Mimi Millard is the founder and CEO of De Lune, and I am lucky enough to call her my cousin. She had a problem and she decided to do something about it. She wasn’t planning on becoming an entrepreneur—she was studying environmental engineering in college—but she had a need that was not being met, so she met it herself.
As a student at Cornell, she struggled with severe period pains. No amount of painkiller eased her pain, and in fact, the painkillers she was taking made everything worse, which is frustratingly ironic. One day as she was walking to class, she fainted. She was taken to the hospital and was told that she was reacting poorly to the over-the-counter pain medication she was taking to try and get through her period. She thought that there had to be a better method. This is where De Lune was born. De Lune is an alternative, natural and safe solution for period pains. She has, since then, created a pain tonic, PMS pills and PMS chocolates to make the overall period experience better and more empowering for all who suffer from it.
Periods are natural occurrences, yet the norm or so-called best method to combat them is using synthetic drugs—how does that make sense? Mimi learned more about these over-the-counter drugs and found that so many people struggle with bad side effects from taking what seems like handfuls of these pills just to get through the day. She started to look into ways to ease the pain of periods in a safe, effective and natural way that also supports her long-term health. Mimi started to research better ways to not only ease the pain of periods but also to improve her relationship to her period. Her hand-selected ingredients in the products have been proven through testing to heal and also support one’s long-term health with no side effects. Another thing that sets De Lune apart from other period pain solutions is the fact that it is made for bleeders by bleeders because in general, the pharmaceutical field is male-driven; but how would they understand what we go through? Exactly.
I personally struggle with horrible period pains and have used the De Lune pain tonic. Not only does it provide physical relief, but mental change as well. I felt the healing happening in my body. I hate taking too many synthetic painkillers, but the experience of making a cup of tea and mixing in the tonic gives me a moment for myself to lessen the severity of my period, and even feel good about it. I am not the only one who has experienced the amazing benefits of De Lune; there are insane testimonials about how people are able to get back to living life.
De Lune is way more than a company. It is a community—something else that makes De Lune exceptional. Mimi and her co-workers take a holistic approach to periods. They don’t just produce these supplements, but they also start conversations and send out endless love and support to everyone who needs it. De Lune wants people to talk about their period struggles because that kind of conversation is medicine in and of itself. De Lune offers so many outlets that allow people to feel better and celebrate their periods instead of quite literally trying to survive. Unfortunately, there are still stigmas around periods, and De Lune is a part of the fight against those stigmas. What Mimi is building is much more than a company. She is building a world where menstruators get the respect and support that they deserve, no matter what.
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