Episode 62: The Radical Truth About Your Period That Every Woman Needs to Hear, with Nadya Okamoto
At age 16, Nadya Okamoto started PERIOD.org, an organization fighting to end period poverty and stigma, and at age 19 she ran for public office to fight for menstruators' reproductive rights. Since then, she wrote Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement and co-founded August, a lifestyle brand working to reimagine periods. She has been recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 and People Magazine's Women Changing the World lists. In this episode, we cover how to change the period shame and stigma in our culture; period poverty, the tampon tax, and why they affect all of us; and what you need to know about the patriarchy and period health. Nadya also explains how capitalism helped her create more positive social change, why prioritizing your financial freedom and well-being is not selfish, and how her need for external validation was masked as confidence. This episode will heal the preteen in you who felt embarrassed about her changing body, ignite a passion for changing society and stigma, and rethink everything you believe about confidence.
SHOW NOTES:
On this episode of The Everygirl Podcast, we’re sitting down with Nadya Okamoto, founder of nonprofit period.org and founder and CEO of the ethical menstrual product brand August. The conversation begins with Nadya walking through her personal journey with ending her period shame and what that looked like throughout her teenage years. She explains how she first came to learn about period poverty and the injustices that exist in our country when it comes to all menstruating people having proper access to period products. Josie asks Nadya to define both the tampon tax and period poverty, and Nadya discusses how the tampon tax can impact period poverty, although it is not the only cause of period poverty. Nadya and Josie discuss how period poverty and the lack of access to proper period products and education is a systemic problem in our country, reinforced by laws that are causing a period stigma in our everyday lives. Then, the conversation pivots to Nadya’s career, and her decision to move from working in the nonprofit world to creating a for-profit business with August. Josie and Nadya talk about how women are often pushed towards careers in which they can act out a certain kind of “selflessness,” when in reality, women are still capable of making a huge difference while also making money. Nadya shares the example of how August may be a for-profit business, but also still pays their consumers back the tampon tax they might pay for when purchasing their products on Venmo if requested. Nadya shares how some of her mental health challenges have impacted her role as a leader and entrepreneur. The episode closes with some rapid-fire questions for Nadya.
Must-Listen Moments:
[3:37] This week’s Ask The Everygirl, on how to balance all of your wellness goals and what to prioritize in a wellness routine
[25:43] Nadya shares her period shame journey, and how she came to be passionate about breaking down the period stigma
[35:32] What is the tampon tax? What is period poverty? Why do these things matter to all menstruating people?
[46:42] How and why August is paying their customers back the cost of the tampon tax
[57:58] What does it really mean to be an ethical leader?
More from The Everygirl:
Find and listen to more episodes at https://theeverygirl.com/