Episode 241 - Ceylan Rowe, Fihri Foundation
In this episode of Soul of Travel, Season 6: Women's Wisdom + Mindful Travel, presented by @journeywoman_original, Christine hosts a soulful conversation with Ceylan Rowe.
Ceylan Rowe is the Founder and CEO of the Fihri Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing period poverty by providing sustainable menstrual products to women and girls in underserved communities around the world. Under her leadership, the foundation has reached communities in over 16 countries, supporting those affected by natural disasters, displacement, and lack of access to essential resources.
Ceylan’s passion for equity and humanitarian work stems from her personal experiences as a child of Turkish immigrants and from witnessing the impact of the 1999 earthquake in Turkey. She has served as a Commissioner for the MetroWest Commission on the Status of Women, advocated for menstrual equity legislation in Massachusetts, and even ran for Massachusetts State Representative in 2020. She has also been a featured speaker at the Massachusetts Conference for Women, the MetroWest Conference for Women, and the Vital Voices Global Festival, among others.
In recognition of her impact, Ceylan was nominated as a 2025 Northeastern University Women Who Empower Innovator Fellow. She holds a BA in Political Science and International Affairs from Northeastern University and an MBA from Babson College. A dedicated mother of two, she continues to inspire through her commitment to ensuring that no one is held back by their period.
Understanding Period Poverty and its Local and Global Implications
Period poverty is more than the absence of pads or tampons; it’s a web of barriers that limit education, health, mobility, and opportunity. Christine and Ceylan talk about how lack of access to products, safe bathrooms, pain management, and reliable information compounds into missed school days, lost wages, and daily indignities. The result of addressing period poverty becomes education, empowerment, and so much more.
In the episode, Ceylan shares a story from the state of Massachusetts, shocked by the period poverty and lack of access to period supplies. Period poverty is happening on a local and a global scale. Ceylan explains that one in four girls misses school due to lack of access to period products; it’s happening everywhere.
“We kind of have been in situations where like, oh my gosh, I don't have anything on me. And for some of us, we could go to ask a friend, we could go to a coworker or we could go to the store and get something. We figure out ways. But there's a lot of students, there's a lot of young girls in this world who really don't have that availability. And so period poverty again, it's happening here in our schools, in our own communities.”
Ceylan also works with students in different cultures and backgrounds from all over the world, continuously energized by the enthusiasm of the folks on the ground distributing products as well as the increasingly confident groups of girls she has the chance to meet. However, there is still a significant gap in those communities where menstruating individuals are confused, experiencing feelings of shame, or are subject to unsafe and unsanitary conditions with few resources or period products.
“I love traveling the world, and I love meeting people from different backgrounds. But the number one issue we all have … is this shame of talking about periods. I’m really hoping the younger generation could break free from that.”
Driving Change with Wisdom and Community Input
Ceylan shares her moving experience of being in the middle of a tragic earthquake in Turkiye that took over 17,000 lives. She draws a clear connection between the awful short-term disasters and the subsequent challenges and the continuous consequences of war or poverty where people must live in tents not just temporarily, but for years.
Christine shares a tenet of wisdom that she gained from her work in sustainable tourism: “The answer isn’t transferable from one place to the next.” Ceylan agrees, sharing that every culture has its own distinct way of addressing period poverty once it has been brought out of the shadows into actionable conversations.
Ceylan starts with asking communities on the ground, asking what would help the most. She has found that many communities need one-time use pads, as there are also inequities about access to water, making reusable pads difficult or restrictive.
Ceylan has designed Fihiri Foundation to utilize products provided by women-owned small businesses. One of these vendors, Viv, launched efforts to create a biodegradable period product that decomposes in less than a year to address sustainability challenges. Taking action with both sustainability and the community’s needs at the forefront is essential to Fihiri’s continued success and impact.
The Impact and Importance of Addressing Period Poverty and Period Education
Ceylan’s journey to this work may have been meandering, but she sees the people on the ground distributing menstrual products and making significant changes in their communities continue to drive her forward.
“We get to work with so many really great people that the news doesn’t always portray,” she shares.
When girls stay in school, the impact is powerfully simple: lives change. Ceylan shares about the importance of period education, including the tools to become confident in themselves, that menstruating is natural and healthy.
“We want to make sure that the younger generation are successful human beings, are successful adults, so they can go contribute in the world in the best way they can with the skills they have. And in order to do that, they have to know that periods are okay, and they have to have access to products.”
“ Period poverty is a topic people don’t want to talk about, but we have to because there are so many women and girls who are counting on us and saying, Hey, this is a global problem, let’s address it.”
Soul of Travel Episode 241 At a Glance
In This Episode, Christine and Ceylan discuss:
The realities of period poverty and how it impacts women and girls globally and in the U.S.
Reflections on empowerment, dignity, and the hope created when women support one another
Breaking the systemic barriers that make access to menstrual care a challenge
The Fihiri Foundation and the Million Period Product Palooza
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Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode
Connect with Ceylan and Fihiri Foundation on social media: Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn.
Learn more about how you can impact period poverty with Fihiri Foundation.
The Fihri Foundation will launch the Million Period Product Palooza this September, distributing one million period products across the U.S. and internationally to communities in need.
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goal #1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
Sustainable Development Goal #3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Sustainable Development Goal #4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Sustainable Development Goal #5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
Sustainable Development Goal #6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Sustainable Development Goal #10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Sustainable Development Goal #13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
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Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of people making a positive impact in the tourism industry. In each episode, you’ll hear the stories of women who are industry professionals, seasoned travelers, and community leaders. Our expert guests represent social impact organizations, adventure-based community organizations, travel photography and videography, and entrepreneurs who know that travel is an opportunity for personal awareness and a vehicle for global change.
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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor). Ceylan Rowe (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing, production, and content writing by Carly Oduardo.
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Soul of Travel Episode 241 Transcript
Key Words: women’s travel, transformational travel, sustainable travel, social entrepreneurship
Christine: welcome to Soul of Travel podcast. I am your host, Christine, and today is a really special episode for me, um, because this is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. And I have been waiting to bring this conversation to the podcast for I think.
Maybe over two years. So, um, I'm really excited to welcome Jaylon Rowe, who is the founder and executive director of Fury Foundation to the podcast. Um, and to just jump right in, I'm gonna turn it over to you to quickly introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about the work that you do.
Ceylan: Thank you so much, Christine, for having me. I'm so excited to be here. Uh, my name is Jaylon Rowe and I am the founder of the Fury Foundation. Our mission is to end period poverty sustainably, and so. Um, a little bit about the work we've done is we are a really, really small humanitarian organization with a really big heart where we, um, host a signature program called The Period Palooza, where we gather student groups, businesses, nonprofits, they get together, they write inspirational messages on pouches, and then we pack them with sustainable period products.
And we've donated the kits. Locally in Massachusetts, in the United States and globally, um, to 18 different countries. Um, and we focus on disaster stricken areas. So when a disaster strikes, um, a lot of attention is given to food and shelter, rightfully so, but our focus is periods. Periods don't end because there was a flood or a hurricane or war.
And so that's our focus is helping women have access to dignity in the worst moments of their lives.
Christine: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your work. Um. And for those of you listening, um, the reason why I think this is, well, there's a million reasons why I think this is so important, but the connection for me between, um, period poverty and menstrual equity and travel really came in when I first started creating trips for my company, Lotus Sojourns.
Um, I was looking at partnering with organizations that were doing, um. Education and creating, um, kind of similar products and projects in the countries where I was traveling, and then having some of my travelers connect with those organizations to talk about what this looks like in the country where we were traveling.
For me, it was a way of kind of bringing in gender equity and social impact into the travel experience for women. Um, so that. That is why for me, these two dots easily connect. And then obviously, because gender equity is a huge foundation for this podcast, um, this is like one of those. Giant silent bricks to the inequity problem that I think so many people don't fully understand.
And so that's why I thought it would be really important for us to have this conversation. And um, also to share. Jaylon and I were a part of Vital Voices program like three or four years ago. I'm not, not sure at this point. Um. This was such an incredible group of humans. Um, they, this particular cohort was all women with impact driven businesses from all around the world.
I think it was like over 20 countries. Um, and one of the very first small groups that we had, um, just, you know. Magic dumped us into these breakout rooms on Zoom, and it was you and I, um, I, if I recall correctly, this woman who was working with a, a women's boxing team in Egypt and, and then, um, someone else working in Africa in like production for medical and hygiene products or something like this.
And I just remember sitting in this. Random virtual space with women from all around the world and all of us sharing the work we're doing. And there was like this circle of synergy, like each one of us had one piece of this greater puzzle as we were talking. And I got off that call and I feel like I was pretty much near tears because I thought Vital Voices is doing something.
I know they know what they're doing, but bigger than what maybe they intended because, oh, I just thought. If you can get women together in these spaces, the impact and the change we can create collectively is, is huge. So, um, I'm so grateful for that space because now I've been a fan of you and your work and have, you know, silently followed you along virtually in on LinkedIn and, and been grateful to know you and be a cheerleader.
And I think that's what's also really important about. Those kinds of spaces. And this work is because it's so important and heart driven and soul driven that we really, I don't know, we like latch onto each other's work and journeys and we wanna be cheerleaders. So I just wanted to start there and just say that I'm, I'm really grateful to just have seen what you've done since we first met.
Ceylan: Christine, thank you so much. I wish I could give you a hug. I'm giving you a virtual hug right now. I, I think the Vital Voices cohort that we are part of was so special. I, entrepreneurship could be really lonely. Um, and so to have this like-minded group of women from different areas of the world trying to do good in these different areas, uh, is just, it was just beautiful.
So I'm so grateful that I got to meet you and, and meet so many other, um. Women from that cohort that we actually have done lots of projects with as well, with the Fury Foundation and, and likewise, I, I enjoyed cheering you on and all that you're accomplishing, so I'm, I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for having me.
Christine: Yeah. Thank you. Well, as we begin the conversation, I'd love to hear from you a little bit about how. How you got into this work and what your kind of winding path look like that has brought you here.
Ceylan: So, uh, I was, several years ago I was a commissioner for the Metro Commission on the status of women here in Massachusetts, and it was at Women's Advocacy Day at the State House that I was hearing from eighth graders teaching sixth graders how to use toilet papers, period pads here in Massachusetts. And I was just like in shock.
I'm like, how is period poverty happening in Massachusetts? We, we have Cape Cod, we have Nantucket, we have Martha's Vineyard. Like how is poverty happening here? Um, and then how is period poverty happening in the United States? And I thought it was a far away global issue. And sadly, uh, it's very much a local issue.
Uh, one out of four students in the United States Miss School because they don't have access to period products. And then globally, 500 million women and girls each month don't have access to period products. And so, um. I was like, I need to do something about this. I'm a mother. Um, and so I really wanted to start an organization that, um, was addressing period poverty, uh, locally but globally.
Um, and also addressing it in a sustainable way. Um, one period pad will decompose on the planet, uh, 500 to 800 years. And that, that's a lot. And a typical menstruate, if they were to use pads, will use about 11,000 pads in their lifetime. And so, um, the, the products that we've curated are actually from small women owned businesses, um, and they are using sustainable products.
So. The pads we get from, um, for example, one of our vendors is Viv. Um, she actually launched it in Boston College when she was an undergrad. And, um, but their pads are biodegradable and they decompose in less than a year. And so not only do I wanna help the menstruated in need on the ground, but I also wanna support these small women-owned businesses.
Every aspect of Fury is about empowering. Empowering women. Um, and so that's how I got started. It. It was my drive for wanting to make sure my daughter, her peers, um, all of our daughters, all of our nieces, all of our neighbors, all of our, all of our girls that we love, um, have access to period products. So they can go to school, so they can graduate, so they can get those scholarships in sports so they can go to work so they can have health and dignity.
Um, it really is just, I, I'm, I'm deeply passionate about, um, making sure our daughters all have equal access to the same things that our sons have equal access to.
Christine: Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing that, and I, I definitely wanted to start this conversation with laying the foundation of understanding what period poverty is. 'cause I think, you know, you and I pro both had whatever our aha moments were around this topic. You know, there was the day I didn't know this existed, and then the day that I did, and, um, and then you're a little heartbroken.
Maybe you felt the same, a little heartbroken that you had no idea that this. That this was happening. And then much like you said, we often think this is a global issue. Even once we begin to have an understanding, there's kind of this global context and this idea that things are happening in the us um, it takes a little while for that to kind of become a part of the conversation as well.
And, um, I feel like maybe it shouldn't because. I know there were moments in my own life, especially in college, when you're kind of making all of the pennies count and you're like, okay, do I buy food or do I buy tampons? And it's heartbreaking that that's a choice that we have to make as women. And even this, this week, I was kind of guiding one of my daughters through navigating.
You know, her own cycle and advocating for herself because they were doing some large testing and she knew she was gonna be able to go to the bathroom only once during that period, based on the rules for the testing. But in order to manage her cycle, she knew she was gonna have to go several times. So she had to like stand up, advocate for herself, find out who to ask, and that's really challenging.
So like when we're looking at menstrual equity. These are all the kinds of things that we are also thinking of, right? Is how do we make sure that girls are feeling confident that they, they have the education to manage what's happening to their bodies, and then also that they, um, aren't being limited because of something that is something that happens to our bodies naturally.
And you know, you mentioned. What this looks like in schools and you know, in some countries this might mean girls missing school for one week every month, and then by the time, you know, they're partway through high school, they're so far behind because of this. So I would love to talk a little bit more about like understanding what this looks like for people that aren't familiar.
Ceylan: So that I is happening here in the United States. I mean, so period poverty is an issue that, again, we, we, uh. As menstruate, right? We kind of have been in situations where like, oh my gosh, I haven't, I don't have anything on me. And you know, you know, and, and for some of us, we could go to ask a friend, we could go to a coworker or we could, we could go to the store and get something, or we could.
We figure out ways, but there's a lot of students, there's a lot of young girls in this world who really don't have that, um, that availability. And so period poverty again, it's happening here in our schools, uh, in this, in our own communities. Um, there I talk to a lot of school nurses throughout the country.
It's happening everywhere where girls don't have access. Um, they are missing school. And not only that, but you think about like our student athletes who are depending on scholarships for college and what period poverty looks like for them. Um, if they don't have access to products, uh, inside school, outside of school, how are they gonna go to the games?
How are they gonna go to the practice? They can't miss school, otherwise they're going to fall behind and there are repercussions to that. And so. Period. Poverty. Think of any issue that you care about related to women and girls education, financial stability, health, anything At the core of it, she needs access to period products in order to do anything.
So, um, we, it's an issue nobody wants to talk about, um, but it's a vital issue that we have to have to speak loudly about and address the issue.
Christine: Yeah. And you know, I think this is one of the things I, I was thinking about preparing for our conversation today is that. There's so many barriers tangled up in this as well, because just like you said, it touches everything. And one of the things that I think is probably, I imagine a barrier for your work is this idea that, um.
There's so many systems of oppression and injustice that create barriers to success. And then those are tied up with women. And so then there's that part, and then there's the stigma associated with talking about anything to do with women's health, which. I feel like maybe there's a little wave, especially linked to this current, like understanding menopause, that's like giving us some freedom to talk about women's health in a way that hasn't happened.
I think in my lifetime, like this feels like a a, a big wave to begin to have conversations out in the open about things that we were never allowed to talk about. And then also, similar to what I was saying, where my daughters. Kind of don't have the same guilt or shame or, you know, thing that we had. Like, they're just like, I need pads.
And you're like, oh God, I would've thought for like eight hours. How to avoid that question. Um, like I wouldn't have stood in the aisle, like just such a different relationship. So yeah, these were the, the barriers I'm thinking about for you.
Ceylan: I love this generation. Um, this generation is my daughter's generation is just, uh, uh, just so con, so much more confident than I was back then. Um. But I, I'm really proud of the younger generation who's really speaking up and actually going to their schools and kind of saying, Hey, you have toilet paper.
We also need access to period products. Um, but tho that's the student population, um, here in the United States. And I would say, um, working with. Um, from different cultures, different backgrounds, from all over the world. It is a sensitive topic for many, many people in different, different generations, different areas.
It's like, I love traveling the world. I love traveling the world, and I love meeting from pe, meeting people from different backgrounds. But the number one issue, I'm, I'm telling you the number one issue that we all have. Similar it that's so similar between our cultures. Um, is this like shame of, of talking about periods?
Um, it, it's universal and I'm really hoping that the younger generation kind of could break free from that. But when we have to talk about not just the students and I, I do want us to talk about let's, like the refugees, let's talk about, um, uh, women and girls who. There was an earthquake that hit, um, Tia in Syria, um, a few years ago, back in February.
And, um, and there's still people living in tents still to this day. Um, and so when I actually was, um, a teenager. Um, I was at an earthquake that, that killed 17,000 people in Turkey. I was visiting family that summer, um, and we were at like, almost the center of the earthquake. And, um, I remember, um, it happened in the middle of the night and, um, I was woken up from my bed and the bed was shaking and I was kind of like, it occurred to me that I was in an earthquake, um, and I was bracing for like the, the house to collapse.
And so I was like covering my head. And thank God the house didn't collapse. Um, but once the shaking stopped, I ran out of the house and I was looking for my parents. Thank God they were fine. But in that moment, we were actually in the yard and we were hearing buildings collapse in the pitch dark, looking at the stars.
And I won't forget that sound ever. And once, um. Morning came, we actually wanted to head to where my grandmother was, to see if she was alive. And on that way, we witnessed so many buildings just look like they looked like pancakes. They were stacked, the floors were stacked. Um, and we just saw everybody outside and we saw people in tents.
And we u we saw makeshift, um. Uh, cars being used as ambulances and it was just really horrendous. And we saw all these buildings just collapsed all around us. And, um, we were there and I just saw all these people in tents and, and in the work that I've done, I get to work with incredible human beings who are on the ground with individuals who've been living in tents for years and years and years.
When a disaster strikes, um, it's often in the news for maybe a week, but people's lives are still in those tents. They're still in. Think about like people migrating, um, just fleeing war. Um, they, they're walking for miles and miles and miles and miles, um, with what? Barely anything, right? And, and so when you think about.
Those women who are bleeding or those young girls who are bleeding or getting their period for the very first time. I mean, just how traumatic is that in and of itself? And so, um, just, it breaks my heart to know that. Women all over the world who are living in tents, are using tent pieces. That's the case for the women in Gaza.
That's the 10 that has been the case for the women and girls in t Syria. Um, and, and what we found out with some of our nonprofit partners on the ground is, um. In tricky. And Syria, they're actually burning the pads 'cause they're too embarrassed to dispose of it. And so the toxins from that are really, really just bad.
Um, women and girls in um, different areas of the world are using leaves when they're migrating, um, because there's nothing else to use. Uh, dirty rags and certainly that is horrendous and can cause infection. And so, so many different health problems. Girls are using mattresses, mattress pieces and so. We have to be comfortable with talking about uncomfortable conversations and period.
Poverty is a topic people don't wanna talk about, but we have to because there's, there's so many women and girls who are counting on us and saying, Hey, this is a global problem, let's address it. And that's what we're trying to do at the Ferry Foundation is, is provide them with, um, menstrual products.
That are appropriate for them and culturally appropriate for them. We always work with a nonprofit partner on the ground and ask, what types of products would your, your menstruate like? Um, and often the number one request is, um, the one-time use pads. Um, people often think, oh, you, you could do, uh, like reusable pads.
Um, the problem with that is you need access to water. Um, and not a lot of women actually have a, or humans. Have access to water. Um, certainly not in dis disaster stricken areas, and so that's a big issue, but I'll stop there.
Christine: No, I thank you. I, you, I would let you go on and on and on. Like I said, this is, um, I, I just. Yeah, I have the same thread inside me that wants like all this information out and I already am learning things that I didn't learn or remembering things that I had forgot that, you know, we needed to be considering.
And like you said, the um, the reusable pads. I know that was a, a huge, there was a huge driver for that in thinking about water. Um, how critical that is and when you're looking at this from a sustainability perspective as well, like there's all these different pieces that you have to be thinking about in solving a problem.
And you know, this is something, part of me that we come up in sustainable tourism all the time is, you know, the one answer isn't transferable from one. Place to the next. And so, like you said, I loved the question, you've said, you know, what do you need here? Because that answer is going to be different based on so many different factors.
So it's, I, I really appreciate that.
Ceylan: Thank you. Thank you so much. And um. Uh, that every culture has its own way of dealing with women's health, right? And so we, we never wanna go to an area of the world and say, well, this is what we do. Here you go. Um, it's always about what are the needs of, of the menstruated on the ground
Christine: Yeah. Um, I would love to ask you because, um, again, like this, uh. Internal drive that I sense from you and I, I, we, we didn't hear yet. Like what was, I mean, you talked about your personal experience and you know, the awareness of what it takes to navigate these global disasters, the impact it has on women.
But for you, what, what was that igniter like? What was that match that you were like, I'm the person. Like, do you think that was in you all the long and it was ignited or how, how did that like really happen that that catalyst.
Ceylan: So after I survived the earthquake, I, I really wanted to, I, I was a senior in high school at that time and so that had a profound impact on me. And I said, I really wanna, I survived this and I wanna dedicate my life to helping people in some sort of capacity. And so, um, I just. You know, I, I always loved helping people.
That's, that's the core of who I am is, and, and with the Ferry Foundation and my local town, I'm very involved in lots of different groups and just wanting everybody to be okay. I want everybody to be okay. I, I love helping people. So, um. There's a lot of little aha moments of, yes, this is the path for me, but my, my journey really wasn't a straight line either.
Um, and so I, I just, I, in the work that I've done, I mean, after college I worked for the Office of refugees and immigrants helping refugees become self-sufficient, Massachusetts, and, and so there's just different little stepping stones to help me get to here, but the work that I do, I can't do it alone.
I'm, we, we, I just. I love the people that I get to work with on the ground who are really doing the hard work. They're the ones, um, who are actually distributing the menstrual products. They're the ones who are doing the educational programs. And so I feel very blessed that I get to work with really incredible human beings from all over the world, from different backgrounds.
Um. There's, we work with nonprofit partners in Sudan right now, and we worked with the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund in Gaza. We worked with, um, helping Hands, um, nonprofits in Mexico. I mean, just, we get to work with so many really great people that the news always doesn't portray. The world is like, good, but, but I get to witness that every single day in the work that I do.
Christine: Thank you for sharing that. And you know, part of why I ask that is just because I know when you're doing work like this, that is hard and not just not hard, like it's hard to do it, but like sometimes it's. Hard not to look at how far we have to go. And you have to kind of always come back to that space so that you can keep taking another step forward.
And you know, when I look at that in the context of gender equity, it's, for me, that's my like bigger mission. And then all of a sudden that becomes so daunting that you're like. I have, I can't take another step forward. So then I just have to kind of come back to that place within me that knows it's possible and that kind of like you, it's these connections that I'm building and witnessing stories like yours.
I'm like, okay, there is great action occurring. There is all of these beautiful moments happening. There is progress. So I can't be out here, I have to come back here to move forward. And so I guess for me, just knowing what that looked like, I think is valuable for other people working in this way to be able to kind of reignite your flame to do the things that seem impossible.
Ceylan: I just, I always tell people, um, you know, in, in the work that we do, there's also some advocacy work, right? Where we're advocating for legislation for women and girls to have access to menstrual products. And, and I always tell people the hardest part about starting anything is just show up. Just just take that one baby step and, and show up.
That's the hardest part. And then it, it. It turns into like the snowball effect because you meet so many people who are, who help guide and help just push you along. And I will say that I, my, one of my favorite parts about this, um, there's a lot of really wonderful moments, parts about Fury, but I get to work with students from all over the world too.
And they really have been, um, again, I'm, I'm just in awe of this younger generation of high school. Schoolers and college students, but the passion that they have for wanting to do good and wanting to help people that they'll never meet, um, but also the, they're so much more comfortable in having the microphone and saying, Hey, you know, don't forget about this area of the world.
Or, um, they, they really are rolling up their sleeves and talking about the injustices happening, and, and I just admire that. So I, I. Again, my, my own path wasn't a straight line, but I got to meet so many people who have helped me get, helped me in fear. We get to where we are today.
Christine: Yeah. Um, well, I think one of the other things I really wanted to talk to you about, and you mentioned a little bit empowerment, and we kind of talked a little bit about confidence, but I think that that's something too that is so important about the, the. A, like a, not a secondary impact, but like another huge part of the impact that is created, um, is confidence and empowering, um, women.
And you know, what actually happens when girls stay in school? And like I said before, like when they understand how their body is functioning and when they realize that this isn't going to be a formidable barrier. To them in achieving their goals like. That changes a lot. And I wanna hear from you on this, but I wanna share one experience that I had and then I'd, I'd love to talk about how important this is, but I was able to witness, I was in Guatemala, um, working, and I was invited into a community center and the people I was working with know that, that.
Connecting with young girls and like understanding some of the barriers they're having in their lives is something that's important to me. And so, um, there was like a team group, so they asked me to just come to their meeting and, um, I was teaching them how to use stand mixers and bake. And we were talking and the leader of the, the teen group came up and, and she's like, miss Christine.
Um. It's really interesting. We've been learning about our menstrual cycles and like this was totally unprompted. She just like, she just wanted to share 'cause she was so excited and she's like, we're learning how our bodies work. We're learning how we can be in control of our bodies and it's so exciting.
And she just was sharing going on and on and on. And I was just nearly moved to tears because I know in this culture that is, I. Not a conversation that many young women are privileged to have. Like to see her confidence in talking about this subject to see how proud she was. Like I, I just was so in awe of her and like how, how magical this was in her life and like.
This community of girls around her that were all like behind her nodding their heads and being like, yes, we are learning about this, and it, it seems really important. And they didn't, they were not careful about what they were saying, you know, they weren't cautious that this was a topic I might not want to talk to them about.
And, um, like witnessing the confidence of this group of young women. And again, we're seeing this maybe generationally, but I didn't expect it to see this in this rural VI village in Guatemala as compared to their mothers in a circle that I had also sat in. Um, like that's where I was like, okay, this is going to, this might be actually what's happening.
You know, like the health impacts are important, all these other things are truly important, but like. This is gonna be a catalyst to something like that. Energy was changing things in that moment. So I would love to talk to you about empowerment and confidence and how that relates to period poverty. I.
Ceylan: So I have the pleasure of going to different schools in, in, again, different countries and, um, different cultures. And so, um, I went to one school that, um, did not talk about, uh, periods that. Um, the predominantly the student population came from, um, uh, their children of immigrants, um, where culturally they don't really talk about, uh, they're coming from cultures that didn't talk about, um, periods.
And so the school really didn't address any of that. And so when we were hosting the period palooza. And I was talking about periods. The girls were very, very shy and, and really was embarrassed and they were giggling about it. And I, and these were high schoolers. And so, um, and I, I kept thinking, oh, I, we really need to do something about, like, I was trying to like.
Very respectfully, kind of integrate more like menstrual education in this space simply because I, I could tell that the girls didn't have any of it. And, and I think that kind of, uh, made me sad because I've been to a school where. This school is teaching, uh, boys and girls, um, all about health, including women's health, and they, at fourth graders were already talking about periods.
So before I even got to this school, they were very excited. Fourth graders, fifth graders. I've never done a period pula with fourth graders and fifth graders before, but they were very okay. Middle school boys. Middle school boys were, were packing the kids and none of them were giggling. Everybody took it seriously.
They already talked about period, poverty. They already talked about periods and how natural it is, and I just saw the confidence in these students that this is a natural thing that we're supposed to talk about and, and that got me really excited and, and, and that proves to me that we really need to provide.
As adults and as parents or um, caregivers, we really wanna provide as many tools for our youth as we possibly can. And understanding how your body works, understanding that it's natural understanding, um, the different ways in which you could care for yourself, uh, is really, really important. And, and so many girls don't get that.
Education. And then when they get their periods, they think that something's wrong with them or they think that they're dying and, and they don't realize that everybody, although women are going through this each and every month, and so empowerment. Is, is is just a way for like giving them the tools and the education for them to be confident in themselves and confident with who they are and confident that they're healthy and that it's natural and it's okay.
I mean, it's gonna open up so many doors for them. And, and so that's all that we wanna do as adults, right? Is, is, is to make sure that the younger generation, or whether it's their children or nieces or just other youth, um, young people, um, are. Our successful human beings are successful adults so that they can then go contribute in the world in the best way that they can with the skills that they have.
And in order to do that, they have to know that periods are okay and they have to have access to them, to
Christine: Yeah. Um, you know how, I guess, how might you encourage people who are listening and are interested in. Supporting these kinds of conversations in their communities and schools to broach that. Because you know, in the US we're facing barriers to being able to have these conversations in public spaces, which to me seems mind blowing to be saying, and not just today, but you know, it's been removed from many schools for quite some time, like.
Again, this is where I'm al always looking at. It's not that it's not just happening, it's because there's actively tools in place to keep it from happening. So like how do we, how do we kind of become the people that are helping to change that narrative and, and create spaces for these conversations?
Ceylan: Um, I would say if you have the ability to go to your, you know, your, your, the school nurse and, and have a conversation, um. You could quietly have conversations with the school committee, the superintendents, and see where they're at and if they have hesitation, why? Um, I would also say you could host workshops at the libraries.
Um, you could host workshops with Girl Scout troops, boy Scout troops. You could, um, host different workshops if there's, um, I'm part of the Northbridge Junior Women's Club. There's a junior women's club throughout. The United States, you could partner with women's organizations and just bringing the workshops to your community.
If it's not available in the schools, um, I would say get as creative as you possibly can. Um, but I think it's important work and it's empowering work, um, that's worth the time and effort.
Christine: Yeah, and I think, um, I think it. Uh, often becomes innately women's work, but I think talking about getting men involved is really important as well. And um, I'm sure you've seen the document documentary, the Period is it Period, it's not just the end of the sentence or I'm butchering the title of it at this moment, but seeing, when I watched that, seeing the men get Involved and feel.
More comfortable and confident. And like you said, you know, having this be education for boys and girls, um, like I, I think that that is something that we really need to be thinking about as well. And have you witnessed what that looks like when, when men feel like they can also engage in empowering the women in their life?
Ceylan: Period. Poverty isn't just affecting women. Um, it impacts boys as well, and men. Um, and so one of the, some of the analogies that I give is when I talk to boys about period poverty, I said, well, you know, let's say you're playing basketball or soccer. And, uh, somebody hits you and you get a bloody nose, what do you do?
And they always say, oh, I get a Kleenex. I said, okay, but what if you don't have a Kleenex? What do you do? Oh, I'll stuff a shirt in there, or a rag or something. I said, okay, but after a few hours, what do you do? It's dirty. He's like, oh, I don't know. I'll get something else. I said, okay, but what if that happens?
You know, five days, five to seven days every single month for a whole. Like, what if this happens a whole week, every single month? What do you do? And I think that's like the light bulb moment of, oh, this is period poverty. I said, I guarantee you you've had a, if you've done any school projects together or at the workplace, um, if you have a project, if you have.
Team that you have a teammate who has left the school or o or office or work, um, related to her period. Either they didn't have access, they need to, they got their period and they need to leave, or she's having a really bad period cramps, um, and she's not able to work, I guarantee, you know, somebody in this, in, in who's gone through that.
And so really talking about the them on a level that. Or experiences that they could understand, but also having them understand this is impacting their work as well. Having the, having your teammate not help you with a project at school or at work, it impacts you as well. And so this is a, this is a universal global problem.
Christine: Yeah. Thank you. That's a really valuable perspective to, to think about and how to make that more, I guess, relatable and in and, um. Yeah, I appreciate that. Um, so another aspect of Fury that I really love is the way that you, you've mentioned kind of community involvement, but also I think like how it builds understanding and connection.
And, um, one of the things that I love is how you said that there's the handwritten notes on the pouches. And for me, I'm kind of envisioning this from both sides. For the writer, it's like something that you can do that's easy, like kind of what I was saying, like this feels insurmountable, but this is something you can do and you feel like you're doing something and it's just like you are contributing one piece to this puzzle.
And then like the recipient gets this handwritten message and it's like they can see and sense like the hope. The connection to someone outside of their world. And I know also that hope is very important to your foundation. So I wanted to talk about like a little bit of what that looks like and feels like and why that's important and why hope is really important, um, in the foundation.
Ceylan: It's, it's what we need, right? We all need hope. Um, what has come out of doing this work? Um. It's like this beautiful realization that the the pouches, the, the period kits, not only are they beneficial to the recipient, right, that they know that they aren't alone in whatever that they're going through.
That there's somebody out there in the world who is thinking of them, who wrote this inspirational message or this piece of art, um, that they are. That they are loved, that they're cared for, that they are remembered. But what has also come out of it is that it's been very therapeutic for the people making the kids particularly.
Um, I have students who will text me. Um, they will have family overseas and they will say. You know, something happened. So for example, in Lebanon, um, we had a student reach out. Few students reach out and say, I don't know what to do. I'm really scared for my family. I really, I have to do something. Can we host a period palooza?
And I say, absolutely. So we'll go to, with these, we'll go to the school or this work with a student group, um, and they will write. In different languages, whether it's in Arabic, we've had Spanish, we've had French. Um, they'll write words. Um, and through writing the words, they feel like they're doing something in, in, in.
And, and it just, it's, it's so therapeutic. Um, it has been for me, but I've witnessed it with all those who are writing. Um, it just feels so good to do something with your own hands to help another human being on the other side of the world. And sometimes it's somebody, again, it could be somebody, uh, at a women's shelter here in Massachusetts, but.
It really is a, is just, it feels so good to help another human being and not just looking at social media and feeling helpless that you can't do anything on what's happening. And so, um, the pouches have been incredibly empowering for the recipients, but also for those who are actually writing the messages as well and feeling help, uh, feeling hopeless, and then they get the hope that they've actually done something.
Christine: Yeah. Thank you so much. Um, I, you have mentioned a couple times. Uh, period. Palooza, I know that you have a big event coming up. Um, can you talk a little bit about that and how listeners in general, if they're hearing this conversation and are curious about how they can support Fury, what that looks like?
Ceylan: Yes. So we have a goal, um, starting in September, um, to, for a year long campaign to, uh, donate a million period products here in the United States and globally. So we would love. Help with that and people could get more information@furyfoundation.org, but our goal is to distribute a million period products.
Christine: Yeah. Thank you. Um, and if people are interested, they can just visit your website to find out more information or Certainly if they know me, they can reach out to me and I will connect them directly to you. But yeah. Is that the easiest way to get involved?
Ceylan: Yes, absolutely.
Christine: Okay. Perfect. Um, well as we wrap up our conversation, is there any, any last, um, thing that you would like to share on this topic?
And then we will have our, um, rapid fire questions to round out our conversation.
Ceylan: I just wanna thank you, Christine, for having me again. Um, you know, the, this work is heavy work, um, but I love working with people like you who are a, a partner in this, in trying to. Um, showcase what period poverty is that it's happening in helping to create solutions for those women and girls who are in desperate need.
So thank you so much for having me today.
Christine: Thank you. Like this is my, my small step and I'm so grateful to be able to, to do that. Um, okay, so we'll shift gears and, um, some of these questions are travel related, but I, I know that love travel, so we can, we can still indulge in those. Um, the first is, what are you reading right now?
Ceylan: 1:00 AM I reading? I was reading a book called The Grit, um, and I can't remember the author's name, but it's about perseverance and um, and having a successful nonprofit or grit in your own life,
Christine: Thank you. What is always in your suitcase or backpack when you travel?
Ceylan: period. Products.
Christine: I know I was gonna say like, well this one seems obvious, but that, um, to sojourn is to travel somewhere with the respect as if you live there. Um, where is someplace that you would love to sojourn? Uh.
Ceylan: All anywhere. Anywhere. I'll go anywhere. I, I always joke with my husband, like, put me on an airplane. I'll go anywhere
Christine: Um, what is something you eat that immediately connects you to a place you've been?
Ceylan: dinner.
Christine: Can you share what that is?
Ceylan: Yes, donut is, uh, it's from Turkey. From Turkey. Uh, it's this delicious lamb beef combo. Um, and you could have it with yogurt or pita or rice. It's delicious. I highly recommend it.
Christine: Who was a person that inspired or encouraged you to travel the world?
Ceylan: Oh, hands down my parents.
Christine: Um, if you could share an adventure with one person, fictional or real, alive or past, who would it be? I.
Ceylan: There's so many people I love going on adventures. My kids, my husband, my parents.
Christine: Um, and the last one, um, is who is one woman typically, I say in the travel space, but I'm gonna open this up for you, that you admire and would love to recognize in this space.
Ceylan: In the travel space,
Christine: You can, you can pick anyone in your sphere.
Ceylan: um, I mean, I can, I recognize my mother.
Christine: Yes.
Ceylan: She, um, she's the one that has always just encouraged me. Um, my parents, when I was 11 years old, um, they asked me if I wanted to go, um, to a summer camp in the woods or if they would like, if I wanted to go to Turkey for the summer. Um, and I said I'd rather go to Turkey for the summer, and that was my introduction to my parents' culture.
But that was, they put me on an airplane when I was 11 years old, um, and sent me halfway across the world. And I had the most incredible summers doing that. Um, but it also introduced me to a world that I didn't know existed, and it introduced me to. Really seeing, um, just women from all walks of life, educated women to women in villages.
Um, and going to Turkey has really shaped who I am and the work that I do and, and, and really like getting to know actually like the refugee community as well. There's a huge refugee population in Turkey. And so, um, my mother was the reason why my parents were the reason why I had access to those memories.
So I would pick my parents and my
Christine: Yeah. Thank you so much. Um, I. Really appreciate that. And, um, once again, I'm just so grateful to have you here. I hope that my listeners really enjoyed this conversation and, um, yeah, this is my mission really is to be like an amplifier and a connector. And, you know, this is one of those conversations for me that I hope that those superpowers can serve us well because I so deeply believe in the, the great things that you're doing.
And I just. Want the best for you and for those you're serving because I know that will benefit all of us. So I appreciate, I appreciate what you're doing.
Ceylan: Thank you so much, Christine.
Christine: Thank you.
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