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Amanda:  Hey everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. I get approached all the time by companies wanting me to promote their intimate products, and I mean all the time. I am pretty selective about what I recommend because, well, you guys trust me and I take that very seriously,  but I get asked constantly by  listeners, followers, clients. Amanda, what lube do you recommend? And if you’ve listened to this podcast for any length of time, you know that I am a big believer in lubricant and that it’s just not optional. It’s essential. So it can literally transform your sexual  experience, whether you’re dealing with dryness, friction, discomfort,  or you just want to make things feel better or experience more pleasure. The right  product makes such a difference. 

So today I’m talking with Justin and Natalie Weeks about their product called Evree: An Intimate Massage Oil and Lubricant. Now I’ve known Justin for about a year, and I got to spend some quality time  with him and Natalie at a business retreat back in  June, and what struck me about them wasn’t just that they created a product, it’s why they created it and what happened in their relationship because of it. And their story is one that I think so many couples will relate to. So I’m excited to share it with you. 

So Justin, Natalie, welcome to Sex for Saints. 

Natalie: Thank you. We’re excited to be here. 

Justin: Yeah, we’re honored. Thank you. 

Amanda: I am so happy you’re here. So before we dive into Evree and your story, I’d just love for you both to just introduce yourselves, tell us a little bit about who you are and maybe what you were doing before this whole journey began. 

Natalie: I’m Natalie and Justin’s my husband. We’ve been married almost 20 years. We have three beautiful children and that is where I spend most of my time and still do. I enjoy working out. I teach some  classes that way. And I also work at  the local high school here and help with the special needs kids. So that’s something that I was doing prior to, but have continued on with as well.

Justin: And maybe to use her introduction to kind of highlight, I think one of your questions about before and after is  we’re a typical family, I think, anyways, with busyness with kids and coming and going and I’ve been an entrepreneur and been actively engaged in business most of my life, which has come with a lot of time commitment.  And so, as Natalie mentioned, we’ve been  happily married for 20 years, or rounding that rather. And we have a busy family and a busy life. Before coming up with this, not a lot changed except for utilization of this product I think did have an impact on our  marriage.

Amanda: So take us back to the beginning. What was happening in your relationship, your life that made you think we need to create our own intimate product? Walk us through that origin story. 

Justin: Well I’m going to quickly start it and then turn to Natalie because I like to hear her say. But we were married, you know, oh, just over 10 years. And I was in a discussion with a friend one afternoon and he had said, Hey, I got a massage table and bought some massage oil and gave my wife a massage.  And he is like, that was a good thing, man. He’s like,  that, like made her so happy and he is like, And it enhanced our intimacy. And he’s like, I recommend you look into that. So I left that conversation thinking, ah, seems like a novel idea. And in addition to that, Natalie has always enjoyed getting a massage, you know, going to a spa and getting a massage. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Justin: So I thought this would be great, and so I go get a massage table and some massage oil and come home and give Natalie a massage and then I’ll let her take it from here because it was her insights that really made this all happen. 

Natalie: Oh dear. Yeah. Okay, so he  did this and we have this massage table set up  and he is like, Hey, I’m going to give you a massage. And I was like, sweet because like he said, I do, I love massages. And so I was like, that sounds great. And so anyway, he gave me the nicest massage. It was awesome. And it was in the evening, you know, we had put the kids down and everything. And anyway and  then at the end of the massage I was like, borderline  falling asleep. You know, because it was just so relaxing and everything and I was like, oh, that was so awesome. And then it was like, oh, but I am so greasy now. Hopped in the shower,  rinsed off and stuff, and then I came back and I  was like, thank you so much.

I was so grateful that he would just seek to do that. I thought it was so nice. And he was like, yeah, of course. And I was like, oh, how nice would that be though, to just be able to go and get massages and then just like fall asleep, right? Or just to have that in your home, just to be able to fall right asleep, but you can’t, because it’s so  oily and you don’t want to ruin your sheets and all of that, you know?

And so that initially kind of sparked in his brain. I don’t think he thought I was complaining. I wasn’t complaining. I was so gracious and wonderful, but he kind of took it like, oh, well that’s a challenge. Okay. And so he kind of ran with it and was like, well,  I’m going to go and see if maybe there’s a different  kind of oil or something else that we could do or use so that I could do that and then she could just fall asleep, you know? It’s kind of like challenge accepted. So he went to work on that \and he came back to me and he was like, that’s, it’s kind of just what it is. You know? He talked to a friend that was a professional masseuse and it was  like, there’s nothing you can really  do about it.

Like that’s just what’s out there. 

Justin: But in that same conversation, that friend said, but if you figure this out, everyone will want the product. And that’s actually why we named the product Evree, is it’d be a play on words like everyone would want it every time, everywhere, every  occasion. So anyway, that’s just kind of a fun little thing  about how we named it.

But to Natalie’s point, I’d met with a couple of places just trying to buy a massage oil that wouldn’t be greasy and oily. And then that friend made that comment, so then knowing that everyone would want it and I was just thinking, we’ve got to be able to solve this. And so that started a six year experience 

Amanda: Okay! 

Justin: Yeah, it was a journey. But what we did was learned about different ingredients and when we decided we were going to go down this road, we knew we wanted to come up with something that was a hundred percent natural. So we started at a hundred percent natural ingredients that could make  for a good massage oil that would ultimately absorb into the skin as a moisturizer. That was the initial plan. Then when we start down the road, then the same dialogue came up about intimate lubricants  and that they’re sticky and leave a residue on the skin. And people don’t like that. 

Amanda: Yeah. 

Justin: And we also learned in that experience, we were a little naive at the time, but we learned that there’s a reason that there’s a lubricants and massage oils. If I just give a little bit of texture that quickly is massage oils oftentimes are not safe vaginally and can cause irritation and UTIs,  and so that’s why there is such thing as a lubricant. However, lubricants are essential as you started this podcast off with, but they don’t translate into a good massage oil.

Amanda: Not necessarily. Nope. 

Justin: And so then it was like, okay, let’s see if we can come up with a singular product that can function for both. And so then the wishlist was this, a hundred percent natural ingredients. A product  that would absorb into the skin like a moisturizer rather  than leaving a residue on the skin. And then we also talked about massage oils and lubricants, they usually come in a squeeze bottle, and I think everybody, when I say this will relate that you squeeze it out and it’s running all over your hand or down your arm or wherever it’s going. It’s  a mess.

Amanda: And you squeeze out too much and it doesn’t go back in the bottle. 

Justin: You nailed it. And so then we thought, well, is there an alternative to that? Which is why we now have a cream, and I’ll give a little more explanation on that in a second. But back to the wishlist was then we also thought that it was neat that some massage oils smelt nice or were even edible, but we learned that  lubricants often would say that they  were edible, but they didn’t have any flavor or scent to them, and we learned again, the reason for that is vaginal irritation. And so then it was like, oh, can we come up with a product that smells nice and is edible? And if it is, let’s see if we can even get some flavor in it. 

Amanda: Yeah.

Justin: And then kind of back to my first conversation with the friend about saying, Hey, if you figure out this massage oil that absorbs into the skin, everyone’s going to want it, well, then we start meeting with the labs about our dream product and they, in a nice way laughed at us and we’re like, yeah, good one.

Amanda: Good luck with that.

Justin: But that’s not reality. Then I’m going to really speed up the last six years of the development. What ended up happening is the first lab, as I mentioned, and we went to some really nice labs and they said, you are not going to be able to do that, but here’s probably some things you can  accomplish with your goals.

And so we went  down that road and accomplished some of the action items. And then we took from there and they referred us to another lab, and then we would work on it a little more, and then they would refer us to another lab. And sometimes they wouldn’t have answers, but they would have somebody else to refer us to.

And so we went through that process  literally for six years, meeting with labs all over the  United States. But we are humbled and excited to be able to say we actually accomplished it, so we have truly developed a hundred percent natural ingredient product that is a massage oil and intimate lubricant. It smells amazing.  It’s edible, it’s flavored, and  it absorbs into your skin like a moisturizer, nourishes even intimate tissues. And it’s a cream that goes on very clean, adds a playful component, and with the temperature of your skin, it melts into a liquid. And so it’s a cool experience in and of itself.

Amanda: Do you have  it there with you?

Justin: We do.

Amanda: Can you show it to us?

Justin: Yeah, so we have, the reason we’re holding two, you’ll see the color differences. One is orange, and that’s pineapple orange. 

Natalie: And the green is coconut lime. 

Amanda: Which is my favorite.

Justin: You want to show them?

Natalie: Okay, so this is the cream. 

Justin: Oh, the camera is making it kind of hard to see. It looks like whipped butter at a restaurant in a  the way.

The product itself, if someone wants to imagine what it is, imagine a whipped butter at a really nice restaurant,  and when you look at it, it just looks like soft to touch  and super silky and smooth, and that’s the way this product is. And similar to taking that whipped butter and putting it maybe on a warm roll, that the temperature of the roll causes it to melt to a liquid. That’s how this works. But the temperature of your body or your body heat causes it to melt down into that liquid  form and. It is so fun when we show people the product and they put it on their skin and then watch it happen.  Most of the time people actually make a verbal expression of like, Ooh, wow or something. So anyways, just kind of fun for people to know.

Natalie: Yeah, but you just can take some and then when you put it on your skin and you kind of just rub it around a little bit, it kind of just turns into a liquid. A little actually goes quite a long way. But then after you’re done, it kind of just feels like it absorbs into your skin like a moisturizer. 

Amanda: I seriously love it. And the coconut lime is my absolute, I mean, I’m like a big coconut lime person anyway, so it’s my favorite.

Natalie: Yes, it’s a good one.

Amanda: And I love how pretty it is. Like I just have it on my nightstand and, you know, it doesn’t look weird. It just looks like, you know, a jar of moisturizer or something, you know, really pretty. So it’s not like this garish bottle sitting out or something you want to hide away?

Justin: Absolutely. We get a ton of feedback on that. We didn’t anticipate that we wanted to make it pretty and nice, but yeah, it’s amazing how many people make that same comment. 

Amanda: It’s such a great product inside and out. So, I think it’s really important to understand why this has been so important for your relationship. I mean, I think it’s a great product. I hope everybody tries it and we’re going to tell them at  the end where they can get it. But I really  think that, you know, focusing on what changed in your relationship is the key to this because that makes a big difference. Like it sounds like you guys already had a good relationship beforehand, maybe a good intimate relationship. Like the fact, Natalie, that you just  allow him to give you a massage.  I’m  telling you, so many of my listeners will hear that and the husbands will go, I wish my wife would let me give her a massage. Right? Or so many of the wives would go, I wish my husband would be willing to give me a massage, and that’s not happening in their relationship.  So I think that says a lot about the two of  you and the relationship that you have. But I want to know how creating this product and using it has changed your relationship. Talk to me about the impact that it’s had on your intimacy, your connection, and even your sexual relationship. 

Natalie: Okay, I’ll take this one. No, like you said, I think we did have a great relationship. And I love that you pointed that out. Yeah, I was willing to let him give me a massage. Thank you for putting it  like that. But no,  but really it was good. I mean, and even great I would say, however with a lot of the research and development, we got to practice with lots and it was great. I got tons of massages. 

Amanda: That’s awesome.

Natalie:  No, but I would say that for sure, I think that we’re way more intimate now than we were prior to having this, prior to having Evree. it’s made it, I mean, if I’m just being completely honest, it’s just made it way more fun, for me, especially but I think for him too.  But I think that it’s just  kind of allowed us to be a little more, I don’t know what you want to say necessarily, but a little more adventurous and just try fun things and stuff like that. But it’s really enhanced our intimacy. I feel that I want to be intimate more often than I was before. 

Amanda: Why do you think that is?

Natalie: Because it feels better. 

Amanda: Ok, good. Good. That’s what we like to hear. 

Natalie: It does. It’s just more pleasurable. And so you want that more, right?  If  something feels good, then you want to, and so I think that maybe I initiate it more now whereas before I mean, I still would sometimes, but I think that having this product, it’s like I know what the outcome will be. 

Amanda: Yes. 

Natalie: If I initiate. So I don’t know. Is that what you’re asking for?

Amanda: That’s great. And I would say we’re probably about the same age. And I’m fully in perimenopause. I mean, now I’m in surgical menopause after I have my hysterectomy, but before that, like there was a lot of dryness that happens with a lack of estrogen, and so having  a good lubricant and even just all over  in my skin, like not just in, you know, the vulva and vaginal areas, but like my skin overall has been much drier with the lower estrogen, and I’ve loved Evree, for that part of it as well. Like it’s replenishing a lot of the moisture that my skin everywhere needs, which makes everything more pleasurable. 

Natalie: Yeah. 

Justin: Yeah, it’s amazing how many, so one of the things, Amanda, that has kind of shocked me with launching this product is how many people have reached out unsolicited  to express gratitude. And  there has been a lot of, and it’s all over the charts of why they’re grateful, but reason you just hit, we hear that also.

Natalie: We get that one also. 

Justin: In fact, we just got one the other day where a lady said, I feel like I’m 23 again. 

Amanda: That’s so fun. Good, good. So I think I would love to know if you can think of something that you’ve learned has affected your intimacy and connection through this process that you wish you’d known earlier in your marriage.

Justin:  I have a thought, but I mean, I don’t know, Natalie might see it differently, but I think communication. Verbal communication because one, we’re developing this, and in that process of creating, we have to have a conversation  about the texture and how  it felt and et cetera. And I think that that opened up the dialogue to be able to talk about intimacy more comfortably.

And I think that impacted the communication, our relationship across the board. So that would be  my answer to that question. 

Natalie: Yeah, I think that’s  great. I think another thing is, is that I feel like when you become more intimate, I think that you become more intentional, I don’t know throughout the day I guess, that you could do it either way, but for me personally it’s like I became more intimate, even  outside of the bedroom. Just like flirty things, you know,  wanting to touch his arm or to hold hands or just kind of things like that. It’s like a different connection. So that’s something that I learned that I didn’t necessarily know before. It’s like this intimacy brought a new level of connection just on the day to day. 

Amanda: I think what you’re speaking to is when you have really good intimacy and connection inside the bedroom, that translates like the bedroom as well. And it’s, I mean, it’s kind of the chicken and egg kind of situation. Like, you know, more communication, more emotional intimacy outside  the bedroom translates to better intimacy in the bedroom. But then you’re  infusing the rest of your marriage with that sexual energy that creates the flirtiness and the playfulness that moves into the bedroom like as well. So it just kind of all becomes part, an integrated process rather than like there’s outside the bedroom and there’s inside the bedroom.

Natalie: Yeah.  That’s a good way of putting it. Thank you.

Justin: I would agree with that too. Yeah. That as you were saying, I’m like, yeah, that all makes sense. 

Amanda: So a lot of my listeners are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as are you. And they’re navigating this intersection of faith and sexuality. What would you say to couples who feel a bit awkward  or uncomfortable about having these  conversations like lubricant or trying something new in their intimate life based on like, I mean, you just said that improved your communication and your ability to talk about these things. So what would you tell couples about this?

Natalie: Oh, I don’t even know. I would say just start. At some point, whether or not you have the Evree or not. I think the  communication is so key, and I  know it might feel a little bit embarrassing or something maybe, but I think when you start to have that open dialogue and communication.

If everybody knows, what’s our motto? Our motto is always  assume the best and do your best. Right? So  if you’re assuming that whatever your partner’s coming to you is out of love and maybe out of concern, maybe whatever it is, take it as a compliment and maybe  present it that way too. That, Hey, I  want this to be good for both of us. And I want you to want that too. You know, I want it to be good for everybody. It just enhances so much of your daily life, all of it.

Justin: Yeah.  I would echo what Natalie said and if you wanted to get into like the scriptures and the doctrine we’re sexual beings and there is a reason we have that drive and it has a lot of, you know, one of the things I’ve considered in looking at is there’s a lot of health benefits  by just having healthy intimacy in your marriage  outside of the emotional benefits and everything else. So, yeah, I think it’s something that should be embraced and not be shy about.

And I also think, you know, I don’t know that there’s a right or wrong way, but in fact we’ve even learned this from you in some  regards. But the value of being open with the dialogue and educating, not just having the communication with ourselves, but even our children and in our family. And I’ve come to a position to say that it’s a great blessing to have in our life and it needs to be respected. I think oftentimes we miss the respect  side of it, and we cover that up with,  it’s bad because we don’t want our kids to mess up or get engaged into intimate relationships prematurely, and that it ends up with this negative idea around it. And so if we can keep that dialogue positive, and like Natalie said, a motto we have in our relationship and in our home is assume the best and do the  best.

Amanda: I love  that!

Justin: And so if you take that attitude with the things we just discussed, I think it’s a beautiful thing. 

Amanda: Awesome. Well, before we wrap up, where can people find Evree, if they want to try it, and I hope they do. And is there anything else you want our listeners to know? 

Justin: No, we’ll just share where it’s at. So, yeah, in terms of where to get it we have it on our website and you can buy it there and then we just ship it to your home in discrete packaging. And we ship daily Monday through Friday, so it does come to you quickly. The URL  for our website is  www.evreesensation.com and then, because you’ve been so kind to invite us on here, we wanted to express gratitude by giving your, following your audience a discount. So if they use Amanda10 as a promo code, when they’re checking out, they’ll also get a discount. 

Amanda: Oh, thank you so much for that. And one of the things I actually love when you ship it is you ship it with an ice pack, so even when it’s hot outside, it’s not going to melt in the shipping part. So I think that’s ingenious, but I will say even if it does melt, it still works well. 

Justin: Yes, you were right on the money. It’s designed so that it can change temperature and melt, and it will come back to form and it’ll work perfectly. It does sometimes lose a little bit of the whipped feel and it becomes a little bit more solid. Not like a balm  by any means, but we’re a little  particular and we aim for perfection. And so we do wrap it in an insulated wrap and then put a ice pack in with it, but if it does melt, they don’t need to be concerned that it’s going to ruin the integrity of the product. But yeah, that’s just a little extra touch we try to put on  there.

Amanda: Well, you guys have literally thought of everything.

Justin: We’ve tried. 

Amanda: I really appreciate the attention to detail because I think it makes for a fabulous product. 

Natlie: Thank you. 

Justin: Well, thank you and thanks for what you’re doing. Sincerely, it’s impacted our, our family and our relationship, so thank  you.

Amanda: Thank you for that. All right. Thanks guys. Thanks so much for being here. It was so great to be with you today.