Hot or Just Me? From Whisky to Menopause
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Shop Hot or Just Me? and get 10% off using the code LEADERSHIP
What kind of person builds a whiskey brand from scratch, launches it on Kickstarter, gets it on shelves everywhere… and then pivots to menopause wellness?
Meet Carin Luna-Ostaseski.
She’s not chasing ideas—ideas seem to chase her. In this episode, we explore the mindset of a serial entrepreneur: someone who starts, scales, sells, and starts again. Not because they have to—but because they can’t not.
Carin is the founder of Hot or Just Me?, a comprehensive online shop and trusted resource helping women navigate perimenopause and menopause with confidence. Her journey through symptoms like hot flashes, anxiety, brain fog, and night sweats inspired her to build something that makes sure no one feels alone during this transition.
But before that? Carin made history as the first American woman and Hispanic person to create a Scotch whisky—SIA Scotch Whisky—a brand launched through a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign. That venture led to the Entrepreneurial Spirit Fund, which has awarded over $350,000 in grants to underserved entrepreneurs.
Throughout our conversation, we trace her unexpected journey—from spirits to sleep aids—and uncover the mindset, stories, and clarity behind each new chapter.
We also take a deeper look at some of the most common symptoms women face during perimenopause—and start with the one Carin calls the “first domino”: sleep.
Whether you’re building a business, navigating menopause, or just trying to figure out what’s next, this conversation will leave you inspired and informed.
Connect with Carin
Links and Resources
How to Menopause by Tamsen Fadal
Connect With Us
Speaker 0
Today's episode is brought to you by Canadian Small Businesswomen. Entrepreneurs, listen up. Amplify Your Voice twenty twenty five, the financial edition, is where you need to be, brought to you by Canadian Small Businesswomen, a place for entrepreneurs to find the resources to take their business to the next stage. You'll learn from incredible keynote speakers and leave feeling more confident about your financial future. From getting clarity on building your stock portfolio to real estate investment, this event will be the perfect place to get the tools to level up your finances. And the perks? They're good. Every guest gets a free professional headshot, a swag bag, and lunch, and most importantly, endless connections with like minded entrepreneurs. This event isn't just for women. It's for everyone. Get your tickets today. The link is in the show notes. Speaker 1
I mean, this kinda goes back to what we've been talking. It's like the theme of the show. Right? It's that you're not alone. We we put ourselves in these silos sometimes and not realizing that we have this huge network and ability as women, especially, to create community, to lift each other up along the way and to give back to our own communities and to other women as we go. Speaker 0
What kind of person builds a whiskey brand from scratch, launches it on Kickstarter, and gets it on shelves everywhere only to sell it and leap into the world of menopause wellness? Meet Kareem. She doesn't go looking for business ideas. They seem to find her. In today's episode, we explore the mindset of a serial entrepreneur, someone who starts, scales, sells, and starts again, not because they have to, but because they can't not. We'll trace Corrine's unexpected path from sipping spirits to building a community where no one feels alone in their menopause journey. Along the way, we'll uncover the stories, mindset shifts, and moments of clarity that shaped her path. And we're left with one question. What if the next big idea is already looking for you? Welcome to Voices of Leadership, my podcast that tells the stories of women who are redefining success and thriving on the edge of change. My guest today is Corinne Luna Ostensky, a powerhouse serial entrepreneur with a remarkable ability to turn personal challenges into impactful ventures. She's the founder of Hot or Just Me, an online shop and trusted resource hub helping women navigate perimenopause and menopause with confidence. Corinne's journey with perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes, brain fog, anxiety, insomnia, and night sweats inspired her mission to find a solution. From expert advice and curated products to a supportive community and even a menopause themed gift shop, Corrine is on a mission to make sure no one feels alone through this life stage. She's also giving us ten percent off any of her curated products. Just use the code leadership. The link can be found in the show notes. But Corrine's entrepreneurial story didn't start with Hot or Just Me. She made history as the first American woman and Hispanic person to create a Scotch whisky. Sia Scotch whisky, a brand she launched through a record breaking Kickstarter campaign. That venture not only disrupted the spirits industry, but also led to the creation of the entrepreneurial spirit fund, which has awarded over three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in grants to underserved entrepreneurs. Corinne builds businesses with heart, hustle, and deep purpose. And in today's conversation, we talk about the curiosity, courage, and reinvention that drives her to keep starting again. Speaker 1
It's so lovely to meet you. Oh my gosh. Guys. I love when people just find me randomly, and it Speaker 0
turns out it's, like, one of my favorite things. Speaker 1
Well, you have a wonderful podcast, and I love the variety of guests that you have. So thanks for including me. I hope that my story can resonate with your listeners. Speaker 0
I'm so excited to learn about your story. How did you find me? Speaker 1
So I, I I this is my second time as a as an entrepreneur, and so I was looking for podcasts about entrepreneurship, women in business, women entrepreneurs. So I wanted to, you know, see what was out there, and and yours came up. And so I listened to a few episodes. And Speaker 0
Thank you. Speaker 1
So thank you. Yay. Oh, that's questions were fantastic, so I appreciate the time you put in to me. Speaker 0
Oh, yeah. Well, I mean, you know, sometimes I and I I produce podcasts as well, so I always try to remind the host that, like, we do this all the time. Sometimes it could be the person's first time. So you have to really do everything you can to make them feel comfortable because you don't know. Speaker 1
Yeah. This is one of the things, like, you know, and when your questions are prompted me to think about community. And I found that now with both businesses. The first one with the with the spirits industry, I was a founding member of this group called the Women's Cocktail Collective. Speaker 0
Oh, that sounds cool. Speaker 1
And, we're all, female founders of spirit brands. So no husband, wife, teams, just ladies going at it alone. And now there's thirty five of us, but it's beautiful because we can collaborate. We don't compete. We make cocktails with all of our spirits together. We take over spaces in, in different, like, trade events. And then now in the menopause world, I'm part of this menopause collective. It's a hundred different brands of menopause focused providers and businesses. Speaker 0
Wow. That's awesome. Speaker 1
It's well, women are just natural community makers. Yeah. Speaker 0
I know. We just, like, this is what we do. Right? Yeah. Thank you for reaching out. Like, this was this is so fun, and I love meeting entrepreneurs from all over the world. And I love that podcast is, like, one place where someone can email you, and then you can have a full conversation about their journey in life, and you've met them five minutes ago. It's the best part, really. Like, it really it's very cool. Speaker 1
Yeah. It's pretty wild. And then yeah. But then people, like, you know I have a friend. She does flowers, and she just listens to podcasts all day while she's, like, arranging flowers. She hears so many interesting stories and, you know, from all walks of life and different kinds of podcasts. So that's yeah. Speaker 0
Well, and that was my original motivation. I really think that everybody has a story, and everybody's story deserves to be heard. So I always love talking to interesting people from all over the place. So Speaker 1
Oh, well, thanks, Amy. Speaker 0
So, Karen, you are on your second entrepreneurship, but I wanna talk about both today. So let's, you know, start with your Scotch whiskey company. When I first read about you, I kind of thought, well, Scotch whiskey and starting a company around that, it really isn't a common dream. So what made you to decide to what made you decide to start a Scotch whiskey company? Speaker 1
Yeah. So it's a funny story. I, it was first first time I had ever started a business, and that was after seventeen years as a graphic designer in corporate America. So I worked for major media companies like ABC News and Reuters, and then I moved out to California and worked for a bunch of tech start ups that came and went. And I was finding myself very kind of disenchanted with the career that I had chosen because I was just staring at a computer screen all day long, designing things so that other people could stare at their little screens. And it was just it was starting to weigh on me. And around the same time, I was going through a big life change, which was actually a divorce. So the way that, you know, breakups kind of shake you to your core and make you, like, kind of question, who am I without this person, or what do I wanna do with with my all this free time that I suddenly have? And I was realizing that I just was so unhappy at my job, so it was kind of like a burn the ships moment. Speaker 0
Oh, I love that phrase. It's good. Speaker 1
I like it. And and yeah. And so I just decided, like, hey. You know what? I've had this dream for a while. I was having connections with people over a glass of scotch. And what I loved about it was it was real time. Right? Like, you're in real life. You have a moment. You go slow. It's not like a party drink or shot. And so it was these moments of connection that I wanted to leave behind in the world. The challenge was I didn't really know anyone in the liquor industry, and I didn't have a bunch of money. I didn't grow up in, you know, a rich family or anything like that. I'm a child of immigrants. So it was, it was a long journey of saving money. So I saved money for about three years and, you know, basically, worked a second job, worked a third job sometimes. It just, like, you know, being able to kind of put away enough money to say I'm gonna take the leap. And then, finally decided to launch the brand on Kickstarter. So that's how the brand That's amazing. And But you think of, like, gadgets and things on Kickstarter, you don't think booze at all. Like Oh, no. No. In fact, it was the first spirit ever crowdfunded. So it also made me the first woman in history to create a brand of Scott. Oh, I love that. Let's just pause Speaker 0
and absorb that. That's fantastic. Congratulations. Speaker 1
Thank you so much. Yeah. I didn't realize, you know, what what an impact it would be because it did inspire so many other women and people of color, to be able to say, hey. You know, I can belong in a room that maybe isn't traditionally mine. Right? And how do I invite a whole new generation of people to this category that I love so much? Speaker 0
That's oh, wow. I just I didn't know that, and I love hearing that. And, I mean, that really leads to my next question because that's immediately what I thought was the whiskey industry, I was gonna assume, male dominated. But, also, it's well established brands with deep pockets. Like, you you're right. It's not somewhere where you would normally be invited. So how did you carve out space for for your business in that area? Speaker 1
It's funny. I I had a lot of imposter syndrome and that kind of inner self critic that we all get. Right? And I remember there was I was in some kind of a seminar, and someone had talked about how small brands can embrace their smallness and use it as an advantage because you have something that big brands don't. Right? You have the founder. And so, a lot of big brands will create, you know, some kind of a character or some fake story to kind of go along and give some legacy or heritage to to who they are. But you can use who you are as your advantage and say, hey. You know, this is me and, like, put yourself out there. And so, that's what I did. It was very scary for me as someone who was always behind the scenes telling everyone what to do as a creative director, like, being in front of the camera. I mean, I could tell you that that Kickstarter video, the videographer was like, you're really nervous. I said, yeah. I'm really nervous. And he said, maybe you should have a shot of your whiskey. And I was like, I should have a shot of my whiskey. Speaker 0
That would have been a great intro to the video. Speaker 2
Yeah. And it's funny because I Speaker 1
did reach out to Kickstarter later on. I said, hey. Can we take Speaker 0
that video down? I'm a Speaker 1
little tipsy in it. And they said, no. Once it's funded, you can't take it down. So it was just yeah. It's amusing to be, like, you know, embracing embracing who you are and really just kind of putting that with the brand because people will connect with it. Speaker 0
Yeah. And that's a true origin story that people can relate to for sure. Speaker 1
Yeah. And and it gives them something different. Right? So, like, say, Total Wine, which is one of the big retailers at Cariacea, it remains the only brand across that whole aisle of thousands of bottles that is female founded. So it does, you know, keep telling a story and can resonate with a lot of people. So just embracing embracing the smallness seemed to really work. Speaker 0
It's great advice for all businesses in all industries. It it it is a differentiator that we forget about sometimes. And you mentioned being the first woman. What was it like being a woman in the whiskey industry? Speaker 1
I mean, I can tell you. There were some moments where I walked into distributor meetings, and there were fifteen men around the table, and I was the only woman. Do you not employ women here? Like like, what is happening? And, and so what's beautiful is because I was in the industry for almost ten years, I did see a change during that time where, you know, I started seeing, leadership positions open up and women would take charge and things would improve. And so, it was very, very much accepted. I got the opportunity to work with a lot of diversity, equity, and inclusion groups inside of the company that acquired, SIA after, you know, six years of building the business. And that company was very, female forward, so a lot of leadership at the top, was, was women. And, and then it was really great to be a part of diverse, initiatives that they had such as, you know, Hispanic Heritage Month or Women's, History Month. So being able to use my background to be able to kind of celebrate these moments. Speaker 0
And what is your background? Speaker 1
So I'm Cuban. My mom and dad are are, you know, immigrants from Cuba, so I grew up in Miami like most most Cuban people do. But it's it's interesting because my parents weren't big drinkers. In fact, I don't think I've ever really saw it. My dad might have had a beer once when we had pizza one night, but, like, they never drank. And and the first glass of whiskey my mom ever had was mine. Oh, that's a lovely story, though. I love that. It's adorable. She's so sweet. Like, she'll be, like, at stores and be like, hey. That's that's my daughter's whiskey. So it's really cute how that she's become such a big fan. And, you know, I I guess the the background of being, like, a child of immigrants is there's always a little bit of guilt. Right? Like like, what you do needs to be in service of their sacrifice somehow. Right? And it's not necessarily expressed, but it's there and you feel it. And so, you know, when it came time to choose a career, I was really nervous. Like, you know, am I gonna be able to, like, make enough money doing this and whatnot? And so, you know, that fear popped up again when it was time to start a business, not only for, you know, for my family, but also for myself. Like, will will I be able to support myself? Is this enough? And I think that's, you know, a a a fear that every entrepreneur has. Speaker 0
Yes. It's an added layer of risk, and it makes it that much harder to start. So when you do it like you did and you're successful, it's all that more fantastic. Speaker 1
I mean, there's definitely moments where I thought, what am I doing? I know. This is a huge mistake. You know? And I can tell you that when I started the business, I was rejected eighty times. So Wow. And this isn't trying to find a partner, right, for the the spirit itself because I didn't have any connections. I wrote to every distillery I'd ever been to, everyone I'd ever read about in a whiskey book, in a whiskey magazine, and I was rejected eighty times because I was counting, like and this is over a couple years thinking, is this, like, is this a bad idea? Should I should I do this? Like, what's going on here? And I remember it was the eighty first person that said yes. And it was actually a set of sisters who were taking over their father's importing business, and they said, yes. You know, we love your idea, your perspective, and we would love to help you. We have connections in the industry and we'd love to help be a part of this. And they were amazing. They still remain great friends and, they ended up becoming investors in the business later on as well. Speaker 0
Wow. That's fantastic. I love that story. Speaker 1
Takes one. It does. It really does. Speaker 0
Just take somebody to take take a chance on somebody, for sure. Absolutely. And I wanna talk about the exit, but I'm curious. So you have sold it, and I wanna know that story. But now that it's sold and it's still on shelves, is it is it still recognized as I guess you're still recognized as the founder. Speaker 1
Is that how that works? Yeah. I mean, it'll always be the founder. I'm not I'm not the CEO anymore. So, yeah, it was an interesting journey. So, I I've crowdfunded the brand and then, you know, just kind of, like, kept bootstrapping it along the way. And then, the partners came in. They put a little bit of cash in that was able to kind of serve as my bank to create more inventory. And then when it came time to fundraise, I went out and I did, you know, fundraise for a million dollars. And I think I was at about seven hundred thousand. And I was getting again, this story of rejection. Again again, I'm in, like, rooms with a lot of, like, older white men that don't understand how hard it was to get a seat at that table with them for them to say no. And Yeah. Exactly. All that work for now. I mean After about the hundredth no, there was this theme that I started noticing that, like, a couple of them were saying things like, oh, no. But, you know, if you keep me in the loop. And I was like, well, what does that mean? You know? In my mind, I'm like, if you said no, it's it's no. But they're like, oh, no. We still wanna be involved. Like, you know, let us know how it's going. And someone pointed out to me that nobody wants to be the first. Right? And so, you know, if they see momentum, they see how you communicate, they see how, you know, the brand is growing, that they might put in money later, and that's, like, what was starting to happen. And so I you know, it's almost like a I tell people, like, don't don't hate on the status report. Right? Because you never know where it's gonna lead. And in fact, one of the, the investors that said no, like, came out of nowhere and sent me an email and said, hey. I just had lunch with, you know, CEO of this very large spirits conglomerate, and they're interested in meeting with you. Would you be interested in meeting with with and they they asked me Yes. They asked me if I'd ever if I'd heard of anything new that was, you know, exciting in in the industry, and I'd just gotten your email. So I read it to them and they wanna meet you. Oh my god. That worked. Right. And so I met with them, and I thought it was just gonna be an investment, but it turned out to be a full acquisition. And so, it took about a year of kind of back and forth of negotiations and getting it all settled. And then we were kind of set up to go, off to the races, and it's been really beautiful to get kind of a front row seat to see how how the big guys do it, but also still be able to, share the story of the brand without having to worry about fundraising or inventory management or financials or any of the other parts that, you know, were not my sweet spot to begin with anyway. Speaker 0
Oh, well, you can be a brand ambassador. Speaker 1
With your passion. Right? To my brand ambassador. Speaker 0
That's right. You are. What a story of perseverance, though. I mean, congratulations on sticking with it, and that's hard to do. Speaker 1
It it really is. I mean, you know, you have so many down days and, you know, I'm seeing it now, like, as a as do doing my my new business where there's moments of, you know, like, oh, gosh. You know, I don't have enough hours in the day or, you know, that not seeing the traction that I thought I would right off the bat. So, you know, it's definitely these moments of, you know, finding finding why you're doing it. Right? And then also making sure that there's a cause associated with it. And so that having the cause associated with it, I think, is really important because it gives you kind of a North Star for why you're doing it. Speaker 0
Otherwise, we would, as entrepreneurs, just say, why are we doing this again? Speaker 1
Exactly. Yeah. Speaker 0
How do you get from whiskey to menopause? On the surface, it sounds like a leap, a complete reinvention. But for Corinne, it wasn't really a pivot at all. It was just a continuation. Sia was born from her love of sharing a great whiskey and the conversations that unfolded around it, moments of connection, warmth, and community. Hot or just me came from the same place. Her own experience with perimenopause and a drive to make sure no one else had to navigate it alone. Two very different products, one very consistent impulse, build something that brings people together. So how exactly do you go from whiskey to menopause? Let's find out. So you mentioned your second business, so let's talk about that. How did you go from whiskey to menopause? Speaker 1
So I think it found me. Yes. Well, there is that piece. The personal piece, yes. Yeah. There's But the business piece. I think, someone called it I have sound like a author if, you guys don't know about it. It's a great group called the founder, founder plus f o u n d r. That's great resource for entrepreneurs. And they called it, that a lot of entrepreneurs, they start their business because they're scratching their own itch. I felt like it's exactly what's happening here. So, I'm forty seven when I was, in my early forties, forty two, I'd say, is I got my first hot flash. And I thought Wow. What is happening here? What is going on? And, you know, I just kept finding myself asking myself and pretty much everyone around me was, hey. Is it hot or is it just me? And Speaker 2
And most of the Speaker 1
time, I came to realize it was just me and also that I was deep into perimenopause. So I had other symptoms like hair loss, anxiety, night sweats, brain fog, and, you know, other fun symptoms that came about. And so started talking to my doctor about HRT and then also found quite a few products and resources that really helped me navigate these symptoms. And I thought, well, what better way for my next chapter in life is to create a community and a business around supporting other women in this stage in life so that we're not alone. Speaker 0
And we often feel alone in in this stage of life and for a variety of reasons. So you talked about forty two and a hot flash, and did you even know what of the word perimenopause? Like, how did you know you were in perimenopause? Speaker 1
No idea. And I mean, this is something that, you know, I talk about generationally. It's not something we like, our parents knew this expression or word. Like, it was just like, okay. Menopause and that's it. And so, you know, knowing that, you know, these three to ten years leading up to your day of menopause are perimenopause, and they come with so many symptoms. So in addition to the ones that I said, irregular periods is a big one, and that was actually the first weird Google search I did was why is my period so heavy? You know, there's also mood changes, joint muscle aches, weight gain, low libido, vaginal dryness. There's just, those are the more common ones, and there's all kinds of obscure ones like, ringing in your ears or phantom smells or burning tongue sensation. And there's about a hundred known symptoms. Speaker 0
Yes. Which is overwhelming. And Speaker 1
Yeah. So I didn't I didn't know. Speaker 0
Yeah. You didn't know. And so what did you think? Because you're in that stage of life where you're starting a business or you're at the peak of your career. You could be raising children. You could be looking after aging parents. You have a hundred things going on. How do you put together the puzzle that this is perimenopause and not a result of all the other things? Speaker 1
Yeah. And I think this is a really important conversation to have because I think what happens is most doctors in the United States are only trained with three hours of menopause training. Speaker 0
In Canada. Speaker 1
Is that okay? I'm glad to know that we're not alone. Speaker 0
Not alone. So women are not alone, and you're not alone in the challenges in the health care system either. Speaker 1
It's shameful. Right? But then so we go to our primary doctor. We say, hey. I'm feeling down, or Hey, I'm having trouble sleeping. And they're very quick to prescribe you some kind of like antidepressant or Xanax or something, because they're not putting together all of these symptoms as a kaleidoscope and saying, Hey, you're in perimenopause. This is a hormone conversation. And so what I like to do is to send women to a website called menopause dot org. And there is a link there that, has a directory of about twenty five hundred, North American menopause society certified practitioners. And so that means that they've gone through the extra level of, training to understand what's happening to our bodies at this time and can have these conversations around hormone health. And, you know, if we don't have those options, if the doctor's not in your geography, there's so many wonderful telehealth options now like Aloy or Midi or EverNow where women can go. And for the most part, they're covered by insurance. So, you know, making sure that, you know, you if some of these symptoms sound familiar to you, first talk to your doctor to rule out anything major, you know, heart issues, thyroid issues, whatnot, and then start to realize, like, hey. Maybe this is my time. Speaker 0
Well, and that's very helpful because, you know, you feel alone and you don't know where to find resources. And so your company is called Hot or Just Me. And how do you help women feel not alone then? Speaker 1
So thanks for asking. We have, a huge directory of articles and resources, everything from tracking your symptoms, what are my symptoms, you know, what symptoms are commonly misdiagnosed. We have them grouped by, symptoms, so hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue, low libido, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, and so much more. It's a very extensive resource, directory. And then we have wonderful products that are also grouped the same way. So for hot flashes and night sweats, for example, we have a collection of cooling sheets or cooling pillowcases that have temperature regulating fabrics. We have a selection of different nightwear, so sleepwear, nighties, different, fabrics again. We have cooling jewelry like what I'm wearing today. These are actually freezer pull. Oh, that's cool. They're super fun. They're from a company called Hot Girls Pearl. And, you put them in your freezer, they cool down, and they're on your pulse points. Really? Wear them outside or just I wear them inside. But they're fantastic. And then, you know, other, like, masks and whatnot. And so by category, I didn't expect that our, low libido category would be the the most popular section, but it makes sense because, you know, there's stuff that we can talk about, and then there's stuff that we're like, okay. This is what's really going on. So, yes, it's been really beautiful to be able to see, you know, what women are resonating with, what they need support with, and we'll be rolling out my hope in the next few months as a service provider directory as well. So, you know, beyond practitioners, maybe it's acupuncturists or aestheticians or other other people support. Speaker 0
And then so the brands and people that you're working with, are you reaching out to them to partner? Are they reaching out to you? Is it a collaboration of both? Speaker 1
A little bit of both. So we, I started out just kind of the products that I use Yeah. And reaching out to them. And, you know, when I tell you, like, there's a, like, a cooling neck fan on there, I can tell you that I went out and bought forty different fans and then tried them all out and said, okay. This was too heavy. This one is, like, runs out of batteries too fast. This one, like, catches my hair. So the the products are very, very well curated. Some of them have come from recommendations from my doctors, some from the community, some from girlfriends. And then some from this group that I'm part of that is a group of other entrepreneurs in the menopause space. So whenever I talk to a vendor at the end of the conversation, I say, well, you know, are there any brands that you've worked with that you recommend? Or, you know, maybe they've done a social media campaign with or something they use. And so it's almost been this, like, beautiful network effect where I have this amazing, you know, collection of, again, female founders of brands that, that are on the site and that, you know, hope to reach out to as we expand. Speaker 0
What must be so nice for you from going from whiskey rooms of all white men to now working with a network of all women founders. What is that like? Speaker 1
All women all the time. Maybe it's kinda that boomerang that it's like, I'm gonna try I was like, this is this is how it's gonna go now. Speaker 2
It's such Speaker 0
a must be such a privilege to do to do that after going through what you went through. Speaker 1
Yeah. And I mean, it's also beautiful. I I, so with Sia, my whiskey brand, I set up a grant program because I knew how hard it was as a entrepreneur to fundraise. Right? And so for me, it was more like, how do I help the small businesses? Right? And what are not like the these, like, VC unicorns. This is more like, hey. These are, like, the small businesses that really run our communities. And so we set up a grant program the first year. I think I could only donate, like, a hundred dollars. The second year is two hundred dollars, and I'm really proud because our our fund to date has donated three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in grants to support female founders and minority founders of small businesses. And then I also mentioned them for six months each Speaker 0
year. And Speaker 1
so I knew that with, Hotter Just Me, I wanted to have similar kind of ethos. So I wanted to, give a portion of each of our sales every year towards period dot org, which is a nonprofit that helps, give menstrual products to young young girls in need. And so, you know, this helps them to attend school or, attend their sports or things that they normally might not do if they didn't have the the products that they need. And then I'm looking into a few on the flip side of the age spectrum, how we age in the workplace, so menopause in the workplace initiatives. And this really resonates because as we're aging, you know, there are programs out there in corporations that are about, you know, maternity leave or paternity leave or nursing rooms for breastfeeding. But what is the support for women in menopause? Right? Like, are we able to regulate the temperature in our offices or, you know, is it, like, mental health breaks or days off or maybe it's even, you know, if you're working a job where it requires a uniform, like, what is the fabric that you're wearing? Is it layered? Like, what are these options that we have? And, you know, yeah, trying to figure out how to support support that side of the spectrum. Speaker 0
Well and it's something that we need to do as because women are at important spaces in their careers when they're in perimenopause, and I'm not sure what you see. But in Canada, there are some studies that show that that the the loss of from an economic standpoint is in the billions. Speaker 1
Mhmm. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it it affects, you know, productivity, your brain fog, your concentration, even just how, like, how you show up. Right? Like, you know, your mental health status. Exactly. And so yeah, I think that that's a a big concern. And it's also at a time in life where we might be raising children. We're taking care of our elderly parents. We might be dealing with grief or loss of some kind. And so there's just so much wrapped up in this stage in life. And so, you know, to be able to carry that into our workday, like, how do we how do we make that part a little easier? Yeah. Speaker 0
Kreen's wisdom as an entrepreneur is undeniable, but just as important is her understanding of the challenges women face during perimenopause. In this next part of our conversation, we dive into some of the more common symptoms women experience during this phase of life and some of the tools and solutions available, and we're starting with sleep. Why sleep? Because as Kareem puts it, it's the first domino. Miss enough of it, and the rest of your well-being can start to unravel. So you talked about all the symptoms. They happen at work, and they happen at home, and and we can't talk about all one hundred of them. But let's talk about a couple of them just for context because we we kinda throw them all out there and then maybe women we we drill down on a couple. It might relate a little bit better to some people. So let's talk about sleep disruption for a minute because it's a huge issue for women in perimenopause. And what are the what are some of the best ways that we can optimize for better rest? Speaker 1
I love this question. So I'm kind of a sleep nerd, sleep hygiene junkie. And the reason is, you know, if you have a bad night of sleep, what does your day look like? Right? So you wake up, you're kinda like groggy, a little moody, irritable, and then, you know, you might have an extra cup of caffeine. And so then now you've got, like, extra jitters or maybe you're prone to anxiety because of this extra caffeine. And then you might make poor food decisions because you're tired, and you'll skip the gym. You know, so you won't get that endorphin rush that our bodies need and the strength that we need. And then you get to work, and you're kind of, like, a little scatterbrained and forgetful. And then when it comes time to be with your partner, you're just not in the mood. Right? So all of these symptoms, it's just kind of, like, amplified, right, if if you didn't have a good night of sleep. So the first domino that fell in that whole chain, yeah, it's like whole chain of dominoes just fell because the first one was, did I get a good night of sleep? So I like to say, like, what are the the three ways that you can optimize for for good sleep are basically what you're putting into your body and what your environment looks like and, what you how you get back to sleep when you wake up. Right? So, because it does still happen even with all the the right preparations. Speaker 0
That's interesting because a lot of people say that, oh, you have to do this, this, and this before you go to bed. No one really talks about how we're going to wake up no matter what we do. How do we get back to sleep? Speaker 1
How do we get back to sleep? So, yeah, I think, you know, what we put into our bodies is, you know, I mentioned someone in the the living space that was very much Not the whiskey. You know? Hey. Like yeah. I've become someone who is now just a day drinker. Right? Like, yeah, I still drink, and I still love my whiskey. But it's when now I realize, like, hey. If I drink late at night, I wake up in the middle of the night, and that's just what's gonna happen. Like, I've tracked it enough times that it's, like, that's the culprit. And that's not everybody. Right? It was just what's happening for me. And then same thing, caffeine. Like, if I have afternoon caffeine or, like, coffee or tea or whatnot, I will have a bad night's sleep. And then and if I have a heavy meal or, you know, just something that's, like, you know, thick, like, over processed, bad food, too much sodium. Like so really just think about having, like, a light healthy meal earlier in the in the evening. And then I've learned, that magnesium works for me. So just taking a magnesium supplement in the evening, because if I take it in the day, my body's absorbed by the time I go to bed. So good restful sleep there. And then your environment. Right? So what are you sleeping on? Like I mentioned, we have, like, these awesome cooling sheets that are just wonderful for me. There's also just the pillowcases if if you wanna start there, cooling blankets that are more individual, sleep masks so you can kind of tune out all the light in your room or even, you know, blackout curtains, if that works for you too. If you have a partner who snores, getting, some really good earplugs are important. And just like, you know, putting inside, like, you'll send, hey. I just this is what I'm gonna do. And then, you know, some people really like white noise apps, to kind of, you know, drown out any outside noise. And then I would say similar to what you're wearing. Right? So, like, what kind of, you know, breathable fabric are you wearing? What is, like, your your sleepwear look like? And then the third part, yeah, it's like, you know, when you wake up in the middle, maybe it's a cold glass of water by the bed. You know? Maybe it's just, you know, having, like, an app that you can listen to, like a meditation app, a calm app, Headspace. I like one on YouTube. It's free. It's called yoga nidra, and it's just really sweet and peaceful and gets me back to sleep. And then just having some grace around it. Right? So if there's a thought in your head, maybe a journal by the bed that you could just write that thought down and let it go. And then, you know, sometimes there's gonna be nights where you won't. And you've sat there for an hour, and you're like, I've tried all the things. I've heard all the meditations. It's not gonna work. And just a little grace with yourself, some ease, and say, well, maybe I'll just wake up. And I'll just get some extra stuff done before everybody else wakes up. And then I'll just go to bed early tonight and and just leave it at that. Right? So just making sure that you've kind of, you know, put all of those things in place. The hardest one for me has always been my device. Like, you know, my phone next to the bed. We have older parents, so we like having our phones accessible. You know, I've read leave your phone outside of the bedroom, but this is not something we can do. So it's just more about, okay, the phone is next to the bed, but we can use it for a podcast or an audiobook or just something that's, you know, kind of helps us wind down without looking at the screen. Speaker 0
Well, I really like the grace part because we can do all the right things. And even if it's ninety percent of the time, we're still gonna have that time when when it doesn't succeed and we can't be so hard on ourselves when it doesn't. Speaker 1
Yeah. Yeah. That's a big one. Yeah. If I'm not even in meditation. Right? Like, when you're meditating, you're like, you're doing it wrong. You should be like, like, just like Speaker 0
I'm stressed about meditating. Speaker 1
Exactly. The point. No. It says the same thing about sleep. Like, okay. If it's just if it's not my time, it's not gonna happen today. Speaker 0
There's always tomorrow. Yeah. Speaker 1
You'll have a better night sleep because you're really tired. Right. Speaker 0
So we've talked a little bit about women and perimenopause and how it affects them at home and how it affects them at work, but the other piece is how does it affect their relationships, be it with children or parents or partners. And and you talk a little bit about meeting in the middle when discussing sort of hormones with your children. So let's start there. How can mothers approach this conversation? Speaker 1
Yeah. So I think if you again, you go on your way back machine of what it was like being a teenager. And for me, it was brutal. It was just like these feelings of nobody gets it, my body is changing, what's going on with my skin, my hair, my breasts, like, you know, nobody, like, nobody understands. Speaker 0
I'm the only one. I'm the only teenager on earth going through this. Speaker 1
Yeah. Yeah. And it's so funny because here we are again. Right? With the same thing as like a moody puppy. Nobody understands what's going on with my skin and my breasts. And so it's just like you know, it's it's funny to be like, here we are again. And that we can relate in a different way. Right? And so, you know, my daughter, she was crying, and she was like, I I'm like, what's wrong with them? And she's like, I don't know why I'm crying. Oh. I thought, I know. Speaker 2
I get it. Mom does that too sometimes. Speaker 1
And so you can use it almost as a point of, of connection, right, of understanding and also a great opportunity to talk about hormones, right, and saying, like, hey. Here's what's gonna happen. And not just what's happening right now, but this is a good time that we can talk about the journey. Right? Like, your hormones will, you know, spike up, they'll plateau through your, you know, reproductive years, and then they'll come down around mom's age. So that, like, when it happens to them, it's not like, hey. What's happening? Like, we can use this time to really bring the conversation out into the open for for our young adults. And then, you know, I think that there's a lot of really wonderful resources right now. I love a series so I asked, you know, friends with older kids and I asked our therapists like what do you recommend and they said oh you know those American Girl dolls? I said, yeah. They said, there's actually a book series that's fantastic. And so when I got them, and sure enough, they're amazing because they're written in kind of this, like, you know, that old cosmopolitan style, like Tammy and Topeka. So this is Yeah. So it's very cute because it makes, like, right off the bat, like, lets them realize that they're not alone, that this is happening to some other girl somewhere. But also, it's just, you know, bite sized format, so it's not too much. It's really beautiful. There's the younger girls once it's all about you, one and two. So younger girls and older girls. And then there's one called all about feelings, and then there's, is this normal? And then they have them for boys as well, guy stuff and guy stuff emotions. And they're just really beautiful. And so I wished that there was something like that for for us at perimenopause. And it turns out there is a book coming out by Tamsen Fadal called how to menopause that I think is gonna be that for us. So that should be out in, April of this year. Speaker 0
Oh, I look forward to that. It's so it's so interesting because I think that we might be the first generation where the mothers are in perimenopause and the daughters are starting their sort of puberty journey because some of us, me included, had had children a little bit later. And also, you know, we're able we're more open about talking about it. So those two things combined bring this interesting thing going on right now, I find. Speaker 1
Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely a generational thing. And, you know, it's it's beautiful that we can use this as as a point of con con conversation. But we also have the ability to, yeah, just have a a dialogue about it in a more open way. There's more resources now than ever. Know, even the word perimenopause is being searched for more than ever. So I think it's definitely changing. And, yeah, it's a it's a beautiful thing. We can, we can look at our kids with grace. We can give ourselves that same grace, but also just a curiosity. Speaker 0
Change the conversation one child at a time. Speaker 1
Yeah. Yeah. I love that. It's also finding the time to talk to your kids. I find sometimes, like there was a quote I read somewhere. It's like, if you see someone who's drowning, that's not the time to say, hey. Let's have some swimming lessons. So Speaker 0
there's moments That is very good. And that's a very good analogy. I Speaker 1
like that. And so, like, I have this moment where there's, like, a full on meltdown, and it's like you wanna have that conversation at that time, but it's just it's not the right time. So you have to, like, pick and choose and say, like, alright. Like, hey. I have this book. I would really like to read to you. Now is not the time, but I'm just letting you know that I think that you'd really enjoy it, and I'd love to share it with you. Speaker 0
That that's really good. I mean, it's nice that we're having this conversation. It's, like, nice to say that more people are having this conversation. Now let's talk a little bit about women's health. We talked a little bit about women in the workplace and menopause in the workplace, and, you know, you're in the US and I'm in Canada. So, here at least, women's health is significantly underfunded, and perimenopause and menopause receives just a small fraction of that limited funding, which then, of course, leads to gaps in research and understanding. So I don't know if you see the same thing, but why is it crucial to study and better understand this life transition? Speaker 1
I mean, without the data, we can't we can't make the the case. Right? And so it's it's the same with anything. If you wanna fundraise, you have to show the numbers. And so, you know, I think it's important to have have the data. I am you know, it's it's scary because it takes so long to gather the data, to then to parse the data, and then to disseminate the data. Mhmm. So it all needs to start as soon as possible. And so if we're not putting the funding in now, our children are gonna suffer for it. Right? Because they're not gonna have the information they need. And we've already seen the impact of what a flawed study can be from the early two thousand when one study kind of changed the behavior of women for the next two decades. So, I think that that's that's exactly why it's so important that we can't just have history repeating itself. Speaker 0
Yeah. So, hopefully, that will change in the near future. So I wanna ask you a little bit about your leadership because you we talked a little bit about your two companies, and they're in different industries. And sometimes you're dealing with all men, and now you're talking to all women. So how are your approaches to leadership different or the same from, you know, your Scotch whiskey experience to hotter just me? Speaker 1
I think it's changed in the sense where I've changed. Right? So I was young ish in my in my early thirties, but just more naive and a little, like, you know, less confident in myself and my abilities. So I think being a second time founder, it gives me a lot more confidence of saying, like, you know, when when to cut the cord when something's not working or if I'm second guessing myself to really explore why, to be a lot more organized. I think it's also changed now that I'm, you know, more of a mom than I was before. So with my first business, my first daughter hadn't been born. And so I didn't I didn't really realize how much time motherhood would take up. Right? And motherhood doing it right. You know, we don't have any kind of outside help. And so I have these seven hours when they're in school where it's just go time. And so I think that just my time management has definitely changed, and my sense of having to learn to delegate. I think when I was younger, I learned a lot about it's just like, you know, I thought maybe nobody could do it like I did or, you know, that that kind of mentality. And now I've just learned to let it go. It might not be perfect. There's this great book. It's called not how not how but who. And so it's just very much about, you know, being being able to let go of certain parts of the business and being able to lead in a different way. And instead of, you know, just doing it all yourself to to be a leader to to others. Speaker 0
That's that's really good advice because we all do change, and sometimes we forget we change, and our leadership style is allowed to change with us. So it's good to acknowledge that. Speaker 1
Yeah. And sometimes having constraints is is a good thing. Right? Like, if it's money constraint, if it's a time constraint, it really makes you think more about how you're spending that time or money. Speaker 0
Absolutely. And so then how big from an employee's perspective is Hot or Just Me? Speaker 1
So right now, it's still just me. It's so funny because well, with CEO, my with my brand, at the time of acquisition, I was the only employee, and I had one part time contractor. So I used a huge network of contractors to build the business. But in terms of, you know, full time employees, it was it was oddly small for an acquisition of that size. And but this this time around, I'm actually I think I I have it in the back of my head. I'm, like, kind of in search of a cofounder because I think the mistake that some people make is that they think the cofounder has to start from zero, like, from when you start the business, but sometimes you find them later. Speaker 0
Yes. Speaker 1
And I'm realizing now too, like, where my gaps are. And I think, you know, it's important to say who's who's the right compliment, and sometimes that comes along a little later. So right now, I'm realizing I definitely would love to partner with someone who's just like a digital marketing wizard or, you know, fills in the gaps that I don't have, right, as a as an entrepreneur. And I think that's what a good cofounder can do. Speaker 0
That that's very good to, acknowledge that too because you're right. Sometimes we think cofounder means, like, the beginning of coming up with the idea together and starting together. And we forget there's all stages in business, and in order for it to succeed, you have to consider all of them. Speaker 1
Exactly. Yeah. Speaker 0
So then from all your mentoring and all your entrepreneurship and everything you've done, what is the biggest challenge facing female leaders today? Speaker 1
Oh, gosh. I think it's, honestly, community. I think, you know, being able to this kinda goes back to what we've been talking. It's like the theme of the show. Right? Is that you're not alone. We we put ourselves in these silos sometimes and not realizing that we have this huge network and ability as women, especially, to create community, to lift each other up along the way and to give back to our own communities and to other women as we go. So I think, you know, it's just it's almost like, it's a mind shift. I think that that's that's the challenge. It's just kind of opening up and realizing that, you know, if you expand, if you let this out, it can grow. It can't grow, like, in secret. I see this with entrepreneurs all the time where they have this idea. They don't wanna share it, and it's like, you have to. It's never gonna grow without opening it up and sharing it. Beautiful secret. Right? And the the idea that, oh, someone might take it is also, you know, a little scary mentality where I think, no. Like, ideas are, like, a dollar a dime a dime a dozen or what type of expression. But it's, like, it's the execution that counts. Right? So a million people have probably had the idea, but who's gonna who's gonna actually build it and get out there and spend every waking moment on this. And if it's not you, then someone else will. Speaker 0
That's right. That truly is the differentiator I find in entrepreneurship for sure. Well, thank you for taking the time and telling us about your journey. And I I agree the theme of the show, no matter what you're doing and no matter what stage of life you're at, you're not alone. And I am glad that we were able to talk about that a lot today. Speaker 1
Thank you so much for having me. Speaker 0
Voices of Leadership is part of the Bespoke Productions Hub network of independent podcasters. If you are interested in partnering with us as a sponsor or if you have a podcast of your own, please visit bespoke productions hub dot com for more information. This episode is hosted, produced, and edited by me, Amy Schluter. 
