Devon Loftus, Moon Cycle Bakery
Please tell us a little about your company:
How did you get started?
After working in a disempowering work environment and navigating my own health challenges, I knew I wanted to create a company that valued emotional and physical health and empowered women.
Fast forward a year to my bachelorette party — my husband baked us all a cake and my friend came over to tell me, “I don’t know if it’s because I’m about to get my period, but I almost cried this cake was so good.”
I realized that women want to be seen, acknowledged and nourished during their menstrual cycle and I wanted to do it through food and in a way that honored women’s bodies and spirit. Shortly after, Moon Cycle Bakery was born.
How many years have you been in business?
We launched our Kickstarter in October 2017 and it was fully funded by November. We began sending out boxes in March 2018 and opened our shop to non-Kickstarter customers — so this November will be our 3 year anniversary of when we became fully funded and March 2021 will be 3 years since we opened our doors!
What service/good(s) do you provide?
We provide hormone-supportive treats, mixes and other food related items. This ranges from sweet potato brownies, chocolate cups, cinnamon oatmeal cookies to our dark chocolate truffle mix (to make at home) and in Fall 2021, our Moon Cycle Wellness Guide — a book full of hormone-supportive recipes and rituals to help nourish yourself in each phase and season of your menstrual cycle.
What do you love about your job?
The opportunity and space to be creative every single day, the people I connect and collaborate with, the customers I serve and support — getting to truly see and hear others and feel like I’m making a difference or at the very least, putting a smile on someone’s face.
What do you wish you would have known earlier in your career?
About “the dip” as Seth Godin speaks of in his book, The Dip. The truth is that sooner or later, we’re going to reach a dip, or a place in our journey and career where things slow. Challenges arise, decisions must be made, and it’s up to us to know for ourselves when we’re in a dip or when it’s become a dead end.
Quitting takes honesty and strength. It takes very clear insight. And in certain situations, quitting is the most profound and efficient thing we can do. But, as Seth puts it, quitting when we’re in “the dip” means that everything we’ve built up until that point was wasted.
Getting clear on what your non-negotiables are in business before you even start (ie: if I’m $10,000 in debt, that’s how I know it’s time to move on) can help dramatically when you find yourself in a dip.
It will help you determine if it’s time to continue to push through the dip and find yourself on the upswing (which always proceeds a dip!) or if it’s time to focus your energy in a different, more fulfilling direction.
What’s your favorite word of encouragement?
One I love by Glennon Doyle is, “You can do hard things.”
If you could do it over again, what would you do differently?
I would slow down a bit more and become more intentional. Moon Cycle quickly grew and that momentum felt a bit alarming. I wasn’t prepared for it, and looking back I see where I could’ve slowed myself down and re-centered myself instead of allowing the momentum to take me with it.
I also would celebrate more! And see myself more! I’ve started a business based on seeing and acknowledging others, but I had forgotten to do that for myself.
Who do you admire for failing fabulously?
In today’s society, it’s so hard to find stories of failure. People are so quick to cancel others for being imperfect that I believe so many are afraid to share their stories of failure. I think one of my favorite stories of failure is that of Martha Stewart.
I really love how she took responsibility for her choice, didn’t blame others and realized she wasn’t above going to jail/owning a consequence simply because she is a celebrity. After doing her time, she didn’t hide in the shadows or carry shame and guilt on her back. She didn’t become a martyr. She owned her misstep, learned from it and moved on with self-forgiveness and self-love — all while navigating hundreds of thousands of people and their opinions and judgements.
That’s pretty badass.
IG: @mooncyclebakery
Website: mooncyclebakery.com
My name is Kirsten Böhme and I’m the VP of Digital for UWIB NYC, marrying my two great passions of storytelling and social media.
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