November 12, 2024 • 51 mins
Menstrual health is not just a women’s issue; it’s a vital topic for everyone, and understanding it can significantly enhance gender equality and social justice.
Danielle Keiser, a leading menstrual health educator, shares her journey and insights into how cultural shifts have influenced her mission. We discuss the importance of educating men about menstrual cycles and how this knowledge can foster empathy and support in relationships. With the launch of a new app aimed at helping dads and partners learn about menstrual health, Danielle emphasizes that this education can empower families and transform societal attitudes.
Check out the show notes!
Takeaways:
- Menstrual health is crucial for achieving gender equality and understanding societal dynamics.
- Educating men about menstrual health can foster empathy and improve relationships with women.
- Understanding the menstrual cycle can empower individuals to manage their health effectively and holistically.
- Periods and menstruation should be normalized as part of a broader human experience, not just a women's issue.
- Menstrual pain is often dismissed, yet it can indicate underlying health issues that require attention.
- Cultural perceptions of menstruation influence how individuals and families communicate about reproductive health.
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A huge thank you to Sparkle for sponsoring this episode! The mission at Sparkle is to offer healthy, sustainable, and innovative period products made from the highest-quality ingredients to care for you and the planet. To learn more about Sparkle, visit them on the web at getsparkle.life.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Hey, and welcome back toanother episode of the Global Health
Pursuit podcast.
I'm Hethal Bauman and I'm sohappy to have you back with us for
another eye opening episode.
This will be the last episodeof season two, so make sure you're
subscribed to the podcast formore information on when the next
season will launch.
(00:22):
Next week, I'll be sharing aquick little solo episode to summarize
all of the amazing things thathave happened this season and to
say a proper thank you to allof you.
Season three is already in theworks and I'm planning on launching
it in January, so stay tuned.
But for today, we're divinginto a topic that often gets swept
(00:44):
under the rug but is crucialfor gender equality and social justice.
That topic is menstrual health.
Ever think about howunderstanding the menstrual cycle
could change the way we seegender equality?
You're not alone.
For this episode, we're joinedby the amazing Danielle Kaiser, a
(01:06):
top educator in menstrualhealth who will be taking us through
her incredible journey and howcultural shifts have shaped her perspective
and driven her mission.
Danielle has got some exciting news.
It's a project that's sure tomake waves, a menstrual health app
that's focused on educating men.
(01:27):
Interesting, right?
Why is this important?
And the reason is thatunderstanding menstruation isn't
just a women's issue.
Everyone stands to benefit.
So if you like what you heartoday, do me a solid.
Subscribe, drop a five starreview and share this episode with
your dad, your partner, all ofthe men in your life.
(01:49):
I also want to mention thatthis episode is proudly supported
by Sparkle.
The mission at Sparkle is tooffer healthy, sustainable and innovative
period products made from thehighest quality ingredients to care
for you and the planet.
To learn more about Sparkle,visit them on the web at GetSparkle
(02:09):
Life.
More about them later.
I'm in a transition right nowbecause I'm about to go back to Germany.
Just like getting a lot ofstuff together.
I had to move out of my apartment.
Now I'm in the Bay Area and Igo to Germany next week.
(02:29):
There's a lot of floating parts.
I'm looking forward tosettling back there and also feeling
very sad about leaving the USI spent so much time here and had
such a wonderful time.
It's always harder to go andbe far away from home the older you
get.
Yeah, well, I'm excited tofinally get to chat with you about
(02:51):
this.
Yeah, me too.
I've been looking forward tothis conversation and talking to
you for a really long time.
Especially because we havesuch a vibe together around periods
and social justice.
And so I'm really excited tounpack and learn more about you,
our commonalities and the wayswe want to change the world from
(03:14):
our little seats, from.
Our little space, my littlechair in little corner of my little
room.
Yeah, I've been excited aboutthis conversation.
I think today it wasinteresting because I use a period
tracker app, Clue.
I'm not paying for the fullsubscription, but I just track when
(03:35):
my periods are and all that.
It pertains so well to thisepisode because I screenshot the
little.
There's like, you know, thecircle with like, here's where your
period is, here's when yourovulation is, and then this is the
number of days till your next period.
I screenshot it and send it tomy husband.
(03:56):
I'm like, I'm in the lutealphase right now.
And he goes, what does that mean?
Hmm.
Yeah.
There's a basic education thatwould be so valuable for both the
people who menstruate to havebecause it can be life changing,
(04:17):
but then also for the peoplein our lives who don't have menstrual
cycles and really couldbenefit to understand that we have
this really magical should wechoose to go in that direction, Rhythm
and compass.
That really makes a hugedifference on how we show up in the
world.
(04:38):
Actually.
Flow has a partners feature intheir app so you can share it with
your partner and they get tosee everything.
Oh, that's so cool.
You wouldn't necessarily haveto screenshot if you wanted to have
that feature.
I'm definitely going to lookinto that.
The only downside to thatfeature is it doesn't tell your partner
which day you're on.
(04:59):
It says 14 days until nextperiod or five days to the next period.
Instead of saying day 26 orday 25, which I find to be more helpful
when I know the number movingforward, not the anticipation of
it helps me situate myselfinto the whole cycle because I know
(05:20):
What a day, 6, 16, 26, whichphases those roughly fit into, as
opposed to, you know, theother way around.
I feel a little chaotic right now.
If you can tell which day areyou in your luteal phase, maybe that's
a good place to start.
I believe I'm in my 23rd day.
(05:40):
Okay, so you.
Because the cycle starts thefirst day of menstruation, right?
Correct.
See, these are things that Idon't fully understand, which is
so awesome to talk to you About.
And I have been diving deeperjust since meeting you.
It's like, you know what?
I need to understand this alittle bit more and then hopefully
(06:04):
get my hubby to understand this.
Yeah.
And, you know, once you startto learn a little bit, you lift up
the carpet and you realizethere's a whole universe underneath
there because there's thisaspect of just understanding where
you're at with the phases.
But then once you learn abouthormones and gut health and all the
(06:26):
ways that they are soconnected to your menstrual cycle,
your mind gets really blown.
And as someone who's beenworking in this space for 11 years,
I'm still learning things allthe time from people I meet, from
books that I read.
It's just this, like, verygenerous field of health that we
are starting to look into.
(06:48):
Lots of things get put intomental health as well.
You know, hormone disordersand endocrine things connected to,
like thy, you know, thyroid disorders.
Also very connected tomenstrual health.
And so it's almost likethere's not a lot of boundaries to
menstrual health because it issuch an omnipresent experience.
Menstruation chore is a sign.
(07:10):
This is the thing that we cansee and feel.
But there's a whole cycle thatprecedes menstruation that's really
rich with lots of learnings.
Ovulation is maybe the moreimportant event.
People only when they'rewanting to, you know, conceive.
Conceive, think about.
(07:30):
But ovulation is actually thereal star of the show.
Menstruation just gets all theattention because it's bloody and
we can see it can't really seeovulation so clearly.
You can in certain subtlesigns, but you have to kind of go
deep inside to see that.
I know there's just so much to this.
And I mean, I think in thisepisode we're just going to be scratching
(07:53):
the surface.
You alluded to how you've hadseveral years of experience in this
space.
My big question to you is, howdid this space find you?
It's such a niche space, right.
For somebody to say, I'm amenstrual health educator.
It's like, you gotta wonder,how does this.
(08:15):
Where does the path lead?
It's actually a funny story.
It's not as profound as someothers would think.
I've been really lucky with myperiods and hadn't really had too
many problems.
I know a lot of my peers whowork in this space have had really
bad period problems or took aLong time for their diagnosis.
So it wasn't my.
(08:36):
My experience.
I was always interested in theintersection between politics and
behavior change.
I studied politics and sociology.
Always really interested insocial justice from high school or
something.
I grew up in la, so there wasa lot of materialistic conversations
going on.
And I was always like, oh, whyare we talking about these things?
I don't care about fashion.
(08:57):
I don't care about the moviestars, who's wearing what and how
skin you are.
That bag and this.
It just, like, didn't interestme at all.
It was, like, repulsed by it.
And so I went to UC SantaCruz, which is a notoriously liberal
school.
My mind exploded there,learning about environmental justice,
racism, and all the kinds ofthings you would expect a college
(09:19):
experience to have, especiallywhen you're, you know, a young, impressionable
teenager still.
Yeah, and after coming out ofschool, I really wanted to work in
a capacity where I could makesome change.
I thought the advertisingindustry would be interesting because
people see advertisements onTV or they see billboards, and, you
(09:40):
know, sometimes there's thoseones that are just such good campaigns
where you're like, wow, thatone sign has the potential to change
so many people's lives and somuch behavior.
And so I really wanted to workin that kind of field.
Started working in advertising.
Then I went back to school toget my master's degree in Global
Visual Communication becausethe program seemed like the perfect
(10:02):
intersection between politicsand advertising.
What did you study for your undergrad?
Politics and sociology.
I didn't really find myfeminism until I started working
on the topic of menstruation,because my university was so hippie
feminist.
You know, like the dreadlocksand the no shoes and the long armpit
(10:27):
hair.
Really like the crusty California.
Yeah.
Feminist brand.
And I was like, this is notfor me.
I believe that, you know,people are equal.
But that didn't give me a goodintroduction to it.
And so I kind of, like, kindof wrote it off a little bit.
And it wasn't until after mymaster's program, after two and a
(10:49):
half years of living inGermany, that I was like, okay, I've
got a master's degree.
You know, want to find a jobin a country that I've only studied
in, and now I'm ready to makemy mark on the world.
So I applied for acommunications manager position at
Wash United.
Wash United is a social impactorganization focused on water, sanitation
and hygiene, behavior changetrainings and campaigns.
(11:11):
And I was like, this is theperfect job for me.
These campaigns are mostlyDedicated to developing countries
and developing economies.
They were working in India andKenya on hand washing campaigns to
get people to wash their handswith soap, to use toilets, to end
open defecation.
Because the statistics arounddiarrheal disease for young children
(11:33):
in places without adequatesanitation infrastructure are just
so debilitating and depressing.
Yeah.
They were focused on thesetopics and wanted to start talking
more about menstrual hygiene management.
I was like, menstrual hygiene management.
Okay, I'm putting those threewords together.
I think I have an idea whatthat means.
(11:53):
But it was just a very dryclinical term.
I got hired to help igniteGlobal Menstrual Hygiene Day, the
new advocacy initiative theywere starting.
And I was full in, like, okay,this is exactly the kind of behavior
change stuff that I want to do.
So back before CANVA existed,I was making social media posts.
(12:15):
How was that using not canva?
It was hard, but I felt like,this is good.
I got to be authenticallycreative without having a graphic
design background.
It was also before Instagramwas really big, so you're mostly
doing stuff on Facebook and Twitter.
In the lead up to the firstMenstrual Hygiene Day, which was
quite small at the time, wehad a few partners.
(12:37):
I was the partnership manager.
So we had WaterAid and Savethe Children.
It's a big name internationaldevelopment organization.
So we're like, we can launchthis with a few of these names.
You know, there was a momentwhere, you know, in doing the research
and hearing the stories ofpeople talking about how they didn't
(12:59):
have access to pads and wouldstay at home, how girls would bleed
through their pants and be soembarrassed that they'd stop going
to school.
This was a real wake up momentfor me, who grew up in the West.
Always had a toileteverywhere, always had pads if I
needed them.
But we live in a veryprivileged society where we have
access to that.
And it was really thisexplosion euphoria moment where I
(13:22):
was like, oh, my God.
Menstruation is one of theleading reasons for gender inequality.
Like, we're kids runningaround having a good time.
Then, yeah, all of a sudden,everything changes.
You start to grow boobs, youstart to bleed from your vagina,
People start treating youdifferently, you start treating yourself
(13:43):
differently.
And it's like all thoseopportunities that might have been
more equal just playingaround, kicking the ball, are all
of a sudden skewed because theboys in your class are now looking
at you differently.
And now you gotta stay homeand you can't go to school.
That one Week out of the year.
Yeah.
And so it was.
(14:03):
I really found my feminism in menstruation.
And from then on I was like,there's no going back from here.
I helped build MenstrualHygiene Day into a global advocacy
initiative.
I grew the partnership networkto 350 partners in three years.
It was really exciting becauseI got to spend half an hour with
(14:24):
every new partner that joined.
Hey, how are you?
Where are you calling from?
Oh, I'm in Nairobi.
What kind of menstrual hygienehealth work do you do?
We do these trainings with kids.
We have this song and we singthis song with the girls and we have
the boys come in afterwards.
So cool.
I actually got to connect withall different corners of the world,
learn about their initiatives,and then feature them on our social
(14:48):
media.
Was there one partnership thatyou would just never forget?
It was the colleagues that Ihad in Kenya that I had never really
traveled abroad before,besides Germany.
And I got to go to Kenya for aeducational initiative program thing.
And seeing them do theirtrainings of menstrual health and
(15:11):
hand washing and seeing thelittle kids and the way that they
reacted, that was sotransformational for me to see how
song and dance and workshopsare such effective ways of communicating
information around health behaviors.
I think we're starting to comeback to that after Covid.
You know, everything's been so digital.
(15:32):
Yeah, it's been really greatin some ways.
But I do notice we miss thesong and the dance and we love interacting
with people and being in ourbodies and interacting with strangers.
So I think it's seeing that,like, yes, menstrual health education
is.
There's so many differentformats in which it can happen.
But the best is really personto person, creating and holding that
(15:57):
space of trust, enablingquestions to come up and holding
space for that fear too,because there's so much fear, misinformation,
stigma, taboo, and being ableto really hold that first because
it's real that people arefeeling and then be able to push
it back with evidence basedinformation or playful, fun ways
(16:19):
to understand something andkind of create a little mini transformation
in their mind.
Oh, I thought it was like thisand I thought I was impure.
Like.
No, you're not impure at all.
You're actually a magicalhuman, you know, I love that.
And that makes a hugedifference in the life of a little
person who's still figuringeverything out.
(16:40):
Their bodies are growing.
You never know what's going onin their social or family context.
And so if you can just kind ofmake this part a little easier for
them.
Right.
The way in which menstrualhealth has the opportunity to act
like a Trojan horse to therest of the things that will happen
in someone's life.
The other points, whether it'ssexual debut, body confidence or
(17:04):
birth control, and choosingwhether or not to use anything, all
of those things are going tobe made an easier, better experience
when you actually understandwhat the menstrual cycle is and what's
going on in your body.
Right.
But if you don't have thatfirst step, if you don't have that
basic information and allthose other things are kind of confusing
and you don't really.
(17:25):
Understand, why am I feelinglike this?
Why is this happening?
For all those reasons and more.
That's why I am a menstrualhealth educator, because it's such
a generous space in so many ways.
The information keeps growingand it affects so many different
aspects of our lives.
When you were in Kenya or anyof these other places around the
(17:49):
world, what did you noticewhen it came to the dads or the brothers
or the partners of these womenor girls?
So they weren't necessarily there.
I would say absence first and foremost.
(18:10):
But on the other side, the menworking in the development organizations
in Uganda and Kenya were thereal advocates for menstruation and
menstrual health and menstrual hygiene.
The number of executivedirectors for small grassroots organizations
(18:31):
were mostly men.
They're the ones who arereally advocating for this topic.
I was so impressed by a few ofthese executive directors and their
honest understanding that thisis a big issue in our community and
we need to do something about it.
(18:52):
It's a multilayered process.
There is a couple ofoutstanding Ugandan and Kenyan men
who really saw this assomething pivotal, connected to so
many other things, especiallyaround sexual and reproductive health
and rights, especially aroundwater, sanitation, and hygiene, which
are, you know, core issues inthose communities.
(19:14):
So you're in the process ofdeveloping a really cool app, and
it's targeted towards dads andpartners to support their partners
and daughters.
Mm.
I would say it's a learning app.
Right.
What brought you to start thisapp or start the Prague?
(19:37):
I feel like I cannot speak sometimes.
No.
You know what?
It has a lot to do with whereyou're at in your menstrual cycle.
Honestly, information.
Before we go into thatinformation exchange in your luteal
phase, like if you actuallylook, if you were to scan your brain
right now, versus a week and ahalf or two weeks ago when you were
Ovulating, there's a lot moregray matter, and it's because your
(20:01):
brain doesn't processinformation as fast, because estrogen
is what helps processinformation and get those things
lit up.
And when progesterone is inyour body and your actual hormones
are coming down, you're havingmore brain fog.
You can't process theinformation as fast.
So this is a time to be gentleand understanding with yourself and
(20:22):
know that when you rest andjust kind of accept that it's going
to come back to you in a fewdays after your period comes back
and your estrogen starts toclimb again.
So it's a lot about acceptance.
You know, it's okay.
I had a feeling it was about that.
And I'm definitely gonna keepthis portion in the podcast because
(20:43):
that's something people willlaugh about.
And I always thought this issuch a tangent, but I think it's
also a part of not beingaround people all the time anymore.
Oh, yeah.
No.
When I speak with my husband,who goes to work, and he's around
people all day, every day, andcomes back and I can't form a full
(21:06):
sentence, I'm like, I feellike I'm losing my brains, you know,
And I'm like, I need to talkto more people.
It just relates to when peoplehave their first kid and they stay
at home and they're justtalking baby talk all day, and then
they don't know how to havereal conversations.
(21:27):
We're meant to be socialcreatures, but not all the time.
The ways that we can elevateourselves spiritually or know in
our, like, collectiveconsciousness kind of way requires
us being alone and spendingthat time alone sometimes, but not
all the time.
But I wanted to go back toyour question about what inspired
(21:49):
this app that I am so bent on creating.
Since I've been working inthis space for so long, I have no
shame.
I could bleed my pants throughand just, you know, walk down the
street.
Wear the white pants.
And then I've done as acostume before for Last Menstrual
Hygiene Day.
Oh, what?
Nice.
So I have a reallyapproachable way to talk about this.
(22:12):
I really love talking to menabout it because I don't come at
it from this stigmatizedperspective, but really from a.
Wow, this is so cool.
I have this thing and it'samazing, and it's amazing that I
know about it.
I get hired every year to bepromo person at Expo west, which
is the largest naturalproducts expo in the United States.
(22:34):
There's 15,000 products there,and they're all vying to get on Whole
Foods shelves.
And I am hired by Sparkle, anamazing Indian based company that
has figured out a way to makeplant based period products.
All their pads, tampons andpanty liners are made with plant
based cellulose.
Whereas the leading commercialbrands, even the ones that say they're
(22:55):
organic cotton, still cancontain up to 90% plastic with just
an organic cotton top sheet.
I love this company.
Huge plug for Sparkle.
So since we're already talkingabout Sparkle, I wanted to take a
little bit of an extra minibreak to highlight them as the sponsor
for today's episode.
(23:16):
Sparkle Pads is an innovativemenstrual care company on a mission
to make periods healthier,more comfortable and more sustainable.
Designed with organic,breathable materials, Sparkle Pads
offer an eco friendlyalternative to traditional menstrual
products.
They're biodegradable and madewith care for both you and the planet.
(23:39):
What makes Sparkle Padsspecial isn't just their commitment
to quality, but also theirdedication to accessibility and community
impact.
They work to provide menstrualproducts to underserved communities
worldwide, ensuring that noone has to compromise on health or
dignity during their period.
(24:01):
If you're interested inlearning more or even buying some
of their products, you cancheck them out at GetSparkle Life.
That's GetSparkle Life.
They're also being sold atyour local Whole Foods, so check
them out.
Thank you to Sparkle forsupporting this episode and for championing
menstrual health for all.
(24:24):
So I have this like uteruscostume that I'll put on and kind
of like dance around.
Okay, you need to send me aphoto of this.
That's what I should have sent you.
This is good content.
I have pictures of that.
So like wear this uteruscostume and kind of like attract
people to come to our booth sowe can talk about what we're offering.
And I'll see a man walking byand I'll look at him and be like,
(24:48):
hey, what's up?
And he looks at me like, whothe heck are you?
And I'm like, come here.
You know, motion him come over.
And he has a name tag onbecause we're at a trade show.
Hey, Mike, how you doing?
It's so, so good to see you again.
And he's like, do we know each other?
I was like, yeah.
Hello.
(25:09):
You don't recognize me?
You lived here for nine months.
Oh my God.
Before you came out into thisworld, do you remember how many years
ago was that?
40.
40, 43.
Almost 44 years ago.
It Was a long time, huh?
And he's like, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
That's funny.
Okay, what are you selling?
(25:30):
And I'm like, oh, gosh.
So he's like, you got my attention.
I realized in some of theseconversations because I have a tattoo
on my arm of the menstrualcycle that I just kind of, like,
am able to, in a really shortamount of time, give them really
important information aboutwhat the menstrual cycle is.
That there's four phases, thatthere's two main hormones, and that
(25:53):
there's two main events, andthat it's really distinct, these
different parts of themenstrual cycle.
And it's not just all the samething, and it's not just periods
in blood.
And some of them are sograteful for this quick exchange
that we've had.
They really feel like theirminds are blown.
They have elevated theirunderstanding of female health, are
(26:17):
more empathetic andunderstanding towards their partner,
and can walk away with newknowledge to practice.
I got inspired from suchpositive feedback from my interactions
with those men that I waslike, I should just create an app
that enables men to get thisbasic, basic information.
I have been feeling this in mybody to create this.
(26:39):
When I was grounding down inmy menstrual phase a few months ago,
I was meditating.
This overwhelming feeling camefrom my womb, which is the place
of creation.
This is where we actually makeour babies, right?
This is where we seed ourideas and all of our creative projects.
That's where they come from,this core place in our bodies.
(27:02):
I'm so glad that you connectedthat to conception, because if you
hadn't said that, I think alot of people would have been like,
oh, that's so woo, woo.
But it is the place wherethings grow, literally and figuratively.
And, you know, people thathave, like, brilliant creative endeavors
(27:23):
that really change the world,most of the time, it's not necessarily
coming from their brain.
It's coming from this place intheir body where it's almost like
creator or something is like,this is what you have to do.
This is.
And you could listen to thecalling, you could ignore the calling,
or you could do whatever youwant to do.
I really feel like this isanother stage of my calling in the
(27:48):
menstrual health field becauseI've spent so much time engaging
women and girls already, and Iwill continue to do so.
But we can't keep looking atthis topic as a women's issue, because
it's not.
It is a human issue.
It is the magic of Reproduction.
We have a freakingreproductive heartbeat every month
(28:09):
that tells us if we can make ababy or not.
In addition to all these otherthings that it can tell us, should
we have access to thisincredible education about our own
bodies?
I really feel that if men,boys, partners, dads had more access
(28:30):
to this information, the worldwould be a better place.
It'd be more kind, it'd bemore empathetic, it would be more
inclusive.
There's something to be saidabout the sad reality that the more
we hate our periods andmenstrual cycles, the more men are
going to hate periods andmenstrual cycles.
There's a direct reflection onhow we think about our own bodies
(28:54):
and potential.
And they read that, you know,just they're, they're intuitive people.
They see we don't likesomething, oh, that's gotta be bad.
And so it's reallydisheartening when I.
When I hear people say, andyou don't have to, like, be obsessed
with your period and love yourperiod, but there's an acceptance,
right?
Periods are not supposed to besuper painful.
(29:17):
Our bodies communicate throughpain prostaglandins, which are the
things that cause cramps.
So, like hormone, likecompounds that actually are enabling
the endometrium to leave fromthe uterus, they are helping move
the tissue down.
But our bodies, like, if ourknee was hurting for every single
(29:40):
month at the exact same time,we would probably go to the knee
doctor.
If our eye was pussing andbleeding consecutively, we'd probably
go to the eye doctor.
But we live in a society thathas so internalized this fact that
period pain and cramps arecompletely normal.
It's actually a sign ofdysfunction in some way because all
(30:02):
pain is a sign of dysfunctionand it's a communicator to the body.
Even when you work out a bunchafterwards, your body hurts a little
bit because you're transitioning.
Your body is like, ooh, thatis good pain.
It feels good, but it'scommunicating to you that your muscles
are getting stronger.
Having that kind offoundational understanding can empower
dads to be advocates for theirdaughters in healthcare settings
(30:28):
and understand, like, Ilearned through this app that I've
been screwing around on thatbleeding over eight days is not normal.
And that's not a good sign.
Or asking her how many padsshe's going through.
Oh, wow, she's going throughlike 6, 7 pad's day when on day 4,
it should be lightening up.
(30:48):
And maybe she shouldn't bebleeding through that many.
Maybe there's something going on.
And these are the kinds ofconversations and interactions that
I'm hoping something like thiswill be able to have, where a father
feels more involved and moresound in understanding just basic
human biology and that we'redifferent, but it's not impossible
(31:10):
for us to learn about our differences.
Right.
In the process of developingthis app and doing your research,
what have you heard from women?
What type of feedback have youheard from them?
Because in my mind, sometimesthere's the stigma that you have
(31:32):
to get over.
Right.
For example, I'm okay sayingin the house, I have my period, but
anything more than that to mydad, it's a little bit weird for
me.
Right.
So why is it weird for you?
What are the feelings thatemerge from that weirdness?
(31:53):
I think growing up in anIndian household, having your period
is a womanly thing.
And you talk to your mom about it.
Mm, yeah.
And she's the one that I would call.
Yeah, that totally makes sense.
But at the same time, it canbe very traumatizing for a young
(32:19):
girl to have always had thesupport of their father.
All growing up, they fall.
Dad picks him up, makes himfeel better, picks him up from school,
goes to all the soccer games.
Go.
Goes to the school plays.
But then the period comes.
I don't know anything about that.
Go talk to your mother.
That lack of support whenyou've always felt like you could
(32:42):
turn to your dad for anythingcan create a major distance between
that parent and their child unnecessarily.
It's not like they need to,you know, help insert the tampon
or anything, which no onewould expect.
But having a basicunderstanding and being there, having
presence, I think is super important.
(33:03):
I may not know everything, butI am here for you.
I'm going to buy whatever youneed, and we're going to learn about
this together.
I've already learned a little bit.
Maybe we could talk a littlebit about that.
Are you experiencing any ofthis kind of pain?
I heard this great yogaposture maybe that you could try.
Oh, dad.
No, I don't.
(33:23):
Dad, that's so embarrassing.
Yeah, but I mean, it may beembarrassing in the time, but when
that little girl reflects onher life 10 years ago, she's going
to be really happy that shehad a dad who was there for her versus
oh, yeah, my dad wouldn't eventalk about it.
(33:45):
He left the room.
And that has an impact.
It could potentially impacther relationships with men in the
future.
Dad acted like this.
I am never going to talk aboutmy excruciating period pain to any
of the partners that I have.
And so that really enablesthem to hide a huge part of themselves.
Right.
(34:05):
And just, oh, I'm fine.
I'm absolutely fine.
They have like a nine on thepain scale and have to gobble painkillers
because they have potentiallyundiagnosed endometriosis or uterine
fibroids or something.
So once there's more comfortfrom a younger age that like, hey,
you can tell me anything thatbreeds a further culture of that
(34:29):
young girl growing up to belike, well, I can talk about my periods
with guys because my dad wasfine with it, so you should be fine
with it too.
And he's now 75 and, you know,you're only 30.
Right.
Get over it.
We bleed know.
So, yeah, I, I, I am sensitiveto the cultural aspect and that's
very real.
(34:50):
We've seen so much progress inthis space just in the last 10 years.
It finally feels like it's theright time to be engaging men and
boys on this kind of level.
Maybe before it was a littletoo early, but periods have really
been bleeding from the marginsto the mainstream in the last few
years.
I mean, there's so many morecompanies out there.
(35:10):
There's big companies doing advertisements.
It's really become like, youknow, the it girl.
In many ways, we aresocietally breaking things down across
the world.
It's not just in Western countries.
There's always going to berural places lagging on that global
trend.
(35:30):
But there's also someimportant cultural traditions that
we can learn from them too.
You know, not all period tabooor experiences are bad.
Like, there's even there'spositive period rituals in the world
that we can be learning fromif we look to indigenous cultures.
Getting your period is a riteof passage that is incredible.
(35:54):
It signifies your transitionto a next phase of your life, you
know, and that is such abeautiful thing that we have forgotten
about.
We don't celebrate rites ofpassage in any way.
You know, we discard womenwhen they become old.
Menopause is the mostimportant rite of passage.
(36:14):
That's when we've menstruatedfor 40 years, maybe had some children,
gained all of our power andwisdom, and now can firmly sit in
our wisdom.
But no, our Western values andcultures toss all that aside because
you're not young and suppleand beautiful anymore.
It's a travesty because ourelders are our lifeline to the past.
(36:40):
They are the ones who havelived all the years, learned all
the lessons, and seen all the things.
Yeah, a sign of A sick societythat we don't respect our elders
nor the important rites ofpassage that we as humans necessarily
experience during our firstpuberty, in our reproductive times
(37:01):
and in our second puberty,which is the menopause, when the
cycles cease.
You were making me get emotional.
Emotional time, right.
We're gonna have a new moon incancer or something like that.
Everyone I know right now islike really just emotional and crying
a lot.
And I don't know when this isreleasing, but yeah, during the time
(37:23):
of this recording, new mooncancer is happening.
I was just thinking about my grandmom.
So.
Yeah, yeah, these, these areimportant things for us to be reclaiming.
The menstrual cycle has thepower to bring us back to that inherent
human nature.
(37:44):
We are nature.
We always forget because we'vebuilt these beautiful houses and
we have economic models ofyachts and all this stuff.
We are like the birds and the trees.
We, we have cycles.
We change, we grow, we're dynamic.
There's some times wherewe're, you know, like full of energy
(38:04):
and you know, radiating inthis like summer like way.
And there's other times whenwe are deeply inward and we are not
doing any of those things.
And we live in a society thathas kind of told us that it's always
spring and summertime.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
(38:25):
And the menstrual cycle hasbeen my greatest teacher in that
it's given me permission tostop or slow down.
And I love that because that'show we sustain ourselves.
That's how we're going to beable to show up for ourselves and
for the other people in our lives.
(38:46):
Taking a break, slowing down,not ascribing to this artificial
pace that our man made societyhas created for us.
Natural society alreadydictates our rhythm.
We have seasons, we have thesun and the moon and we have our
(39:07):
menstrual cycles.
That's more real than any ofthis other Monday through Friday
capitalist Monday throughFriday 9 to 5 stuff, which of course
is important.
And we can't have one withoutthe other.
But a conscious integration ofthese natural cycles brings us back
down to earth and allows us toslow down sometimes.
(39:32):
Sometimes.
There was a quote that youmentioned when you shared about the
app and it's men aren'tstupid, they're clueless.
And in your research when youask them, hey, do you think you need
to know a little bit moreabout the menstrual cycle?
What responses have you gotten?
(39:55):
It's been really interesting.
I interviewed 30 men or sentthe survey out to 30 men.
And a lot of them thought theywere great men for taking this survey.
It's really important to notethat within this topic of menstrual
health education, there is abit of a chip on men's shoulders
(40:18):
for even engaging in this inthe first place.
Place and thinking, oh,because I'm taking a survey, I'm
not like most men.
I'm willing to sit down andhelp a friend out and do this for
20 minutes.
I'm really interested in thisbecause I want my daughter to be
happy and I want to be supportive.
I don't want my wife to carryall the burdens and responsibilities
(40:38):
for having to do more than shealready has to.
And so I find that a lot of.
There's, like, a bit of an egoproblem that I will have to work
with in creating this app.
That's why I want to work with men.
I don't want to really, reallywant to work with women because I've
got the content and theinformation being translated by excellent
(41:01):
male copywriters and men thatcan really speak to audience.
Well, you called it.
I think you called it.
Dude speak.
Dude speak.
Yeah, I need, I need someonewho can translate this to me or translate
to them because, yeah, they, they.
I don't know, they have this.
This inflated sense ofimportance and that they're better
(41:25):
than other men for even goingthis far as to learn or to.
To take this survey.
And when I asked them, youknow, would you like more information
about menstrual health?
There was a interesting divide.
66% said, yeah, I know somethings, but I could learn a little
bit more.
33% said, Nah, I'm good.
(41:47):
I think I'm.
I'm fine.
And then I went on in thelater part of the survey to ask them
two basic questions aboutdementia cycle, like, what are the
two basic hormones and whatare the two main phases?
Most of them couldn't answereither one of the questions.
(42:09):
And so you have them beinglike, no, I'm fine.
I don't need more information yet.
They can't answer basic information.
So, yeah, this is aninteresting challenge because if
they knew what those phasesactually entailed and how it could
help them to relate better tothe women and the girls in their
(42:33):
lives, it would make a huge difference.
And a lot of them actually didhave basic information.
Some of them are reallyalready informed, knowing that before
the period, they're lesslikely to engage in intense arguments
with their girlfriend becausethey know that they might be more
sensitive then and to maybehave a Night out with the boys.
(42:56):
They realize that theirpartner being alone is actually the
best thing they can do.
Instead of, what do you need?
Can I collaborate?
Can I give you this?
Can I bring you that?
It's more like just having alittle bit more alone time is the
best thing they can do there.
It's going to be interestingwhen it comes to the translation
(43:16):
of information, but thecontent itself, puberty hormones,
cycle 101, it's so neededbecause it undergirds how we relate
to each other.
If we can relate to each otherwith more empathy and understanding,
then we can have more harmonyand happiness in our lives.
(43:39):
Yeah.
And communication tips, youknow, that the app could give to
your partner.
Say this, don't say that, saythis, don't say that.
And so, yeah, I think a lot ofthem are really interested in tips
like how to be a moresupportive dad, how to be a more
supportive partner.
So also the dads are reallyinterested in nutrition for growing
(44:01):
girls.
I think that's severelyunderestimated and under looked at
in general when we're talkingabout hormonal health.
So much of how our hormonesreact and respond is a direct response
to how we nourish them.
And if we're nourishing themwith processed foods and lots of
(44:23):
sugars, then they're not ableto do their amazing thing, which
is create this, you know, wavethroughout the month of increase
of estrogen in the first half,really getting us towards a ripe
ovulatory state where we couldpossibly conceive and then dipping
(44:44):
and having progesterone risein the second half, which is more
of a calming hormone.
It's really about moreintrospection, just taking it down
a few notches.
And that's very much like thestrengths of estrogen and the strengths
of progesterone very muchreflect the day and the night.
Or the polar.
(45:05):
Polar opposites of elizoenergy versus Billie Eilish energy,
which is very.
I love this comparison.
This actually comes from TaraGhosh, who's an amazing menstrual
health educator in the uk.
That's so cool.
I'll have to give her creditfor it.
Once people kind of like, oh,that makes sense.
You know, like you wouldn'thave the daytime all the time.
(45:27):
Right.
And that's kind of like theworld that we're living in is that
it's daytime all the time.
And we're like, hello.
No, we have the night.
No, we have the luteal phase.
This is actually our call to rest.
And rest can be so productiveif you actually really can calm the
nervous system, find yourchill, get that parasympathetic activation.
(45:49):
Then your next cycle is goingto be so much better.
And your cycle after that isgoing to be so much better because
you listened to your body whenit needed.
Chill, which so much of usdon't do that, you know.
Right.
But then the body reacts tothat period pain, extreme pushing
(46:10):
of ourselves, not listening,having one more cup of coffee.
The days before our periodwhen our body is like, mm, I'm ready
to chill, calm down.
And then the coughing punches,the progesterone in the face.
Yeah.
Our bodies remember that youdidn't chill the last year and a
half.
So in my coaching practice, Ireally try to focus on tiny adjustments
(46:35):
that people can possibly make.
What would that look like toblock out your calendar?
Whatever day of your menstrualcycle is really hard.
You know, you've already beentracking your cycles.
Some people it's the daysleading up to it.
Some people it's day one orday two, whatever that day might
be.
You start small and just blockout the afternoon.
(46:57):
With that afternoon, you aregoing to consciously rest.
You are going to plan to planyour rest.
Plan your rest.
Starting small, something likethat can have huge rewards in the
future.
This is what the menstrualcycle continues to teach me and it's
what I want to continue toteach other people.
(47:17):
We're heading to the beachthis Evening for the 4th and the
weekend, and I think it's aperfect time to unplug.
Yeah.
Especially since I'm goinginto that phase.
Yeah, go into that phase.
Bring yourself a good book,bring your sleeping mask and earplugs
so that you can really takegood care of your rest.
(47:39):
Sleep hygiene is reallyunderestimated as well.
Making sure that you have, youknow, the things you need to block
out the light and block outthe sound is also super important
for self care and taking.
Taking care of yourself.
Essentially your body justasks you, can you take care of me
at this time?
I'm literally bleeding.
Just take care of me.
(48:01):
And then you're like, no, I'mgoing to power through and do all
these things.
Okay, I'll just be here then bleeding.
I'll be here.
It's going to hurt.
Thank you so much for comingonto the podcast.
This has been such a.
There's so much more we cantalk about.
(48:23):
How can people find you ifthey want to work with you?
Yeah.
So I have a website calleddanny-health.com and I am going to
be launching my coaching practice.
Towards the end of the year,I'll be working with clients one
on one either in like 12 weekprograms or I am working on developing
(48:45):
a course right now that peoplecan take that's at a lesser price
point.
I also work with companiesinterested in menstrual health innovation
and want to kind of understandall of the nuances because I said
there's just so much to understand.
And so I really love beinglike the second hand gal to companies
(49:05):
in their innovations or their futures.
You know, trend forecastingdepartments, if they are wanting
to create any kind of eithermenstrual products, period tracker
apps, anything around the cycle.
You can find me on Instagramat Danidani.
Health people can also email me.
I love connecting with people.
(49:27):
I have office hours as well ifpeople want to talk.
I have a lot of aspiring youngpeople who want to get into the field
that always ask me, you know,what I should be plugging into.
And I'm so generous with theconnection they have because I want
to share the resources I have.
You know, I'm like, oh, youcould get in touch with this person.
(49:48):
Oh, you should talk to this person.
You're creating that app.
She's creating a similar app.
You should definitely talk.
And I'm always wanting to belike a cupid so you can consider
me like a menstrual healthcupid as well.
Yay.
Hey, thank you so much.
Yeah, it was such a pleasure.
I'm really happy that we gotthe opportunity to talk about menstruation.
Maybe if there's otherquestions that come in from this
(50:10):
episode and other certainthings that people want to.
Ooh, you know what would be cool?
We could do a Q and A episodeif anybody like reaches out.
So if you do have anyquestions, please shoot them over
because I think that would bereally cool to have a follow up.
Yeah, definitely.
It's been such a pleasure.
Thank you for hosting and ofcourse, let me know if there's anything
(50:31):
at all that I can do or followup with this.
Thank you for listening tothis episode.
If you'd like to learn moreabout today's topic and guest, head
over to the show notes linkedin the description of this episode.
There you can get access toresources, links and ways you can
(50:52):
get involved in the pursuitfor global health.
And if you loved this episode,don't forget to write me a review
on Apple Podcasts and rate thepodcast on Spotify.
It helps me get in front ofmore people just like you and continues
to elevate the causes.
We are so passionate about.
I'll see you in the next one.
Hey, and welcome back toanother episode of the Global Health
Pursuit podcast.
I'm Hethal Bauman and I'm sohappy to have you back with us for
another eye opening episode.
This will be the last episodeof season two, so make sure you're
subscribed to the podcast formore information on when the next
season will launch.
(00:22):
Next week, I'll be sharing aquick little solo episode to summarize
all of the amazing things thathave happened this season and to
say a proper thank you to allof you.
Season three is already in theworks and I'm planning on launching
it in January, so stay tuned.
But for today, we're divinginto a topic that often gets swept
(00:44):
under the rug but is crucialfor gender equality and social justice.
That topic is menstrual health.
Ever think about howunderstanding the menstrual cycle
could change the way we seegender equality?
You're not alone.
For this episode, we're joinedby the amazing Danielle Kaiser, a
(01:06):
top educator in menstrualhealth who will be taking us through
her incredible journey and howcultural shifts have shaped her perspective
and driven her mission.
Danielle has got some exciting news.
It's a project that's sure tomake waves, a menstrual health app
that's focused on educating men.
(01:27):
Interesting, right?
Why is this important?
And the reason is thatunderstanding menstruation isn't
just a women's issue.
Everyone stands to benefit.
So if you like what you heartoday, do me a solid.
Subscribe, drop a five starreview and share this episode with
your dad, your partner, all ofthe men in your life.
(01:49):
I also want to mention thatthis episode is proudly supported
by Sparkle.
The mission at Sparkle is tooffer healthy, sustainable and innovative
period products made from thehighest quality ingredients to care
for you and the planet.
To learn more about Sparkle,visit them on the web at GetSparkle
(02:09):
Life.
More about them later.
I'm in a transition right nowbecause I'm about to go back to Germany.
Just like getting a lot ofstuff together.
I had to move out of my apartment.
Now I'm in the Bay Area and Igo to Germany next week.
(02:29):
There's a lot of floating parts.
I'm looking forward tosettling back there and also feeling
very sad about leaving the USI spent so much time here and had
such a wonderful time.
It's always harder to go andbe far away from home the older you
get.
Yeah, well, I'm excited tofinally get to chat with you about
(02:51):
this.
Yeah, me too.
I've been looking forward tothis conversation and talking to
you for a really long time.
Especially because we havesuch a vibe together around periods
and social justice.
And so I'm really excited tounpack and learn more about you,
our commonalities and the wayswe want to change the world from
(03:14):
our little seats, from.
Our little space, my littlechair in little corner of my little
room.
Yeah, I've been excited aboutthis conversation.
I think today it wasinteresting because I use a period
tracker app, Clue.
I'm not paying for the fullsubscription, but I just track when
(03:35):
my periods are and all that.
It pertains so well to thisepisode because I screenshot the
little.
There's like, you know, thecircle with like, here's where your
period is, here's when yourovulation is, and then this is the
number of days till your next period.
I screenshot it and send it tomy husband.
(03:56):
I'm like, I'm in the lutealphase right now.
And he goes, what does that mean?
Hmm.
Yeah.
There's a basic education thatwould be so valuable for both the
people who menstruate to havebecause it can be life changing,
(04:17):
but then also for the peoplein our lives who don't have menstrual
cycles and really couldbenefit to understand that we have
this really magical should wechoose to go in that direction, Rhythm
and compass.
That really makes a hugedifference on how we show up in the
world.
(04:38):
Actually.
Flow has a partners feature intheir app so you can share it with
your partner and they get tosee everything.
Oh, that's so cool.
You wouldn't necessarily haveto screenshot if you wanted to have
that feature.
I'm definitely going to lookinto that.
The only downside to thatfeature is it doesn't tell your partner
which day you're on.
(04:59):
It says 14 days until nextperiod or five days to the next period.
Instead of saying day 26 orday 25, which I find to be more helpful
when I know the number movingforward, not the anticipation of
it helps me situate myselfinto the whole cycle because I know
(05:20):
What a day, 6, 16, 26, whichphases those roughly fit into, as
opposed to, you know, theother way around.
I feel a little chaotic right now.
If you can tell which day areyou in your luteal phase, maybe that's
a good place to start.
I believe I'm in my 23rd day.
(05:40):
Okay, so you.
Because the cycle starts thefirst day of menstruation, right?
Correct.
See, these are things that Idon't fully understand, which is
so awesome to talk to you About.
And I have been diving deeperjust since meeting you.
It's like, you know what?
I need to understand this alittle bit more and then hopefully
(06:04):
get my hubby to understand this.
Yeah.
And, you know, once you startto learn a little bit, you lift up
the carpet and you realizethere's a whole universe underneath
there because there's thisaspect of just understanding where
you're at with the phases.
But then once you learn abouthormones and gut health and all the
(06:26):
ways that they are soconnected to your menstrual cycle,
your mind gets really blown.
And as someone who's beenworking in this space for 11 years,
I'm still learning things allthe time from people I meet, from
books that I read.
It's just this, like, verygenerous field of health that we
are starting to look into.
(06:48):
Lots of things get put intomental health as well.
You know, hormone disordersand endocrine things connected to,
like thy, you know, thyroid disorders.
Also very connected tomenstrual health.
And so it's almost likethere's not a lot of boundaries to
menstrual health because it issuch an omnipresent experience.
Menstruation chore is a sign.
(07:10):
This is the thing that we cansee and feel.
But there's a whole cycle thatprecedes menstruation that's really
rich with lots of learnings.
Ovulation is maybe the moreimportant event.
People only when they'rewanting to, you know, conceive.
Conceive, think about.
(07:30):
But ovulation is actually thereal star of the show.
Menstruation just gets all theattention because it's bloody and
we can see it can't really seeovulation so clearly.
You can in certain subtlesigns, but you have to kind of go
deep inside to see that.
I know there's just so much to this.
And I mean, I think in thisepisode we're just going to be scratching
(07:53):
the surface.
You alluded to how you've hadseveral years of experience in this
space.
My big question to you is, howdid this space find you?
It's such a niche space, right.
For somebody to say, I'm amenstrual health educator.
It's like, you gotta wonder,how does this.
(08:15):
Where does the path lead?
It's actually a funny story.
It's not as profound as someothers would think.
I've been really lucky with myperiods and hadn't really had too
many problems.
I know a lot of my peers whowork in this space have had really
bad period problems or took aLong time for their diagnosis.
So it wasn't my.
(08:36):
My experience.
I was always interested in theintersection between politics and
behavior change.
I studied politics and sociology.
Always really interested insocial justice from high school or
something.
I grew up in la, so there wasa lot of materialistic conversations
going on.
And I was always like, oh, whyare we talking about these things?
I don't care about fashion.
(08:57):
I don't care about the moviestars, who's wearing what and how
skin you are.
That bag and this.
It just, like, didn't interestme at all.
It was, like, repulsed by it.
And so I went to UC SantaCruz, which is a notoriously liberal
school.
My mind exploded there,learning about environmental justice,
racism, and all the kinds ofthings you would expect a college
(09:19):
experience to have, especiallywhen you're, you know, a young, impressionable
teenager still.
Yeah, and after coming out ofschool, I really wanted to work in
a capacity where I could makesome change.
I thought the advertisingindustry would be interesting because
people see advertisements onTV or they see billboards, and, you
(09:40):
know, sometimes there's thoseones that are just such good campaigns
where you're like, wow, thatone sign has the potential to change
so many people's lives and somuch behavior.
And so I really wanted to workin that kind of field.
Started working in advertising.
Then I went back to school toget my master's degree in Global
Visual Communication becausethe program seemed like the perfect
(10:02):
intersection between politicsand advertising.
What did you study for your undergrad?
Politics and sociology.
I didn't really find myfeminism until I started working
on the topic of menstruation,because my university was so hippie
feminist.
You know, like the dreadlocksand the no shoes and the long armpit
(10:27):
hair.
Really like the crusty California.
Yeah.
Feminist brand.
And I was like, this is notfor me.
I believe that, you know,people are equal.
But that didn't give me a goodintroduction to it.
And so I kind of, like, kindof wrote it off a little bit.
And it wasn't until after mymaster's program, after two and a
(10:49):
half years of living inGermany, that I was like, okay, I've
got a master's degree.
You know, want to find a jobin a country that I've only studied
in, and now I'm ready to makemy mark on the world.
So I applied for acommunications manager position at
Wash United.
Wash United is a social impactorganization focused on water, sanitation
and hygiene, behavior changetrainings and campaigns.
(11:11):
And I was like, this is theperfect job for me.
These campaigns are mostlyDedicated to developing countries
and developing economies.
They were working in India andKenya on hand washing campaigns to
get people to wash their handswith soap, to use toilets, to end
open defecation.
Because the statistics arounddiarrheal disease for young children
(11:33):
in places without adequatesanitation infrastructure are just
so debilitating and depressing.
Yeah.
They were focused on thesetopics and wanted to start talking
more about menstrual hygiene management.
I was like, menstrual hygiene management.
Okay, I'm putting those threewords together.
I think I have an idea whatthat means.
(11:53):
But it was just a very dryclinical term.
I got hired to help igniteGlobal Menstrual Hygiene Day, the
new advocacy initiative theywere starting.
And I was full in, like, okay,this is exactly the kind of behavior
change stuff that I want to do.
So back before CANVA existed,I was making social media posts.
(12:15):
How was that using not canva?
It was hard, but I felt like,this is good.
I got to be authenticallycreative without having a graphic
design background.
It was also before Instagramwas really big, so you're mostly
doing stuff on Facebook and Twitter.
In the lead up to the firstMenstrual Hygiene Day, which was
quite small at the time, wehad a few partners.
(12:37):
I was the partnership manager.
So we had WaterAid and Savethe Children.
It's a big name internationaldevelopment organization.
So we're like, we can launchthis with a few of these names.
You know, there was a momentwhere, you know, in doing the research
and hearing the stories ofpeople talking about how they didn't
(12:59):
have access to pads and wouldstay at home, how girls would bleed
through their pants and be soembarrassed that they'd stop going
to school.
This was a real wake up momentfor me, who grew up in the West.
Always had a toileteverywhere, always had pads if I
needed them.
But we live in a veryprivileged society where we have
access to that.
And it was really thisexplosion euphoria moment where I
(13:22):
was like, oh, my God.
Menstruation is one of theleading reasons for gender inequality.
Like, we're kids runningaround having a good time.
Then, yeah, all of a sudden,everything changes.
You start to grow boobs, youstart to bleed from your vagina,
People start treating youdifferently, you start treating yourself
(13:43):
differently.
And it's like all thoseopportunities that might have been
more equal just playingaround, kicking the ball, are all
of a sudden skewed because theboys in your class are now looking
at you differently.
And now you gotta stay homeand you can't go to school.
That one Week out of the year.
Yeah.
And so it was.
(14:03):
I really found my feminism in menstruation.
And from then on I was like,there's no going back from here.
I helped build MenstrualHygiene Day into a global advocacy
initiative.
I grew the partnership networkto 350 partners in three years.
It was really exciting becauseI got to spend half an hour with
(14:24):
every new partner that joined.
Hey, how are you?
Where are you calling from?
Oh, I'm in Nairobi.
What kind of menstrual hygienehealth work do you do?
We do these trainings with kids.
We have this song and we singthis song with the girls and we have
the boys come in afterwards.
So cool.
I actually got to connect withall different corners of the world,
learn about their initiatives,and then feature them on our social
(14:48):
media.
Was there one partnership thatyou would just never forget?
It was the colleagues that Ihad in Kenya that I had never really
traveled abroad before,besides Germany.
And I got to go to Kenya for aeducational initiative program thing.
And seeing them do theirtrainings of menstrual health and
(15:11):
hand washing and seeing thelittle kids and the way that they
reacted, that was sotransformational for me to see how
song and dance and workshopsare such effective ways of communicating
information around health behaviors.
I think we're starting to comeback to that after Covid.
You know, everything's been so digital.
(15:32):
Yeah, it's been really greatin some ways.
But I do notice we miss thesong and the dance and we love interacting
with people and being in ourbodies and interacting with strangers.
So I think it's seeing that,like, yes, menstrual health education
is.
There's so many differentformats in which it can happen.
But the best is really personto person, creating and holding that
(15:57):
space of trust, enablingquestions to come up and holding
space for that fear too,because there's so much fear, misinformation,
stigma, taboo, and being ableto really hold that first because
it's real that people arefeeling and then be able to push
it back with evidence basedinformation or playful, fun ways
(16:19):
to understand something andkind of create a little mini transformation
in their mind.
Oh, I thought it was like thisand I thought I was impure.
Like.
No, you're not impure at all.
You're actually a magicalhuman, you know, I love that.
And that makes a hugedifference in the life of a little
person who's still figuringeverything out.
(16:40):
Their bodies are growing.
You never know what's going onin their social or family context.
And so if you can just kind ofmake this part a little easier for
them.
Right.
The way in which menstrualhealth has the opportunity to act
like a Trojan horse to therest of the things that will happen
in someone's life.
The other points, whether it'ssexual debut, body confidence or
(17:04):
birth control, and choosingwhether or not to use anything, all
of those things are going tobe made an easier, better experience
when you actually understandwhat the menstrual cycle is and what's
going on in your body.
Right.
But if you don't have thatfirst step, if you don't have that
basic information and allthose other things are kind of confusing
and you don't really.
(17:25):
Understand, why am I feelinglike this?
Why is this happening?
For all those reasons and more.
That's why I am a menstrualhealth educator, because it's such
a generous space in so many ways.
The information keeps growingand it affects so many different
aspects of our lives.
When you were in Kenya or anyof these other places around the
(17:49):
world, what did you noticewhen it came to the dads or the brothers
or the partners of these womenor girls?
So they weren't necessarily there.
I would say absence first and foremost.
(18:10):
But on the other side, the menworking in the development organizations
in Uganda and Kenya were thereal advocates for menstruation and
menstrual health and menstrual hygiene.
The number of executivedirectors for small grassroots organizations
(18:31):
were mostly men.
They're the ones who arereally advocating for this topic.
I was so impressed by a few ofthese executive directors and their
honest understanding that thisis a big issue in our community and
we need to do something about it.
(18:52):
It's a multilayered process.
There is a couple ofoutstanding Ugandan and Kenyan men
who really saw this assomething pivotal, connected to so
many other things, especiallyaround sexual and reproductive health
and rights, especially aroundwater, sanitation, and hygiene, which
are, you know, core issues inthose communities.
(19:14):
So you're in the process ofdeveloping a really cool app, and
it's targeted towards dads andpartners to support their partners
and daughters.
Mm.
I would say it's a learning app.
Right.
What brought you to start thisapp or start the Prague?
(19:37):
I feel like I cannot speak sometimes.
No.
You know what?
It has a lot to do with whereyou're at in your menstrual cycle.
Honestly, information.
Before we go into thatinformation exchange in your luteal
phase, like if you actuallylook, if you were to scan your brain
right now, versus a week and ahalf or two weeks ago when you were
Ovulating, there's a lot moregray matter, and it's because your
(20:01):
brain doesn't processinformation as fast, because estrogen
is what helps processinformation and get those things
lit up.
And when progesterone is inyour body and your actual hormones
are coming down, you're havingmore brain fog.
You can't process theinformation as fast.
So this is a time to be gentleand understanding with yourself and
(20:22):
know that when you rest andjust kind of accept that it's going
to come back to you in a fewdays after your period comes back
and your estrogen starts toclimb again.
So it's a lot about acceptance.
You know, it's okay.
I had a feeling it was about that.
And I'm definitely gonna keepthis portion in the podcast because
(20:43):
that's something people willlaugh about.
And I always thought this issuch a tangent, but I think it's
also a part of not beingaround people all the time anymore.
Oh, yeah.
No.
When I speak with my husband,who goes to work, and he's around
people all day, every day, andcomes back and I can't form a full
(21:06):
sentence, I'm like, I feellike I'm losing my brains, you know,
And I'm like, I need to talkto more people.
It just relates to when peoplehave their first kid and they stay
at home and they're justtalking baby talk all day, and then
they don't know how to havereal conversations.
(21:27):
We're meant to be socialcreatures, but not all the time.
The ways that we can elevateourselves spiritually or know in
our, like, collectiveconsciousness kind of way requires
us being alone and spendingthat time alone sometimes, but not
all the time.
But I wanted to go back toyour question about what inspired
(21:49):
this app that I am so bent on creating.
Since I've been working inthis space for so long, I have no
shame.
I could bleed my pants throughand just, you know, walk down the
street.
Wear the white pants.
And then I've done as acostume before for Last Menstrual
Hygiene Day.
Oh, what?
Nice.
So I have a reallyapproachable way to talk about this.
(22:12):
I really love talking to menabout it because I don't come at
it from this stigmatizedperspective, but really from a.
Wow, this is so cool.
I have this thing and it'samazing, and it's amazing that I
know about it.
I get hired every year to bepromo person at Expo west, which
is the largest naturalproducts expo in the United States.
(22:34):
There's 15,000 products there,and they're all vying to get on Whole
Foods shelves.
And I am hired by Sparkle, anamazing Indian based company that
has figured out a way to makeplant based period products.
All their pads, tampons andpanty liners are made with plant
based cellulose.
Whereas the leading commercialbrands, even the ones that say they're
(22:55):
organic cotton, still cancontain up to 90% plastic with just
an organic cotton top sheet.
I love this company.
Huge plug for Sparkle.
So since we're already talkingabout Sparkle, I wanted to take a
little bit of an extra minibreak to highlight them as the sponsor
for today's episode.
(23:16):
Sparkle Pads is an innovativemenstrual care company on a mission
to make periods healthier,more comfortable and more sustainable.
Designed with organic,breathable materials, Sparkle Pads
offer an eco friendlyalternative to traditional menstrual
products.
They're biodegradable and madewith care for both you and the planet.
(23:39):
What makes Sparkle Padsspecial isn't just their commitment
to quality, but also theirdedication to accessibility and community
impact.
They work to provide menstrualproducts to underserved communities
worldwide, ensuring that noone has to compromise on health or
dignity during their period.
(24:01):
If you're interested inlearning more or even buying some
of their products, you cancheck them out at GetSparkle Life.
That's GetSparkle Life.
They're also being sold atyour local Whole Foods, so check
them out.
Thank you to Sparkle forsupporting this episode and for championing
menstrual health for all.
(24:24):
So I have this like uteruscostume that I'll put on and kind
of like dance around.
Okay, you need to send me aphoto of this.
That's what I should have sent you.
This is good content.
I have pictures of that.
So like wear this uteruscostume and kind of like attract
people to come to our booth sowe can talk about what we're offering.
And I'll see a man walking byand I'll look at him and be like,
(24:48):
hey, what's up?
And he looks at me like, whothe heck are you?
And I'm like, come here.
You know, motion him come over.
And he has a name tag onbecause we're at a trade show.
Hey, Mike, how you doing?
It's so, so good to see you again.
And he's like, do we know each other?
I was like, yeah.
Hello.
(25:09):
You don't recognize me?
You lived here for nine months.
Oh my God.
Before you came out into thisworld, do you remember how many years
ago was that?
40.
40, 43.
Almost 44 years ago.
It Was a long time, huh?
And he's like, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
That's funny.
Okay, what are you selling?
(25:30):
And I'm like, oh, gosh.
So he's like, you got my attention.
I realized in some of theseconversations because I have a tattoo
on my arm of the menstrualcycle that I just kind of, like,
am able to, in a really shortamount of time, give them really
important information aboutwhat the menstrual cycle is.
That there's four phases, thatthere's two main hormones, and that
(25:53):
there's two main events, andthat it's really distinct, these
different parts of themenstrual cycle.
And it's not just all the samething, and it's not just periods
in blood.
And some of them are sograteful for this quick exchange
that we've had.
They really feel like theirminds are blown.
They have elevated theirunderstanding of female health, are
(26:17):
more empathetic andunderstanding towards their partner,
and can walk away with newknowledge to practice.
I got inspired from suchpositive feedback from my interactions
with those men that I waslike, I should just create an app
that enables men to get thisbasic, basic information.
I have been feeling this in mybody to create this.
(26:39):
When I was grounding down inmy menstrual phase a few months ago,
I was meditating.
This overwhelming feeling camefrom my womb, which is the place
of creation.
This is where we actually makeour babies, right?
This is where we seed ourideas and all of our creative projects.
That's where they come from,this core place in our bodies.
(27:02):
I'm so glad that you connectedthat to conception, because if you
hadn't said that, I think alot of people would have been like,
oh, that's so woo, woo.
But it is the place wherethings grow, literally and figuratively.
And, you know, people thathave, like, brilliant creative endeavors
(27:23):
that really change the world,most of the time, it's not necessarily
coming from their brain.
It's coming from this place intheir body where it's almost like
creator or something is like,this is what you have to do.
This is.
And you could listen to thecalling, you could ignore the calling,
or you could do whatever youwant to do.
I really feel like this isanother stage of my calling in the
(27:48):
menstrual health field becauseI've spent so much time engaging
women and girls already, and Iwill continue to do so.
But we can't keep looking atthis topic as a women's issue, because
it's not.
It is a human issue.
It is the magic of Reproduction.
We have a freakingreproductive heartbeat every month
(28:09):
that tells us if we can make ababy or not.
In addition to all these otherthings that it can tell us, should
we have access to thisincredible education about our own
bodies?
I really feel that if men,boys, partners, dads had more access
(28:30):
to this information, the worldwould be a better place.
It'd be more kind, it'd bemore empathetic, it would be more
inclusive.
There's something to be saidabout the sad reality that the more
we hate our periods andmenstrual cycles, the more men are
going to hate periods andmenstrual cycles.
There's a direct reflection onhow we think about our own bodies
(28:54):
and potential.
And they read that, you know,just they're, they're intuitive people.
They see we don't likesomething, oh, that's gotta be bad.
And so it's reallydisheartening when I.
When I hear people say, andyou don't have to, like, be obsessed
with your period and love yourperiod, but there's an acceptance,
right?
Periods are not supposed to besuper painful.
(29:17):
Our bodies communicate throughpain prostaglandins, which are the
things that cause cramps.
So, like hormone, likecompounds that actually are enabling
the endometrium to leave fromthe uterus, they are helping move
the tissue down.
But our bodies, like, if ourknee was hurting for every single
(29:40):
month at the exact same time,we would probably go to the knee
doctor.
If our eye was pussing andbleeding consecutively, we'd probably
go to the eye doctor.
But we live in a society thathas so internalized this fact that
period pain and cramps arecompletely normal.
It's actually a sign ofdysfunction in some way because all
(30:02):
pain is a sign of dysfunctionand it's a communicator to the body.
Even when you work out a bunchafterwards, your body hurts a little
bit because you're transitioning.
Your body is like, ooh, thatis good pain.
It feels good, but it'scommunicating to you that your muscles
are getting stronger.
Having that kind offoundational understanding can empower
dads to be advocates for theirdaughters in healthcare settings
(30:28):
and understand, like, Ilearned through this app that I've
been screwing around on thatbleeding over eight days is not normal.
And that's not a good sign.
Or asking her how many padsshe's going through.
Oh, wow, she's going throughlike 6, 7 pad's day when on day 4,
it should be lightening up.
(30:48):
And maybe she shouldn't bebleeding through that many.
Maybe there's something going on.
And these are the kinds ofconversations and interactions that
I'm hoping something like thiswill be able to have, where a father
feels more involved and moresound in understanding just basic
human biology and that we'redifferent, but it's not impossible
(31:10):
for us to learn about our differences.
Right.
In the process of developingthis app and doing your research,
what have you heard from women?
What type of feedback have youheard from them?
Because in my mind, sometimesthere's the stigma that you have
(31:32):
to get over.
Right.
For example, I'm okay sayingin the house, I have my period, but
anything more than that to mydad, it's a little bit weird for
me.
Right.
So why is it weird for you?
What are the feelings thatemerge from that weirdness?
(31:53):
I think growing up in anIndian household, having your period
is a womanly thing.
And you talk to your mom about it.
Mm, yeah.
And she's the one that I would call.
Yeah, that totally makes sense.
But at the same time, it canbe very traumatizing for a young
(32:19):
girl to have always had thesupport of their father.
All growing up, they fall.
Dad picks him up, makes himfeel better, picks him up from school,
goes to all the soccer games.
Go.
Goes to the school plays.
But then the period comes.
I don't know anything about that.
Go talk to your mother.
That lack of support whenyou've always felt like you could
(32:42):
turn to your dad for anythingcan create a major distance between
that parent and their child unnecessarily.
It's not like they need to,you know, help insert the tampon
or anything, which no onewould expect.
But having a basicunderstanding and being there, having
presence, I think is super important.
(33:03):
I may not know everything, butI am here for you.
I'm going to buy whatever youneed, and we're going to learn about
this together.
I've already learned a little bit.
Maybe we could talk a littlebit about that.
Are you experiencing any ofthis kind of pain?
I heard this great yogaposture maybe that you could try.
Oh, dad.
No, I don't.
(33:23):
Dad, that's so embarrassing.
Yeah, but I mean, it may beembarrassing in the time, but when
that little girl reflects onher life 10 years ago, she's going
to be really happy that shehad a dad who was there for her versus
oh, yeah, my dad wouldn't eventalk about it.
(33:45):
He left the room.
And that has an impact.
It could potentially impacther relationships with men in the
future.
Dad acted like this.
I am never going to talk aboutmy excruciating period pain to any
of the partners that I have.
And so that really enablesthem to hide a huge part of themselves.
Right.
(34:05):
And just, oh, I'm fine.
I'm absolutely fine.
They have like a nine on thepain scale and have to gobble painkillers
because they have potentiallyundiagnosed endometriosis or uterine
fibroids or something.
So once there's more comfortfrom a younger age that like, hey,
you can tell me anything thatbreeds a further culture of that
(34:29):
young girl growing up to belike, well, I can talk about my periods
with guys because my dad wasfine with it, so you should be fine
with it too.
And he's now 75 and, you know,you're only 30.
Right.
Get over it.
We bleed know.
So, yeah, I, I, I am sensitiveto the cultural aspect and that's
very real.
(34:50):
We've seen so much progress inthis space just in the last 10 years.
It finally feels like it's theright time to be engaging men and
boys on this kind of level.
Maybe before it was a littletoo early, but periods have really
been bleeding from the marginsto the mainstream in the last few
years.
I mean, there's so many morecompanies out there.
(35:10):
There's big companies doing advertisements.
It's really become like, youknow, the it girl.
In many ways, we aresocietally breaking things down across
the world.
It's not just in Western countries.
There's always going to berural places lagging on that global
trend.
(35:30):
But there's also someimportant cultural traditions that
we can learn from them too.
You know, not all period tabooor experiences are bad.
Like, there's even there'spositive period rituals in the world
that we can be learning fromif we look to indigenous cultures.
Getting your period is a riteof passage that is incredible.
(35:54):
It signifies your transitionto a next phase of your life, you
know, and that is such abeautiful thing that we have forgotten
about.
We don't celebrate rites ofpassage in any way.
You know, we discard womenwhen they become old.
Menopause is the mostimportant rite of passage.
(36:14):
That's when we've menstruatedfor 40 years, maybe had some children,
gained all of our power andwisdom, and now can firmly sit in
our wisdom.
But no, our Western values andcultures toss all that aside because
you're not young and suppleand beautiful anymore.
It's a travesty because ourelders are our lifeline to the past.
(36:40):
They are the ones who havelived all the years, learned all
the lessons, and seen all the things.
Yeah, a sign of A sick societythat we don't respect our elders
nor the important rites ofpassage that we as humans necessarily
experience during our firstpuberty, in our reproductive times
(37:01):
and in our second puberty,which is the menopause, when the
cycles cease.
You were making me get emotional.
Emotional time, right.
We're gonna have a new moon incancer or something like that.
Everyone I know right now islike really just emotional and crying
a lot.
And I don't know when this isreleasing, but yeah, during the time
(37:23):
of this recording, new mooncancer is happening.
I was just thinking about my grandmom.
So.
Yeah, yeah, these, these areimportant things for us to be reclaiming.
The menstrual cycle has thepower to bring us back to that inherent
human nature.
(37:44):
We are nature.
We always forget because we'vebuilt these beautiful houses and
we have economic models ofyachts and all this stuff.
We are like the birds and the trees.
We, we have cycles.
We change, we grow, we're dynamic.
There's some times wherewe're, you know, like full of energy
(38:04):
and you know, radiating inthis like summer like way.
And there's other times whenwe are deeply inward and we are not
doing any of those things.
And we live in a society thathas kind of told us that it's always
spring and summertime.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
(38:25):
And the menstrual cycle hasbeen my greatest teacher in that
it's given me permission tostop or slow down.
And I love that because that'show we sustain ourselves.
That's how we're going to beable to show up for ourselves and
for the other people in our lives.
(38:46):
Taking a break, slowing down,not ascribing to this artificial
pace that our man made societyhas created for us.
Natural society alreadydictates our rhythm.
We have seasons, we have thesun and the moon and we have our
(39:07):
menstrual cycles.
That's more real than any ofthis other Monday through Friday
capitalist Monday throughFriday 9 to 5 stuff, which of course
is important.
And we can't have one withoutthe other.
But a conscious integration ofthese natural cycles brings us back
down to earth and allows us toslow down sometimes.
(39:32):
Sometimes.
There was a quote that youmentioned when you shared about the
app and it's men aren'tstupid, they're clueless.
And in your research when youask them, hey, do you think you need
to know a little bit moreabout the menstrual cycle?
What responses have you gotten?
(39:55):
It's been really interesting.
I interviewed 30 men or sentthe survey out to 30 men.
And a lot of them thought theywere great men for taking this survey.
It's really important to notethat within this topic of menstrual
health education, there is abit of a chip on men's shoulders
(40:18):
for even engaging in this inthe first place.
Place and thinking, oh,because I'm taking a survey, I'm
not like most men.
I'm willing to sit down andhelp a friend out and do this for
20 minutes.
I'm really interested in thisbecause I want my daughter to be
happy and I want to be supportive.
I don't want my wife to carryall the burdens and responsibilities
(40:38):
for having to do more than shealready has to.
And so I find that a lot of.
There's, like, a bit of an egoproblem that I will have to work
with in creating this app.
That's why I want to work with men.
I don't want to really, reallywant to work with women because I've
got the content and theinformation being translated by excellent
(41:01):
male copywriters and men thatcan really speak to audience.
Well, you called it.
I think you called it.
Dude speak.
Dude speak.
Yeah, I need, I need someonewho can translate this to me or translate
to them because, yeah, they, they.
I don't know, they have this.
This inflated sense ofimportance and that they're better
(41:25):
than other men for even goingthis far as to learn or to.
To take this survey.
And when I asked them, youknow, would you like more information
about menstrual health?
There was a interesting divide.
66% said, yeah, I know somethings, but I could learn a little
bit more.
33% said, Nah, I'm good.
(41:47):
I think I'm.
I'm fine.
And then I went on in thelater part of the survey to ask them
two basic questions aboutdementia cycle, like, what are the
two basic hormones and whatare the two main phases?
Most of them couldn't answereither one of the questions.
(42:09):
And so you have them beinglike, no, I'm fine.
I don't need more information yet.
They can't answer basic information.
So, yeah, this is aninteresting challenge because if
they knew what those phasesactually entailed and how it could
help them to relate better tothe women and the girls in their
(42:33):
lives, it would make a huge difference.
And a lot of them actually didhave basic information.
Some of them are reallyalready informed, knowing that before
the period, they're lesslikely to engage in intense arguments
with their girlfriend becausethey know that they might be more
sensitive then and to maybehave a Night out with the boys.
(42:56):
They realize that theirpartner being alone is actually the
best thing they can do.
Instead of, what do you need?
Can I collaborate?
Can I give you this?
Can I bring you that?
It's more like just having alittle bit more alone time is the
best thing they can do there.
It's going to be interestingwhen it comes to the translation
(43:16):
of information, but thecontent itself, puberty hormones,
cycle 101, it's so neededbecause it undergirds how we relate
to each other.
If we can relate to each otherwith more empathy and understanding,
then we can have more harmonyand happiness in our lives.
(43:39):
Yeah.
And communication tips, youknow, that the app could give to
your partner.
Say this, don't say that, saythis, don't say that.
And so, yeah, I think a lot ofthem are really interested in tips
like how to be a moresupportive dad, how to be a more
supportive partner.
So also the dads are reallyinterested in nutrition for growing
(44:01):
girls.
I think that's severelyunderestimated and under looked at
in general when we're talkingabout hormonal health.
So much of how our hormonesreact and respond is a direct response
to how we nourish them.
And if we're nourishing themwith processed foods and lots of
(44:23):
sugars, then they're not ableto do their amazing thing, which
is create this, you know, wavethroughout the month of increase
of estrogen in the first half,really getting us towards a ripe
ovulatory state where we couldpossibly conceive and then dipping
(44:44):
and having progesterone risein the second half, which is more
of a calming hormone.
It's really about moreintrospection, just taking it down
a few notches.
And that's very much like thestrengths of estrogen and the strengths
of progesterone very muchreflect the day and the night.
Or the polar.
(45:05):
Polar opposites of elizoenergy versus Billie Eilish energy,
which is very.
I love this comparison.
This actually comes from TaraGhosh, who's an amazing menstrual
health educator in the uk.
That's so cool.
I'll have to give her creditfor it.
Once people kind of like, oh,that makes sense.
You know, like you wouldn'thave the daytime all the time.
(45:27):
Right.
And that's kind of like theworld that we're living in is that
it's daytime all the time.
And we're like, hello.
No, we have the night.
No, we have the luteal phase.
This is actually our call to rest.
And rest can be so productiveif you actually really can calm the
nervous system, find yourchill, get that parasympathetic activation.
(45:49):
Then your next cycle is goingto be so much better.
And your cycle after that isgoing to be so much better because
you listened to your body whenit needed.
Chill, which so much of usdon't do that, you know.
Right.
But then the body reacts tothat period pain, extreme pushing
(46:10):
of ourselves, not listening,having one more cup of coffee.
The days before our periodwhen our body is like, mm, I'm ready
to chill, calm down.
And then the coughing punches,the progesterone in the face.
Yeah.
Our bodies remember that youdidn't chill the last year and a
half.
So in my coaching practice, Ireally try to focus on tiny adjustments
(46:35):
that people can possibly make.
What would that look like toblock out your calendar?
Whatever day of your menstrualcycle is really hard.
You know, you've already beentracking your cycles.
Some people it's the daysleading up to it.
Some people it's day one orday two, whatever that day might
be.
You start small and just blockout the afternoon.
(46:57):
With that afternoon, you aregoing to consciously rest.
You are going to plan to planyour rest.
Plan your rest.
Starting small, something likethat can have huge rewards in the
future.
This is what the menstrualcycle continues to teach me and it's
what I want to continue toteach other people.
(47:17):
We're heading to the beachthis Evening for the 4th and the
weekend, and I think it's aperfect time to unplug.
Yeah.
Especially since I'm goinginto that phase.
Yeah, go into that phase.
Bring yourself a good book,bring your sleeping mask and earplugs
so that you can really takegood care of your rest.
(47:39):
Sleep hygiene is reallyunderestimated as well.
Making sure that you have, youknow, the things you need to block
out the light and block outthe sound is also super important
for self care and taking.
Taking care of yourself.
Essentially your body justasks you, can you take care of me
at this time?
I'm literally bleeding.
Just take care of me.
(48:01):
And then you're like, no, I'mgoing to power through and do all
these things.
Okay, I'll just be here then bleeding.
I'll be here.
It's going to hurt.
Thank you so much for comingonto the podcast.
This has been such a.
There's so much more we cantalk about.
(48:23):
How can people find you ifthey want to work with you?
Yeah.
So I have a website calleddanny-health.com and I am going to
be launching my coaching practice.
Towards the end of the year,I'll be working with clients one
on one either in like 12 weekprograms or I am working on developing
(48:45):
a course right now that peoplecan take that's at a lesser price
point.
I also work with companiesinterested in menstrual health innovation
and want to kind of understandall of the nuances because I said
there's just so much to understand.
And so I really love beinglike the second hand gal to companies
(49:05):
in their innovations or their futures.
You know, trend forecastingdepartments, if they are wanting
to create any kind of eithermenstrual products, period tracker
apps, anything around the cycle.
You can find me on Instagramat Danidani.
Health people can also email me.
I love connecting with people.
(49:27):
I have office hours as well ifpeople want to talk.
I have a lot of aspiring youngpeople who want to get into the field
that always ask me, you know,what I should be plugging into.
And I'm so generous with theconnection they have because I want
to share the resources I have.
You know, I'm like, oh, youcould get in touch with this person.
(49:48):
Oh, you should talk to this person.
You're creating that app.
She's creating a similar app.
You should definitely talk.
And I'm always wanting to belike a cupid so you can consider
me like a menstrual healthcupid as well.
Yay.
Hey, thank you so much.
Yeah, it was such a pleasure.
I'm really happy that we gotthe opportunity to talk about menstruation.
Maybe if there's otherquestions that come in from this
(50:10):
episode and other certainthings that people want to.
Ooh, you know what would be cool?
We could do a Q and A episodeif anybody like reaches out.
So if you do have anyquestions, please shoot them over
because I think that would bereally cool to have a follow up.
Yeah, definitely.
It's been such a pleasure.
Thank you for hosting and ofcourse, let me know if there's anything
(50:31):
at all that I can do or followup with this.
Thank you for listening tothis episode.
If you'd like to learn moreabout today's topic and guest, head
over to the show notes linkedin the description of this episode.
There you can get access toresources, links and ways you can
(50:52):
get involved in the pursuitfor global health.
And if you loved this episode,don't forget to write me a review
on Apple Podcasts and rate thepodcast on Spotify.
It helps me get in front ofmore people just like you and continues
to elevate the causes.
We are so passionate about.
I'll see you in the next one.
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