Join Health Hut and Epiphany founder, Kelly Pigeon, as we talk all about her journey as an entrepreneur into the sexual wellness space. Kelly's on a mission to give people with clitorises more frequent and better orgasms, and we're here for it.
UPCOMING TORONTO EVENT
Masterclass: Pleasure with Epiphany
June 20th, 7-9pm at 786 College St.
Tickets on sale now.
Kelly! We’re so giddy to connect with you on such a beautiful day. As the founder of Epiphany, a brand devoted to sexual pleasure, we can’t wait to learn more about you and the product that’s making us swoon — The Clit Arousal Serum. This “magic in a bottle” is quickly becoming a bestseller at Health Hut, and it’s no secret why — “it works!”
HH: Women’s sexuality is such a huge part of wellness that is often unacknowledged, underrepresented and made taboo — how is it we can barely say “clit” without a little smirk?!
As the founder of a serum devoted to making the clitoris and vagina sing, we’d love to know, how has your relationship with sexuality evolved?
KELLY: I’ve been so inspired by the way Gen-Z treats sexual health, without even a tiny bit of shame. I was chatting with one of my agency partners about who might use this product, and explained “It’s great for relationships where you feel comfortable enough with your partner to tell them exactly what you want in bed, you know after...”
“...The first date,” my Gen-Z agency partner interrupted. And I thought, yes, that’s so true — if you’re sleeping with someone, you should always be comfortable telling them exactly what feels good and what doesn’t.
HH: The Clit Arousal Serum is such a fun product — we can attest! What makes this serum stand out from other products in the sexual wellness space?
KELLY: Well the first thing that makes this product special is that it’s not a lube, it’s a serum designed especially for the clitoris — there aren’t many of those on the market. Secondly, Epiphany's Clit Arousal Serum is made so that it's not potent, and not totally neutral: it's just right.
There are some arousal serums where you can just smell that they dumped a bunch of menthol into a lube, and I've found those can be too much for me. While others feel like a basic lube with a little bit of a warming sensation.
The Epiphany Clit Arousal Serum uses derivatives from menthol and a gentler substitute of a spice component. It has a really nice warming sensation, and just enough tingle and spice to really ignite your sexual desire.
HH: This conversation has us reflecting on how our first sexual experiences would have changed if we saw the Clit Arousal Serum in the drug store, next to the colourful and fruity lubes. How do you anticipate or how have you seen this product empower people to have great sex, either solo or partnered?
KELLY: One thing I’ve heard from customers that makes me so happy, is how this product has brought about really helpful conversations with their partners. There’s a standard script that cisgendered heterosexual relationship typically follows, and it’s all about penetration — even though 96% of women need clitoral stimulation to orgasm. What’s nice about this product is that it brings focus from exclusively penetration to including the clitoris in the sexual encounter.
HH: In her book, Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, Adrienne Maree Brown writes, “Pleasure ... is what our bodies, our human systems, are structured for; it is the aliveness and awakening, the gratitude and humility, the joy and celebration of being miraculous.”
As amazing as an amazing orgasm feels, what other feel-good practices keep you grounded?
KELLY: Like a lot of entrepreneurs, I tend to live my life at a pretty frantic pace the majority of the time. What grounds me is reading fiction. It feels almost meditative to me, being able to step into a character’s shoes and imagine living a life from a totally different point of view. When it’s a really great book with amazing characters, reading almost feels like dreaming, and I can totally lose myself in it.
I’m currently reading the Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese, but my last 5 star read was Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingslover.
HH: Life takes each of us on a winding journey where it can be difficult to see where the path may lead. Knowing what you know now, what encouraging advice would you give your younger self?
KELLY: Dream bigger. When I first graduated from university and started working at Johnson & Johnson, I thought to myself, “if I can ever land a global leadership role at this organization, I’ll be able to retire happy.” And then I got into a global leadership role by age 30. It was my dream job, I worked incredibly hard at it, and I really enjoyed it.
Now, stepping out on my own, I have even bigger dreams about how my new brand, Epiphany, can empower women to enjoy their sexuality, and even change the culture to close the pleasure gap between men and women in cisgendered straight relationships. I’m really proud of what Epiphany stands for, and I have big dreams of the kind of impact we can make.
HH: Let’s imagine you find a magic vessel and are granted three wishes from the benevolent spirit inside, oh la la! What are your wishes?
KELLY: Is peace on Earth too big for a single wish? Maybe a couple other ones that are not as difficult for this spirit: 1) all my friends, family, and favourite people live in the same town within a 10-minute drive and 2) that town is beautifully sunny year round, lastly 3) but without any bugs, spiders, snakes, lizards or other creepy things.
THIS OR THAT WITH KELLY
Oil or cream cleanser? Cream
Bath or shower? Shower
Salty or sweet? Sweet
Cook or take out? Takeout
Coffee or tea? Coffee
Morning or night? Night
City or country? City
Summer or winter? Summer
WHAT'S YOUR CURRENT FEEL GOOD WITH KELLY
Binge-worthy show?
Dark Matter on Apple TV.
Local eatery?
Greta Solomon’s
Local shop?
Good Neighbour
Evening snack?
Kawartha Dairy’s new Cappuccino by the Dock flavour.
Song?
Our Love by Joyia and Pablo Fierro.
Ritual when you get home?
Glass of wine.
Activity to wind down?
Reading
Beverage?
Flat white