Solving Period Poverty with Heart, Humour and Connection - Olie Body

Nov 14, 2019

Olie Body is the Founder of 'Wā Collective', an Edmund Hillary Fellow, an award winning storyteller, TedX speaker and social entrepreneur.

 

Aged 19 Olie moved to India to work on a project that provided bright reusable menstrual kits to the local school girls who otherwise would not have access to such things and were therefore house bound during their period.  In 2016 aged 22, Olie began to question the system at home in New Zealand  and through research found many New Zealanders were also struggling to afford the cost of how we manage menstruation. Through 'Wā Collective' Olie is crafting a paradigm shift by shaping what it means to inhabit this earth consciously, and with a pair of ovaries.  'Wā Collective' produces and provides menstrual cups with every cup sold subsidising a cup for students in need,
keeping our next generation in class and stopping period poverty from adversely affecting education in New Zealand.

In this interview we discuss a wide range of topics from period poverty, the research Olie has done around this, Olie's personal story and her own struggles with burnout and with showing her vulnerability to others, which she still admits feels very uncomfortable.

 

To find out more about Olie and 'Wā Collective' go to

 

www.wacollective.org.nz

 

Watch Olie's TedX talk here https://youtu.be/wvWwya59QYc