Sex, Soap, & Alcohol
Sex, Soap & Alcohol is a podcast about the everyday industries that quietly shape our lives and the bold ideas that can transform them into engines of dignity and impact. Hosted by Prof. Myriam Sidibé, public health scholar, marketing expert, and TED speaker, the show explores how business models can shift systems, unlock scale, and deliver change.
Each theme is an entry point into deeper conversations:
- Sex explores gender equity, reproductive rights, consent, and how safe spaces and smart communication can transform futures.
- Soap uncovers the role of hygiene in dignity, public health, neglected diseases, and the untold power of brands in advancing wellbeing.
- Alcohol tackles toxic masculinity, gender-based violence, social norms, and the fine line between marketing responsibility and harm.
Episodes are shaped by five lenses: purpose, partnership, power, profit, and dignity. Together, they reveal how unlikely collaborations, from boardrooms to barbershops, can reframe what it means to do good business.
Born from a TED Talk that sparked global curiosity, Sex, Soap & Alcohol centers voices from the Global South and beyond, highlighting stories of radical collaboration, cultural nuance, and business-as-unusual approaches to systemic change.
This is a show for the doers and decision makers who believe frameworks alone won’t save us, but bold business models might. It is for leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, and policymakers ready to see that profit and purpose are not opposites; they are multipliers.
Real stories. Real systems. Real change.
Sex, Soap, & Alcohol
Global Handwashing Day: On a mission to create a movement
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In this episode of the Sex, Soap and Alcohol podcast, host Professor Myriam Sidibé reflects on the inception and global impact of Global Handwashing Day, a movement that began over 15 years ago at Unilever with a simple bar of soap. The podcast features Marianne Yarrow, a PR expert who helped launch the campaign, and Janet Mbugua, one of the first ambassadors. They discuss the challenges and successes of creating a global awareness day, the importance of advocacy, and how to sustain such movements. The conversation covers their personal experiences, the branding versus authenticity debate, and tips on creating and maintaining meaningful advocacy campaigns.
00:00 The Birth of Global Handwashing Day
00:52 Reflecting on the Journey: From PhD to Global Movement
01:39 Early Challenges and Breakthroughs
03:25 Building a Coalition: The Role of Brands and Partnerships
07:20 The First Global Handwashing Day: A Milestone Achievement
11:56 Embedding the Campaign into Culture and Business Strategy
13:47 Comparing Global Handwashing Day to Other International Days
17:14 Personal Reflections: Becoming an Ambassador
23:48 Maintaining Authenticity in Advocacy
25:47 The Impact of COVID-19 on Handwashing Awareness
26:40 Secrets to Sustaining Advocacy and Creating Movements
36:29 Golden Rules for Creating Effective Advocacy Days