Episode 18 - Tammy shares about her company's products for perimenopausal women (audio glitches)

Hi everyone, welcome to Menopause Chats. I'm Erin Druska, and today we have Tammy Lee from Opalcool. So kind of excited to chat with her about um her products that help women in this time frame. So thank you, Tammy, for being here. Thank you for having me, Erin. Yeah. So tell me a little bit. Tell so for those who don't know, tell tell us about what you do, what you provide.

So I'm CEO of a company called Opalcool, and we make cool products for hot women. That's our tagline. We manufacture all our products in Red Wing, Minnesota. So we are a Made in America woman-owned brand that launched the company right um before COVID, a month before COVID happened. I set up manufacturing at our plant in Red Wing. And then in March, um, after I made all the investments, had to close it down. Oh my god. So as I was going through a very difficult and hot phase of my own life, uh, my business was taking the heat too.

Wow. I yeah, like what a time. Like who knew, right? You're going into this. It's like, ah no, all the times. Um, and then I know uh so so tell us about the kinds of product, like how do your products help us?

Yeah, so Opal Cool, um it's a plant-powered technology, and we make products for everything from breastfeeding moms all the way through paramenopause and menopause. So they're cooling products that are designed to go inside your bra, cooling bra inserts that we call our breast friends. We've got a cooling wrap that targets the area where hot flashes emerge that's called the hot flash cape. And because of my own experience of night sweats going through menopause, we have this really cool, um, cool sleeping pad that you can use at night called Give Me the Chills. And so all these products are designed out of my own experiences, designed for women by women going through this stage of life. And I think what's really unique about our technology is the science behind it. So these products are either formulated to 58 degrees, which is skin safe. A lot of products are too cold to wear on your skin. They can cause ice burn or frostbite, or they come ready to use. That's our cool now technology. So the cool pad that you sleep on at night, give me the chills, actually activates using your own body heat. That's what causes the cooling to come from the pad. And when you're not using it, it re-cools at room temperature. It never has to go in the refrigerator. So two different technologies, all plant-based and all made in the USA.

I wish I would have known about the cooling, like the thing for the bed, what I was going through. Because that was my my main, like one of my main symptoms that made me go, oh, I think I'm going through perimenopause, only to find out I was postmenopausal. But at the same time, like that would have been that would have been a really lovely thing to have. Yes, I'm assuming anyone can use them because like I think like my husband's a hot sleeper. So you know, I was thinking like maybe he needs this.

We do. This is a platform technology. So Opal Cool is the sister brand of Onyx Cool. And Onyx Cool, same technology, but we make it for orthopedic and sports injuries as well as cooling for heat stress in the safety and industrial space. So, as you said, it's right, this technology can be applied across all kinds of symptoms or areas or situations where you need cool therapy or relief from the heat.

Yeah. And so um, what were the origins? I know we talked a little bit about it, but I I thought it was really interesting. So I think other people might find it interesting too, like the origins of the these kinds of products.

Yeah, so this is uh the way I call it is you know, when people say you build a better mouse trap, we've just built a better ice pack. And this technology was old military technology that was used in Iraq and Afghanistan by our soldiers to cool their equipment, their radios and things like that, all the electronics that were getting too hot um during desert storm. The soldiers were the masters of the innovation, started taking these cooling packs and putting them inside their flak jackets to actually cool themselves. So, out of that, um, people started making these into vests, um, but not in the design that we have. They made them this little cooling pack inserts that could be slid into like a material vest that people use. And you'll see that some of those competitive products on the market. We're the only company that's using this technology and have made it into a fully designed wearable therapy. So the cooling technology is designed right into the fabric itself, and these cooling pods are sealed in so that you can wear it directly on the skin, reactivate it in the refrigerator, or in the case of our cool now technology at room temperature when you're not using it. So we just redesigned this technology into a fully formed, clinically backed wearable therapy.

Super cool.

Literally super cool. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Didn't that was no pun intended on my part, but yes.

We get that a lot and I love it. I never tire of that joke. Never tire of hearing that.

And so tell us about your own journey and yeah, like and how maybe that informed some of the products.

Yeah. So when I first um came up with the concept, again, the concept was already in the marketplace, but not in these designs or with this engineering. Um, I thought about my own needs in women's health. And because they were already using this in sports medicine, but again, not a great design, not anatomically designed. And I thought there are all kinds of applications for this. And my first thought was from when I was a young mom, a breastfeeding mom. And I seem to get mastitis like so frequently. Um, and then you're looking for a pack of peas or anything to put inside to cool your aching on fire breasts while you're breastfeeding. So, one of the first products I thought about was our cooling bra inserts, which we call our breast friends. So you can put those right inside the bra. It's great for mastitis pain or for hot flashes. So I started to think about other applications for this in the women's health space, which have, of course, naturally led to the stage that I was coming up and into. I was already in paramenopause, so I was having some symptoms, and I knew menopause was just around the corner. So that's how we started thinking about the cooling wrap, which we um now call um, instead of the cooling wrap, it's called the hot flash cake. So it's your superpower against parametric and menopause. And so we looked at the research behind cooling therapy for menopausal hot flashes and found that if you targeted the area on your chest and the back of your neck between your shoulders, all of us that have had a hot flash know that that's where those flares kind of originate and emerge. And so there was already research that was clinically published in journalism and magazines, medical articles about using cooling technologies to calm those brown adipose tissues. And if you could train those brown adipose tissues to be more resilient, you could cut down the number, the frequency, and the severity of the flashes. So it was kind of science behind the symptoms that I was experiencing that led to that design element for that. And then it kind of, as I started going through menopause, I wasn't in actual menopause, which is you know, one day and then that starts a year from year, period, but I was already in paramenopause and was having all of these symptoms. And in particular, some of the worst were at night, the the night sweats that just you wake up, you know, from a fever dream and you just can't get cold. Your sheets are in a tangle and you're sweating everywhere. So that's how we came up with the our cooling pad, which is Give Me Chills. And that product utilized the same technology but at a different temperature. So at 80 degrees, which sounds warm, but it's not, it actually will reactivate in any room temperature below 80. So you think about your house, it's typically around 70, 72. So the idea, the genius behind that is I wanted something that women could have that was close to their bed, so they weren't trying to run down in the refrigerator, that they could immediately use when they're experiencing the flash. And when they weren't used, it would reactivate and go back to cool state on the side of your bed. So it was both a blood of science and practicality that kind of led to the design of all of these products that we have based on my own experience and what other women were telling me.

And the gimme chose, is it like a pad that goes underneath the sheets or like go on top of it?

Yep, it goes right on top of your sheets. Um, it has all of these nice cool white circles on it. I'll send you a picture if you want to pop that up too. But it's on the opalcool.com website as well. Um, but these these little cooling pods you lay directly on your skin. So if you don't have your, you don't have to have your shirt on. In fact, this is very safe to wear. And your body activates that. So think about your body temp, which is typically 98.6, but when you're having a hot flash, it feels like it's 110. Um, so your body is pulling the cooling from this 80-degree pad because there's 30 degrees difference or 20 degrees, whatever your body temp is in that moment between that and the pad. And that's why it feels immediately cool on your chest, back, wherever you lay that pad. So you want it as close to the skin as possible, and your body heat is the magic that activates it.

Which it, you know, which is nice because it sounds like nothing to plug in, you don't have to like deal with any of that sort of stuff. But also, like I'm thinking, you know, how much sleep gets impacted during perimenopause. And so the idea that, like, oh, if someone could actually get a good night's sleep because they're not suffering, or the hot flashes are being mitigated through this technology, that sounds pretty interesting. Yeah.

Our lives during perimenopause and menopause. It's the reason we have all of those other symptoms too, where um, if we don't sleep well, our diet is impacted, our weight is impacted, our mood is impacted, our work productivity is impacted simply because we can't get a good night's sleep. So I feel like if you could fix one problem in menopause or one symptom, sleep is the number one thing to attack. So we attack sleep um with the intention of figuring out how to get people to sleep better at night. So we have the cooling pad, and then we have the cooling eye mask, I need to chill, which there's also a lot of painful research about your kind of your sleep, um, your pattern and routine and behavior before you go to sleep. And if you can get your body and mind to calm and relax for 30 to 40 minutes with cool therapy, you're also gonna sleep better at night. So, again, so many of the products are born out of the experiences that you've had, Erin, that I've had, and that every other woman who's gone through paramenopause and menopause has experienced.

Yeah, no, that is great. And like I said, I wish like kind of on the other side of it, I'm in for better or for worse. And uh, and so yeah, but some of these things, just hearing about them, it's like, huh. What do you wish um people knew? I it sounds like one sleep, like if you can change your sleep, that would be you know, sort of number one. But what is something you wish you knew that you didn't it that you didn't know at the time that would have made a difference, maybe for you?

Yeah, and I think six years now into this journey with this company, we've learned a lot. We I thought I was on the cutting edge of menopause six years ago. And truth be told, it still wasn't out there enough. We're just finally getting to the point where everybody's talking about it more openly. And the reason that we're going through this whole kind of product refresh is because we talk about menopause differently now. Six years ago, we talked about it. This is an affliction, this is a this is a medical condition that happens to you. No, it's a stage of life that we're in. And so I think I didn't know all the things that were going to be impacted by that stage of life, sleep being one, but also you think about joint and muscle pain. It's only recently come out to the forefront about frozen shoulder and how that's really directly tied to paramenopause and menopause. I didn't know that when I was going through that. So now we developed a shoulder product as well because I thought I was gonna have to have shoulder surgery. I went into the chiropractor, I went to a surgeon, I was like, I have the worst pain. And as it turned out, it was frozen shoulder. So I think we also don't know about all the other things that might be misdiagnosed that I wish I would have known about when I was going through it. But because of that, it has informed the products that we've created for women.

Yeah, great. It's you know, it is interesting is you don't think about these things, and we were talking about this before we started recording about like for me, all these things that were bothering me in my 40s that I didn't realize were related to perimenopausa, because they were treated as separate things. And, you know, because you probably see it as well, because we're both in this space. So we see all of these, you know, menopause and perimenopause related content. But what I've realized is that not everybody sees that content.

That's right.

My algorithm is very tied to seeing that type of content, even if you're in the perimenopause, menopause age range, you still might not be seeing the content because I'll be talking to people and they're like, oh, I like I wish I knew this. And I'm like, it what I'm starting to realize is like what I think is just common knowledge is actually still not for a lot of people.

It's your lived experience. And because you've been in the space, you're much more aware of it. But even though I owned a company in the space and I was making products in the space, we weren't talking enough about things like frozen shoulder or other things that happen to you because of your hormone levels. So it's not just age-related injuries, it's also our hormonal fluctuations that are causing some of that joint and muscle pain. And I think women need to know about that because they might get misdiagnosed, they might pay for an expensive surgery that really they don't need.

Right. Or like in my case, it was like physical therapy for something that really wasn't helped by physical therapy. Yes.

Yep.

Like, yeah.

So those are the things that I think we need to help women understand. And again, with the opal brand, taking it from this is a medical condition or affliction to this is about empowerment. It's about making her feel like the queen of her health care and that self-care matters. And you're not crazy because you've got all these aches and pains, or your doctor doesn't want to talk to you about it. So we're gonna talk to you about it, and you're not gonna feel bad about it. You're gonna know that you can take control of your life and we're here to help.

And oh, and a question's only coming up for me because I my day job's in HR, which is like, so can people use like FSA dollars to buy the okay?

Yeah. So all of our products are um class one medical devices, which means that they're registered, but they're non-sterile. So you don't have to worry about um getting a doctor's prescription. But yes, they are all HSA and FSA reimbursable, which makes it really easy for women to take care of themselves and use dollars that they've already put aside for their healthcare.

Yeah, it was just something when you said it, and I was like, oh, I wonder if people could use their FSA dollars for that. So for those of you who are watching and you have an FSA or HSA.

Yeah, and even for things that you might think are are more beauty or self-care, like the eye mask, because there's a lot of research around using that for headaches and migraines, that's still something that's HSA and FSA reimbursable.

Yeah, good to know. Uh yeah, like I said, it just like popped into my head. I was like, huh, but that's something that they could they could use it for. Uh and then absolutely. Yeah, what do you, I guess, what do you hope that people watching or listening or both would uh want it would take away today.

You know, I think it's back to it's it's your life, it's your body. This is just a stage of your life, and you deserve to live the best, happiest, most health, most healthy you. So if you're not getting the answers that you need from your doctor or your friend group, I want to be part of the conversation just like you are, Erin. And I think all of us that are in this collective space to show women that that they can live a better life than they're currently experiences. They just have to take charge of it and be willing to invest in themselves. And I want women to feel like the queen of their own healthcare and not that they're a victim of menopause.

Yeah. What do you um what do you wish that? Oh gosh, what was I gonna say? See, this is this is one thing that does. Brain fog. I was like, yep, like this is one thing, it does happen. Real life, not at all. You just get a better night's sleep.

I just gotta send you a pool pattern and I'm right. One other thing that people should know is that even then when you're through that one year date where they say that, oh, okay, now you're that's menopause, or this is the rest of your life, it can still happen. You can still experience symptoms and your hot flashes might be gone for two years, and then darn it, they can come back. So and that's I don't want to hear this, Tammy. I don't want to hear that. It's okay, Erin, because that that's just a thing your body's telling you something. So your body is telling you that your hormone levels might be off again. So maybe you need to go in for a blood panel from your doctor and find out why your hormone levels are out of whack. So that they can give you if if you can take supplements, not everybody can, if you can use estrogen patches, not everybody can. Um, that they can give you options that you can use to get those back in check and to get those symptoms to go away again.

Yeah, that's a good point. Because I mean, I'm on, I am, I am on a patch. And so yeah, maybe it's like, oh, this needs to go back up a little bit.

So or so it's just your body giving you an early warning signal, like, okay, time for you to get back in and get checked out again.

Right. Um, I mean, thankfully I have a good provider, and I do see her every couple months just to sort of check in in general. And um, so that's that is good. But yeah, I mean it's and I do wish that because there's so many people who don't have access to a provider who will talk to them. You know, so I think what is the thing that you like the the the piece that you wished people knew, like what's the thing that you think people don't know and realize? So one, I think thank you, the like it could come it, you're not out of the woods yet, girl. Yep. But what is there, is there something else or anything else that you think like you were like, oh, I wish that people knew this?

Yeah, the overarching thing is that so many things that symptoms that we might be experiencing are pain points, are probably more likely than not, unless you're injured doing something athletic, are a cause of your hormonal fluctuations. So whether it's frozen shoulder or your hot flashes or night sweats or joint pain, um, all of those things might just be symptoms of an imbalance. So women should know that if they think they think they might need a hip replacement or a shoulder surgery, make sure that it's not your hormones that are sending you a message first before you go through something that requires a more invasive procedure. Because these things might seem unrelated to menopause, but they they might likely be connected to that.

Yeah, I mean, so much is related to estrogen that more than I think people realize like just people don't realize it. I mean, there's been literally whole books written about it. And so I think that that for me was one of my biggest education pieces. It's like, wow, all this stuff was is so related. And everyone hears about the brain fog, they hear about the hot flashes or the night sweats, and those are the main things that people hear about. And then all of a sudden it's like, oh no, it's this whole slew of other things that are related that people don't realize are related. And nobody's again, your doctors aren't necessarily trained unless you're seeing a specialist. The doctor, even your OBGYN might not really be trained in this area. So they're not even looking at you from that, even if you're in that age range, they're not even looking at you from that perspective. I know I was talking to someone else recently who will probably be a guest soon who went through menopause much earlier and was like, oh, like I thought, you know, be I think it was 49 when I found out I was post-menopausal. She's younger than that. And so she was just like, what? Like wasn't even on a radar. So that's part of my mission is wanting to chat with people so that they see, particularly the generation below where I'm at, who, you know, it who might be 10 years, 15 years younger than me, going, Oh, I know what to look for. I know where to get help. I know these things because my generation, our parents are mothers, well, parents definitely, but mothers didn't talk about this. Grandmothers didn't talk about this. So I didn't grow up knowing I I mean, I knew of menopause, and that's it. I knew of menopause and I knew don't do hormones because it's awful, which is also not the case. But um Right.

That's what we were told, but that's not the truth anymore. Right.

Yeah.

So you're right. I think if I were to add a closing comment to this, it is that um there are all kinds of things that could be symptoms of menopause, but there are all kinds of ways that you can treat them. And again, it's kind of taking control and taking charge of your own life so that you do get what you need, whether it's hormones or supplements or cool therapy or a combination of all of the above, that there's hope and there's help. And um we need to talk about it more. We all need to be in this together. We are a sisterhood that's here to support each other. And I think we we're now on the cusp of this really being it's it's a time in our lives. It's it's not a healthcare catastrophe. We can do things about it that will make our lives even better.

Yeah, a hundred percent. And just so everyone knows, this is not a sponsored thing. I met Tammy through a menopause brain trust and had her on. Um, so I want to just clarify that. And uh one, how do people find your products?

Well, thank you. Um, opalcool.com is our website. That's where we sell cool products for hot women, um, made in Minnesota, made in the USA at a woman-owned company. And I'm fortunate enough to be that woman. And uh it's it's such a privilege to be on with you today, Erin, and to be part of your podcast. And thank you for all that you're doing to share with women what they can do to live their best lives.

Thank you. Um, and thank you all for watching, listening. Uh, so please feel free to comment, share with others. Uh, and if you're interested in being a guest, I'm always looking uh to have individuals join. Uh, but otherwise, thank you, Tammy, for for being here. And uh, thank you, everyone, for for viewing. Have a wonderful day.