Nadya Okamoto

Jun 30, 2022 ... When Nadya Okamoto was 16 years old, she began her entrepreneurial journey in the sexual- and reproductive-health space by cofounding a nonprofit devoted to ...

Nadya Okamoto is not afraid to talk about periods. In fact, she is so adamant that other people not be afraid to talk about them that she named her not-for-profit organization PERIOD, in all capital letters. She launched it in 2014 when she was 16 years old; its mission is to provide period products for those in need, advocate for the repeal of sales tax on tampons and pads (the so-called “tampon tax”), and educate people about menstruation.

The Menstrual Movement – or the movement to end period poverty stigma – is alive and well in 2020. And 21-year-old Nadya Okamoto is a big part of that. Okamoto is the Founder and Executive Director of PERIOD, an organization that employs service, education, and advocacy to spread the message that menstrual hygiene is a right, not a privilege and to call for global accessibility of menstrual products.

The full-time Harvard student, founder, and published author had to learn things the hard way while working to uproot the taboos around women discussing their periods