Misseducated
By Tash Doherty
#tech #femtech #thefemalebody
Insta: @thisismisseducated
MisseducatedNov 06, 2020
How a near-death experience birthed a startup, with Anu Sharma, Co-Founder & CEO of Millie
After a sturdy career in consulting and healthcare, Anu Sharma knew she wanted to make a difference. She just wasn't sure what kind of difference she wanted to make. Yet when she gave birth to her daughter three years ago, nothing could have prepared her for a near-death experience. Anu used her in-depth health knowledge to take herself back to the ER post-partum, effectively saving her own life.
In this episode, Tash Doherty interviews Anu about her career and the physical danger she experienced in giving birth. We'll also explore how that experience inspired Anu to start Millie, a new healthcare startup dedicated to reimagining patient care for birthing people everywhere. Millie offers digital services, and has recently opened their first clinic in Berkeley, California.
Misseducated is super excited to be able to support Anu, her team and Millie's work.
Find out more about Millie:
https://www.millieclinic.com/
Insta: @millie_clinic
Discover Misseducated:
Insta: @thisismisseducated
https://misseducated.substack.com/
A Note By Tash: The Man Version of Me
"If I were a man, I would..."
This was a prompt given to me by my writing teacher, Ann Randolph. It sparked one of my most-read pieces on my blog, and helped me discover my narrative voice. Enjoy!
Read along at tashdoherty.com
A Note By Tash: The Old Stone and The Desert
A fable for single women who want to find a partner. Disclaimer: you can be single and perfectly happy.
Read along at tashdoherty.com
Entering The Void of Cults with Amanda Montell, Author of "Cultish"
In memory of Laura Johnston Kohl, a Jonestown survivor who went on to join another cult, Synanon.
Cults are a topic I find endlessly fascinating. But I wanted to know: how are cult leaders able to subtly and gradually influence their followers' beliefs over time?
To find out more, I spoke to writer, language scholar and podcast host, Amanda Montell. Amanda's new book, "Cultish", explores the language of cults and the techniques used by all kinds of organizations, including SoulCycle and Instagram, to build stronger in-group affinities. Are they cults or not? Stay tuned to find out.
In this episode, we learn all about Amanda's dad’s experiences growing up in the cult Synanon, the cult of the patriarchy, and why the phrase “boys will be boys” is more insidious and problematic than you’d expect. We also trade stories on how Scientology tried to recruit us.
Follow for more:
@amanda_montell
@thisismisseducated
Quick Update! The real reason why I haven't been making podcast episodes...
Trigger Warning: Rape, sexual assault, violence and sexual violence discussed.
I recorded this update a couple weeks ago. I've been going back and forth between sharing the true story of what happened to me. So, here is the honest truth. I'm so grateful for your patience, and thank you for coming to my TED talk.
Why have I not published an episode in 2 months? Well, you're about to find out. Stick around, and I'll be back with longer-form conversations with some amazing, inspiring people soon!
Much love,
Tash
On Porn & Life Lessons from a Serial Entrepreneur, with Lilly Sparks, Founder and CEO of Afterglow, a porn company for women
I'm not the only woman who watches porn. According to Pornhub's 2019 Annual Review, 32% of Pornhub's viewers are women, accounting for about 13.5 billion video views per year. But Pornhub has tried to lump us all into a single category, "Popular with Women", and we don't quite fit.
Enter: Afterglow, and it's inspiring and authentic founder, Lilly Sparks. In this episode, I wanted to deeply understand the woman behind the idea. Why did Lilly decide to start Afterglow? How did she turn her lack of resources and access to good education about sex into an enormous market opportunity, that even Pornhub couldn't crack?
Tune in to find out.
P.S. If you really want to know, the most popular category on Pornhub for women in the United States in 2019 was lesbian porn.
How is Porn for Women Different? Sexual Wellness, Discovering Our Desires and The Ethics of Pornhub, with Lilly Sparks, Founder and CEO of Afterglow
Another episode not for my family or future employers...
Here I chat with Founder and CEO of Afterglow, Lilly Sparks, about what it's really like to build a porn and sexual wellness site for women. I really see the incredible potential in what Lilly is building, because I've watched a lot of porn over the years, but I'm always bombarded with things that don't interest me: big boobs, other people's perfectly manicured vaginas, etc. We also discuss a recent New York Times story, "The Children of Pornhub", and the ethics around porn. Are we all terrible feminists? Is there another way to make porn that doesn't feel so uncomfortable to watch, and doesn't create a mismatch between our sexual interests and our ethics?
Tune in to find out!
Check out Afterglow: https://xoafterglow.com/
Their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xoafterglow/
Their LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xoafterglow/
The NYTimes article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/opinion/sunday/pornhub-rape-trafficking.html
Film & Storytelling For The Next Generation, and Becoming a Mum During COVID, with Serena Schuler, creator of Makeshift Society
This week, I’m chatting again with Serena Schuler, award-winning writer, director and series-creator. I ask her all about how she got the crew and cast together for her current and most ambitious project, Makeshift Society, which is an Original TV Comedy Series about a female founder. We chat about about the importance of diversity in the cast, what it was like to have a baby during the coronavirus, and how having a daughter has given her even more motivation to pursue her storytelling. We also geek out on Jewish writers in the early 20th century, specifically, Yiddish feminist authors.
Enjoy! 💕
To find out more visit:
Makeshift Society: https://makeshiftsociety.com/
Serena's website: https://www.serenaschuler.com/
Follow our insta: @misseducatedpod
The Secret Screenwriter of Silicon Valley: What The Tech Bros Got Wrong, with Serena Schuler, creator of Makeshift Society
This week my guest is Serena Schuler, an award-winning writer, director, and series creator. She's piloting the first episode of her new series called Makeshift Society, an Original TV Comedy Series about a female founder. I liken Makeshift Society to the female version of the HBO show Silicon Valley, so I’m really excited to share this conversation I had with Serena today. What I also love about Serena’s story is that she worked on screenplays and scripts, writing secretly for years before she decided to become a filmmaker. Here, I ask her all about that journey, how her experiences of working in tech influenced her storytelling, how she got her cast and crew together and how she fundraised for her increasingly ambitious film projects. We also talk pretty openly about the douchebags of startup bro culture, and I share some of my experience getting fired.
Enjoy! 💕
To find out more:
Makeshift Society: https://makeshiftsociety.com/
Serena's website: https://www.serenaschuler.com/
Follow our insta: @misseducatedpod
How to Have More & Better Female Orgasms, and Smart Sex Toys, with Anna Lee, co-founder of Lioness.io
(Warning: We discuss sex in this episode).
Anna Lee, co-founder of Lioness.io, has learnt a thing or two about the female orgasm from building a smart sex toy company. Here, Anna and I have an open and honest discussion about sex, masturbation, squirting and female orgasms, which frankly I'm a little nervous about putting out into the interwebs. Be prepared to learn a lot more about different types of female orgasms, and also how to help you or your female partners (if you have any) have better ones.
If you're a family member of mine, or you know me in a purely professional setting, don't listen to this episode. You've been warned!
Follow us on Instagram: @misseducatedpod
Get your own Lioness: www.lioness.io
Follow Anna and Lioness on Instagram here: @annaisaverage @lionesshealth
Scaling a Sex Toy Startup in Silicon Valley: The Challenges of Building and Fundraising in Sextech with Anna Lee, co-founder of Lioness.io
How would you pitch a sex toy company to investors? Well, Anna Lee, co-founder of Lioness.io, is here to tell us. Whether it's hosting a booth at the Consumer Electronics Conference in Las Vegas, or fundraising from manels of venture capital investors in Silicon Valley, Anna and her team at Lioness.io have come up against every barrier in the book on their path to building a successful sex toy startup.
Also, aside from Lioness and a couple other female-founded companies, sex toy companies have mostly been built by men. How did these men know what should go into developing a vibrator? Anna has some telling insights.
Follow us on Instagram: @misseducatedpod
Get your own Lioness: www.lioness.io
Follow Anna and Lioness on Instagram here: @annaisaverage @lionesshealth
How I became a Mechanical Engineer and Sex Toy Company Founder, with Anna Lee, co-founder of Lioness.io
Anna is anything but your typical mechanical engineer. She's the co-founder of Lioness.io, a smart sex toy company, which among other things, enables people with vaginas to track and measure their orgasms. Here I ask Anna all about her experience growing up, her path to becoming a Mechanical Engineer when she was studying at UC Berkeley, and how she got into building Lioness. Enjoy!
Follow us on Instagram: @misseducatedpod
Get your own Lioness: www.lioness.io
Follow Anna and Lioness on Instagram: @annaisaverage @lionesshealth
Diary Of A Cam Girl: Job Hunting, Dating & Webcamming
In this episode, I continue my conversation with Lola, a cam girl and recent college graduate, as she looks for a job during the pandemic. I wanted to know whether she expected to still be camgirling after all these years when she first started doing it age 18. Is this kind of supplemental income sustainable? How has the pandemic impacted her cam work? How does it overlap with her romantic relationships? Stay tuned to find out! 💡
In the mean time, lots of love to you all. Feel free to send me your questions and curiosities to @misseducatedpod on Instagram.
Bye! 🤗
What Is It Like To Be A Cam Girl? The Start, The Attraction & The Following
What is it like to be a cam girl? To find out, I spoke with Lola, a recent college graduate who started as a cam girl when she was a freshman as a way to supplement her income from her various student jobs. In this first episode, I ask her about how and why she got into camgirling, how being a cam girl enabled her to explore her own sexuality, and how she built her following on Chaturbate. Enjoy!
p.s. Sorry for publishing this on Christmas Day. I have been releasing an episode of MissEducated every week for 8 weeks and don't want to break my streak!
Send any questions and curiosities my way: @misseducatedpod on Instagram.
Happy holidays everyone 🥰 Much love 💕
Heterosexual Power, Sugaring & Slang: What Ruby can teach us
This episode is the final part of my conversation with Ruby, a college graduate, nanny and stripper who has kindly shared her experiences of sex work with us. Thank you, Ruby, for coming on the show!
Here, we talk more about the dynamics of power between heterosexual men and women when it comes to strip clubs. Before this conversation, I didn’t know what sugaring was, so I ask her to define it here and tell us about her sugaring experiences. She also shares her personal aspirations now that she’s been a sex worker, and some advice and slang tips to help us get around the strip club.
Do you know any professors out there who are doing research, policy work or anthropological studies on sex work? If so, please get in touch with me! Ruby is interested in pursuing a PhD on this, and MissEducated would love to make that happen.
Follow us on Instagram or DM us with your questions @misseducatedpod
🤗
College Student, Nanny, Stripper: The Balancing Act
How can one person embody these 3 personas? In this episode, I ask Ruby all about how she balanced her life as a college student, nanny and stripper. We talk about the labor rights of sex workers, when it comes to things like job contracts. She’ll also reveal some of the threats to her personal safety and the mistreatment that she’s faced when doing “out of club” work, to give you a heads up.
Have any follow up questions or feedback? DM me on Instagram: @misseducatedpod
Enjoy!
🤗
Entering the World of Sex Work, with Ruby
Meet Ruby, a young woman who entered the world of sex work when she was a college student, living in Los Angeles. Ruby has since done a number of forms of “body work”, such as dancing at a strip club, using the platform Seeking Arrangement for sugaring, and also informal “out of club’ work with male clients, which we’ll learn is more dangerous for her personal safety.
In this first episode, I ask her how her alias Ruby came about, why she decided to get into body work and what it was like when she first started dancing at the strip club.
Enjoy!
Got follow up questions for Ruby or me? DM us on Instagram: @misseducatedpod
🤗
Advice & Recommendations from the Femtech expert, with Christina Vanvuren of Femtech Media Group
This is the last part of my conversation with Christina Vanvuren, founder of The Future of Femtech and Femtech Media Group. Here, she tells us all about the skills and techniques she used to scale her organization and get sh*t done, and how she organized one of the first conferences on femtech. You'll also get the inside scoop on all our favorite startups and products in femtech. Enjoy! 🥰
Insta: @femtechmediagroup @femtechfocus
#femtech
#29 How to educate yourself, and your daughter, with Christina Vanvuren of Femtech Media Group
Welcome to the second part of my conversation with Christina Vanvuren, founder of the Future of Femtech! Here we discuss how becoming a mum helped Christina develop a broader understanding of the problems we face in women's health, particularly when she went through postpartum depression but had no idea what it was at the time. We also ask a very important question: how should we educate our daughters? Christina shares some personal and funny stories about how she has been educating her daughter, Journey, about her body.
Insta: @femtechmediagroup @femtechfocus
#femtech
#28 Journey to a Passion for Women's Health, with Christina Vanvuren of Femtech Media Group
I sat down with Christina Vanvuren, founder of Future of Femtech, which is now part of Femtech Focus. Here, she tells us about how she left her corporate job, where she was miserable, and began her journey which would lead to discovering her passion for women's health. What inspired her to launch one of the first conferences devoted to femtech? Stay tuned to find out!
Insta: @femtechmediagroup @femmys @femtechfocus
#femtech
#27 Sexism in Silicon Valley: Raising Money as a Female Founder, with Kristina from Kegg
In the last part of my conversation with Kristina, Co-Founder and CEO of Kegg, we talk about the cold, hard challenges for startups in the femtech space, and the discrimination female founders constantly face in trying to raise money from investors in Silicon Valley.
Kristina has built Kegg, a medical device that helps women track their fertility and strengthen their pelvic floor muscles. Her customers (which includes me, by the way) love her product. But it is incredibly challenging for Kristina to raise money from mostly male investors, who are uncomfortable with the idea of a product that goes inside the vagina, and that solves a problem that they don't understand the need for.
Kristina has learnt some important lessons from her mum and her female investors on how to succeed. She shares all her wisdom with us here! In this conversation, neither of us is holding back, so you’ll get a real look at what we think of the state of fundraising for women in startups.
Enjoy!
🤗
Insta: @kegg_tech
#26 Building a Product for an Intimate Place, with Kristina from Kegg
Join us for the second part of the story of how Kristina built Kegg: a medical device that both helps us understand our fertility and strengthen our pelvic floor muscles (which is great for intimacy 😉).
Here, I ask Kristina about the process of developing such a beautifully designed product that goes into your vagina. In just a few short years, she has brought this product to market, made revenue and has given women an incredible non-hormonal option for fertility. She tells us here about attending a sex tech summit in Utah, and how her team dissected sex toys to understand how these products are made. What she uncovers will shock you.
Enjoy! 😍
Insta: @kegg_tech
#25 Origins of a Female Founder, with Kristina from Kegg, a device to track your fertility using cervical mucus
Kristina is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kegg, a 2-1 fertility tracker that also helps you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Like many founders in the Femtech space, her story of how she got started is an unusual one. Here, I asked her about what it was like to grow up in Slovakia, her experiences working in big tech companies and startups, and how she made her way to San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
She offers some great words of wisdom to young, ambitious girls on how to graduate without student debt, and pursue causes that you are really passionate about. Talking to Kristina was very inspiring for me, so I hope you enjoy!
You can find out more about Kegg and Kristina at www.kegg.tech.
🥚🔬
#24 Fertility 2.0: Egg Freezing, IVF and Embryo Testing
From all the research I was doing about egg freezing and extending my fertility so that I can pursue my career, I wanted to know: what is the oldest possible age I can have a baby?
To find out, I spoke with Dr. Fahimeh Sasan M.D., founding doctor at Kindbody, a clinic based in Manhattan that is at the cutting edge of fertility technologies and women's health services. Here, she shares with us some fascinating real-world examples of why more women are freezing their eggs, and why more couples are genetically testing their embryos.
Dr. Sasan did her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC and has been practicing and delivering clinical excellence for 12 years. She was rated one of NY Times Top Doctors in 2016 and 2017 and is passionate about helping women better understand their fertility and their options for the future.
Please give her a virtual round of applause to thank her for joining us 👏
#23 Egg Freezing: The New Path to Getting Pregnant
Egg Freezing is expensive. Then why are people doing it? Valerie Landis, founder of Eggology Club and Eggsperience.com is here to tell us her fascinating story.
I got some feedback on the last episode I did on Egg Freezing, and wanted to incorporate it to make the story better. Feel free to give me your feedback, and I hope you enjoy!
Welcome to MissEducated
MissEducated is about unlearning the misguided rules from society that govern our lives. With me, your host, Tash Doherty 👋🏼. Wherever you're from in the world, and whatever culture you grow up in, your society hands you a pile of rules and traditions. While some of these rules are good, helping to protect us as we conform, others of them are wrong and are outright damaging. I give the example from my own life of growing up in fashion-conscious London, England, where the ideal of female beauty was to be as skinny as possible and many of my classmates developed eating disorders as a result. Follow us and MissEducated, as we unlearn our society's misguided rules, and discover fascinating alternatives about technology, relationships, success and the female body that can enable us to live in our own ways.
#22: Egg Freezing: The New Path To Becoming A Parent | Valerie Landis from Eggsperience.com and Eggology Club
Egg freezing is expensive, so why are more people doing it? What is it like to have your eggs frozen? And would you be okay with donating your eggs? Valerie Landis, founder of Eggsperience.com and Eggology Club, joins us to discuss all these questions. She shares how this fascinating technology has transformed the path to becoming a parent for those who are lucky enough to access it.
Learn more at @eggsperience_
Join the Pussyhood family on Instagram: @pussiehood
🥳
#21: Zoe Mendelson -- On Pussypedia, And How To Speak Your Mind and Get Your Way
Tash talks to Zoe Mendelson (@youngzokeziah), co-curator of Pussypedia, about how to speak your mind and get your way in the working world.
Pussypedia is a free, bilingual encyclopedia of the pussy made for you to understand, that was written by a community of over 200 contributors. Zoe curated Pussypedia with the visual artist María Conejo and the designer, developer, and educator Michael Yap. Zoe is a journalist, researcher, information designer, and content strategist, and her writing has appeared in Fast Company, WIRED, Hyperallergic, Slate, Next City, and elsewhere. She joins Tash virtually from Mexico City.
Discover Pussypedia and it's very useful 3D toggle tool at www.pussypedia.net, and follow @pwordpedia on Instagram!
😍
#20: The Alabama Abortion Bill: One Year On | Ashley from Birmingham, Alabama
What do people think about birth control, sex and workplace sexism in Alabama? Ashley is here to tell us all about it. Also, this week marks one year since The Human Life Protection Act was passed in Alabama, a law which criminalizes the vast majority of abortions in the state, including those in the case of rape or incest. Big thanks to U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson for blocking it with an injunction!
Check out Episode 53 of The Naked Student podcast, featuring Sam here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6zNVRYr9pz8aQDAuMpNVeZ?si=TXHZeqlQQ_mZhXo0xX5d
Find us on Instagram @pussiehood :) We're very excited that this is our 20th episode!
#19: My Grandmother, Nonie: Religious Fundamentalists, Liberals and Family Secrets
This is Pussyhood, Quarantine Edition! About a year ago, I went to visit my grandmother in Los Angeles, and I got way too curious. I asked her all kinds of questions about her upbringing as a Seventh-day Adventist, her sex life, her love life and her political beliefs. She shares with us just how far women have come in the last couple decades. She also reveals things to us that she has never told anyone else before...
#18: Lady Doctors & Birth Control | Dr. Jenn and Dr. Erica from The V Word Podcast
This week, our two favorite lady doctors, Dr. Jenn and Dr. Erica, take to the stage 😍. They host The V Word Podcast, where they deep dive on womxn's health and reproductive policy issues. Check them out! They're amazing. Here, we ask them about their personal journeys becoming gynecologists and getting birth control. What they say will surprise you!
Special shoutout to Terilyn for joining us 🤗.
The V Word Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-…rd/id1342089208 👂✨
#17: PCOS & Poetry | Rosie's Pussy Prologue about Motherhood
This episode gets real up close and personal. Rosie shares her prologue with us about PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome), which she performed at The Pussy Prologues spoken word and poetry event that was hosted at The Center in San Francisco in March 2020. That night, a group of incredible womxn performed their own versions of The Vagina Monologues that they had written, giving the groundbreaking cultural performance a modern update to include topics such as bisexuality, masturbation, PCOS and sexism in the workplace. It was one of my favorite nights of the year. Please enjoy!
#16: Traditional Herbs & Period Pains | Lulu Ge from Elix Healing
A Profound Tale Of Life, Death and IVF | Anne's Story
Reimagining The Speculum | Rachel Hobart & Fran Wang from Yona Care
Tash sits down with Rachel Hobart and Fran Wang, a visual designer and mechanical engineer duo who are redesigning one of the most outdated technologies used on vaginas everywhere: the speculum. Along with their previous team members, Sahanna Kumar and Hailey Stewart, this team has created Yona Care. They're doing amazing work to redesign the speculum, which has a dark history and needs some serious updating since its first patent was approved in 1892. Check out their work here: https://yonacare.com/ and follow them on Instagram and Twitter here: @yonacare. 🍑💪🏽👩🏽⚕️💕
Men & Tampons | Florence Kwok & Gideon Nweze from Cherie Organic Tampons
Cherie's goal is to reduce our planet's plastic menstrual waste and to give back to girls in need. They do this by using entirely compostable packaging and 100% plastic-free products, and partnering with the nonprofit, PERIOD. Support their upcoming Kickstarter campaign, and check them out at www.cherieorganic.com.
The Smart Birth Control Pill Case | Aagya Mathur from Aavia.io
Join me for a conversation with Aagya Mathur, Co-Founder and CEO of Aavia.io. Aavia is a new smart birth control pill case and hormonal health company. I'm giving you early access even though they're still testing in beta because Aavia is going to be a game-changer for anyone taking birth control pills 💕 Check them out at www.aavia.io
Finding The Right Birth Control Method Is Frustrating | Erika's story
Erika is unlucky when it comes to trying different kinds of birth control. She experiences all the side effects under the sun. But what will her husband say when she asks him if she can get her implant removed?
The Alabama Abortion Bill | Sarah from Birmingham, Alabama
Ovarian Cysts & The Fertility Awareness Method | Katy's Birth Control Journey
Parents & Birth Control Access in High School | Emily's Story
Emily's dreams of college are almost cut short when her mom refuses to let her get birth control and she has an unplanned pregnancy. If this episode doesn't convince your parents to let you get birth control, I don't know what will!
Does Choosing A More Effective Birth Control Matter? | Alex's Story
Alex switches from the pill to the NuvaRing, and she uses the NuvaRing correctly and consistently. Is that enough for her to avoid an unplanned pregnancy in college?
IUD Insertions: The Patient's vs. The Nurse's Experience | AJ's Story
An Unplanned Pregnancy & Traditional Family Values | Ketnia's story
Is It Okay To Just Pull Out? | Sasha's story
Sasha tests her chances using the pullout method with her boyfriends for 3 years. Will she get pregnant?
Is It Okay To Miss A Pill? | Jenna's Story
Young, Having Fun & Using Birth Control | Maya's Story
Maya tells us her story of using the implant, waiting to find the right guy to have kids with, and putting herself first for the foreseeable future 👍
No More Period Pain | Tash's Story
I'm Tash! Here I tell my birth control story, and share why I wish I'd found my perfect birth control method years before :)