Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney “Coco” Moody.
Hi Courtney “Coco”, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story? Hmmm, I am not really into self-promotion, or someone who even thinks about how others see me, so this is weird! Here goes!
I am a creative old soul who loves her people hard, lives in the moment, is both a dreamer and a realist- someone who has a hard time making plans (but I’m working on it!) and generally likes to laugh as much as possible. I have moved around (a lot) in my almost 50 years, both as a young person living with my folks and as a wandering adult. I am usually up for a new adventure in regards to my whereabouts – a new house or a new town, city or even state. I believe areas hold vibes, and the people who inhabit them are as important to shaping that vibe as is the landscape, architecture, activities and history within a locale. I enjoy trying new things, new people, new ideas- and 10 years ago I looked around my surroundings and decided I needed a change. I was born in Taos, New Mexico and moved around a bit during childhood, but I had been living in Wilmington, NC and surrounding Carolina Beach for a good part of my adult life as a busy hair stylist/colorist and make-up artist, which included steady salon work as well as independent film, print, theater, and weddings…I met my musician husband (Seth) through mutual friends in the music scene, where he and I started to share and explore our love of punk, electronica and indie rock as we started our life together- numerous bands, several houses and a few kids later, we decided to see what the music scene was like in Nashville, so we sold our beach house and headed out on a new adventure (without knowing anyone or having jobs, a place to live, etc) because we just felt we needed change! An impulsive and exciting move that after 5 short months we came to realize was not a good fit… but in the meantime, we had discovered marvelous Memphis, which has been flying under the radar as a great area to live (we believe that is why it had a preserved authenticity-), a city full of soul, grit, creativity, heart, and real people (pet peeve-a lot of phonies out there!)
So we bought a house in Cooper-Young and are celebrating our 10th anniversary here this month! During those 10 years we have been through a wild time, starting with our introduction to the Memphis music scene, school for our then-small children, my private hair design business… and we settled in to a fun city life. Then the pandemic hit. During the Covid shutdown we were forced to retreat inward to our creative sides, and I began to use my ample free time to explore any artistic ideas I could think of- I love to cook, sew, craft, paint, build, mosaic, decoupage, collage, design, photograph, sculpt, decorate, write and record many genres of music- any idea I come up with I will obsess about to completion! I do this for personal satisfaction, and have not really tried to monetize most creative things i do, because I feel like that would alter the motivation and therefore the entire process. My husband often says if I put as much energy, time, and effort in to any job as I do into my extremely involved handmade Halloween creations/decorations and costumes, we’d be rich. Bottom line, I do creative things for my own gratification, which is enough for me!
As we started to return to a bit more of a normal life after the pandemic, I took a little more interest in my self-care…In September of 2022, I made an appointment to finally have a lump in my breast checked out that had developed during lockdown- when doctor appointments were scarce- and well, the news was less than good…Stage 3 malignant tumor, with lymph node involvement. Basically I barely caught it before it became metastatic breast cancer, which means you will live with it until you die from it. So sometimes life changes your trajectory with one wild diagnosis- I underwent 5 months of intense chemotherapy followed by a double mastectomy with lymph node dissection and total hysterectomy. Not on my bingo card, and completely scary, but because I was surrounded by the most wonderful outpouring of love and support and positive energy from family, friends, and community plus great treatment from my doctors, Getting cancer, well, that really puts things into a very unique perspective! I was able to overcome the malignancy (which was not genetic) and come out on the other side with a renewed purpose. During chemotherapy I experienced many side effects, some which were mediated by medicine, but others were left in limbo, to resolve on their own or with vague, unspecific treatments. I looked for natural products that were chemical-free, gentle, soothing, containing healing plant essences, and found little to nothing that specifically focused on these exact issues I was experiencing, and I assumed so were other chemotherapy patients (according to the listed side effects)…this seemed like a very important gap in the treatment process that needed filling! So with my best friend (who is a nurse practitioner and herbalist), and my background in cosmetology and herbalism (which i have studied and utilized since my 20s) we set out to create natural remedies to support my side effects- it was wonderful to feel good about what I was putting on my body as it was being loaded with chemical medicine, as a bit of a balance…But I realized that all chemotherapy patients need these formulas and they simply don’t exist. I realized that breast cancer patients and chemotherapy patients in general need a different kind of support, a natural addition to traditional therapies, and to feel like they have a little control over what is happening to them, and I believe one way to do this is with natural herbal salves, balms and oils, with medicinal healing plant essences and aromatherapy to support the changes and physical obstacles one goes though during treatment- the skin dryness and rashes, body aches, nasal sores, hair and nail loss; the availability of these soothing products was not apparent, So my dear friend Katy Deaton and I have partnered in a business to bring these products to people who need them- we also intend to use proceeds to support breast cancer research and also bring awareness of the lack of care for marginalized women and women of color. The business is in the initial stages, with product development, testing, etc, and we will hopefully be able to launch in spring starting with branding and a podcast, social media presence, and small trials. We are so excited to help women and chemotherapy patients with mitigating some of the trauma that is endured while fighting for their health- I am 2.5 years from treatment and, so far, cancer-free. It is literally impossible to feel like my gratitude is not the driving force to starting this business- pay it forward has never hit me so hard as it did going through cancer and I cannot wait to let these natural blends help soothe chemotherapy patients! rfteghffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgds (kitten walks on keyboard!)
I am celebrating my 50th birthday soon and I feel excited to be in a phase of my life where things are happening in response to the thankfulness I feel to have lived the creative, full, and wildly interesting life I have led so far! I spend my time in many ways- I play music and sing with my husband in several projects around Midtown, work hair magic in my private salon for a special few, paint cloudscapes when I’m feeling melancholy, create delicious meals daily to explore different cuisines (I LOVE to cook), chase my kids and cats around the house or just sit on my porch with a good book and a cup of coffee, and try to remember that I am lucky to be here…I am excited to continue my new venture with Katy to bring the healing power of plants to chemo patients and hopefully will help many people as they deal with very difficult health challenges…CANCERSUCKS!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely life is a wild road! But I don’t necessarily see difficult things that happen along that road as obstacles or unfair challenges; I try to look at it as expected; anything of worth in life should be an adventure, with lots of hurdles, to make it worthwhile when you overcome them! As the saying goes, adversity is the mother of progress…without challenges I can become complacent, stagnant and just honestly claustrophobic! I have an innate belief that things happen for a reason- not to say we are fated but we have certain paths and signs along the way to follow. I think we may not see why things happen until later, when the reason becomes evident. That helped me get through the really tough stuff, like cancer- if you ask people what is their biggest fear, I think cancer is pretty high on that list, yet your only way to get to the other side is through…so you just go. I have realized worry and stress are not just pointless but detrimental to success, so I try to focus on the future rewards, even if that seems hard to see in the moment. Making things, creating music, exploring ideas, inventing products, these are the ways that help me get through the unavoidable adversities in life! Art is yours, no one can take it from you, so just keep creating through the hard stuff!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Well, I believe all life is better when infused with creativity, beauty, and emotion. Art makes sad things happier, put simply, and difficult things more bearable. It’s often born from pain, and strife, so I think I try to use my creative nature in everything I do, so life is shrouded by art- I have chosen to work in a creative field for a living as a hair and make-up artist but I also chose to express myself in all parts of my life as creatively as I can! Music really helps, writing and performing can really get you in a space that feels balanced when things are not necessarily the greatest…and I try to use everyday mundane tasks and otherwise boring normalcy as a chance to be weird, or unusual, or interesting-I don’t think that will ever stop, and I see my future developing in many different directions, all still steeped in imagination and art. And fun, don’t forget fun! I am proud of the fact that I remain true to myself, that my art belongs to me, and that I will never take myself so seriously that I cease to have fun. That is a killer of momentum, and authenticity, IMO!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I have always loved to read, and my favorite books are ones involving dynamic families and intensely complicated and “flawed” characters and they way they deal with life, be they fiction or non-fiction- I like learning about human nature through gifted authors…I love Jonathan Franzen, Anne Tyler, and always been a big fan of Tom Robbins…I do love to laugh out loud, so David Sedaris is a must…Watching documentaries of all types is definitely a favorite way to unwind, and I don’t know about inspiration but I certainly feel better about my choices after watching some of the insanity streaming these days! I would say I get most of my inspiration from my family and friends, rather that from outside resources and folks I don’t know personally- I love connecting with real people, in the real world! There is so much talent, and so many wonderful people doing such great things in Memphis! I feel like I should not get sucked into the blog/podcast world; it would probably eat up my free-time! Instagram does enough of that, ha, I’m old-skool Gen X…
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/cocomoodyyaaaa | www.instagram.com/wetro.bot | www.instagram.com/stealthystyle | www.instagram.com/cocohadcancer
