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Meet Melonie DeRose of Empact in Offices in Boulder and Denver

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Melonie DeRose.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Melonie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was in 2-inch heels walking through my law firm parking lot at 2 AM. Seven months pregnant with my second child. Exhausted. Nauseous. Feeling guilty for not being home. Feeling “less than” for not staying later and billing more. And then I fell. To say things weren’t working is an understatement. They say perspective sometimes hits us smack in the face. My baby was fine. And so was I. But, what hit me wasn’t just the asphalt. It was that I didn’t feel ALIVE.

I wasn’t passionate about what I was doing. I confused about being good at something with being fulfilled. I soon realized I wasn’t the first, nor the last, woman to walk this path. I was stretched too thin, didn’t make time for myself, and constantly felt like a bad mom, bad lawyer, bad spouse, and a bad friend. Every day. After having a daughter #2, I decided to leave the law firm and launch an in-home fitness system for women to help women take and make time for themselves. This included fitness equipment, nutrition plans, support groups, and more.

And through that process, we realized that what women were struggling with most was finding healthy snacks that they actually enjoyed. I never expected to be making food. I found myself wandering down the protein bar aisle at a local grocery store lost, confused, and not able to find a single thing that was made for me: a mom, woman, health-minded, and someone that was sick of eating snacks that left me lethargic and bloated.

So that realization combined with my strong personal passion for empowering and motivating other women led to the creation of Empact, which is a mission-based company that empowers women and girls. The “EM” stands for empowering women and girls and the “PACT” stands for helping them empact their families and communities. We empower women to feel alive and our mission is to deliver the highest quality snacks for women to fuel their mind, body and spirit.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Our first line of products are protein & energy bars for women. After months of formulating the first bar we ever developed, our initial manufacturer fired me in a voice mail a couple of weeks before Christmas. Apparently, they had just wrapped up a business deal with a new client that viewed us as a competitor so they decided to let us go. That was our first big challenge and I honestly thought we wouldn’t survive this hiccup because we were so close to launching. Food formulation isn’t cheap by the way…

It was that moment though that I learned that those tough moments are the most important. And since then I embrace every challenge as a learning opportunity because 9 times out of 10, something amazing comes out of a terrible situation….not that I’m inviting terrible situations…

Several manufacturers told us there was “no way” to produce our products the way we wanted them produced. We kept being told no. And we kept trying to find the right partner. This was an incredibly challenging, time-consuming, and expensive process as we initially conformed to what others told us was the way we had to make our product. They knew best, right? I mean they were the experts. But we knew the way we wanted the bars produced and so we didn’t give up. Ultimately, we found the right partner and a great fit for our product and company.

As a small company, we face struggles and hurdles every. single. day. A mentor once told me that working in the food business is like getting punched in the face and hugged on the same day. At the end of the day, you just hope you get more hugs than punches. I have countless struggles I could share in just a few years of being in business. It has definitely been a bumpy road, but surviving all of the punches will be what defines and shapes the company into greatness.

Tell us more about your business.
Empact is a community. Part of my personal breakthrough was understanding that I wasn’t alone. Other women felt the same way I did. One thing I noticed is that women, especially moms, have a hard time putting themselves first. Taking care of ourselves and making sure we put our oxygen mask on first is counterintuitive.

The glaring void in my life was a solution for my health and fitness. I told myself I didn’t have time for the gym and soon realized there weren’t any healthy snacks made for me or other women. So instead of continuing to complain about it, I committed to help Empower Women to LIVE. To be happy, passionate, inspired, connected, and feel ALIVE. The woman started reaching out and constantly told us that our protein bars were changing their lives. That our company was changing their lives.

So that became my mission. My why. I want every woman to feel included and supported and I wanted to be the example. But, leaving the safety of six figure a year salary with two kids at the time (I now have three daughters) wasn’t easy and I didn’t want to do it without a clear purpose. So we created a mission-based company that works with nonprofits to empower women and girls. This is what I am most proud of.

Women are busy. We’re all doing the best we can. And we make products that help them achieve their goals. We’re not in a monogamous relationship with food; there’s no cheating–just choices. And I don’t want women to feel guilt around food, or that they have to beat themselves up or sabotage their goals. So we make products women want. That are nutritiously desirable and guilt-free.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
For my business, I don’t know yet. Ask me in about two more years. 🙂 There’s an old saying, “I’d rather be lucky than good”–and I think that’s still true today. For my life, I believe in luck and also in fate. I’m the luckiest woman alive to have met the man of my dreams almost 20 years ago and have the three most incredible daughters anyone could dream of.

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