Hello everyone and welcome back to Misseducated, with me, your host, Tash Doherty. This week we’re diving into the subject of unexplained infertility with Dr. Amy Beckley, the founder and CEO of Proov. In this episode she shares with us how her experience of having 7 miscarriages fueled her to create the leading products in at-home fertility and hormonal testing kits.We talk about how she bootstrapped the company and brought these sorely-needed femtech products to market from an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, of all things. We’ll also touch on how an over-the-counter medication with a $10 co pay could save you from having to do a $40,000 round of IVF if you’re trying to conceive, and also the surprising impact that the reversal of Roe v. Wade has had data centers and the security around women’s health data. So please, enjoy! 🎧 🎙️Links to things mentioned in the episodeDr. Amy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybeckley/Proov’s website: https://proovtest.com/Some of Amy’s research on cancer: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233749462_IL-1b_promotes_stemness_and_invasiveness_of_colon_cancer_cells_through_Zeb1_activationProov’s Indiegogo Campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/at-home-ovulation-double-check-test#/Proov’s announcement of their Series A: https://techcrunch.com/2021/12/15/proov-raises-9-7m-series-a-for-at-home-ovulation-testing-platform/Proov’s Crunchbase profile: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/proovtestArticle on Japan’s population crisis: https://thediplomat.com/2023/01/japans-population-crisis-nears-point-of-no-return/Iceland’s maternity and paternity leave policy as of 2017: https://www.leavenetwork.org/fileadmin/user_upload/k_leavenetwork/country_notes/2017/Iceland.FINAL.2may2017.pdfArticle on Proov’s decision to switch data centers following the Roe v. Wade decision: https://www.protocol.com/enterprise/proov-fertility-data-google-awsDr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh, The Egg Whisperer: https://eggwhisperer.com/about/Dr. John Park, Carolina Conceptions: https://carolinaconceptions.com/about/doctors-providers/parkDr. Josh Klein, Extend Fertility: https://extendfertility.com/about-extend-fertility/Dr. Gary Levy, My Fertility Cloud: https://myfertilitycloud.com/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

Tackling Unexplained Infertility with Dr. Amy Beckley, Founder and CEO of Proov

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit misseducated.substack.com“Excuse me, Madam,” the porter said to me, “Tennis shoes are not allowed in the Breakfast Room.”My cheeks flashed red hot. I looked down in horror at my painted Converses. They were a black mark against the opulent, rouge-velvet carpet. My beating heart was almost audible over the tinkling piano music and the gentle clanking of fine China tea plates coming from inside. I sensed Will hovering over my shoulder. I tried to soften the blow,“Not even to just look around—”“Certainly not,” the porter replied, “We’ll be happy to seat you on another visit, should you be capable of adhering to the dress code.”

Sex in The London Library

I interviewed Zuzana (Cahojova) Brixová, the Director of Gender Equality for Slovakia, just over a year ago. I feel so lucky to have come across her story; it is one of incredible strength and perseverance. Here, Zuzana tells us about her experience of domestic violence, and how she overcame an abusive marriage to find her freedom and her voice as a lawyer. She now drives key policies in her country to protect women and children from violence.As a practicing Catholic, Zuzana also shares her fascinating opinions on how false interpretations of religion can place more value on protecting something (sanctity, virginity or marriage) rather than someone. Her inspiring story is one of true transformation. I hope you enjoy it! p.s. For survivors of trauma and abuse, I want to reiterate that overcoming a terrible situation and forging a new, safer life for yourself is more than enough. Post-traumatic growth is mostly a myth, and surviving trauma itself is enough. You are enough.Read more about Zuzana’s background here.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

On Domestic Violence, Christianity & Women Leaders

Enjoy this reading of my latest piece, "How to Adjust to the Real World After College". Thank you to my friend Alara Gebes for requesting the article, and Deniz Kecik and Alan Jinich for their feedback.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

How to Adjust to the Real World After College

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_clinicDiscover Misseducated:Insta: @thisismisseducatedhttps://misseducated.substack.com/--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

How a near-death experience birthed a startup, with Anu Sharma, Co-Founder & CEO of Millie

"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--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

A Note By Tash: The Man Version of Me

A fable for single women who want to find a partner. Disclaimer: you can be single and perfectly happy. Read along at tashdoherty.com--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

A Note By Tash: The Old Stone and The Desert

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--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

Entering The Void of Cults with Amanda Montell, Author of "Cultish"

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--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

Quick Update! The real reason why I haven't been making podcast episodes...

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. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

On Porn & Life Lessons from a Serial Entrepreneur, with Lilly Sparks, Founder and CEO of Afterglow, a porn company for women

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--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

How is Porn for Women Different? Sexual Wellness, Discovering Our Desires and The Ethics of Pornhub, with Lilly Sparks, Founder and CEO of Afterglow

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--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

Film & Storytelling For The Next Generation, and Becoming a Mum During COVID, 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--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

The Secret Screenwriter of Silicon Valley: What The Tech Bros Got Wrong, with Serena Schuler, creator of Makeshift Society

(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: @misseducatedpodGet your own Lioness: www.lioness.ioFollow Anna and Lioness on Instagram here: @annaisaverage @lionesshealth--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

How to Have More & Better Female Orgasms, and Smart Sex Toys, 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: @misseducatedpodGet your own Lioness: www.lioness.ioFollow Anna and Lioness on Instagram here: @annaisaverage @lionesshealth--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

Scaling a Sex Toy Startup in Silicon Valley: The Challenges of Building and Fundraising in Sextech 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: @misseducatedpodGet your own Lioness: www.lioness.io Follow Anna and Lioness on Instagram: @annaisaverage @lionesshealth--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

How I became a Mechanical Engineer and Sex Toy Company Founder, with Anna Lee, co-founder of Lioness.io

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! 🤗--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

Diary Of A Cam Girl: Job Hunting, Dating & Webcamming

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 💕--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

What Is It Like To Be A Cam Girl? The Start, The Attraction & The Following

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🤗--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

Heterosexual Power, Sugaring & Slang: What Ruby can teach us

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: @misseducatedpodEnjoy!🤗--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/misseducated/support This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit misseducated.substack.com/subscribe

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