Conversations with Sophia Violet Simon

Jemma Sawyer, the founder of ILOH, a London-based company that provides sexual health and wellbeing products, talks with Sophia about the importance of opening a conversation about female pleasure. They talk about how education, conversations, and representation can help to get rid of the taboo and shame often surrounding sex.
Jemma also explains how she is trying to change the consumer experience to replace this shame with confidence.

“The purpose of the business is much more important than who I am or what my accent is or where I come from.”
Karishma Gupta is the founder of Sataland, a circular fashion brand which takes a holistic approach to fashion. She talks to Sophia Ufy Ukor about her journey working with apparel and textile manufacturers in the East and retail in the West. During these experiences, she witnessed the environmental impact of the fashion industry. She shares with Sophia how that ignited her passion for sustainability and what are the possible solutions to making fashion and society more sustainable.
Karishma and Sophia also discuss the challenges that female entrepreneurs often have to face.
“When we go raising funds, when we talk with investors, they look at us as a potential risk. They assume we are going to lose money. That’s how female founders are looked at and that upsets me.”1
“It is not just about me, it is about my nieces, my nephews, my future generations that are going to grow up and I don’t want them to leave that same life I have lived. Every person on this planet deserves good air quality, good water and a beautiful environment and that is what drives me.”

“I was 14 when I had an abortion and I didn’t want people to find out I was pregnant. When I told my mom, she opened up the conversation about abortion. I didn’t want to have an abortion because of the shame, stigma, judgment and guilt but I knew it was what I had to do because there was no way I could bring a child into the world at that stage.” - Shanice Tomlinson.  

“It’s one thing to have your own opinion and belief on something, whether that’s pro-life or pro-choice but to then put that on other people, I don’t think that’s right because it’s my body, why should you dictate to me what I can and cannot do with my body.“  

“Even though my mom was there for me and supported me, I still felt shame and guilt. After the abortion was done we never spoke about it again and it was very lonely processing all the emotions afterwards.”   

In the latest episode of Conversations with Sophia, Shanice talks about abortion and her experience getting an abortion at the age of 14. She discusses why it is vital for women and young girls to have a say about their bodies, taboo, the stigma and shame connected with abortion, the importance of creating a safe space to talk about abortion and sex education, the power of owning your story and women’s right to choose.

In this episode, Sophia Ufy Ukor talks to Meredith Brown, founder of Menopause51 about her own menopause experience, what inspired her to found her company and her journey so far.

Throughout this episode, they discuss the importance of normalising the conversation about menopause and raising awareness around it.

Since “80% of those going through menopause are in the workforce and are the fastest growing demographic, as more and more women stay longer at work”. Most of us probably know someone who goes through it and sometimes they don’t know how to start a conversation. That is why, to Brown, inclusive language and accessibility could help more people feel less alone with their symptoms and recognise them better. Meredith Brown also discusses symptoms of menopause and long-term health consequences.

"I started experiencing hot flushes, a common symptom of perimenopause and menopause and then the night sweats followed and a number of other symptoms. Once I realised it was menopause, I was able to start to think of how to support myself. That's not usual for many women who enter perimenopause; they often think they might be suffering from early onset dementia because of having issues with brain fog and recalling information." - Meredith Brown.

Sophia Ufy Ukor talks to Tinuke & Clo, the founders of Five x More, an organisation committed to highlighting and changing black women and birthing people's maternal health outcomes in the UK. 

Tinuke and Clo share their experiences with Black maternal health, why they created Fives X More and how it can help women of colour. They discuss how Black women are more likely to die from their pregnancy, how they often feel ignored and dismissed by doctors and the impact it has.

The world is full of wonderful organisations and experts, yet equality still needs to be reached. 

Katy Massey who has been working in the charity sector for 14 years, talks to Sophia about what ignited her passion for defending girls’ rights and how it has influenced her personal life.

She explains the impact of the pandemic on girls’ rights and the struggle organisations are dealing with to find sustainable funding and how disheartening it can feel for people working in the charity sector.

Katy and Sophia talk about the limits of representation and the importance of looking at the system underneath the people at the top to see if it is encouraging and supporting women and girls to make their way up.

To read stories from over 35 women of diverse backgrounds challenging the status quo for positive impact in their various spheres of influence, get a copy of the first issue of our magazine-book series, Disruptors here.