When women-owned wellness brand, Mixhers, launched in 2019, it was through an act of compromise, as most goals tend to be. Jess Toolson, founder of Mixhers, was dealt a heavy dose of postpartum period difficulties after giving birth to twins. In her efforts to find relief, she learned that the market for safe, reliable, clean solutions to these struggles was virtually non-existent. After several rounds of disappointing doctor’s visits, Toolson abandoned the status quo and enlisted the help of her cousin and holistic health professional, Cody Sanders, to concoct a batch of all-natural drink supplements that could target common period-related hurdles. In due time, Hertime was born. From that point on, the duo set out to correct the narratives surrounding women’s health by supplying the masses with healthy alternatives to pressing periods and other aspects of women’s health.
Toolson’s husband was a professional basketball player and ultimately put aside these endeavors in order to sustain a balanced environment for their children while Jess pursued her own dreams. This symbiotic agreement, which in part has allowed Mixhers to blossom into the formidable force it is today, teaches us what is required to truly sculpt a more equalized society that supports women and creates space for everyone to grow. The undeniable success of Mixhers lives in the company’s ability to foster community and conversation around sensitive subjects that are otherwise silenced or ignored, but it’s the inclusion of men in this journey that gives Mixhers a dynamic edge in their quest for change, for any society is expected to work together in the hopes of generating real progress.
Sarah Allan, Director of Marketing for Mixhers, believes elevated communities begin where the silence ends…meaning, we find real change when we seek to understand each other and break down barricades that separate us. In this case, making noise for hormonal cycles.
“To me, seeing so many men wanting to understand and help the women in their lives be their best self is the fruit of a society moving towards the equalization of men and women” said Allan. At Mixhers, the goal is to loosen the grip on women’s hormonal health and provide natural solutions to both menstrual cycles and daily nutrition. The latter includes everyone, as Mixhers has expertly crafted a handful of nutritional supplements that make daily maintenance fast and efficient. Hergreens, for example, is a leafy, botanical power source filled with ingredients like wheatgrass, kale, kelp, spirulina, and cabbage, easily shaken or stirred into your favorite morning cocktail or weekend libation (Mixhers Mocktails, it’s a vibe).
With a product line that spans the full anatomy of the human condition, Mixhers excels in propelling inclusivity, not only in their holistic recipes, but amongst other women as well, revealing a community that’s hungry for support through their homegrown efforts. From the very beginning, Mixhers has shown us that tender subjects like menstrual cycles, sex drive, and hormonal health are invariably personal and sensitive topics that many women don’t feel comfortable discussing, or worse, don’t have a safe space to trade stories and experiences. The Mixhers community has since fostered a vibrant support system of both men and women who are peeling back the layers of these personal journeys, revealing a society that’s ripe for change.
“The stereotypes behind a girls ‘time of the month’ have become normalized,” Allan explained. “It’s great as we start to educate that this is not normal, and there is a natural solution! The outlook is changing to better understand what a girl on her ‘time of the month’ may be going through instead of making judgments.”
To some degree, it took a movement like Mixhers to bring hormonal health into the public eye. Generally speaking, men have a tendency to write off women’s health as taboo or inappropriate for small talk, and this type of perspective can be damaging to some. It has developed a culture that buries common health concerns, further distancing our understanding of these cadences. Under the direction of Mixhers, women’s health becomes a more accessible landscape for both men and women to navigate, and as a result, we create a healthier space for trouble-shooting our bodies’ natural processes.
As a community-driven effort, Mixhers remains humble in their success by attributing much of their growth to the women who support their work. Even with explosive responses to their signature Hertime and Herlove supplements, the team behind Mixhers recognizes that they continue to climb thanks to the people who support them, as nutritional wellness applies to him, her, and them, together.
“Commonly, people think that to empower women, the focus has to be that women can do everything on their own,” said Allan. “In reality, I think the real sign of a progressing society is having men supporting women chase their goals, sometimes in sacrifice of their own.”
The nutritional supplements have enjoyed galactic success, generating collaborations with BootayBag, LOLA, and Allison Holker. Beyond their versatile product line, Mixhers has also introduced a podcast, titled “It’s Hertime”, in which Toolson and Sanders break down common misconceptions regarding women’s health and the ways we can shape a more inclusive conversation. The podcast holds court in the top 2% of available shows, and drives another level of transparency for consumers. Unsurprisingly, Mixhers has become wildly popular with men who crave a stronger nutritional gain.
“We have been blown away from the overwhelming support of men who have wives, friends, cousins, or sisters who struggle with issues in hormone balance and they want a solution for them,” said Allan. “We see our Mixhers men, and we love them!”
Normalizing hormonal health and, by extension, women’s health, is paramount to any progressive society, for these conversations are responsible for shifting the dynamic to something more approachable and familiar. Mixhers speaks directly to women, and for women, but what does Mixhers have to say to men?
“We say thank you. It is through continued work together that we can find a real change for women,” said Allan.
