The Secrets to Better Sleep: Selena Porter’s Journey with NurtureLux®

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios, it’s time for Women in Motion. Brought to you by WBEC-West. Join forces. Succeed together. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here. Another episode of Women in Motion and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, WBEC-West. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Women in Motion, we have Selena Porter with NurtureLux. Welcome.

Selena Porter: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about NurtureLux.

Selena Porter: Well, NurtureLux, I’ve been in business about five years now. I started the company, really, to make pretty decorative throw pillows. However, I am a really light sleeper. And so, I started making pillow products with sleep aid components.

Lee Kantor: So, what is a sleep aid component? Isn’t a pillow a sleep aid?

Selena Porter: A pillow is a sleep aid. But I make- like I have a couple pillowcases with an attached sleep mask. And then, you can also put- they have an eye sleeve and a neck sleeve. So, you can put a hot or cold pack in for headaches for your eyes, warmth for your eyes, and also warmth or cooling for your neck and shoulders. And so, I just try to- anything that the Sleep Foundation says that will help us get a better night’s sleep, I weave that into our- into my designs. And since then, I’ve gotten five patents-

Lee Kantor: Wow!

Selena Porter: -on it, so.

Lee Kantor: Now, so share a little bit about sleep. Do a lot of people have problems sleeping?

Selena Porter: Yes. So, at least 30% of all adults say they have trouble sleeping. About 10% of people actually have insomnia. And then, there was a study, I think in 2022, that says that 40% of adults in the US say they’ve fallen asleep during the day each month without meaning to.

Lee Kantor: Wow! That’s a problem. That sounds like a problem.

Selena Porter: Yes, that’s a problem for all of us. So, I think we should all be sleep advocates. I’m just- I’m on a mission to make us all sleep advocates, so.

Lee Kantor: So, now, when you- have you- had you struggled yourself with sleep issues?

Selena Porter: I have. I have. I used to struggle with insomnia, what I thought was insomnia, but really it was just bad habits. So, which a lot of us have. And then- and I’m a really light sleeper. So, I’m really passionate about wellness and just making that connection. That sleep, to me, is the first pillar of wellness.

Lee Kantor: Now, have you learned over the years of doing this kind of work some advice for folks when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep? Are there some do’s and don’ts you can share?

Selena Porter: Yes, yes. As I said, the Sleep Foundation and the CDC said like 62 degrees, which is pretty cool. I like it about 70. You don’t want it too cold where you shiver, and you don’t want it too warm where you sweat. So, but actually you want to cool your room because as the- when the sun goes down, the earth cools, so does our bodies. So, it’s actually just a natural state of- to start to cool your- your core starts to cool as you go to sleep. Keep a cool room, quiet, dark, hence the sleep mask on every pillowcase on my pillowcases where you can just cover your eyes. Even in the morning, sometimes when the sun comes up and you want to sleep a little longer, you can just- it’s like a soft stash to help you to sleep. And take care of any pain, aches and pains. Try to soothe yourself before you go to sleep. Set up a nice routine nightly where you kind of enjoy getting into, “It’s time to sleep. It’s time to rest and give my body a chance to restore itself.”

Lee Kantor: Now, should you, like, put your phone in a different room. Like, what’s the rules with the phone?

Selena Porter: Yeah. We have- we don’t realize it but, you know, your body is actually a conduit. That’s the reason, you know, if you touch electricity or we walk on something, we can tap someone, and then, you know, you feel that spark. Our bodies are a conduit. So, actually there’s electromagnetic vibes that come from your phone. So, you want to put it in the other room because it actually causes sleep disturbances or not- it won’t let you sleep as sound as you would.

Lee Kantor: Now, let’s talk a little bit about the way you develop these products. How did you decide kind of on the materials and how did that evolve?

Selena Porter: So, I make them- I make the pillowcases in silk and satin, only because silk and satin is really good for your skin and your hair. And actually, I thought I never could sleep on satin. I thought, just like most people think, it’s going to be hot or it’s going to be- but really, your room should be cooler. If you sweat during the night, your room should be- turn the dial on your thermostat. It’s good for your skin and your hair. I actually started making them with a combination of cotton on one side and satin on the other. And now, that’s all I sleep on. So, that’s one thing. And, I also have travel pillows. I make that in satin, too, so it doesn’t- you don’t have the friction on your hair, and it has a sleep mask on it too, and you can also put hot and cold for soothing in the travel pillows.

Lee Kantor: Now, is- for someone who’s never worn a sleep mask, is there- how do you know, like, how to get the right fit and what material’s, like, optimal for you? Or is this- is that an issue?

Selena Porter: You know, there are a lot of sleep masks on the market. And sometimes, the reason I attached it to the pillowcase, a sash to the pillowcase is because sometimes in the middle of the night, you might take it off or you can’t find it, so it just makes a really convenient option. But I think for sleep, we should all just try various things in order to see, “Okay, that really helped me,” or “That didn’t help me,” until you find your sweet spot that- where you can get a great night’s sleep because it’s just important.

Lee Kantor: Now, how are you selling all of these items? Are they on your website? Are they, like, on Amazon or at the retail store? Like, where can you get the NurtureLux items?

Selena Porter: They are on my website right now. I am in talks with several stores in Las Vegas in order to- I’m starting to roll out in Las Vegas, and then wider from there. I actually lost my husband two years ago, so I kind of slowed down.

Lee Kantor: Sure.

Selena Porter: And now, there’s a point where I’m, like, just now ramping back up. And like I said, it’s my passion and it’s something that just makes me happy. So, I’m back at it.

Lee Kantor: So, now when you put products online for folks who have never done that before, is there any advice you can share about doing kind of an e-commerce website like that? Because a lot of folks, you know, maybe would like to do that, but they don’t know how to do that. Is there some things you can share about how to put together an e-commerce website like you’ve done?

Selena Porter: Yeah. I mean, you really need to have good images, as well as you can. And I mean, there’s several there’s Shopify, there’s GoDaddy. I personally like GoDaddy, but I think that there’s a lot of support out there to start a business and to get the word out and just stay with it. It is- and hopefully, you are turning your passion into your revenue and into taking care of you as you take care of you with the things that you enjoy doing and the things that makes- that fills you up. And then, share that with the world.

Lee Kantor: Now, why was it important for you to become part of the WBEC-West community?

Selena Porter: WBEC-West, it gives me a sense of community and someone I can call. It connects us to our various to the casinos, to MGM, to Caesars. Just the opportunity. I actually did a Macy’s- I did a Macy’s workshop in 2022. I was part of the 10th year of that class, and they only choose 25 businesses per year, and we go through a whole workshop. I went to New York and all that. And I believe that happened because of WBENC. I heard about it through WBENC. And so, a lot of things just- there was a lot of opportunity that we should- that we get. And just from being connected to other people, with likeminded people and women is just a really nice thing. You don’t feel like you’re just out here by yourself.

Lee Kantor: Now, if somebody wants to learn more about NurtureLux, is there- can you share the website?

Selena Porter: Yes, the website is nurturelux.com, N-U-R-T-U-R-E-L-U-X dot com. And if you want to email me, I’m at selenaporter@nurturelux.com.

Lee Kantor: And then, what do you need more of? What could we be doing to help you? Are you trying to get into more retail stores or are you just trying to get more online sales? What can we be doing to help you?

Selena Porter: I am trying to get into more retail stores. I would love to be in, like, a best mattress and to some of our local chain stores, sleep stores. Also, I am about to launch a kickstarter campaign for my newest pillowcase. It’s now a collection. I have- I started out with just one pillowcase, and now there’s two, just to give a different design. And it actually has eight sleep health options and five pockets. It even has its own neck pillow pocket where I put a neck pillow in the pocket, and it supports your neck. And you can put heat or put cold on top of that pillow.

Lee Kantor: Well, congratulations on all the momentum. One more time, the website.

Selena Porter: Website is nurturelux.com.

Lee Kantor: Well, Selena, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing such important work, and we appreciate you.

Selena Porter: Oh, thank you so much. Thank you, thank you.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Women in Motion.