So here we are, in the thick of it. October. Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year I decided to turn the spotlight onto our “cancerpreneurs,” women who have created products or services as a result of their own breast cancer experiences. I’m so honored to introduce you to Vicki Barghout, the Founder of Viver Joy, a subscription box series curated for women living with cancer and other chronic illnesses. 

Vicki is also the co-founder of  Viver Health, a health and wellness company that develops content for patients across a spectrum of disease states. Viver Health translates scientific research into simple, easy-to-understand videos and nutrition and lifestyle guides. These patient-friendly resources are developed utilizing extensive input gathered from patients and medical experts. Viver Health just introduced a guide specifically for metastatic breast cancer which may be ordered here at no charge.

Vicki was diagnosed with breast cancer just one day before giving birth to her second daughter. She attended a retreat held by breast surgeon Dr. Beth DuPree to help manage her new daily stresses and learned how to replace her negative thoughts with positive ones. She placed happy words in a box and her daily mantra became, “Open box, speak positive words, and repeat.”

This sparked the idea for Viver Joy, a progressive gift box subscription series. 

Vicki then partnered with Jodi Hutchinson, P.A., an integrative medicine practitioner, to bring her idea to life. Jodi is a physician assistant, recognized master educator and wellness expert with over 37 years of hands-on experience. She has literally walked the world, so she’s applied all of her global knowledge into each and every box.

With Vicki’s background in healthcare and pharma and Jodi’s wellness expertise, the two joined forces to create Viver Joy. 

Each box has a healing theme relating back to three of our chakras, building upon the previous one to help completely rebalance the mind and body. This is an ideal gift when you just don’t know what to do for someone going through treatment but want to make them feel special and loved.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Vicki about the creation of Viver Joy, check out our interview below:

Q. What inspired you to create Viver Joy?

A. Ten years ago I was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer the day before my second daughter was born. During that time, I attended a retreat that truly changed my perspective of the diagnosis. I learned the power of visualization. In order to release negative thoughts, I had to replace them with positive ones. I wrote down the words, “happy, healthy, strong,” and placed them in a pretty box. My daily ritual became this: open box, speak positive words, and repeat. The contents of the box gave me hope and that worn out box from 10 years ago is what inspired Viver Joy, which means to live with joy.  Now 10 years later, I’m thrilled to be able to provide the same hope and joy that I received to so many!

Q. How long ago did you have the initial idea?

A. I’ve been talking about the box for 10 years! We launched in April 2020 in the middle of COVID-19 which marked 10 years since my breast cancer diagnosis.

Q. How did you begin the process of bringing your idea to life?

A. Last August, I created a box for a friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Upon receiving the box, she called me with tears of joy saying, “You have to share this with people around the world.” I’m so happy to report that she’s doing well now and I thank her for inspiring me to move forward with the creation of Viver Joy!

Q. What lessons have you learned along the way?

A. Launching during COVID-19 was not easy. Directing our passion and commitment to making a difference in someone’s life keeps us going.

Q. What does it mean to you to be a cancerpreneur? In other words, how has your breast cancer survivorship impacted your career and your Viver Joy endeavor?

A. Ten years ago I was leading an oncology research division at a major pharmaceutical company. I already understood the latest treatment protocols, but I knew that something was still missing. I had two babies at home under the age of two, and I wanted to understand how to stay strong for them both emotionally and physically. I left the corporate world after all my treatment and launched Viver Health to address that void in nutrition and lifestyle. In April we launched Viver Joy. Viver Health is a health and wellness company that develops content for patients across a spectrum of disease states. Viver Health translates scientific research into simple, easy-to-understand videos and nutrition and lifestyle guides.

Q. What advice would you give to another breast cancer thriver who has an idea but is afraid to take the first step?

A. Just do it. Life is short. Ask for help. Follow your dreams.

Q. Who has been your biggest support throughout the process of building your brand? How has he/she been a support to you?

A. My business partner and good friend Jodi Hutchinson has been my rock throughout the years. She pushes me further each day to be a better version of myself both personally and professionally. My husband makes everything possible. He has been the most supportive and loving person throughout this whole journey, without him I could not follow my dream to make a difference in the world. I love him to the moon and back.

Q. Do you think Viver Joy will help other thrivers? If so, how?

A. Yes, we created beautiful boxes to support healing and offer inspiration. The healing theme, color and content of each box has been inspired by the chakras and correspond to specific regions of the body. Each box builds upon the previous box with the goal of rebalancing the mind and body.

Q. Do you have any new/special projects in the works that you’d like to share?

A. We just completed a new Viver Guide, Your Guide to Facing MBC. We had a whole media tour last week as it is the first of its kind!

Q. Tell us something fun about yourself! For example, do you have any interesting hobbies or guilty pleasures? Or perhaps there’s a special dish that you’re known for?

A. I love to garden! My husband and I built a massive garden in our backyard during the pandemic. The garden provided veggies for us all summer long! My green thumb also worked on my orchids this year, as they bloomed 3 times! I am still in disbelief as I could never get an orchid to bloom.

Viver Joy consists of three boxes which may be purchased as a subscription series or individually. The first box is the Life Force Box, intended to help you build a healthier foundation. The second box is called New Vision, which invites to you truly create and connect with yourself. The third box is Powerful You, which encourages you to take charge and empower yourself. They make the perfect gift all year around! It’s just like sending a hug in the mail, which is so important as it’s difficult for us to visit our loved ones these days. The information in the boxes are as impactful as the items themselves. For more information and to make a purchase, please visit ViverJoy.com 

 

Thank you Vicki for creating Viver Joy, we can’t wait to see what you’ll do next!