Nadya Okamoto

Back in 2020, Nadya Okamoto (she/her) co-founded August—a next gen brand that makes better-for-you (and the planet) period care—after having spent years in the menstrual health advocacy space. “I founded a nonprofit when I was 16 called PERIOD., and then wrote a book a few years later called Period Power,” she says. “Focusing even more on how we could change culture and improve on period care for all is what led me to start August.” Today, they offer tampons, pads, and liners that are available online and at Target, and continue to practice what they preach when it comes to sustainability and menstruation education.

In our next Have You Eaten Yet? feature, Nadya shares why sustainability is front and center at her company, what teaching others about their cycles looks like behind the scenes, and the recipe to a beloved snack from her childhood.

Your products are cute, colorful, and most importantly, sustainable! What are your sustainability practices, and why was it important to root your brand in that?
Sustainability is a spectrum, and we strongly believe in the importance of constantly thinking about how we can be incrementally more sustainable with everything from our products to how we design our supply chain. Our pads and tampons were designed to be as sustainable as possible without sacrificing on efficacy or comfort. We are also proudly carbon neutral. By investing in carbon offsets to fund renewable energy programs like Grid Solutions and Surfrider Foundation, we’re able to bring our emissions back down to net zero. We also maintain honesty and transparency about how our products are made as we believe what goes into your vagina shouldn’t be a “scary secret.” Climate change is an emergency crisis, and we all have a responsibility to do what we can to take better care of our planet—and that starts with what we choose to consume and even introduce to our own bodies.

August also prides itself in period care education. What does that mean?
We believe that businesses should constantly challenge themselves to be better for people and for the planet. That’s why every purchase made with August directly contributes to initiatives that reduce period poverty, and why we take a stand against the unjust tampon tax. “Period poverty” refers to the lack of access to menstrual products, proper sanitation facilities, and menstrual health education, often leading to social and economic challenges for individuals, particularly in low-income or marginalized communities.

Regarding the tampon tax, we’ve covered it for customers wherever possible since we launched DTC in 2021. Last year, we also created the Tampon Tax Back Coalition, so customers can text us a picture of their receipt and we can quickly reimburse them for the tax they’re charged. We also turned the initiative into a coalition and invited other period care brands to join—putting collaboration over competition in the name of standing against this unfair practice.

In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, what’s a dish you loved eating growing up?
So, I’m half Japanese and half Taiwanese. My dad was born in Japan and immigrated to the states when he was a kid, and my mom is a first-generation American, born in Illinois and raised in Indiana. I don’t have a really close relationship with my heritage because I’m estranged from my three remaining grandparents, but there’s one snack that comes to mind as having been a big part of my upbringing, and that’s Tamago Gohan with Natto Beans.

Tamago Gohan means egg rice! Sometimes people are grossed out by raw egg, but it cooks quite a bit when you mix it with really hot rice, and the natto is a texture that I hope people grow to love, if they don’t love it already.