At the same time, beginning in 2000, she began serious study and practice of yoga, learned Sanskrit, chant, and became a yoga instructor. She says, “I knew that when the kids were ready to launch and my daily responsibilities were done, I would be able to step more fully into the devotional life of beauty, power, and interconnection with greater vitality.” It wasn’t until the kids were well on their way to adulthood that Christine felt comfortable focusing on her more purposeful work outside the family. She explains, “In 2012, I was running an innovation lab in San Francisco and producing large TEDx events. At the same time, I was dealing with someone very close to me who had a stage 4 cancer diagnosis. His illness led me to explore alternative healing modalities, and to look at the toxins in our food and products.”

It was during this time that Christine started mixing together natural healing ingredients to make products for what would eventually become Rosebud Woman. As she worked on it, the mission of the brand became clear: to create transparency, self-acceptance, and self-love around the beauty of a woman’s whole being, with a focus on intimate self-care. She noticed a gap in the market where intimate areas were often neglected or stigmatized, so was determined to create a category that didn’t exist before: intimate skincare, using only the purest and most careful nontoxic ingredients. Alongside the product line, she also published books like “Reverence” and “The Invitation To Intimate Daily Self Care,” accompanied by a journal with practices for Body Love. She also wrote a book (The Nine Gifts) about the body’s self-healing mechanisms, meant to be a first aid guide for mind, body, and spirit. The company encourages transparency in all things intimate, to have the conversations that are the most difficult. For example, Rosebud did a survey which revealed that, across all generations, women said that the hardest person to talk to about anything intimate was their own mother. In response, Rosebud Woman created resources for this, including a list of 100 questions that people can ask their moms about their intimate lives to begin to change this story. Christine’s work emphasizes the vitality and possibilities that come with midlife and beyond, challenging the invisibility factor often associated with menopause. She says, “Midlife, which I call the Free Period, is a tremendously rich and satisfying time. You know yourself, and you have fewer obligations and more choice.”

Conceived in the house on the ridge in Mill Valley, and backed by local friends and neighbors, Rosebud now has customers in all 50 states, as well as in other countries, and remains dedicated to supporting women’s philanthropies.They actively contribute to various local and national causes, such as maternal health, domestic violence, and economic justice. Last fall they organized a significant artist benefit featuring Eve Ensler as the headliner, with the proceeds going towards reproductive rights and women’s health. Christine’s oldest daughter, Samantha, currently serves as President of Rosebud Woman, and one of her sons, Kyle, is CFO. She says, “Working with family has been one of the greatest unexpected joys.

” Christine’s podcast, The Rose Woman, emerged as an outgrowth of her mission. It aims to bring ideas and conversations that challenge taboos and promote love, liberation, and joy. The podcast has gained popularity and is currently in the top 5% worldwide. Christine believes in following the flow of where things are easy and where people say ‘yes’ to create positive change.

Through surveys, the Rosebud team discovered that anxiety and the inability to relax enough for intimacy were the top concerns among their customers. This led Christine to explore supplements that might help. Her newest venture, Radiant Farms, emerged from that work. “On our farm in Hawaii, I developed a connection with a plant known as Kava. Kava is an anti-inflammatory, providing relief from pain and social anxiety. It’s also a libido enhancer and endocrine regulator for women. Yet, as a beverage, it can have an unpleasant taste. The other plant we selected is Kava, from South Africa, which opens the heart, alleviates depression and anxiety, and regulates mood. It acts as an empathogen, enhancing emotional sensitivity and mental clarity. We transformed both plants into gummy candies, which we refer to as botanical sacraments. The Kava gummy, named Heart, is ideal for a date night. Infused with rose and pomegranate, it gently expands and opens the individual. The Kava gummy is called Ease. She has 4 more formulations in the works. Radiant Farms just launched and is being well received. She says, “Currently, my commitment lies in advocating for lesser-known plants. While the macro flora in the psychoactive realm garners significant attention, I firmly believe that there are thousands of other plants that can be more beneficial to humanity foster a sense of belonging and attunement within communities.”