In 2011, Mel Charbonneau participated in a half marathon in Green Bay. While training for the run, she got to know a group of women who were also running the event. They would exchange emails about their reasons for running and their doubts about being successful. The discussions struck a chord with Charbonneau.
At the 2011 run in Green Bay, the group was given flowers from a craft store to commemorate the event. The flower, as a symbol to encourage women, stuck with Charbonneau.
The following year, she launched Fellow Flowers, a women’s running brand that sells greeting cards, prints and women’s running apparel — T-shirts, tank tops and sweatshirts. But Fellow Flowers is also focused on motivating women of all ages and ability levels to run, and feel more confident. The products bear motivational messages penned by Charbonneau.
Mel Charbonneau’s Fellow Flowers is all about inspiration, from cards to its signature flowers.
Symbolic flowers to wear in your hair or on your wrist, inspired by that 2011 race, are Fellow Flowers’ signature item. The polyester flowers come in 13 colors, each with a “backstory” meant to inspire. Dark pink, for instance, means “worthy”: “Fierce. Beauty, clarity, purpose. Standing your ground. Realizing your strength. Owning your power. I am worthy.”
“Stories matter,” says Charbonneau, who lives in McFarland. “Women need to get honest about the changes they’re willing to make, so they don’t get stuck or give up.”
Charbonneau thinks that women “are so much more alike than we think.” She sees woman-to-woman support as crucial, especially for those starting training. “The way we recognize that is…to share those small wins.”
Fellow Flowers is now Charbonneau’s full-time job. Meanwhile, her husband, Jason Charbonneau, learned screen printing and in 2016 launched a McFarland-based print shop, 608 Threads. The shop designs all of Fellow Flowers’ apparel. A woman in Utah hand-makes the company’s flowers.
Fellow Flowers vends at running events as well as through its website. The website also includes a blog, where Charbonneau shares stories of women overcoming adversity. She also spearheads a variety of running campaigns. She ultimately sees her role with Fellow Flowers as a life coach to women, inspiring them to persevere and helping them to tell their own stories of triumph over obstacles.
