Meet Melissa Eppard: Cancer Thriver, Coach, & Upstate Mary Co-Founder.
Melissa Eppard’s journey has been anything but predictable. When she was just 36 years old, she began the fight for her life. Melissa discovered a lump the size of a nickel in one of her breasts, a sign that led to learning she had an aggressive form of breast cancer. The discovery came exactly three weeks after she began a life coach training program, a program she believed was her calling. Suddenly, her plans came to a screeching halt. The next year consisted of multiple surgeries and five grueling months of chemotherapy. After medical-induced menopause, she was left without her breasts, hair, or fertility. Melissa had a double mastectomy and chose to get breast implants that resulted in years of discomfort and pain. After a five year struggle, she removed the implants, which led to a new calling, becoming a survivorship coach and flat advocate.
“Flat is a healthy and valid option. You can be feminine, embodied, and whole after breast cancer–independent of your surgical choices,” Melissa said. She feels that “flatvocacy” in-part, is being seen by other people, to let them know that this is a choice often not presented. Melissa’s cancer experience delayed her life coaching start, but changed her life’s trajectory. She completed her training and leveraged her cancer experience to help others with their own cancer battles as a Healing Hope Cancer Coach. A life changing diagnosis soon became her life’s work.
“This diagnosis changed how I see the world in profound ways. My wish is that others could find their worth and their voice, to go after what they want and ask for what they need without having to walk through the fire of hardship and struggle.” Her coaching practice rose out of necessity. As a young survivor, she had support rallied around her as a cancer patient, but no one prepared her for how difficult life would be after cancer. As a result, she now helps clients understand their options, develop a supportive network, reduce stress, and process the emotional impacts of cancer. “From diagnosis, through treatment and life after, there is no need to go it alone!” Melissa ensures her clients.
Beyond helping others process their diagnosis and treatment plan, Melissa also encourages others to discover ways to feel sexy again after treatment. For her, getting tattoos on her chest was a way to connect with her body and feel sexual again. “I didn’t think about cancer every time I looked down and saw myself,” she said. Melissa found a way to embrace change in her body, something she hopes to help others find as well.
This experience helped fuel her next entrepreneurial venture: Upstate Mary and a collection of CBD intimacy products.
“We tried every CBD lube we could get our hands on and sadly a lot of them fell short,” Melissa explained the inspiration for her venture. Many CBD lubricants weren’t organic, smelled weird, or didn’t taste good. So Melissa and her business partner, Michelle Bergkamp, created their own, launching Friday Arousal Oil, Slide Intimacy Oil, and Hunter Intimacy Melts.
“I feel like when I use Friday, my vulva is like hello, I’m ready to PLAY!’” Melissa laughed.
Melissa and Michelle partnered with a multi-generational, woman-owned farm in the Hudson Valley to source their CBD, a main ingredient in every Upstate Mary product. CBD is known to help increase blood flow, help promote relaxation, and set the mood–key benefits for sex.
“CBD lube was a revelation for me! Upstate Mary formulas are going to help people so much–in and out of the bedroom,” Melissa added.
For more about Upstate Mary and CBD lube, visit our website and follow us on social media. And for a complete interview with Melissa Eppard, check out the GynoCurious Podcast.
ABOUT UPSTATE MARY
At Upstate Mary, we're all about the power of plants. Formulated with full-spectrum CBD + MCT coconut oil and a blend of organic botanicals, our products offer soothing and stimulating effects. Like your gut, your vagina has its own microbiome and it can be very sensitive. We use organic botanical ingredients, so no disruptors here!
Our Farm to Bedroom™ collection isn’t just for special occasions, one-night stands or mind-blowing orgasms; although we’re here for all of that! We're committed to being the new go-to for our perimenopausal and postmenopausal friends too. Our collection of CBD lubes and suppositories can help address a range of needs, from relieving pelvic floor pain to enhancing blood flow + daily lubrication to offering postpartum care. We're here to support every body.