About Us

Ministry of Dreamers is a small business based in Toronto, Ontario.

A question I am frequently asked is, how did you go from being a plastic surgeon to ... making play dough? The answer is a bit of a story.

The idea for a boutique of beautiful items seeded itself on a hot summer day in the driveway of a small town in the American Midwest. My older sister and I had received an unusually extravagent birthday gift from our parents. It was a Barbie perfume making kit, and as they guessed, we loved it enough to share nicely.

 Eventually, we each grew up and had our own little girls. When my daughter turned three, I eagerly introduced her to another childhood favorites of mine - play dough! The toy store stuff, though, was not at all the delightful substance that I remembered. Odors of toasted cardboard – yuck. Texture of dry crumbles – I heard our vacuum cleaner cry a little inside.

 After some brainstorming, I realized that my previous career as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon had given me tools that I could use to make a better dough. I applied my knowledge of chemistry, anatomy, physiology, health, and wellness practices to the task of creating a luxurious dough: softly fragranced, silky, touchable and soothing.

I think I've succeeded. Over the last seven years, I've learned from feedback given by the toughest of critics: my daughter and her schoolmates. Their unfiltered thoughts have thankfully been nothing but positive. 

Children tap into our primordial human nature effortlessly. As I've seen with my daughter's schoolmates and heard from their teachers, occupying one's hands helps people get out of their heads and into the present moment. Combined with the power of fragrance to activate memory and emotion centers in the brain, the end result of playing with dough can be improved focus, mood, and relaxation. Scientific research supports this.

My family's personal experiences strengthened my growing belief that nourishment of true health and well-being requires more than traditional medical practices alone can offer. 

I stepped away from my plastic surgery practice because my sister, at the age of 38, developed cancer. She lost her scent tolerance, along with many bodily comforts that are easy to take for granted when one is well. As any of you who have gone through this yourself or with a loved one know, it was tough times. What saddened me most about her experiences is that medical care did not make her life better. It simply extended her life, for both better and worse.

Where she found quality of life was in the moments of her own making. Time spent with the counselors and friends at her cancer support program, a massage during an inpatient hospital stay, baking holiday cookies with her daughter – this is where healing happened. 

Adults, unlike children, are often encouraged to hide, delay, and even ignore our needs. What I discovered over years of dough craft is that adults need a tool to encourage mindfulness as much, perhaps even more, than children do. With that insight, as well those learned from my sister's experiences, I decided that I want to make it "ok" for adults to play.

What has arisen from my initial small goal of making a better dough for my daughter is a life changing project that encompasses three areas of my passions and expertise – healing, natural beauty, and well-being. Dreamy Dough™ is an offering to grown up children (a.k.a adults) to help us become present in our lives.

My wish is that Dreamy Dough will help you nourish your essential nature with happiness and gratitude. Inhale the soothing fragrances of Dreamy Dough and re-live good memories. Feel your tension drop, and feel your blood, your vital energy, move through your hands as you squeeze and shape Dreamy Dough. Share a tin with a friend and make a new happy memory together. 

My sister's journey on Earth ended in 2016 after treatment for two cancers and after undergoing three major open heart surgeries. She is ever present at my side, though, as I continue my journey. As so many of us have been touched by the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been too. While I no longer practice medicine and surgery, my path as person and as a patient has continued to teach me about how to heal, and how to help. 

Ministry of Dreamers has small goals at present. We hope to expand organically, with time, to offer more products that celebrate beauty and wellbeing in life.

I leave you with the words of the Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius:

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

Thank you for visiting Ministry of Dreamers. Be well.

Alisha