Our skin is our biggest organ and what we put on it can have ramifications for different aspects of our health. If you’re thinking more about the impact of the makeup, skincare and personal care products you use, my guest on today’s episode of Period Story shares a lot of great information. Sjaniël Turrell is a holistic makeup artist, nutritional therapist and conscious consultant who focuses on a natural and sustainable approach to beauty.

In this episode, Sjaniël shares:

• How the intensity of lockdown exacerbated the perimenopause symptoms she was experiencing
• How perimenopause made her get clear on what she does and doesn’t have capacity for
• The direction her nutritional therapy qualification took her work as a makeup artist
• Why we need to think differently about the makeup, skincare and personal care products we use
• Why fragranced products, including cleaning products and menstrual products are the number thing in your home you should consider switching
• The natural and organic brands she recommends, including RMS Beauty, Ilia Beauty, Madara, Kosas and Ere Perez
• Natural and organic makeup brands (and tips!) for dark-skinned and mixed race women
• And of course, the story of her first period

Sjaniël says that if you’re looking at switching to natural, organic and sustainable versions of the products you use, do the best you can afford in that moment and do the best you can with what you have.

Thank you, Sjaniël!

Get in touch with Sjaniël:

Website

Instagram

A transcript is available on www.periodstorypod.com

Get in touch:

IG @periodstorypod

Email

periodstorypod@gmail.com

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How do you navigate a career as a corporate lawyer while also coping with severe insomnia, severe brain fog, feeling disconnected from your body and dealing with medical gaslighting? I get into this and more on this week’s episode of Period Story, Sonja Rincón, the founder and CEO of Menotracker, an AI-powered menopause app that transforms symptoms into personalised insights and support.

In this episode, Sonja shares:

• What happened when she was dismissed by her gynaecologist after seeking treatment for brain fog and a frozen shoulder
• When she stumbled upon the term medical gaslighting and how it made her understand that she wasn’t alone in her experience
• What to do if you feel like you’re not being taken seriously by your doctor
• How 1 in 10 women have left their jobs due to the impact of perimenopause and menopause symptoms, and a quarter of women have considered quitting due to the impact of these symptoms at work
• How her experience led her to found Menotracker
• Cultural differences in conversations around menstruation and perimenopause across Europe
• How tracking symptoms in perimenopause and menopause can help you have a better understanding of your health
• The importance of understanding what any health app you use does with your data
• And of course, the story of her first period

Sonja says that when you use an app, it’s really important that you really check what they are going to do with your data, especially any health related data. If you’re not comfortable, don’t use the app.

Thank you, Sonja!

Get in touch with Sonja:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

A transcript is available on www.periodstorypod.com

Get in touch:

IG @periodstorypod

Email

periodstorypod@gmail.com

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On this week’s episode of Period Story, I had the pleasure of speaking to Ruby Raut, a Nepali-born environmentalist and the co-founder and CEO of WUKA, the UK’s first reusable period underwear brand.

In this episode, Ruby shares:

• How she ended up using reusable period products from her very first period
• The impact of the Nepalese practice of chhaupadi and how she felt treated almost like an untouchable
• How menstrual taboos impacted her education and how she was able to go on to gain a degree in environmental sciences
• Why having access to clean toilets and water can impact your experience of menstruation
• The impact of single use menstrual products in the UK - over 200,000 tons of disposable tampons and pads are sent to UK landfills each year
• How using one pair of period underwear replaces 196 pads or tampons going to the landfill
• Why Wuka supports grassroots sports and how they got 6,000 girls into sports in 2025
• And of course, the story of her first period

Ruby says that when we talk to young people about periods in a way that is accessible to them, we take the embarrassment out of these conversations.

Thank you, Ruby!

Get in touch with Ruby:

Website

Instagram

TikTok

A transcript is available on www.periodstorypod.com

Get in touch:

IG @periodstorypod

Email

periodstorypod@gmail.com

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What happens when you’ve been gaslit by the medical system for 10 years? This is what I explore in my conversation with Eshani Kaushal, ex corporate and tech lawyer turned entrepreneur, and the founder of Moodee — the GCC’s first period care and hormone health platform.

In this episode, Eshani shares:

• Why it took her over 10 years after being diagnosed with fibroids to have them properly dealt with
• What happened after she had emergency surgery to remove a 12 centimetre fibroid
• How a PCOS diagnosis increased her health anxiety
• How the idea for Moodee emerged and the leap of faith it took her to leave her corporate career
• What it’s like to run a femtech business in the UAE
• Why she thinks women’s health isn’t a luxury, but rather infrastructure that helps economies thrive
• How Moodee will bring access to clean, non-toxic science backed health and menstrual products for women across all ages and stages in the Middle East
• And of course, the story of her first period

Eshani says that women’s health isn’t a niche when we’re 50% of the world’s population. She says that when you fund women’s health, you enable women to do business

Thank you, Eshani!

Get in touch with Eshani:

Website

Instagram

TikTok

LinkedIn

A transcript is available on www.periodstorypod.com

Get in touch:

IG @periodstorypod

Email

periodstorypod@gmail.com

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I really admire the tenacity of my guest on today’s episode of Period Story. I speak with Nora Cavani, a molecular biologist with a background in pharmaceutical engineering, an award winning gut health expert and founder and CEO of Alba Health, a company on a mission to prevent chronic diseases through gut health science.

In this episode, Nora shares:

• What happened to destroy the credibility of the PCOS diagnosis she received when she was a teenager
• How coming off the pill led to the biggest transformation of her life
• How getting told that she would need to use cortisone for the rest off her life to manage severe eczema led her to the extensive research that resulted in her becoming an expert in the gut microbiome
• How an anti-inflammatory diet and a focus on removing any gut microbiome disrupters transformed her gut health, virtually eliminated her eczema and led to regular periods
• The terrifying moment that led to an endometriosis diagnosis and what she thought when a doctor told her that nutrition had no impact on endometriosis
• What inflammation actually is and the three types
• Why our gut microbiome is so important, even as babies
• What led her to start Alba Health, a gut microbiome testing company for children from 0 - 18 years old
• And of course, the story of her first period

Nora says our gut microbiome is very important at any age, but even more important when you’re a child because this is when microbes seed the gut and form the gut microbiome. She says that what happens in these first years is critical because these microbes help train the immune system, form and educate our metabolism and they affect our brain and brain development.

Thank you, Nora!

Get in touch with Nora:

Website

Instagram

A transcript is available on www.periodstorypod.com

Get in touch:

IG @periodstorypod

Email

periodstorypod@gmail.com

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I had such a fangirl moment on today’s episode of Period Story! I speak with Alanna Collen, a science writer, biologist and author of 10% Human: How Your Body’s Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness. Her book inspired much of my interest in gut health, so it was a thrill to speak to her for the podcast.

In this episode, Alanna shares:

• The vasovagal events that made her periods extremely painful and unpleasant
• How the Depo Provera injection changed the trajectory of her career
• Her background in evolutionary biology and how she ended up doing a PhD on bats
• How an encounter with ticks in a rainforest led to her research on the gut microbiome
• Why she thinks going to basics with nutrition is better than any gut health tricks or hacks to feed your gut bacteria
• Her views on fibremaxxing and why we would all benefit from eating more fibre
• How the trillions of microbes in our bodies support our immune system
• The connection between our gut microbiome and obesity
• A sneak peek into her next book, which has been 10 years in the making
• Why the weight set point matters and how we can influence it
• And of course, the story of her first period

Alanna says that we can look after our microbes by eating as many plant foods as we can and building up the amount of fibre our body is used to tolerating.

Thank you, Alanna!

Get in touch with Alanna:

Website

Instagram

Her book: 10% Human: How Your Body’s Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness

A transcript is available on www.periodstorypod.com

Get in touch:

IG @periodstorypod

Email

periodstorypod@gmail.com

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On today’s episode of Period Story, I speak with Kate Smith, the CEO and co-founder of Hey Girls CIC, a multi-award-winning social enterprise dedicated to ending period poverty in the UK.

In this episode, Kate shares:

• How she went from looking forward to her first period to feeling overwhelmed by shame once it arrived
• How her experience of teaching menstrual education has helped her feel more in control of her period
• Why the luxury of menstrual product choice is so important and empowering
• What the term period dignity means and why it’s connected to period equality
• The importance of non-stigmatising and inclusive language when it comes to menstruation
• The work Hey Girls are doing to help reduce period poverty, including the 42 million products they’ve donated into the community since 2018!
• Why you should buy from social enterprises and why Hey Girls was set up this way
• The work Hey Girls have done with This Girl Can to share low cost ways to move during each phase of the menstrual cycle
• And of course, the story of her first period

Kate says Hey Girls doesn’t want anyone to be held back by their period, whether that’s speaking up in a meeting or participating in sports. She says that menstruation shouldn’t be a barrier to being equal in society or feeling dignified.

Thank you, Kate!

Get in touch with Kate:

Hey Girls… Website

Pads for Dads Kit

Instagram

A transcript is available on www.periodstorypod.com

Get in touch:

IG @periodstorypod

Email

periodstorypod@gmail.com

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Season 11 of the podcast is here! I’m excited to share that my guest for episode 100 (!!!) of the podcast is Dija Ayodele, the acclaimed skin care expert, entrepreneur, founder of the award winning Black Skin Directory, author of the global bestselling Black Skin - The Definitive Skincare Guide and co-founder of CLICKED!, a confidence boosting AI powered skin health tool built to make skincare less confusing.

In this episode, Dija shares:

• How having a drama-free period proved to be helpful after her family moved to London from Sierra Leone in 1994
• The Julia Roberts Pretty Woman moment she had when she was trying to get her first book, Black Skin published
• What she would add into the book, four years on
• Why she’s begun coaching other skincare professionals who are the start of their journey
• How her new business, CLICKED! will help you understand your skin, your skincare concerns and give you back control over your skin
• And of course, the story of her first period

Dija says that every time you do things your way and in a way that’s authentic to you, you will never fail. She says that even if you don't get the results that you were expecting or wanted, you're still going to get the results that you need. Dija says that with core self-belief, you will still be able to succeed.

Thank you, Dija!

Get in touch with Dija:

Dija Ayodele

Black Skin Directory

Black Skin - The Definite Skincare Guide

CLICKED!

Instagram

Substack

A transcript is available on www.periodstorypod.com

Get in touch:

IG @periodstorypod

Email

periodstorypod@gmail.com

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