Behind the Scenes Interview with At Last Naturals' President
October is World Menopause Month, and we’re celebrating by revamping At Last Naturals’ online journal. There’s no doubt that menopause has a certain *stigma* tacked onto it, and we want to do our part in changing that.
Menopause shouldn’t be viewed as this dreaded and horrible “condition”. It’s a natural phase of life, it shouldn’t impose feelings of anxiety and distress — even if your body is bombarded with unpleasant sensations.
With the right tools and support, there’s no reason to feel intimidated by it. Rather, we want to change your mindset to feel empowered by it.
We truly believe that the first step to demystifying menopause is… talking about it.
Sounds easy enough, right?
Well, that’s what this online journal is here for, and we wanted to start the discussion by introducing you to At Last Naturals’ leader — Stacey Kaminsky.
At Last Naturals was founded by Stacey’s father decades ago. She grew up watching the company bloom and has undoubtedly added her feminine flair along the way.
We recently asked Stacey a few questions about her experience with menopause and running At Last Naturals to better understand her personal connection and passion for the brand. Here are her insights!
What was it like growing up alongside At Last Naturals?
I remember it so well. My dad was a pharmacist in the mid-70s, and he started going to natural product trade shows (this was waaay before convention center trade shows). Every brand there really felt like a mom-and-pop shop — just like my mom and dad starting out in this natural product world.
We would drive cross-country to get to these shows. I was only 8 years old when I started going, and I would just hand out samples.
In my teens, we started going to bigger venues because people were starting to understand that there was a large market for naturally derived, clean products. Looking back, it’s incredible to realize that At Last Naturals was one of the first companies to develop menopause relief products with natural ingredients like wild yam.
Eventually, in the mid-80s, my dad started working with a homeopathic doctor in California. Together, they formulated a line of products that help to balance hormones using wild yam extract.
It was interesting to literally grow up in this industry and watch it change from those little mom-and-pop shops to some huge industry names.
I still talk twice a week with my dad’s friend who was involved in the business way back when. He remembers me going to the trade shows as a young girl, and he still helps me with business-related things today.
How do you feel about the effectiveness of marketing in the industry? How do you hope to change it?
From what I’ve experienced, marketers tend to overlook my demographic: women going through perimenopause and menopause. I feel that really reaching me hasn’t been a priority.
Really reaching women like me — finding them, teaching them, and letting them know that there’s a product out there that can help balance their hormones — is what I’m focusing on through these social channels.
So many women are in search of natural relief for menopause, and we want to make it easier for them to find it… to find us.
What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about menopause?
Well, anything along the lines of:
- You’re old
- Your life comes to an end
- Your sex life comes to an end
- Your beauty and wellness come to an end
… just because you’ve reached this point in your life.
In fact, it’s the opposite. You have freedom. You don’t have your period anymore. Your beauty really comes from having wisdom and having age.
The hormonal imbalances and getting through menopause is tough. But once you get through those imbalances, you kinda start a second life.
A lot of women suffer from migraines, PMS, perimenopause — and it can be so freeing to not have to deal with those things anymore.
Sure, you might have to change your lifestyle because certain hormone levels have decreased, but that’s not a bad thing. That’s another freedom — to reassess your diet to focus on healthy, plant-based foods.
It’s an excuse to get yourself out of a rut and really focus on self-care and wellness.
How has leading ALN changed your life in an unexpected way?
ALN gave me an opportunity to talk to so many women about something so important that might have otherwise gone undiscussed.
I understand what they’re going through because I’ve been through it. You don’t talk about these topics to just anybody, and I’m happy I get to share my experience.
Feel free to reach out.
Stacey’s passion for normalizing this phase of life is contagious, and with every article, we hope you feel more and more comfortable with learning, talking about, and living with menopause.
As an adult woman, you have countless other things to worry about. Or at least it feels that way, right?
Let’s continue to talk about these ridiculously normal topics, so you can learn the things you need to get on with the rest of your life — ideally free of hot flashes and night sweats.
As always, feel free to reach out to us about any topic you’d like to see covered in our online journal. At the end of the day, we’re really here for you.