Photo by Mariel and Joey Lifestyle Photography
September 29, 2021
Lisa Myers, the Founder and CEO of Ceres Chill, sat down to speak with Author and Senior Contributor for Forbes, Micah Solomon. She dives into this amazing journey of starting her own company and the impact that it’s had on her life, her family and moms all around the world.
With a tag line of “Never worry about safely storing your breastmilk again,” the revolutionary Ceres Chill breast milk storage bottle has transformed the lives of working women. But where did the idea come from, and who is behind it? I wanted to find out.
Micah Solomon: Tell me about your flagship product, Ceres Chill
Lisa Myers, President and CEO, Ceres Chill: It’s a significant new product that has no equivalent elsewhere in the breast milk storage industry. Ceres Chill replaces the 1970's technology coolers that have been holding women back and weighing moms down for decades. Simply put, it is a discreet, sustainable, dual-chamber insulated bottle that connects directly to breast pumps and can safely store breast milk for over 20 hours.
Solomon: Tell me how you came to create it.
Myers: I thought of Ceres Chill after returning to work from maternity leave. Working as an attorney in a law office with mostly male colleagues I quickly realized I was out of luck as far as safe, discreet breastmilk storage. Staring at the bottles of breastmilk lined up on my desk while planning my next work trip to settle a big case, I realized I needed something much, much better. I began looking and found absolutely nothing that would work. There were only unacceptable options that would make life as a working, pumping mom that much more difficult.
At about the same time as I was dumping bottles of breastmilk down the drain because the coolers wouldn't last or get through security, my three-year-old daughter started having sleep issues. The stress of it and my sleepless nights had a plus side: they resulted in extra hours at night for me to plan the business, while I continued to parent my kids and work as an attorney during the day.
Solomon: How successful has it been so far? Brag for a bit!
Myers: By any measure, we are killing it. Making constant financial gains, fantastic reviews, less than 1% returns, perfected designs and newly patented products. We have been approached by hospitals, medical professional groups and retailers about wholesale, which may be the next thing we pursue. We are now at that critical point where I need to decide if we take on professional investment or muscle through and grow it on our own.
It’s also successful on a level that means even more to me: I hear from moms who are fighter pilots, surgeons, ER nurses: moms who have been on the frontline of the COVID pandemic, telling us how this product has helped them get through...that’s enough to know that I put something amazing out in this world. As a woman, I know how powerful this is. As a mother, I know that my children are proud of me. I know that I’m helping people all across the world; moms from South America, Europe, Asia and North America have reached out to me about needing this chiller to make their lives easier. And that is so worth it.
A Further Note from Lisa
Life is relentless. As an entrepreneur and working parent, it’s a constant juggle, and it’s never pretty. The people you love will tell you that you’re doing too much, working too hard, stretching yourself too thin. You’ll pour everything into your day job to ensure the well-being of those you love while building a business from the ground up in every spare moment. It’s exhausting, and at times, it feels like everything is at stake.
But then, you start to make progress. You build on that progress. And while you're still tired, you’re no longer risking it all—you’re building something sustainable, something that truly helps people.
Being a founder and a mother has taught me that success requires trust in your gut, the willingness to sacrifice (especially sleep), and relentless dedication. Much like raising a child, building Ceres Chill has been about nurturing something bigger than myself—something that can stand on its own and make a real difference.
In addition to being the founder of this company, I'm a partner at an international law firm. I'm a never-say-die litigator and an aggressive negotiator. I'll keep doing all the things I love and do them to the best of my ability. Some days it’s overwhelming, but knowing how many ounces of breastmilk we're saving, how many lives we're changing — that makes it worth it.
I know firsthand how it feels to have no good options—to rely on a bulky, outdated cooler that makes an already challenging breastmilk journey even harder. That’s why I’ve worked to bust harmful breastmilk storage myths—because moms who are trying to balance life, work, and breastfeeding don’t need extra stress.
I’ve been there. The forgotten ice pack that ruins your whole day. The stress of carrying extra bags and bottles. The heartbreak of pouring breastmilk down the drain.
Moms don’t need unnecessary barriers—they need simple, sustainable solutions. That’s why I created Ceres Chill—to take away those daily frustrations, to make breastmilk storage safe and effortless, and to help moms stay on track with their feeding goals—without the stress.
At the end of a long day, even if I’m exhausted from it all, I know that I’m helping other moms rest a little easier.
Building a Business, Raising a Family, and Creating a Legacy
When I look back at this time, what I’ll be most proud of is that my kids saw it all.
✔ They saw my struggles as a working mom
✔ They saw an idea turn into a thriving business
✔ They saw that I cared deeply—not just for them, but for other moms facing the same challenges
I’ll be proud that my husband and I held our marriage together through it all, even while he served our country overseas. Despite the distance, he remained one of my biggest supporters.
And I’ll always be proud of the team that made Ceres Chill real—people just as passionate about our mission as I am. Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about a product. It’s about changing lives.
Why I Gave It Everything I Had
With two young kids, no breaks, and my husband deployed, it would have been easy to walk away. To say, this is too much.
But I didn’t.
I fought for this—for every mom trying to do it all. I gave it everything I had when it mattered. And I’ll always be proud of that.
