Episode 324: The Business of Vaginas with Kimba Williams, CEO of Kushae

There’s no way to sugar coat this week’s episode; this week we are talking about vaginas and down-there-care with Kimba Williams, CEO and cofounder of Kushae. After becoming a mom, she realized things were acting up *down there* and in wanting to detoxify all the products she was buying for her own growing family, she knew she needed natural products to care for herself too. She tells us about her products, bad & good bacteria, and why choosing the right people to help grow your team can really make a difference in the long run. Kimba’s bubbly personality makes this topic easier to talk about, and she shares so much great information that we need to be sharing with all the women closest to us! 

More about Kimba: Kimba Williams is an award-winning pharmaceutical sales executive turned best-selling author, national speaker, and award-winning entrepreneur as the CEO and Co-founder of Kushae - a line of award-winning natural feminine health and hygiene products and has been featured in Forbes, Vogue, Essence, Black Enterprise, NBC News, and more. Kimba is known far and wide as the PitchPro, having won over 15 business pitch competitions and successfully raising over $1.3 Million dollars doing so…becoming one of the first 100 Black women to ever achieve this tremendous feat. 

Kimba is a 3x entrepreneur having had successful businesses in business consulting - teaching women how to pitch for millions as she has; as an education consultant - where she’s helped hundreds of parents and first-generation college students access and navigate the world of college admissions; and currently with Kushae - a line of natural, non-toxic feminine health & hygiene solutions that support women from menstruation to menopause. Created alongside her co-founder, Board Certified OB/GYN, Dr. Barb, Kushae is currently sold online at kushae.com and in stores nationwide, including Whole Foods Market

Though a native New Yorker of Jamaican heritage, Kimba is now a resident of South Florida and an avid traveler, having been to 5 of 7 major continents several times, with a special love for countries in Africa. She enjoys being a wife, mother to 3 sons, loves afrobeat & reggae music, and continues to inspire first-generation students to pursue their collegiate dreams as she once did.

Our Conversation with Kimba

What is Kushae?

Kushae = coochie

“Fixing one kushae at a time.” - Bricia

Bricia’s favorite Kushae product: Feminine Deodorant Spray

What is BV?

The business of vaginas

Kushae products

Team bare, team trim, team au natural

How big is the company?

The retail process

“I’m absolutely imbalanced and that’s okay. Not my ph, but 🤷🏻‍♀️😂.” - Kimba

Why its okay to be selfish

Pick or tip of the week

Bricia is just full of tips for blonde hair! She needed a silk pillow case and found this one from Amazon. Highly recommend for good hair, good skin, and a very luxurious sleep.

Paulina is still working on renovating parts of her home and she has been wanting a smart home for a while. She found these light switches from Kasa Smart home that make it easy to access your lights from your phone.

Links

Shop for down-there products on kushae.com. Take the quiz on their website to see what products are right for you! You can also follow the brand on Instagram @therealkushae

You can also follow Kimba on Instagram @Kimbathenaturaldiva and Twitter @williams_kimba

Episode 301: Big Feelings, Changes & Body Positivity: A Girl’s Puberty Talk with Dr. Marni Sommer

“Big feelings are taking over our house!”

The time has come… for the dreaded puberty talk! 🤭 Lucky for us, our guest is making the conversation a little easier. Dr. Marni Sommer, professor at Columbia University and co-author of “A Girl's Guide to Puberty and Periods” sits down to share more about her book and how parents shouldn’t be embarrassed to talk to their kids about growing up and bodily changes. For many of us growing up, the only source of information was from our girlfriends, but that doesn’t have to be the case for our daughters.She explains that the secret to talking to your daughters, nieces or whichever young girls who look up to you in life about the changes their bodies are going through is by being a source of safe, factual information. Dr. Marni also shares tips on handling big feelings, surprise periods and reassurance that these changes are normal and happen to everyone. We’re taking all the notes for the changes awaiting us with our daughters!

More about Dr. Sommer: Marni Sommer, DrPH, MSN, RN, is a Professor at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University and co-author of A Girl's Guide to Puberty and Periods. Dr. Sommer has been working in global health for twenty-four years. Her areas of expertise include conducting participatory research with adolescents, understanding, and promoting healthy transitions to adulthood, the intersection of public health and education, gender and sexual health, and the implementation and evaluation of adolescent-focused interventions.

Dr. Sommer founded Grow and Know, Inc. in 2010. Her current research focuses on the intersections of gender, health and education for girls and boys transitioning into adulthood around the world. Her research with girls in Tanzania formed the basis of the original book project. She continues to conduct research and advocacy on puberty, periods, and education globally.

Our Conversation with Dr. Marni

Fear of Change

First Period Stories

Where do we start? When does it start and what topics do we cover?

How can we include dad in on this conversation?

How to talk about sex and naming all the parts

What signs should we look for when it comes to puberty and periods?

Period Kits

About the Book

A Girl's Guide to Puberty and Periods is a body-positive illustrated book that helps girls ages 9-14 understand what to expect about puberty and everything that goes with it. An important point of differentiation from other popular puberty books is that this new offering provides “my first period” stories and advice from diverse girls across the U.S. to help young women understand that everything they’re going through is normal. Parents will also appreciate that the book incorporates factual health content and practical tips developed by adolescent health experts at Columbia University. The goal is to empower girls to feel more confident and knowledgeable about their changing bodies. The book is available for purchase now via Amazon and other major book retailers.

Links

You can get your copy of A Girl's Guide to Puberty and Periods on Amazon now.

Check out agirlsguide.org to learn more more about the book and check out videos like the one below!

Episode 273: Let’s Talk About Sex, Fertility Awareness, and that Time of the Month with Cindy Luquin of Howl at the Womb

We LOVE to talk about sex! But really, as taboo as it is in the Latinx community, it’s so important that we talk about sexual wellness. This week we talk to Cindy Luquin, founder of Howl at the Womb. We talk about why she created her business, plus we touch on fertility awareness, unprotected sex, basal body thermometers and so much more. These can be uncomfortable topics to discuss but Cindy makes it easy and informational, and we know we’ll be having her back for another chat soon!

Our Conversation with Cindy

What is Howl at the Womb?

Fertility Awareness Methods and Body Literacy

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How do you feel when it’s your time of the month?

1. Your basal body temp: Use a basal body thermometer to check your basal body temperature (resting/core temperature). You need to track this throughout your cycle because it shifts. When a spike in temperature happens, this is when you ovulate.

2. Check for cervical mucus, AKA wetness in your undies.

3. Your cervix: Insert your fingers into your vagina and check the position of your cervix. It changes positions at different times in the month.

Using apps to predict your cycle

• Read Your Body app

• Kindara app

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Methods to NOT conceive

Pulling out 🙈

Using a basal body thermometer (like this one)

Cindy’s Liberated Lovers course

When do you start preparing for menopause?

Introducing our little ones to their boundaries and teaching consent

Links

Learn more about Cindy and her Liberated Lovers course at HowlAtTheWomb.com.

Follow Cindy on Instagram @howlatthewomb and be on the lookout for announcements for workshops, classes, etc.

Episode 247: Rediscovering Our Intimacy & Sexual Wellness in the Midst of a Pandemic with Rebecca Alvarez Story, Sexologist & Founder of @TheBloomi

Let’s talk about sex, baby! It is so important to be able to reconnect with ourselves during this tough time so why not start with our bodies. This week we talk to Rebecca Alvarez Story, Sexologist and founder of Bloomi, who comes to remind us of the benefits of tapping into our sexual wellness & intimacy. We cover all things sexual wellness; why stressors from covid could be affecting your sex drive, we talk about the importance of establishing a healthy relationship with sex from a young age, healthy masturbation habits, the cutest sex toys and much more. This is a super fun, informational episode we are sure you'll enjoy!

Before the episode, Paulina mentions that this episode has been previously recorded prior to Bricia’s

More about Rebecca Alvarez Story:  She is a proud daughter of Latinx immigrants and also focuses on diversity initiatives that empower other womxn of color. Rebecca graduated from UC Berkeley with a major she created, Women's Health & Sexuality, and holds a Master's in Sexuality Studies where she studied Female Desire and Arousal. In 2018, she founded Bloomi, the first marketplace for intimate care products with sex-positive content. Rebecca and the Bloomi team will be launching products focused on naturally increasing pleasure and arousal in 2020.

A respected Sexologist and social impact entrepreneur, Rebecca works with womxn, couples and teens to help them navigate a variety of sexual wellness topics and find holistic ways to maximize their sexual agency. She has been named a “Latina Trailblazer” by Forbes for normalizing conversations about sexual wellness. Rebecca currently lives in Oakland, CA with her husband and two daughters.

Our Conversation with Rebecca

Addressing our intimate relationships with our partner & ourselves in quarantine

The Covid baby boom

What can we be doing to de-stress with our partners when it comes to our sex drives?

What is Bloomi?

How to address sexual wellness & privacy with your child

Healthy masturbation tips

Rekindling intimacy with your partner and yourself

How to boost your sex drive

Crystal sex toys

How to choose the proper toys for yourself

Links

Follow Rebecca on Instagram @rebeccaalvarezstory and Twitter @_rebeccaalvarezs  

Follow Bloomi on Instagram and Twitter @theBloomi. Sign up for their newsletter for weekly tips, new clean intimate care products, and more on thebloomi.com.

A few of the sex toys we mentioned:

Crystal sex toys

Yoni Eggs - Are they good or bad for me?

Elvie Trainer

Ora 3

Luna Smart Beads

Arousal Oil