Female Disruptors: Claire Coder of Aunt Flow On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
From a young age, my dad taught me “Perseverance pays.” That is such an important message, and it sticks with me as we continue to grow Aunt Flow. 2022 marks six years of building Aunt Flow, and we are now officially hitting our stride. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but with hard work, it does happen.
As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Claire Coder.
Claire Coder, founder and CEO (Chief Estrogen Officer) of Aunt Flow, is a leader in the menstrual movement and on a mission to make free sustainable period products available in every public restroom. Claire started Aunt Flow at 18 years old after getting her period in public without the supplies she needed. Today, Claire is a 25-year-old Thiel Fellow and Forbes 30 under 30 recipient.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
When I was 18, I was at an event and unexpectedly got my period. I didn’t have any pads or tampons on me. I thought to myself “if toilet paper is offered for free, why aren’t period products?” I was really frustrated that tampons and pads weren’t easily accessible. That’s when I knew I needed to do something about it. I left college and started Aunt Flow, to ensure EVERYONE has access to quality tampons and pads. For every 10 period products sold, one is donated to an organization that supports menstruators in need.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
While our solution seems simple, the problem we are solving is not talked about — Which makes our mission that much more important. Aunt Flow’s free-vend period product dispenser replaces those yucky coin-operated period product dispensers. The concept of FREE products in a bathroom outside of the home is NOT new — When was the last time you had to find a quarter to get toilet paper at your office? That said, the concept of offering period products — another basic necessity — IS NEW. For that reason, Aunt Flow is disrupting the bathroom — ensuring everyone has access to ALL basic necessities.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’ve made many mistakes that looking back are funny now, but they weren’t in the moment and there’s a lesson in that too. In the beginning, Aunt Flow grew so quickly, and we needed to find manufacturers. I reached out to a bunch of potential partners that I found through an online search. When I received a response from a supplier saying they would like to work with us, I was very excited! They asked that I send $25,000 via wire transfer. I did and was immediately ghosted. I was flabbergasted. I was only 18 years old. We never got the money back. I was crushed and my back was up against the wall. Lesson learned: when searching for business partners, always do your due diligence to prevent fraud!
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
It is common to think of a “mentor” as just one individual. Conversely, I’ve built a network of support for specific circumstances, like Carey Jaros, CEO of Gojo Industries or John Barrett, the executive director of ISSA. I started tracking our conversations in the CRM system, Streak, and categorized potential mentors by location and specialty. When I need advice or am trying to determine how to do something, I filter through the network and reach out to that person who is the best fit. I utilize this list at least three times a week. The earlier you can start building this network, the better.
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
When disruption is done in any industry, it needs to provide a solution to a problem, enriching people’s lives for the better. Period poverty is a real issue in the United States. In fact, more than 4 in 5 students have either missed class time or know someone who missed class time because they did not have access to period products. Additionally, menstrual products aren’t covered by food stamps or WIC, making it inaccessible for some menstruators. No one should EVER be forced to choose between food and tampons.
Through Aunt Flow’s mission, we knew we could have a positive impact on menstruators, working to remove obstacles for them. Aunt Flow has successfully disrupted the menstrual product industry by eliminating coin-operated tampon and pad dispensers, replacing those with free-vend menstrual product dispensers to ensure accessible products for everyone at no cost. For every 10 period products we sell, we donate one. In 2021, Aunt Flow donated over 1.6 million period products to organizations in the U.S. that support menstruators in need.
Founding a social enterprise that would be a sustainable solution to help people has been a dream of mine, and I am proud to say it is now a reality.
Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.
From a young age, my dad taught me “Perseverance pays.” That is such an important message, and it sticks with me as we continue to grow Aunt Flow. 2022 marks six years of building Aunt Flow, and we are now officially hitting our stride. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but with hard work, it does happen.
My dear friend, Jathan Pugh, reminds me “You’re a human first and a girlboss second, and that’s allowed.” I repeat this mantra when I am trapped in a phone booth on back-to-back calls trying to defy the odds of my bladder. Turns out, being a human, after a few hours, I will have to take a break from phone calls and pee. And that’s okay.
My friend, Shannon Mihaly, says it best, “The only time I set the bar low is for limbo.” Aunt Flow is on a mission to change the world for people with periods. That is a very lofty goal, and something worth bending over backwards for.
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
My life’s work is talking about things that people don’t want to talk about. Periods are first on the docket. Imagine all the other topics you don’t want your parents to bring up over dinner…that’s next.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
Being a female entrepreneur at the age of 25, the biggest struggle is the idea that someone my age can’t be taken seriously. It is frustrating, but I continue to use my resources and strive to prove that idea wrong. As women, we need to own our superpowers and, gollee, do we have many. Own it.
Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us?
To stay relevant outside of my industry, I listen to Robinhood’s podcast “Snack Daily” every single morning. It is just 10–15 minutes and allows me to stay up to date on what is going on in the world.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Ingrained in Aunt Flow’s mission is to change the daily lives of menstruators. We live it every day, trying to make the world better for people with periods. I started this company because I wanted to create real change, and we are starting to see that happen. Working with advocacy groups, we are helping to support legislation around the county. Seven states introduced bills for free period products in 2021, six states now require free menstrual products in schools, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, recently passed the first law requiring all public restrooms to be stocked with free menstrual products. No one should be without access to tampons and pads. We won’t stop until every public bathroom you walk into has free period products.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Always set the bar high for yourself. One of my all-time favorite quotes is “The only time to set the bar low is for limbo.” -Shannon Mihaly That is a very lofty goal, and something worth bending over backwards for.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can follow me on Instagram (@clariecoderofficial) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairecoder/). For the latest about Aunt Flow, you can go to our website — goauntflow.com — follow us on Instagram (@goauntflow), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/goauntflow/) or Twitter (@goauntflow).
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
