Femtech At Work

In this episode, we’re joined by Amelia Godfrey, the pelvic health physio and founder of Pelvy, who’s rewriting the rules of care. Too often, issues like leaking, pain, and postpartum recovery are dismissed or hidden in shame, but Amelia is changing that narrative.
We dive into how Pelvy uses thoughtful tech to bridge the gap between evidence-based education and real-world results. From breaking "poo taboos" to simplifying rehab, this conversation is an invitation to rethink what’s possible when clinical advocacy meets innovation.

Key Takeaways:
Discover how a pelvic health physio became a global FemTech founder, and what gap in care Amelia sees that made Pelvy non‑negotiable to build
Learn why pelvic health physio is considered first‑line treatment and how it can transform outcomes for leaking, prolapse, pain, and constipation before surgery is even on the table
Find out why up to 30% of pelvic health appointments get cancelled and what this reveals about shame, overwhelm, and the “too hard basket” in intimate health care
Understand how Pelvy turns forgotten advice into daily action and what the in‑session clinician workflow actually looks like for patients inside the app
Discover how personalised cues, timing, and breathwork matter and how a single well-chosen cue can change the way someone uses their pelvic floor
Learn why cultural background and family norms shape pelvic health and what surprising practices from Eastern traditions actually align with modern evidence
Find out how Pelvy supports men’s pelvic health too, and why men often suffer in silence, and how the app is designed to include them
Understand the sacrifices behind a bootstrapped FemTech startup and what Amelia gives up—financially, personally, geographically to keep Pelvy alive
Discover how clinician feedback reshapes the product in real time and how a simple “template” feature radically increased usage and impact
Learn what myths about “normal” pelvic function Amelia wants retired and how challenging those beliefs could change someone’s quality of life today

Resources:
Amelia Godfrey: LinkedIn
Pelvy: LinkedIn
Pelvy: https://pelvy.app/
Maaike Steinebach LinkedIn
Website Femtech Future: https://www.femtechfuture.com
Instagram Femtech Future: @femtech_future

Your pelvic health doesn’t have to be an afterthought, a taboo, or a lifetime of “this is just how it is.” It’s the silent foundation of how we move, love, parent, age, and show up in the world. If this resonated with you, be part of the movement, share this episode with someone who needs it, like and review the show so more listeners can find these stories, and join us again next week for another powerful conversation on FemTech at Work.

What happens when an elite runner is praised for losing her period in the name of performance until it nearly breaks her body, and forces her to truly listen to it?
In this episode, elite runner, coach, and Femmi co-founder Lydia O’Donnell joins us for a raw and honest conversation about disordered eating, hormone health, and how training with her menstrual cycle helped her rebuild performance, health and confidence from the ground up.
If you care about women’s health, sport, or creating solutions that are genuinely built for women, this is an episode that will stay with you long after it ends.

Key Takeaways:
Find out how losing her period and being told it was a “good thing” pushed Lydia to completely rethink her body, her health and her running
Learn why most coaching and sports science still default to male bodies and what that actually does to girls and women in sport
Understand how FEMI went from one-to-one coaching on five messy platforms to a single app that connects training, cycle tracking, learning and community
Find out what questions FEMI asks on onboarding (from goals to PBs to cycle info) to make training feel like having your own coach in your pocket.
Discover what it’s really like pitching to 100+ investors as female founders building only for women, and why the 2% funding stat hits so hard
earn how FEMI’s Friday women-only run communities and new in-app groups help women find their tribe, whether they’re in Auckland, London or Hong Kong
Understand Lydia’s vision for using AI, wearables and hormone data to build truly hyper-personalised training
Find out how reframing “bad” training days as normal hormonal shifts can stop women from blaming their bodies and start trusting them
Discover Lydia’s one big piece of advice for founders in women’s health who feel scared to start but know the system wasn’t built for them

Resources:
Lydia O’Donnell: LinkedIn
Femmi: LinkedIn
Femmi: https://www.femmi.co/
Maaike Steinebach LinkedIn
Website Femtech Future: https://www.femtechfuture.com
Instagram Femtech Future: @femtech_future

Hit play on this episode and walk alongside Lydia as she turns “just push harder” into “listen to your body” and shows what happens when running, hormones and women’s health finally line up. If you’ve ever thought sport wasn’t really built for you, this conversation might just change the way you move and how you see yourself.
This isn’t just a story about an app; it’s about women refusing to shrink themselves to fit into systems that were never built for them and building new ones instead. You can be part of it.
If this episode moved you, be part of the movement, share it with a friend, hit like, and leave a quick review so more people can find these stories.
See you next week on FemTech at Work for another honest conversation with a founder changing the future of women’s health!

When a man launches a women’s mental health fundraiser and accidentally builds Australia’s leading organisation for women’s mental health, something in the system is clearly broken and ready for change. This episode is a front-row seat to that transformation.
In this episode of Femtech at Work, we sit down with Luke Morris, founder and CEO of Women’s Mental Health Australia (formerly the Liptember Foundation), to unpack how a quirky fundraising idea turned into a national movement reshaping women’s mental health across the lifespan.
You’ll hear how mental health systems were historically built on male data, and how Women’s Mental Health Australia is closing the gap by connecting women’s physical and mental health—from PMDD and PCOS to perinatal mental health and menopause.
If you care about women’s health, gender equity, or simply want to understand how one idea can shift a national conversation, this episode will challenge, inspire, and move you to action.

Key Takeaways:
Find out how a casual fundraising idea based on lipstick evolved into Australia’s leading women’s mental health organisation
Discover why a male founder chose women’s mental health as his life’s work and what this says about true male allyship
How mental health systems built on male physiology and data have failed women in both research and clinical practice
Understand how conditions like PMDD and PCOS dramatically increase women’s mental health burden and why they’re so often overlooked
Discover how gender-disaggregated data is rewriting the story of women’s mental health in Australia
Find out how a long-term partnership with Chemist Warehouse became the catalyst that took Liptember from a small fundraiser to a national force
Learn how Women’s Mental Health Australia uses annual research to decide where every donated dollar can have the most impact
Understand why geography, city vs regional and remote, still shapes access to quality mental health care for women
Discover how new programs like the Working Mothers initiative aim to support women navigating the return to work after childbirth

Resources:
Luke Morris: LinkedIn
Women’s Mental Health Australia: LinkedIn
Women’s Mental Health Australia: https://www.womensmentalhealthaustralia.org.au/
Maaike Steinebach LinkedIn
Website Femtech Future: https://www.femtechfuture.com
Instagram Femtech Future: @femtech_future

This episode with Luke Morris is more than a story about a charity. It's a blueprint for how courage, data, and relentless advocacy can reshape an entire system for women.
If this conversation opened your eyes to how deeply the system has failed women, don’t let it stop at awareness. Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, and become part of the movement that’s rewriting the story of women’s mental health. Let's keep amplifying voices that move women’s health forward.
Thank you, and see you next week for another powerful episode of Femtech at Work.

What happens when a registered nurse and public health practitioner discovers that the menstrual products she relies on are filled with undisclosed chemicals—and decides to redesign period care from the ground up?
Today at FemTech at Work, we have Helena U, founder of Inoya, to unpack her unexpected journey from clinical practice and public health into the world of femtech and sustainable period care.
If you care about women’s health, ethical products, sustainable periods, or you’re a clinician or founder sitting on a big idea, this episode will challenge how you think about “normal” period care and what it takes to build a company that truly aligns with your values.

Key Takeaways:
Find out how a research session on hidden chemicals in pads pushed Helena from frustrated consumer to Femtech founder
Learn what really goes into many conventional menstrual products and why ingredient transparency and regulation are still so “loose” in Australia
Discover why Helena abandoned the idea of single-use organic pads and pivoted to reusable products after listening closely to early customer feedback
Learn how being a nurse and public health practitioner influences Helena’s refusal to use fear-based marketing, even when agencies push for it
Find out what makes the Inoya Cup’s patented bell shape and handle a more beginner-friendly and how small design changes reduce bladder pressure and discomfort
Discover how Helena navigates tough trade-offs between safety, sustainability, and profitability without compromising her mission or her customers’ health
Understand why accelerator programs like UQ Ventures were a turning point for Helena’s confidence, funding, and community as a solo founder
Learn what policy changes like mandatory ingredient disclosure and stronger safety standards, Helena believes would radically improve menstrual health outcomes
Discover Helena’s advice for clinicians and aspiring women’s health founders who are afraid to start, and why feeling uncomfortable may be a sign you’re growing

Resources:
Helena U: LinkedIn
Inoya: LinkedIn
Inoya: https://myinoya.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myinoya/
Maaike Steinebach LinkedIn
Website Femtech Future: https://www.femtechfuture.com
Instagram Femtech Future: @femtech_future

Ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about your period products? Hit play and step into Helena’s world, where science, empathy and design collide to create safer, gentler and more sustainable menstrual care.
If this story moved you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, hit like, leave a review so more listeners can discover these voices, and join us again next week for another powerful conversation on FemTech at Work.

What if women didn’t have to beg for capital, but could build, fund and scale their ideas on their own terms from anywhere in the world?
In this episode of FemTech at Work, we have Irene Tsang, founder and CEO of Lift Women Group, Australia’s first women-focused crowdfunding and funding ecosystem. From growing up in China and Hong Kong to starting over in Melbourne as a single mother of two, Irene shares the deeply personal journey and purpose that led her to tackle the $1.5 trillion global gender finance gap.
If you care about female founders, FemTech, women’s health, gender-lens investing, and new models of funding, this episode will inspire you to rethink what’s possible when we lift women together!

Key Takeaways:
Find out how Irene’s journey as a migrant single mother led her to build Lift Women and dedicate her life to closing the gender finance gap.
Discover why less than 2.3% of venture capital goes to women-led startups and how reward-based crowdfunding can flip the script.
Learn how Lift Women’s RISE model (reward crowdfunding, partnerships, community, education) creates an end-to-end funding and support ecosystem for female founders.
Understand how early crowdfunding traction helped FemTech startup OVUM AI go from idea to MVP to raising a $1.7M seed round.
Find out why men are a crucial part of the Lift Women story and how male allies actively support female founders on the platform.
Discover real FemTech examples from HPV-detecting period pads to biodegradable menstrual products and brain–hormone monitoring that are changing women’s health globally.
Learn how even small contributions and micro-backing can meaningfully change the trajectory of women-owned businesses worldwide.
Understand why confidence, impostor syndrome, and lack of networks often hold women back more than the absence of capital itself.
Discover how Lift Women’s new AI co-pilot helps women structure campaigns and businesses in minutes, and when it actually makes sense to use AI in a startup.
Learn how Irene defines success over the next 5–10 years not just in terms of Lift Women’s growth, but in the collective wins of the founders they support.

Resources:
Irene Tsang: LinkedIn
LiftWomen: LinkedIn
LiftWomen: https://project.liftwomen.com/
Maaike Steinebach : LinkedIn
Website Femtech Future https://www.femtechfuture.com
Instagram Femtech Future: @femtech_future

Ready to help rewrite the rules of who gets funded? Hit play now to hear how Irene Tsang and Lift Women are transforming the way female founders access capital, confidence and community and discover the simple steps you can take today to power the next generation of women-led innovation.
If this episode moved you, be part of the movement: share it with a friend who needs to hear it, hit like, leave a review so more listeners can discover these stories, and make your voice count in lifting women everywhere. See you next week for another episode of FemTech at Work.