Offering One More Option

THE CHAIR (S1/Ep53) — Offering One More Option 

Hello Beautiful People, 

I’m Your Host Dreme. 

I’m a Black woman, an educator turned tech entrepreneur but still an educator. Building a platform called THE CHAIR is a Black and Brown centered tech platform dedicated to supporting people on their hair journey. You can design hairboards, connect to hair stylists, and share hair care tips all in one space for a more joyous and streamlined experience. I built THE CHAIR Podcast to highlight hair journeys. A reminder to keep creating magic. As people sit in THE CHAIR you will get more than just hair stories. You will be immersed into experiences surrounding education, entrepreneurship, and identity. I hope you enjoy listening to my stories and the stories of my guests as we sit in THE CHAIR. 

THE CHAIR (S1/Ep53) — Offering One More Option 

Cindy and I met at a Tech Meetup Event. We laughed. We talked and then we got hot chocolate weeks later and I excited to call her a new friend. I am working to find my people in the tech space and I am excited that Cindy has entered the chat. In her very busy schedule she has taken the time out to chat with me as she runs a successful startup called Sunny. 

Her Bio: 

Cindy Belardo (she/her/ella) CEO and co-founder, has a background in Environmental Studies, Pre-Medicine from the University of Oklahoma, and is a proud Puerto Rican-Chinese-American woman. Cindy started Sunny in 2019 after learning about the menstrual cup and period poverty. She won a $10k grant and took a team to India to research 200 people's first time menstrual cup use over a 5 month usability survey. She is a Tedx speaker on her findings: the taboos of periods and the steep learning curve of menstrual cups. She is the author of a period education graphic novel for kids, co-inventor of the first FDA Cleared, reusable menstrual cup and applicator, and leads Sunny, a Fast Company 2023 World Changing Ideas Award Finalist. 

Website: https://sunnyperiod.com/

Host & Exec Producer: Your Host Dreme
Editor: Lila Woodbridge
http://www.lilawoodbridge.com/
Music Creators: Your Host Dreme & Seoul (@xSeoulMusicx)

Learn More About THE CHAIR:
Join THE CHAIR Community for FREE:
https://growinghands.wpengine.com/

Join THE CHAIR Newsletter for FREE:
https://growinghands.wpengine.com/newsletter/

Commercial Credits:
Visionary: Your Host Dreme
Animator: Ahmad Merhi
https://amerhifilm.com/film
Voice Actor: D. Ruff (@d_ruff3), The Poet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFAH2cqo64U

My Book:
From Nowhere & Everywhere: Captured Emotions of a Beautifully Broken Love Story
My explorations through poetry, diary entries and photography as a Black woman, an educator in Guangzhou, China.
Website - https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/...

Chapters

• 0:16 Introduction to Ms. Dreme, Your Host
• 1:55 Section 1: Introducing Cindy Belardo, Co-Founder of Sunny
• 3:32 Section 2: Cindy Discusses How Sunny Came To Be
• 7:16 THE CHAIR Platform Commercial
• 9:15 Section 3: Cindy talks how identity pours into her startup work
• 13:02 Section 4: Dreme talks about difference and how that keeps her aware of others perspectives
• 14:51 Section 5: Cindy & Dreme talk taking a holistic approach to startup work and navigating multiple worlds at once
• 16:34 Section 6: Cindy talks definitions of tech and understanding multilevel problems
• 18:48 My Book Commercial: From Nowhere & Everywhere: Captured Emotions of a Beautifully Broken Love Story
• 19:26 Section 7: Cindy discusses company values and the intersections with fundraising
• 22:01 Section 8: Cindy gives advice to entrepreneurs
• 23:57 Section 9: Cindy talks about her hair journey
• 25:45 Outro with Your Host, Ms. Dreme