Your pain is valid

WHAT’S ON DECK

• Tell Me More: “No more suffering in silence!”

• Troublemaker Spotlight: Stef Strack, Founder and CEO, VOICEINSPORT

• Dear FQ: My boss is making me bring my work phone on vacation

• Poll the Pack: Most people want to speak up, but something is holding them back

TELL ME MORE

We must reject the normalization of female pain

For years we've been telling young women that period pain is just a part of life, and not worth making a fuss over. Lupita Nyong'o is done with the silence.

Nyong'o revealed her deeply personal story of discovering more than 30 uterine fibroids the same year she won the Oscar for 12 Years a Slave. The condition causes noncancerous but painful tumors to grow in the uterus, affecting millions, and often causes periods to be very heavy or even for bleeding between periods. Yet, too often it goes ignored or misunderstood. “Silence serves no one,” she wrote, describing the shock and frustration she felt navigating her diagnosis and treatment. She was offered two options: Invasive surgery or live with the pain. She chose surgery, but she's not stopping there.

She shared, “When we reach puberty, we’re taught that periods mean pain, and that pain is simply part of being a woman… We’re struggling alone with something that affects most of us. No more suffering in silence! We need to stop treating this massive issue like a series of unfortunate coincidences. We must reject the normalization of female pain.”

In July, the actress took her fight to Capitol Hill, joining Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke to introduce four bills that expand research funding and public awareness, as well as increase in early detection and interventions for fibroids. She's also launching the FWH x Lupita Nyong'o Uterine Fibroid Grant to fund critical medical research.

Nyong’o is just one of the 80% of African American women who will have uterine fibroids by age 50, 70% for white women. But despite these staggering numbers, fibroids remain vastly understudied. There are treatments, though still not enough or effective at preventing recurrence. The lack of options could be due in part to the fact that women are traditionally underrepresented in medical research and clinical trials, leading to data gaps and poorer outcomes for female patients.

Women have long known (and science is beginning to catch up) that their pain is too easily dismissed in healthcare settings:

• Healthcare providers doubt women's pain reports and prescribe less medication

• Women are 10% less likely to have their pain recorded in ERs

• Women are often viewed as exaggerating when they complain of pain, and studies show that women’s pain is taken far less seriously than men’s

Women like Lupita with a global platform are getting the word out about discrepancies in women’s healthcare. And for those of us who spend a majority of our time at work, change also needs to happen there. A growing number of employers are providing accommodations for women-centric care and actively addressing the broader healthcare gap through workplace policies, targeted benefits, and support programs:

• Offering paid menstrual leave, so employees can take days off specifically for menstrual or menopausal symptoms, with some allowing remote work during difficult days.

• Expanding “reasonable accommodations” for people experiencing severe menstrual symptoms, including temporary leave, schedule adjustments, or longer breaks.

To really bring this home, we need leadership and management training that encourages open conversation about women’s health at work, so that we can build a culture where women’s well-being is prioritized, not stigmatized.

Women need doctors on their side who believe their pain and symptoms. Doctors who can relate to women and connect the dots that lead to breakthroughs, insights, and diagnoses that otherwise might be missed.

Nyong'o’s honesty is helping to break the cycle of keeping women’s pain in the shadows. What she’s reminding us with her advocacy: Your pain is valid. Speak up if you feel unheard or dismissed at the doctor’s office!

TROUBLEMAKER SPOTLIGHT

Stef Strack, Founder and CEO, VOICEINSPORT

Stef Strack is not afraid to disrupt a business model in service of a better path forward for girls and women.

Did you know that 45% of girls stop playing sports by age 14 due to low body confidence? That’s almost 2X the rate of boys. Strack is the Founder and CEO of VOICEINSPORT (VIS), a digital community inspiring girls to stay in sport through mentorship, content, and access to the top experts in sport psychology, nutrition, and women's health. She is also the Founder of the VOICEINSPORT Foundation, the global non-profit that is supercharging sport science and research for women athletes. Sports teaches so many life lessons: The power of teamwork, confidence, and resilience in the face of defeat, to name a few. These lessons extend far beyond the playing field. Ensuring girls stay in sport means building a generation of women ready to lead with confidence and strength.

FQ: What’s the worst career advice you’ve gotten?

“Be more patient.” I’ve heard it often and hated it every time. That advice was really about staying in line, not pushing too hard, not questioning too much. But it was my impatience that fueled my greatest breakthroughs. I never accepted the status quo. I challenged the system, asked uncomfortable questions, and moved faster than people expected, because progress doesn’t wait.

That same drive has helped me lead transformational work both inside some of the biggest global companies and as a founder building something entirely new from scratch.

What’s the best piece of non-obvious career advice you’ve gotten?

Earlier in my career, a male executive once told me I was “too much like a bulldog.” At first, it stung. But over time, I realized he was actually saying: I charge full speed toward results without fully understanding the power dynamics around me.

That moment taught me that strategy isn’t just about what you do, it’s about how well you understand the system you’re doing it in. Women are still navigating spaces that weren’t built with us, or for us, in mind.

So yes, work hard. But also learn who holds the influence, how decisions get made, and when to challenge the structure versus work within it.

What was a “heartbeat moment” for you in your career?

Leaving my CEO role at a fashion company to build VOICEINSPORT. I knew it would be risky and plenty of people told me it didn’t make sense. But I listened to my inner voice telling me that girls in sport needed more VISibility, more support, and more access.

When the first girl signed up for a mentoring session on the platform, that’s the moment that made it real. When you’re building something that’s never been done before, you always wonder, will anyone show up? She did. And she was just the beginning.

Landing the WNBA as our first league partner soon after was proof that what I built was a missing piece in the sports ecosystem. It confirmed the power of following your gut, betting on purpose, and building what the world needs… even when no one else sees it yet.

Who is one person you’d love to give flowers to from your career that influenced your journey?

I’d give flowers to Dr. Pradeep, a pioneer in neuroscience and AI, and someone who’s played a pivotal role in my journey as a founder. Long before VOICEINSPORT was a reality, he believed I had what it took to build a transformative tech platform, and he’s never wavered in that belief. His mentorship gave me the confidence to step into the world of AI and machine learning as a woman founder in sport.

He taught me to trust both intelligence and intuition, to stay grounded in purpose, and to see technology not just as a tool but as a force for inclusion. That influence continues today as we integrate AI into the VIS App to deliver personalized experiences, content, and services to girls in sport, built on new models where her voice is finally at the center.

Where have you caused trouble?

While I was the General Manager of Nike Skateboarding, I created a company-wide survey asking how we could lead the industry in supporting women. It wasn’t sanctioned. HR wasn’t happy. But I built my career by taking action, not waiting for permission.

At the time, Nike was known as the world’s greatest innovator in sport performance footwear, so I thought, ‘why not be the world’s greatest innovator in how we support women in corporate environments?’ I wanted us to lead in pay equity, maternity policies, development pathways, and meaningful inclusion.

That survey may have gotten me into trouble, but it also started a critical conversation. Innovation always ruffles feathers before it sparks change.

Check out Strack’s VIS app to access the VIS community.

Want to nominate a “Troublemaker” you admire? You can do so here.

DEAR FQ

Your burning career questions answered

Marissa Bonfiglio of The Female Quotient weighs in:

It’s never easy to push back on a request from your manager, but time off is essential for your well-being and long-term performance (and the company's, too)! So, since you’ve already taken the proactive step of arranging coverage and updating stakeholders, use that prep to frame your response.

I would suggest something along the lines of: "I understand the importance of keeping things moving while I’m away and I’ve ensured [project manager name] is fully briefed and prepared to provide updates in my absence. I trust them to handle anything that may arise, which allows me to fully disconnect. I’ll be offline during my PTO, but I’ll make sure I’m completely up to speed when I return on [date] to seamlessly resume progress."

This approach communicates three important things:

• You’ve anticipated the needs of the project

• You’ve ensured a smooth hand-off

• You are holding firm on your boundary to disconnect during your PTO

Give yourself flowers for setting a healthy boundary. It sets a positive precedent for yourself and others on your team. Here's the truth: Joy, rest, and self-preservation aren’t rewards, they’re requirements. If you wait until you're burnt out, it's already too late. You’re covered, so have the best vacation!

P.S. Got a burning career question? Serve it up here to Dear FQ to score advice from a powerhouse leader in our network.

POLL THE PACK

Who’s really being heard at work?

This data speaks loud and clear: Most people want to speak up, but something is holding them back. The majority are ‘conditional contributors,’ full of ideas yet waiting for a signal: Encouragement from a trusted colleague, support from a manager, or simply an environment where they feel safe to share. 

If you’re in that 52%, you’re likely reading the room. You know your contributions matter, but experience has taught you that timing and context dictate whether your ideas will land. Forward-thinking organizations can unlock this potential not by simply giving people a seat at the table, but by fostering genuine psychological safety. It’s not enough to say ‘you’re welcome here’: People need to feel encouraged, respected, and safe enough to share what’s really on their minds.

It’s encouraging that 39% of employees always speak up, but we can do better. True innovation happens when bold ideas are actively welcomed. If you’re in the “always speak up” category, start using your voice to advocate for the quieter voices in the room.

Whether at the doctor’s office or a team meeting, speak up and advocate for yourself in every room!

Xo,

The FQ

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