317 - Owning Pleasure and Challenging Stigmas with Melissa Saavedra

Listeners, we are back this week with Melissa Saavedra

On this episode of Cafe con Pam, we dive deep into a conversation with Melissa Saavedra, the founder of Steamy Lit, a romance book and sexual wellness subscription service. Melissa shares her experiences and challenges as a Latina discussing sexual wellness and how she aims to diversify readers' bookshelves. We discuss the joy of breaking down shame around sexual topics and the importance of open conversations. Melissa also reflects on how her divorce may have been influenced by her openness about intimate topics, and how she has learned to handle judgments and opinions. Additionally, we explore Melissa's journey in building Steamy Lit, the challenges faced as a military spouse, and the importance of recognizing and supporting the responsibilities of military spouses. Melissa also touches on her plans to create a book convention that prioritizes diversity and inclusivity, and her experience in running a business, from fundraising to dealing with payment processors. We also learn more about Steamy Lit's quarterly subscription service, the Steambox, which offers diverse literature options along with self-care items, including a vibrator.

Melissa Saavedra is the Latina founder of Steamy Lit, a romance book and sexual wellness subscription service which offers recipients a vibrator and a selection of self-careitems to enjoy along with their steamy novels.
Melissa, a US Navy veteran, launched the inclusive, Steamy Lit, to not only open the lines of communication around sexual wellness but to also diversify readers book shelves by amplifying the work of authors who have been historically underrepresented in the publishing world. In particular female authors, people of color and authors from the LGBTQ+ community.