Nadya Okamoto is the co-Founder of August, a lifestyle period brand working to reimagine periods to be powerful. She is also the author of the book PERIOD POWER: a Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement, and founder and former Executive Director of the nonprofit organization, PERIOD. Outside of her work in the menstrual health space, Okamoto is also a social media creator with over 4m followers on TikTok, producer and host of the podcast, Tigress, a mental health advocate, and known as a Gen Z marketing expert. She recently graduated from Harvard College, class of 2021.
Elevate Your Brand is the #1 marketing podcast for entrepreneurs and “wantrepreneurs” looking for insider tips and secrets from the most exciting new and growing brands in Los Angeles and the US at large.
Each week, entrepreneurial special guests join Laurel Mintz, founder and CEO of award-winning marketing agency Elevate My Brand, to discuss the marketing failures and successes that have brought their brands to the next level. Learn from real-life experiences and be inspired by leaders in your industry about how smart digital and experiential marketing can elevate your brand.
Contact us: https://www.elevatemybrand.com/contact
Stay connected & DM us feedback on the podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatemybrandla/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevatemybrandla/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elevatemybrand
Nadya Okamoto is the co-Founder of August, a lifestyle period brand working to reimagine periods to be powerful. She is also the author of the book PERIOD POWER: a Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement, and founder and former Executive Director of the nonprofit organization, PERIOD. Outside of her work in the menstrual health space, Okamoto is also a social media creator with over 4m followers on TikTok, producer and host of the podcast, Tigress, a mental health advocate, and known as a Gen Z marketing expert. She recently graduated from Harvard College, class of 2021.
Elevate Your Brand is the #1 marketing podcast for entrepreneurs and “wantrepreneurs” looking for insider tips and secrets from the most exciting new and growing brands in Los Angeles and the US at large.
Each week, entrepreneurial special guests join Laurel Mintz, founder and CEO of award-winning marketing agency Elevate My Brand, to discuss the marketing failures and successes that have brought their brands to the next level. Learn from real-life experiences and be inspired by leaders in your industry about how smart digital and experiential marketing can elevate your brand.
Contact us: https://www.elevatemybrand.com/contact
Stay connected & DM us feedback on the podcast:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatemybrandla/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevatemybrandla/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elevatemybrand
00:00.81
elevatemybrand
Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of elevate your brand I of course and your host laural mins and I'm joined today by Nadya Okkamoto and Nick Jane co-founders of August. Thank you so much for joining us today.
00:14.12
nadya
Great to meet you.
00:17.86
elevatemybrand
Ah, excited to talk about all things period products we like to have very uncomfortable conversations on this call and the hope that we make them normalized right? things like periods menopause anything femtech related feminine hygiene. All the things aging. Love to have these conversations. So with that in mind share with us. What August is all about okay.
00:37.34
nadya
Yeah I can start off I'm Nadya I'm one of the co-founders of August and we are a direct-to-consumer period care brand that also just launched in Target last year and our mission is really to dismantle the stigma around periods. And just make better for you better for planet period care. And yeah, it's been a really fun journey over the last few years
00:59.26
elevatemybrand
So there's a ton of products and brands in this category but 1 of the things that I think stood out so much to me when I tried the products and when I look at the brand overall is your clear demographic focus can one of you chat a bit about you know is that who you are is that was that intentional in your targeting. Share with us a little bit about about the building of the brand and.
01:19.29
Nick Jain
Yeah I can I can start on this I think Nadya and I both come from the world of of Gen Z Marketing and we both are you know genzers ourselves and I think that for us part of the impetus for starting the brand was recognizing that none of the brands out there really spoke to gen z in a meaningful way. Um, and I think that as a result of that you know from our research, a lot of you know, young people really didn't feel like they could connect um with any of the brands in the space. Um, and so as a result of that you know that that was a lot of the the impetus for why we thought August was necessary in the white space that we were looking to fill.
01:55.73
elevatemybrand
I totally agree with that I think it's been a very um stale category for a long time I think flex did a good job of introducing things like the cop etc but from a branding messaging and targeting perspective I completely agree there really isn't a brand until August. Had a very clear focus on that gen z audience. So what does that mean for those olds like me listening in and who obviously aren't a part of that generation I would love to understand like. What is it about the August brand that does speak to the gen z audience is it the color theory messaging is it. All of all the above what does marketing to Gen Z actually look like.
02:33.74
nadya
I think that it's probably a combination of all the above I think you know to Nick's point a lot of what we have built into the August brand is really authentic to who we are and our beliefs around periods right? Which is that periods are natural powerful make human life possible. And for far too long menstruators have been made to feel ashamed and silenced about their periods and so much of what we're trying to bring to the conversation is this element of taking the shame out and also celebrating the fact that our bodies are healthy and they're working and there's nothing to be ashamed of And I think that when you look at you know the marketing so-called language around how you think about reaching gen z a lot of it is around authenticity and I think that you can really feel that from you know, Nick and I as co-founders to our team and you know the love that we pour out through the brand and bringing it to life. But also I think a lot of it goes into. Really having our values come to life through everything we do right? So in caring about building a more sustainable future. We really think about sustainability as we make decisions around product development and supply chain and you know carbon footprint and all those comprehensive things. Um, when we think about transparency. We really bring that to life and how we build out our content. How do we talk about our product. How do we share the story of our team even and so I think this element of authenticity bringing our values to life and also just. Truly believing in changing the conversation around periods is what you see in the August brand and then also it's how we get the message across right? We are very known for having very viral entertaining educational content on everything from how we built the brand to. What is a period How do I use a tampon and we are a very social media first brand and I think that in an industry that has historically shied away from public commentary or discussion around periods. Um, you know it is a very recent thing in the last let's say decade that Period brands have become very social first consumer brands and we're really excited to be a part of that.
04:39.28
elevatemybrand
Totally god there's so much to unpack there. My lord um first I want to talk about the stigma piece because I think it's so critical that we call that out and obviously again as a different generation. And I was always that generation that like stuck your tampon in your sleeve when you went to the bathroom and you were like really shy about it and comfortable and now that I run a couple of companies and I have I'm in the leadership position I think it's my duty to have big bold conversations. You know I couldn't show up to meeting the other day and some of them was like why and I was like. I got my period at 3 in the morning and it just ruined me for the next day and so I couldn't make the meeting and that meeting was with a guy and I was like very clearly and very intentionally in that conversation not to make them feel uncomfortable but to your point to destigmatize the conversation around it that my generation certainly has historically been. Very very shy and very uncomfortable around. So I I do want to just say thank you for having that be so much of the focus of the brand first um and then the authenticity conversation is so critical I hate the word authentic I think it's so played and so overused I wish there was another word for it. But you can really feel that energy through the brand through the colors through your messaging etc. What I find really remarkable about the August brand in particular I think it's really that so millennials were really about making better purchase decisions in terms of.
06:04.51
elevatemybrand
Categories that have a social good or an impact element I believe what your generation is doing and especially what August is doing is starting that mission from the ground up. It's not just about picking a product that then happens to donate to a cause or a product that just happens to have a good social element to it. You're really building and have built this brand from that point first from that authentic we need to build a better planet and this is our role and responsibility is that a fair statement.
06:31.70
nadya
Yeah I would absolutely say that's a fair statement and I mean I think that it kind of also the element of impact is really related to I think Nick in my backgrounds too right? You know we're both in our mid 20 s now but started our sort of first Career activation or exploration around the age of 16 I started in the period advocacy space particularly focused on tackling period poverty talking about issues like the tampon tax and nick similarly and he can talk more about this started in the social advocacy space as well around you know diversity in the education system and How to include young voices and thinking about you know next Gen Curriculums and education and so I think that you know to your point really when you look at impact and even inclusivity those aren't things that we added as strategies to market once we launched it was actually the opposite right? We started from the lens of social advocacy.
07:19.10
elevatemybrand
So right.
07:26.22
nadya
And I think that was really the impetus of our our careers in the first place which means that when we come to the table to start a company from the very beginning impact is in that Dna ah from the founding origin.
07:36.70
elevatemybrand
Absolutely and you answered my next question which was a little bit about your history. So Nadia you've shared a bit about yours Nick I'd love to hear a bit more about your advocacy work. It's so important and exciting to to hear how someone goes from this conversation around. Advocacy inclusivity et cetera to build a brand that then has those same roots.
07:59.73
Nick Jain
Yeah, um, absolutely my background as not even mentioned started kind of in in tangentially to the education space I got really interested in trying to understand what you know education policy was when I was in high school um, ended up interning at a nonprofit. Um, where I specifically focused on how to reduce religious and racial discrimination in ah in our education system. Um, and in that role you know I I found myself in a lot of conversations where I was often the intern at the back of a room. Um, where you know Political leaders were discussing things that exclusively impacted you know 15 16 17 year olds and I started realizing that I was usually the only person under the age of 50 in that room and I would be intern who wasn't allowed to say anything. Um and I started like you know it. It was.
08:41.84
elevatemybrand
Ah, yeah.
08:46.50
Nick Jain
Really an eye-opening moment to me to start to recognize that a lot of the reason why decisions don't end up working is because people that are making those decisions aren't actually including their target audience in that decision-making process. Um, and so obviously you know it was introduced that in kind of this social advocacy space. Um, but ultimately you know I started seeing it everywhere and and 1 of the big ways that I saw it was in the brand and marketing space. Um, and so my first company that I started when I was 16 was really focused on how to you know help you know brands reach younger consumers. Um. Ah, through the lens of how do you start by understanding them and I think with that a lot of the work that we did was helping brands understand that piece around authenticity. It was exactly what you said, it's not enough to just say oh I'm you know a fortune 500 company who's going to opt to donate. You know. A few thousand dollars to a cause because I think that's what you know young people are going to respond to yeah exactly it's it's way more about how do you infuse that into into the very Dna of what you're doing. Um so that.
09:41.40
elevatemybrand
Right? It's optics at that point. Yeah.
09:53.12
Nick Jain
It's not that you are caring about this thing or acting like you care about this thing to reach an audience. It's it's that it's really part of who you are and and the ethos of what you're trying to build um, but I think that like 1 thing that that I very quickly realize is that it's very challenging if not impossible. You know to come into a fortune 500 company and instill that right in in large part it has to be built from the very beginning and has to be intertwined with like the very purpose for creating. You know the company or or you know organization that you're building. Um, and I think that you know I I don't get a period to not grow up talking about periods. But. When you know we ended up doing some work in the period space I saw that like this space in particular was one where that was not being done. Um and you know where brands were perpetuating these stigmas and weren't having real conversations around periods. Um, and it really made me realize that there was a huge white space and opportunity to build something that like you know.
10:34.10
elevatemybrand
Yeah.
10:47.73
Nick Jain
That like had that those that ethos and those values. Um, and that really spoke and connected to um that younger that younger consumer. Um.
10:54.59
elevatemybrand
So important and impactful. We do need to take a really quick break. We'll be right back.
11:05.60
elevatemybrand
Thanks for sticking with us and if you're just joining the conversation I am chatting with Nadia Nadia and Nick who are the co-founders of August before the break Nick you were sharing a bit about your journey into the period space and the and the consumer space. And as you were talking about you being an intern in the back of that room of the fortune 500 companies that don't really get a fuck what we have to say right? Even my generation. They don't care but certainly younger and younger generations they're the policy makers. They're the the decision makers and they simply aren't listening to. What the folks like you and us are um, needing and to your point again. It's really got to be and and infused in the Dna conversation from jump um, but I did interrupt you I think you had something else you wanted to add before we we broke.
11:55.60
Nick Jain
The only thing I was going to add is I thought you made a really interesting point around impact. Um and around like you know the idea of of some of these millennial focused brands kind of coming out and saying you know we're going to be a brand that that happens to donate to a specific cause and I think that like one of the the values that nadie and I shared when we were starting august. I actually wrote my senior thesis. Um at Princeton on period poverty and on you know, the fact that there are millions of people throughout the world that you know just don't have access to period care and it's actually a major reason why you know young menstruators miss school.
12:25.14
elevatemybrand
Totally.
12:27.10
Nick Jain
Um, which you know has all sorts of implications for you know, perpetuating cycles of poverty and and and the like and I think that um that you know 1 thing that that I touched on in that thesis was that you know it wouldn't take that much financially for the major period care brands to. You know, step up and do something that actually you know was able to impact those millions of people. Um, but you know that's not something that they're necessarily willing to do um and I think that you know that's why as we started August a lot of the decisions we made were were actually built around that being.
12:47.63
elevatemybrand
Right.
13:01.68
Nick Jain
You know a core part of our ethos and and philosophy and kind of proving out that like you can have a purpose driven company that is truly purpose driven. Um, where that's like a part of the reason for why you're building that organization.
13:12.80
elevatemybrand
Yeah, yeah, we call we call it the quadruple bottom line like we will not invest on the fabric side and anything that isn't good for people purpose planet and profits and to your point you can have it all especially in this day and age and especially when you're so thoughtful about building a company from the ground up with that in mind. So. Again, Thank you for the work that you're both doing in this space. Um Naja I Want to understand like what to how did you take that leap from being in the space and understanding the need and then saying we're going to start a company because that's a a really big leap.
13:43.39
nadya
Yeah I mean I honestly I think that my friendship with Nick and kind of learning the work that he was doing in the Gen Z Marketing space was a really big part of making that jump. You know as I mentioned I started about ten years ago in the nonprofit space I founded this nonprofit called period.org. That's still going and growing under new leadership. But. Really focused on distributing period products that were donated from the major brands to people in need and so we basically were building this network that was distributing millions of products a year and then also working with student advocates on the ground um all over the country to do things like advocate for a specific local to national legislation that was around. Making period products more accessible in schools shelters prisons taking down the tampon tax which is an unjust sales tax on period products considering them non-essential goods meanwhile products like Roguega and viabra are considered medical necessities and ten years ago when I started yeah 10 years exactly
14:36.23
elevatemybrand
Um, such bullshit ah makes me mad when you say it? yeah.
14:40.41
nadya
Um, but ten years ago that tax was in forty states now it's in 21 states so we've made a lot of progress but we still have 21 states to go but you know I was really focused on the advocacy side and there were so many different angles. Um to this issue that kept you know, reeling me in to be. You know, pretty obsessive about the issues from. You know how do you talk about sustainability when the products that we're used to using are really not that sustainable. How do you think about transparency destigmatizing periods so we can talk about related conditions like endometriosis uterine fibroids. And yeah, I've been very obsessed with the issue and then my. A sophomore year of college I published my debut book period power a manifesto for the mensrual movement that came out with Simon and Schuster and then right around that time I started working with Nick at the company he started where a lot of those major period care brands that I had before then was just working with as donors to the nonprofit became clients. And I was specifically trying to you know change the system from within trying to push them to be more inclusive more bold more social first more gen z-friendly, more sustainable and I think that we Nick and I bonded over kind of a collective frustration of really wanting to see what we were advocating for come to life and that's. Really what I think August is August is the answer to so many pain points that we felt just working within the industry. You know I'm 10 years in this period specific industry. Um and everything from running the nonprofit to doing national advocacy to writing a book and doing the research on the industry consulting within the industry. Um, really led me to start August as the answer to a lot of those pain points.
16:15.60
elevatemybrand
And listening to you talk about it I am so hopeful. It makes me so happy because you know you you hear the other side of the story so often, but having conversations with folks like the 2 of you makes me so incredibly hopeful that they're. People like you building a brighter future and a very intentionally brighter future again to the point we were making earlier something that's not just performative, not just optics and certainly not a top down conversation. Um it. It just warms my heart. Um, now that said it has not been an easy journey I am sure so we have a ton of entrepreneurs and what we call entrepreneurs listening in so what are some of the lessons that you both have learned along the way in building a consumer brand.
16:59.50
nadya
Nick do you want to go first.
17:02.32
Nick Jain
Yeah I mean there there There are so many? um I think that I think you know ah I think probably the biggest lesson that that I can I can speak to is is that like you know to that point that you made around like it really isn't It's It's very challenging. Um, I think you know there there are so many reasons you know through which it's challenging. There's you know the logistical you know, supply chain components here. There's you know, obviously figuring out how to reach your target customer trying to figure out who your customer is I think is is you know, arguably the most Important and hardest thing that a brand can do um and um, but I think that I think that one of the the thing that I've learned or one of the things that I've learned the most is that the hardest part is honestly just you know, never giving up. Um, I think that it's It's very easy to get to a point and say well you know this one. This thing isn't working or I don't know how you know how to to you know, get to the next goal point the next goal post that I need to get to um but I think ah I'm of the belief that that the best. Ah, companies are are you know succeed or fail based on you know if their founders um, are able to push through those moments or if their founders you know, Ultimately, you know, ah end up giving up. Um, and so I think there's usually a way to pivot and there's usually a way to figure Out. You know how you get. From you know the point that you're at to the next point. Um, but it takes a lot of fortitude and it takes you know it takes constantly reminding yourself why you got into this to begin with.
18:37.72
elevatemybrand
I love that. Um, it's about grit and hustle not to a fault though because I think there's an an opposite end of that that again, my generation and generations above me saw which is like hustle at all costs. But we know that that is not a healthy way to exist in life. But I do think that there's something to be said for. Having that tenacity and grit and I'm you know sixteen almost years into my first company almost two years into my second company. This is a hard journey. It is not for the faint of heart if you don't have that hustle mentality and you are not fully committed to your mission and to that point that you are. Mission driven first like if you're just out there to but get a paycheck. Go get a w two. Don't try and be entrepreneur because this shit is a hard right.
19:16.56
Nick Jain
Yeah I mean I I think it's like that's and I think that is a mistake that that you know certain people definitely make I think that like starting a company is not what you should do if you're you're trying to if your primary goal is to make a lot of money right? like I think that you know there are a lot. There are a lot of companies that End up being very successful and then you know their founders end up. You know, being very financially successful. Um, you know as a result but I think that you know it's it takes a very long time. It takes a lot of work. There's a lot of loneliness. Um, and um, it really you know you really shouldn't. Should only start that company if it's something that you know you really believe in um, that you really think is going to going to make the world a better place.
19:56.64
elevatemybrand
Um, yeah, you can't not do it which it sounds like both of you are so clear on this path and again it's super inspiring. We're going to take another quick break. We'll be right back.
20:14.44
elevatemybrand
Thanks for sticking with us chatting with Nada and nick co-founders of August where did the August name come from.
20:21.39
nadya
Oh this is one of my favorite questions. So August means majestic dignity and when Nick and I were brainstorming names for the brand we wanted something that was first of all gender inclusive so not too feminine and we also wanted something that was really meaningful and when we're thinking about. What we wanted to stand for the word dignity kept coming up over and over again and so when we learned ah that August also meant majestic dignity. We just really fell in love with it. Um, you know for fulfilling those 2 factors that we were looking for. And yeah we we. It's become like kind of a whole Identity for us as a brand and been so amazing to see how it resonates with people.
21:00.71
elevatemybrand
Clearly is resonating because you are in what were you telling me before we jumped on Naja Four hundred Target stores.
21:06.71
nadya
Yes, we launched last year into 400 target stores around the country.
21:10.51
elevatemybrand
So that is incredible. Can you talk a little bit about that journey because I know again a lot of the especially consumer brands that listen in want to know how do you get on Bigbucks reto shelves and I also want to be very clear. It is a very challenging and expensive.
21:24.10
Nick Jain
Yeah, very challenging and very expensive I think for us, we launched pretty much exclusively direct-to consumerer in 2021? Um, and we grew very quickly direct to consumer. Um, but I think 1 thing that we realized pretty early on probably about six or eight months in um, was that we had a lot of customers coming to us and telling us that they loved what we stood for. They loved what we were building but ultimately ah you know they they wanted to buy period care in stores. Um, and I thought that was very interesting because again our customer is very young but you know there. Their preference was still to you know, go to Target or go to you know their local grocery store and buy their period products when they got their period um, and so it made us realize that in order to meet our customers where they were we needed to have an in-store retail presence. Um. Ah, so after we kind of did our diligence around where we thought you know what we thought would be a good fit for our brand. We ultimately started having conversations with Target um around launching um and I think you know as you mentioned that process took probably a year and a half um between when we started having those conversations and when we ended up launching.
22:27.44
elevatemybrand
Oh.
22:32.74
Nick Jain
I Think the biggest factor that that contributed was the fact that like we are our audience and our customer base is very young. Um, and I think for a lot of big box retailers. They're right now trying to figure out how do they? How do they bring new new customers into store. How are they reaching you know a younger audience. Um, and so I think as you're as you know from the brand perspective as you're thinking about expansion into retail and talking to retailers a huge component of it is not only you know do you have a differentiated product that has product market fit but also is you know. Is there going to be some value add to the retailer for them putting you on shelf and for target the value ad was that we were going to bring a younger customer into stores. Um and and kind of an incremental guest. Um, as as they would put it um to to the Category. Um. But I think for every brand That's a little bit different.
23:25.12
elevatemybrand
Totally love that. Um, thank you for that insight? Um, okay, my gosh we are running out of time and I want to make sure that we get to our quick fire. So let's um, let's just get into it shall we this is ah, whatever comes up top of mine and we're goingnna go naji neck naja nick so back and forth. Um, I think my big question actually my first big question is what is the 1 thing that you want um, older generations to understand and know about your generation.
23:50.52
nadya
I would say that I would want people to understand that we are very diverse in our ways of thinking I think that there often is this sort of caricature of Gen Z that you see in the news. But We're so different across this one generation. You know I'm considered geriatric gen z I'm 26 ah nice is yes, my ah, my sister who's 5 years younger than me thinks that I am not at all part of the same generation right? And if you look at 5 years below her right.
24:14.44
elevatemybrand
I'm an elder millennial. So I feel that.
24:25.78
nadya
I think technology is changing so quickly. Politics is so personal that you really can't make so a ton of generalizations around gen z and I think that's really important to remember um I know I'm not going rapid fire but the last thing I'll see is that Gen Z.
24:42.10
elevatemybrand
Yeah.
24:42.21
nadya
Also now aging up right? Jen Alpha is right here the oldest gen alpha is thirteen years old and so I think that when we think about youth marketing right? Jen Alpha is becoming the new focus.
24:51.98
elevatemybrand
Got it Nick what's your perspective on this.
24:54.75
Nick Jain
I I think that for me 1 of the most important things is is understanding that like I think there's there's a tendency to put gen z in this box of like oh you know gen z needs businesses and people in positions of power to be perfect and I think that the. The idea of cancel culture has has perpetuated that in a lot of ways I think in reality like young people are looking to you know people in positions of power and and institutions that that hold you know power to to you know, just be honest about the processes that they're on I don't think that it's it's necessarily like. Take sustainability. For example I don't think that there's necessarily a widespread expectation that every brand is perfect and the most sustainable thing in the world. But I think there is an expectation that you know every brand is trying their best to get there. Um and is being transparent about the efforts that they're taking um and so I think a lot of people. You know, look at gen z and they say well I can't reach that audience because I'm not x and in reality I think what gen z isn't expecting you to be any 1 thing you know, young people are really just looking you know to make sure that you're putting your best foot forward and that you're taking them along with that journey.
26:05.51
elevatemybrand
I think that's there all right now. Let's do the quick fire. Um naja what was the last thing that made you cry oh Nick how about you.
26:11.77
nadya
I Saw the Broadway musical suffs.
26:19.33
Nick Jain
Ah, ah I think I think just you know after having having a long long stressful day.
26:28.12
elevatemybrand
There Ah Nadya Pet peeves. What's your biggest pet peeve.
26:33.90
nadya
Um, when people say like never sleep kill it hustle till you die.
26:42.43
elevatemybrand
Ah, hu culture got it Nick how about you? yeah.
26:46.53
Nick Jain
Um, I think the idea that that purpose and profit have to be 2 different things.
26:50.28
elevatemybrand
Yes, not yet what was last concert you went to oh Nick how about you oo that's a good one Nadia and how do you do with stress.
26:55.90
nadya
I was just like Coachella.
26:59.12
Nick Jain
Um, um, Billie Eilish
27:05.16
nadya
I Take a nap.
27:08.36
elevatemybrand
Nick.
27:10.95
Nick Jain
Um, I ah we've gotten very into Yin yoga recently.
27:15.88
elevatemybrand
Ah, ah, last question and this one you can take a little time with if you need to what is your favorite word and why this could be a word that has had real meaning to you over time or something that just pops into your head for the purpose of this conversation. Not yet.
27:28.20
nadya
August.
27:31.42
elevatemybrand
I mean you can't say your own word. That's not fair. Ah other than August I should have said.
27:34.00
nadya
But it's no, um, probably sleep. Yeah I mean I think that for years in my early career I was like only sleeping 2 to 3 nights.
27:40.43
elevatemybrand
I feel that I track my sleep. It's very important and why is it so important to you.
27:51.50
nadya
Ah, 2 to 3 hours a night and I did that all through college pulled a lot of all nighters and I used to think it was my secret to success that I didn't need so much rest and now I try to sleep like 10 hours a night and if I sleep less than 10 hours I'm honestly so grumpy.
27:53.18
elevatemybrand
Um, ah.
28:07.79
nadya
And just not a pleasure to be around. So yeah I would say sleep just has ah has really evolved in its meaning to me and and I love it.
28:10.88
elevatemybrand
Ah.
28:15.12
elevatemybrand
So yeah I agree Nick how about you? What's your favorite word and why.
28:22.23
Nick Jain
It's ah it's a good question I think I think I would say I have different favorite words for different things one that immediately came comes to mind is ah periwinkle which is my puppy's name. Um.
28:26.35
elevatemybrand
Care. So Go cute.
28:36.49
Nick Jain
Yeah, we we adopted her about ah about eight months ago and it's probably the best decision we've ever made. So um, yeah I'll go with that per yeah.
28:44.55
elevatemybrand
Awesome! Do call our Perry or him perry for short cute. Um, well this has been such a fantastic conversation if one of you could share where the best place for people to find your products so we can make sure that we can get great period products into the hands of those that need it.
28:58.45
Nick Jain
Um, yeah, you.
29:00.30
nadya
It's August dot co I would say it's August dot co or you can check the store locator on our website to find the nearest target or store with August. Yes.
29:06.94
Nick Jain
And we're all saw on Amazon.
29:11.13
elevatemybrand
And yeah I was shocked when you said um, um, ah gen z wants to go in store I don't ever want to go in store anymore. But again, it's it's an ah interesting shift to see. Um. As we wrap up any final words of wisdom and Nick I'm going to start with you on this one.
29:29.80
Nick Jain
Yeah I think I would just go back to to what I said before which is that you know I I think that a lot of this this type of journey is very hard. Um, but if you remind yourself why you got into it in the first place. Um, it makes it a lot easier.
29:43.60
elevatemybrand
Absolutely Nadya Final words of wisdom.
29:48.70
nadya
Try August no I'm kidding um you know and I would say try August no I guess I would just say um, my word of wisdom would be.
29:49.98
elevatemybrand
I Love a promo girl. It's fabulous. It's totally fine.
30:01.13
nadya
Try having a conversation with your friends about periods because it brings up so many fun stories and I think can just really lead to a new level of vulnerability and friendship and ah it's always a fun topic to bring up.
30:13.45
elevatemybrand
Yeah I think it's an important dialogue to have to change the stigma and thank you so much for allowing us to have that conversation through this amazing brand that you've both built together nowji nick thank you for spending some time with us today.
30:27.16
Nick Jain
Thank you.
30:27.52
nadya
Thank you for having us.
30:30.84
elevatemybrand
And thanks to everyone who tuned in stay tuned for more from elevate your brand coming up next.