A year of sweat, friendship and pajamas

It started with sweat. A lot of sweat. Dripping, floppy, pooling sweat. It’s the kind of sweat that should be reserved for the gym or a marathon or a scorching hot day in the desert. This sweat broke out while doing nothing at all. I was simply lying in bed on a below-freezing early morning winter in Indiana, the kind of day that used to require fuzzy sleepers, flannel PJs and a pile of warm blankets. It was March 12, 2018, and I was confused. I was sweaty. I didn’t feel ill. I didn’t have a fever. I HAD NIGHT SWEATS. So, this is what night sweats feel like, i thought. I was confident I was going to be among the 25 percent of lucky women who didn’t get hot flashes.

I am lucky to have great friends, and I picked up my phone and sent a text to Jen, Lisa and Mindy. We bantered the way friends do. It went something like this:

Lisa: “That’s been my last two nights.” 

Me: “Someone should make pajamas for this.”

Jen: “I think you’re on to something.”

Mindy: “I want to work at your PJ company.”

In March 2019, less than 12 months after that first text, Mindy and I launched coolrevolutionpjs.com, and introduced our PJ line of T-shirts, tanks, pants and shorts, designed for women with night sweats,We asked people to pre-order a pair. We had no idea what to expect. One expert told us a handful of orders may come in. We were warned, it was hard to break into the fashion industry (read between the lines: especially for two 50-something women who have no fashion background).

People underestimate the power of women. We have a powerful base. Our friends and family responded with orders. (Thank you, Kristi Reynolds for being our first order!) They then told their friends and family. Then newspaper and TV reporters shared our story. So many women loved our PJs, they started buying more telling us a sad day, is a day when their CoolRevolution PJs are in the laundry, so they ordered multiple pairs (we have smart customers!). And, you filled our inboxes, Facebook feeds and website with so many great reviews. 

Friends, none of this would have been possible without all of your support. Those of you who have bought PJs, of course, but also those of you who sent us encouraging messages, who agreed to try out new designs and offered opinions and told us all about how you’re with us on this incredible journey of pajamas and growing older (and better) together.

Here are some of the highlights of our first year:

•  Women in more than 44 states are wearing CoolRevolution PJs. (If you know someone in Montana, Utah, New Mexico, Alaska, West Virginia, Maine or Hawaii, please let them know about us!)
• Women in Canada are wearing CoolRevolution PJs (and it’s not just my relatives there)!
• More than 30 TV stations, newspapers and magazines across the country have featured our story, including this month’s Women’s World Magazine and USA Today.
• Nearly 2,000 subscribe to our e-newsletter.
• You’ve helped us select new colors for PJs.
• Your input has inspired us to design a night shirt, which we’ll be announcing very soon!

It’s been a whirlwind, and we’ve loved every minute (OK, not every minute, but most of them). We could not be more excited for the next 12 months. Yes, a night shirt is coming. We’ll be planning a “fit party,” for those in the Indianapolis area (email us if you want to be on the invite list). We’re also looking at new colors, so watch your e-newsletter for opportunities to cast your vote!

We’re working on ways to bring women together. We love hearing from people all over the country, and we want to do more to connect you with information and each other. We also want to celebrate women, and we’re doing that with the introduction of a Cool Women series. We’ll be sharing stories of really cool women. Click here to read our first Cool Woman story.

Yes, this journey began with a lot of sweat, but it’s also been the coolest year ever.