Natural wellness advocate Kimba Williams spent years working in the pharmaceutical industry. Despite her expertise as a sales representative, she was unimpressed by the strides pharmaceutical companies were making when it came to getting people better and keeping them well.
“Even though I was pushing pharmaceutical medication, it was not the end all be all,” Williams said. “Promoting a healthy and proactive lifestyle was the way to go.”
Although Williams noticed this trend across many health spheres, it seemed harder to find natural alternatives when it came to women’s health and wellness. In 2016, there weren’t many natural product options for women’s vaginal wellness on the market. However, a life-changing girl’s trip would place Williams at the forefront of making natural products more accessible for women everywhere.
A Life-Changing Cruise Trip
Matthew Barra
When Williams went on a cruise almost a decade ago, she never expected the fruit that would come from the memorable vacation. Her pharmaceutical career had left her feeling burnt out. So she joined four women for a girl’s trip on the sea. She only knew one other woman on the trip. By the end, she’d have another lifelong friend and business partner.
While cruising, Williams met an OBGYN named Dr. Barb. With over a decade of experience in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, she was usually unimpressed with doctors. However, her conversations with Barb spawned from similar interests in natural health options for women. Barb was a breast cancer survivor and had many thoughts about healthier products for women to use on their bodies.
“She realized she had to be a little bit more conscious about, not only what she put in her body, but on her body,” she said.
Barb told Williams that upon being diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer, her doctors informed her that 60 percent of what is applied to human skin is absorbed into the body. Long-term use of products containing harmful chemicals can lead to major health complications in the future. After getting a double mastectomy to change her life, Barb was on board with helping Williams find more natural products.
“Essentially, I fell in love with this woman named Barb, who we now call Dr. Barb, affectionately,” Williams said. “While we were on that trip we decided to do something about health, women, safer environments and looking for safer products and we couldn’t find any products.”
Unfortunately, the duo were unable to find many natural products for women’s health. However, they didn’t leave the cruise ship feeling defeated. Instead, they spent the next 11 months researching and developing the natural products women deserved. One year later, Williams and Dr. Barb returned to that same cruise ship to launch their feminine hygiene brand, Kushae.
For Women, By Women
Today, Kushae offers an array of wellness products to keep women feeling feminine and confident about their hygiene. Williams says their most popular products include their foaming wash and suppositories. The brand prides itself on being made by women for women.
“We are the experts,” Williams said. “There is no other feminine health and hygiene brand that has a physician at the helm of the company.”
Williams realizes travel can make hygiene unpredictable for some women. Instead of enjoying a vacation, the slightest change in climate, diet, or stress levels can lead to discomfort for some ladies. By developing Kushae, Williams and Dr. Barb hope to keep women feeling cool and confident, even when changes happen while traveling.
“You know, when you travel it’s a little bit unnerving because you’re trying to squeeze all of which makes you cool, confident and amazing in a tiny little bag,” she said.
Williams also encourages other women to use travel as a source of inspiration. She had no idea what would happen when she went on the initial cruise. However, her willingness to support her own wellness needs is now helping others with their own.
“We took a trip to de-stress and just to relax and have a better week because we needed some time as moms and wives,” she said. “We found amazing opportunities to bless women for years and years and, what I hope, is decades to come.”
