Oct 8, 2026 · 31 min · 11 segments
This episode of *What Are You Made Of?* Show with Cherie Hoeger explores how a simple product idea can become a purpose-driven business with the power to create meaningful social change. As the…
Cherie HoegerGuest
Mike C-RocHost
So as I started looking, I was introduced to menstrual cups and discs and period underwear for the first time, and I was a woman in my 30s and had never seen these products before and thought, "Where have these been my whole life? How come I wasn't even aware that these existed?" And so I bought some to try out to see if they were good enough to send to my family in Venezuela, and I was blown away that they were more comfortable, that they were convenient, that they were better for our bodies and the planet.
A disc can hold six times the amount of a tampon, which means you can wear it longer.
And I was blown away that I would put it in, kind of a set it and forget it, and I would forget that I was on my period.
Why aren't these the gold standard product? Why is it that we've been using this, you know, these disposable products for the last 100 years?" Literally, pads were invented in the 1800s.
Why haven't these caught on? And when I tried them, I really saw this opportunity to be able to take this product that existed but tell a better brand story around it, tell a better story about how they were a clean and beautiful product.
And I came from a technical writing background, and as technical writers, you take something that's really big and ambiguous and difficult, and you make it consumable and understandable by the layman consumer, right? So I did have that experience under my belt.
I had written and authored textbooks on fitness and wellness, and I had all the fun chapters like STIs and addictive behavior and stress management.
So I was convincing college students to make better life improvements, right? And so I knew, "Okay, I can help an American audience look at these fringe products differently, look at them as a clean, wonderful product, something that, you know, opens up like a high-end lipstick and should be on a pedestal-
So through our packaging, through our messaging, through our branding, you know, bring a different mindset around these products and say, "These are better for our bodies.
So as I started looking, I was introduced to menstrual cups and discs and period underwear for the first time, and I was a woman in my 30s and had never seen these products before and thought, "Where have these been my whole life? How come I wasn't even aware that these existed?" And so I bought some to try out to see if they were good enough to send to my family in Venezuela, and I was blown away that they were more comfortable, that they were convenient, that they were better for our bodies and the planet.
A disc can hold six times the amount of a tampon, which means you can wear it longer.
And I was blown away that I would put it in, kind of a set it and forget it, and I would forget that I was on my period.
Why aren't these the gold standard product? Why is it that we've been using this, you know, these disposable products for the last 100 years?" Literally, pads were invented in the 1800s.
Why haven't these caught on? And when I tried them, I really saw this opportunity to be able to take this product that existed but tell a better brand story around it, tell a better story about how they were a clean and beautiful product.
And I came from a technical writing background, and as technical writers, you take something that's really big and ambiguous and difficult, and you make it consumable and understandable by the layman consumer, right? So I did have that experience under my belt.
I had written and authored textbooks on fitness and wellness, and I had all the fun chapters like STIs and addictive behavior and stress management.
So I was convincing college students to make better life improvements, right? And so I knew, "Okay, I can help an American audience look at these fringe products differently, look at them as a clean, wonderful product, something that, you know, opens up like a high-end lipstick and should be on a pedestal-
So through our packaging, through our messaging, through our branding, you know, bring a different mindset around these products and say, "These are better for our bodies.
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