A Lesson on Equity. Period. With Laura Strausfeld

Voice Lessons Podcast

Together with 5 plaintiffs and the law firm Emery Celli Brinkerhoff, Laura Strausfeld and Jennifer Weiss-Wolf filed a class-action lawsuit against the state of New York for taxing tampons. Since 2016, their organization Period Equity has helped 20 states repeal the tax. In this episode, Laura talks about the winding creative road that lead her to this fight and asks women to join together and speak up about taboo subjects that women are uniquely poised to solve. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

• How being a twin tied into Laura’s career steps and her mission to get women to collaborate.
• Laura’s non-toxic perfume business started as an accident and turned into a passion.
• What Laura learned about environmental risk in the perfume business and how these government regulations started her interest in manufacturing practices.
• Why creatives often become unexpected entrepreneurs and how they succeed.
• What is period equity and why does it matter?
• States collectively make over $150 million annually from taxing menstrual products.
• The tipping point that got the legislature to take action against the period tax in the NY state case in 2016.
• Women were excluded from medical research until the 1980s and early 1990s.
• We need to overcome being embarrassed about the issue of menstruation and use our voice to ask for necessities such as menstrual products.
• Scotland has made period products free.
• The goal of Period Equity and how women can get involved in their own communities.
• How litigation can alleviate menstrual inequality and fund free products for those in need.
• Whey menstrual companies aren’t doing their job when it comes to fighting for period equality.
• Why are most of the world’s billionaires male?
• Why feminine leadership often represents those who don’t have a voice.