse farm for twenty-seven months, and I can tell you, if they could turn Pine-Sol into a drink, they would. They would absolutely embrace it as a flavor. Let us say you have two teenagers and a dog. What about family habits? How do you create structure for energy-saving and sustainable practices at home?
Benditt: That is a great question. With teenagers, they may not love it, but one very practical approach is to share a car. In our area, it is not realistic to expect them to bike to school due to climate and distance, but sharing a vehicle is reasonable, and it cuts down on emissions. They may not want to, but they can. Small things like that add up.
I also believe a lot of progress comes from little daily habits. Investing in high-quality reusable lunch containers, for example—not disposable bags or flimsy Tupperware—makes a difference. Encouraging kids to bring home their forks, knives, coffee cups, and water bottles rather than relying on disposable ones is another way. This generation is, in many ways, ahead of my husband’s and my generation. They are much better about reusing things, avoiding plastic water bottles, and even shopping secondhand. Buying used or recycled clothing through platforms like Depop is not just acceptable—it is fashionable. It has become part of their lifestyle.
So, overall, I am impressed with how thoughtful they are about everyday habits. My husband and I had to work harder at changing because we grew up in a culture of disposable cups, containers, and lots of takeout. For us, it has been more of a shift.
Jacobsen: What about when a gift, even if well-meaning, might come across the wrong way for someone dealing with cancer—or even other illnesses? What are your tips for making sure a gift really lands well for cancer survivors or people dealing with other serious health challenges?
Benditt: We have done extensive research at The Balm Box, and it is very clear that functional gifts—items that are genuinely helpful—are four to ten times more appreciated than what we call “inspirational gifts.” By inspirational gifts, I mean things like a “you can do it” magnet, a tote bag with a slogan, a T-shirt, or a novelty gemstone.
These items are well-meaning but ultimately provide little utility. In contrast, functional gifts—such as a cozy blanket, an ice pack that does not leak, a well-designed pillbox to help separate medications, organic carbon-free lotion, unscented lip balm, or cuticle oil for hands damaged by treatment—are much more thoughtful and useful. These kinds of gifts meet real needs, and when someone is on the “struggle bus” with illness, that makes all the difference.
If someone is going through a divorce, a breakup, or any other difficult time, the same principle applies: a gift that genuinely supports them is always better received than a generic “you’ve got this” coffee mug.
Jacobsen: Are there people who simply do not want gifts at all, and where the best approach is to spend time with them instead?
Benditt: That is a great question. I have not seen that come up in my research, but I think it might be more common for men than women. Our research has tended to skew toward women, especially since we have focused heavily on breast cancer, which obviously affects more women. But it is a very interesting point, and I do not have a definitive answer.
Jacobsen: Small changes over a long period of time can have a large impact. What about small changes individuals or families can make in their daily practices?
Benditt: For us, one big change has been reducing our use of plastic bags. My husband, for example, was in the habit of putting everything into plastic bags, and it took some effort to shift toward reusable glass containers instead. Pyrex, Glasslock, Anchor Hocking, and Oxo all make excellent options. Whatever you want to call them—“glass Tupperware” is what most people say—the key is moving away from disposable storage toward durable, reusable solutions. These small adjustments, built into everyday routines, add up to a much more sustainable lifestyle.
Jacobsen: What is the future of sustainable gifting?
Benditt: I personally believe the future of sustainable gifting is moving away from silly, novelty items and focusing instead on functional, useful gifts. Even beyond my own business, one of the best gifts I have ever seen was when my daughter turned sixteen. My brother and sister-in-law gave her a driving kit. It was thoughtful, charming, and practical. It included a small medical kit for her car, a AAA membership card, a compass, a little wastebasket for the car, and other useful items. The only silly item was a pair of driving gloves, which she never used, but everything else was incredibly helpful.
What made it so wonderful was the way the individual items—none of which would have made sense as standalone gifts—came together as a clever, thoughtful, and useful package. Four years later, she is still using nearly all of those items. To me, that is the essence of sustainable gifting: something that remains functional and appreciated long after it is given. Useful does not have to be boring or unattractive. Useful can be thoughtful, clever, and lasting. That is what makes it sustainable.
Jacobsen: That is amazing. Liz, thank you for your time today. I really appreciate it.It was nice to meet you too.
Benditt: Thank you. Nice to meet you. Bye.
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