Judy Henry of Beast Relief on Why It Is Never Too Late to Start Something New

Judy Henry is the founder of Beast Relief and Sacred Body Botanicals. She smoked her first cigarette as a teenager and spent decades caught in the cycle of nicotine addiction, until the consequences caught up with her in the form of lung cancer. After surviving it, she set out to build something that could give other people a real path away from nicotine.

Beast Relief is a nicotine-free botanical formulation designed to support people through the challenges of withdrawal, developed with guidance from naturopathic doctor Dr. Laurell Matthews. Judy used nicotine gum for years and saw how replacement products can keep the dependency alive, so she studied the science of withdrawal herself, self-funded the development and has now filed a non-provisional patent application.

In this Q&A, Judy shares what led her from a lifetime with herbal medicine to Beast Relief, what starting this chapter at 73 has taught her, and what comes next, including her determination to protect children from becoming the next generation of nicotine consumers.

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Q: You grew up around plants and herbs and built that into Sacred Body Botanicals. What led you from there to creating Beast Relief?

I started smoking as a teenager, and after years of trying to quit using nicotine gum that seemed to keep me dependent on nicotine, the consequences began showing up in my health. Eventually, I faced lung cancer.

Surviving cancer changed my perspective. I didn't just want to quit smoking. I wanted to help others avoid the same journey.

Having studied and used herbal medicine throughout my life, I decided to take a deep dive into the science of nicotine dependence and withdrawal. I wanted to understand what made quitting so difficult and whether there might be a better way to support people through the process.

That journey eventually led to Beast Relief, a nicotine-free botanical formulation designed to support people through the challenges of nicotine withdrawal.

Q: You are starting this chapter at 73. What has the founder journey taught you, and what would you say to women who wonder if it's too late to start?

It truly is NEVER too late!

I've spent several years developing and refining my formulation to bring it to the point where it is ready for commercialization. Being self-financed has been a huge challenge, and I had absolutely no concept of what it would really take to bring a product successfully to market. I'm still learning!

My advice to other women is to make sure that whatever you choose to do is something you're genuinely passionate about. There will be obstacles, disappointments, and days when you wonder what on earth you've gotten yourself into.

When those days come, it's the passion and the mission behind what you're doing that will carry you through.

And don't ever let anyone convince you that your age determines what you can accomplish.

Q: What’s next for Sacred Body Botanicals and Beast Relief?

The next step is getting Beast Relief to market and into the hands of people who desperately need a better way to navigate nicotine withdrawal. We've filed our non-provisional patent application, and I'm excited about moving toward commercialization.

Overseeing that growth and developing additional formulations as part of our broader Nicotine Recovery Platform should keep this ole gal pretty busy!

But something else has become alarmingly apparent throughout this journey: we must do more to protect our children from being targeted as the next generation of nicotine consumers.

Smoking was bad enough. Now vaping products, candy-like nicotine lozenges, and other appealing formats have dramatically changed the landscape.

I was one of those children decades ago. I know where that road can lead, and I have no intention of sitting back and watching another generation follow it.

It's time for a new playbook.

If you would like to reach Judy directly with questions about protecting children from nicotine, you can email her at judy@sbbplanet.com.

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