Redefining Sexual Wellness with Eva Goicochea & Morgane Leten

Welcome to beyond the Cycle, the podcast that's here to help you take control of your hormonal health and feel good every day. No matter where you are in life. Whether you're thinking about quitting the pill, navigating a regular cycle, have no cycle at all, or transitioning into menopause, this is the perfect place for honest conversations and expert insights.

Who do you think put your clitoris there? I'm sorry, like, can we talk about this?

So get ready for some real talk. This is beyond the Cycle. In this episode of the beyond the Cycle podcast, we'll dive into the topics like self pleasure, sexual wellness and the secret to maintaining a healthy relationship. And we have a special guest, Eva Goycochea. She's the founder of mard, a brand that's redefining sexual wellness with beautifully designed, gender neutral and eco conscious products. From vibrators to candles, lubricants, condoms and shower gel, MARD has transformed intimate products into beautifully designed essentials. A major milestone for the brand. Mart's products are now featured and sold at the Musee du Louvre in Paris, of all places. Something you should be incredibly proud of. So welcome, Eva.

Thank you so much for having me.

And we also have Morgan Lehrten, co founder of Good Woman, with us.

Hello. Hello.

It's an amazing bio, Eva, and your company, mod. I'm really excited that I've been able to discover the brand. So I'm happy, happy to meet you. And we've been walking around New York looking for your products and we walked into some very enthusiastic salespersons and who.

Yes.

Who were like, very excited to sell us or talk to us about the product.

So yeah, we'll have to go find them again and say thank you.

We took a picture with him. I'll show you who it is. So Stanford, if you're listening.

Oh, Stanford. Yeah, we love Stanford.

You know him? Yes, we bumped into him. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was lovely. He was lovely. So your company focuses on sexual wellness not just through products, but but also focusing on education. What inspired you to start this company? What's your mission with mud?

What's my mission? I think I will keep it as short as possible because it's quite a long story, but go for it.

Take your time.

So I really have always been very design forward. Like my interest when I was young was I wanting to be an architect, but I hated math so I started flunking out on purpose. My mom was like, what is wrong with you? But I ended up working in startups and I also was a Legislative. Legislative aid in healthcare, which kind of shaped this idea of can you bring design and a consumer mindset to the category? Because for so long it's been very clinical or it's been quite crass. So I started working on this in 2015, 16, after I had been at some startups, and so I never thought it would get this far. I did not think we'd be in the Louvre, but here we are. And then I think ultimately I'm from New Mexico and New Mexico is like one of the worst states in condom usage. I have many great nephews and nieces. People get pregnant quite young. And I really wanted a company that could create cultural change for the next generation. So that's what Maude's trying to do. Yeah. Great.

Is that how. How would you define sexual wellness within that atmosphere or within that idea?

Within that. I think it's. It's not about going to teenagers and saying this is what needs to happen. They're gonna get told that they're. They have access to the Internet. It's about making adults feel comfortable because they're the ones raising the next generation. So Mod is really a brand focused on, call it like over 30, over 40. And I don't think that audience has been spoken to because it's been a category that's been quite young focused. We've seen these brands that are very bright and loud and silly. And I wanted to bring a little bit of a different approach to the category. Yeah.

Do you want to break the taboo through your.

Yeah, in a way.

Which is so funny when the vibe gets banned, like on certain channels and then you look at it and you're like, it just looks like a paperweight. Like, it just. It just looks like a little sculpture. It looks like a rock. And you're like, this thing causes so many problems. Like, I can't.

It's banned.

Oh, right now we're banned on Meta. John Hegeman, I'm talking to you. No, he's been wonderful. He's at Meta and he's been trying to get us approved, but it's like, yeah, devices get banned. Do you.

Do they tell you why or do they. No, no, they just ban.

It's just because it's like the sexual industry that you cannot promote.

Oh, no, no, no. You can. If you talk about ED pills, that's fine. If you talk about condoms, it's fine. You can talk about anything pretty much male related, which, you know.

Oh, wow. I'm shocked.

Yeah. Welcome to America.

No, it's the same with, like, with good woman. When we sometimes have pictures of not even sexual pict a woman, like having two flowers in front of her breast is men too. And then they. I have to take it away.

But you know, the war and children being killed.

Cool. No problem.

You see that every day.

I know. Yeah.

Oh, okay. So that's a whole. A whole other thing you have to navigate.

Whole nother.

Yeah, yeah. So you talk about the. The openness and about reaching adults. Were there any adults in your life that talk to. Talk to you about sex and sexual health when you were younger?

Totally. So my parents divorced before I was one. My mom was single and she was dating and she was like, look, birds, bees. Here's a book. Our bodies, ourselves. Like, it's not a big deal. It's part of being a person. And I think, you know. And she laughs now. She's like, I never thought this was going to, like, set the course for your entire life. But I think what she did was she brought intelligence and a matter of factness and a respect to that part of life that I was able to then make better choices as an adult. And I was not afraid to talk about these things in that way. I'm not like a very open person about the topic. I'm quite private. But I was at least I never shied away from saying, like, this is just a part of life. So when I took. Yeah, yeah, my mom was very honest.

Yeah, I didn't have that growing up. We were quite like. My parents wouldn't really talk to me about this. So the first time I came into contact with sex education or people talking to me about it was in school. And we all know that it was awkward. You could tell the teacher wasn't really happy talking about this stuff. And yeah, in Belgium it's probably the same. In America, it's not really taught. Do you remember your first sex education class?

I remember it was just like one person showing us how to put a condom on, like, a plastic penis or a banana even. And instead of that, I wish that it would be, like, more practical that you really learn as a young girl how to put on a condom. Because Even now I'm 37 and I feel so clumsy when I need to do it because I never learned it properly. And I think it's important that young girls and boys learn it to do it with confidence.

But it's not only that. I mean, I think like, the phys ed teacher was like, oh, gosh, I have to teach this like one hour a year to these kids. And it was not the appropriate person to be telling us, especially depending on where they were coming from. And then I went to Catholic high school, so then I learned about abstinence and like, let me get this straight. Abstinence and the immaculate Conception, this is really not helpful to anyone. So, yeah, so I think it's really an issue. But I think more than that, what we're taught is, like, if we don't have the base level of education just around how our bodies work, then we certainly do not have an emo. Like, we don't emotionally know how to handle these conversations later. So that's what we're trying to help do is by now you should know your body. You're an adult, but emotionally there's some stuff to work through, and we want to be helpful in that.

Do you think, within sex education in school? So we should obviously focus on the practical things so we know that we can get pregnant if we do this or this or we can't if we do this and this. But should those classes also focus on self pleasure?

No, I don't think they should in. In school. I think that that that's where it kind of draws. And I only say that because I think that there are ways for. For people to sort of take what is material and language around self pleasure, choice, you know, relationships, all of that. That shouldn't be taught in school unless it's taught by somebody that knows what they're talking about, whether it's a therapist or a doctor. I mean, frankly, like, doctors in this country aren't even given. No, they're not even taught. Even gynecologists aren't usually taught about pleasure and how a vibrator supports, like, sleep and mental health, all these other things. So I say that not because I don't think that these are conversations that should happen, but because there is absolutely no one appropriate to be teaching this or qualified that the school is going to let in. So I think this has to come through access to factual information and helpful information on the Internet or through organizations that can help. But I think trying to make this in the school system standard here is, like, impossible. No.

If you say access through the Internet, is that something you're trying to achieve with the blog the Modern?

A little bit. I don't think that we want to be the. We're not trying to be a substitute for. For health education. So, you know, there's. There's WebMD, there's your doctor, but we are trying to be supplemental.

Mm.

Okay.

Yeah. Matters of, like, culture and science. And history and sort of giving you more context about why do we feel this way? Why, why does this look this way? Yeah.

Okay, so the self pleasure. I understand what you mean. Like we need qualified people. We need people who know what they're talking about. And through the years you obviously develop a knowledge about yourself and about your body.

Yeah.

And what you, you think what it means to you. Is that something you've figured out, Morgan, what self pleasure is to you?

Yeah. Well, self pleasure to me for a long time I only associated at something in a more sexual sense.

Totally.

But for me these days, it's also more than just physically but also emotionally.

Yeah.

Is being kind to yourself. And I think these things, maybe I missed that to learn at school about self love. Then maybe instead of self pleasure, being kind to yourself, treating yourself with a massage is also, for example, self pleasure. It doesn't have to always to be sexual. And I think before I always linked it to always something sexual. Yeah.

And it doesn't have to be that.

No.

Also it's wild. I mean, there's men in this room. Men can walk around and be like, I am uncomfortable because I have blue balls. Like, whatever. I'm so stressed out. And they've been able to have the freedom to talk about this in a way that is like stress release and helps them sleep. And we're not. And I'm like, but it's all the same.

Why do you think that is?

Or because I think we're coming. I mean, there have been centuries and decades of women being they're supposed to be saintly and proper and mothers and all of these other things and that yes, sure, we can do all of that, but we're also human beings. And it's really critically important that we understand that the ways that our bodies work is like how they're supposed to work. I am totally not religious. I'm quite the atheist. But I also find it so hilarious that hyper religious people, I'm like, who do you think put your clitoris there? If you believe in God. I'm sorry, like, can we talk about this? I don't. It makes no sense. Like, your body is your body. It's the way it functions. And we need to understand that we're also connected to like each part of our body and its function is also connected to our mental health and all of these other things. So as we're learning more about ourselves and the microbiome and all of this and the fact that we have multiple, you know, centers of thought, like that's. I Think people will start to realize that this is so much more than just being sexual.

But also there, I think there is lack of education. I think a lot of women don't know where the clitoris is.

Even men don't say they didn't master until 2005. So.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I think also if we go back to, like, the school education and self pleasure thing, what I remember is that at school you learn that, you know, as a boy, at a certain point, you are ready to have your first ejaculation and so on. But we never talk about, like, women having their first orgasm or the fact that women can masturbate. And then it's still so taboo. And it's like, for boys, it's like, yeah, congrats on doing that. But for us, it's like, ooh, don't do that.

Well, it's also. I mean, we don't have to go down this road. But I'm like, it's also funny that we talk about this as a momentous occasion for them. And we talk about the responsibility of women around, like, children and unborn children. And I'm like, they just ejaculated, like, a billion little babies. Like, we're not talking about that. Like, it's just so ludicrous the way that we perceive men and women so differently. And I'm like, this is just wild to me. Like, the responsibility that falls on women to be so many things and then to not be listened to and heard and to feel guilt and shame. Like, Maude is for everybody. And we do invite, especially couples, you know, to kind of make choices together. But ultimately, Maude is here to create gender equity. That's what we're here to do. So, yeah.

Talking about these subjects, is there any advice you would give to parents who have children to be able to talk about these things? We've just discussed at this table with teenagers, how should they go about doing that?

Well, so what's interesting is if you do talk to your children about masturbation, and the more that you talk to them about ownership of their body, the easier it is for them to make choices about what they do and do not like. And obviously, there's a really outsized pressure on women to say yes in situations. And it's really critically important that parents arm their daughters with education that does not saddle them with more guilt and shame, because they're gonna be put in situations. And I'm sorry, but the statistics are really high around sexual assault. You need to arm them with information so they feel like they can get themselves out of uncomfortable situations or they can set their own boundaries. And that's. If you care about your kids, you'll talk to them about this stuff because it's really important to their, to their well being. Okay, no guilt, but like, talk to your children.

Yeah, no, and I totally agree. But it's not because you say to your kids, like, you can tell me everything, that your kids come to you and tell you everything. And it's not that you need to say everything, but sometimes, certainly in my experience, I still have the impression that I wish I told her more to maybe being better in setting boundaries and so on, to give, like a really personal experience. The first time I had sex, for example, was not with my boyfriend because I didn't have. I didn't have a boyfriend at that time. It was actually with my best friend. And if she would listen to this podcast, I think it's the first time she would hear about was just also, I didn't want to be judged by her to like, that she would know that I would have sex with someone that is not like someone in a fixed relationship.

Yeah.

And I think that's. Yeah, that's a mischance to like, connect or to build like, closer relationship with mother and daughter.

This connects back to what I'm saying about Maude's purpose. Like, often people say, oh, well, you know, listen, we give back to organizations that put sex ed in schools and like, speak to young people. That's wonderful. I'm not actually worried about young people. I'm worried about older generations. I'm worried about our moms and their moms, because they did have those experiences of being told that women should not have any, you know, sort of any type of sexuality. They should not be sexual beings. And so how do we think they're gonna teach us? Right. So it's not just that they're doing a disservice because, you know, they're, they're, they're being closed off. It's like they were done a disservice of not being talked to. So I recognize that and hopefully there's some sort of, like, retroactive education that we can be assisting with as a company to make them feel more comfortable.

Is that the demographic you're trying to reach?

Well, we're trying to reach everyone, but I think we do and have made a concerted effort around trying to be appealing to maybe people that are uncomfortable with the topic. This is why, like, ergonomic, these neutral colors, like, easy to use, not too many choices, trying to give people an opportunity to educate themselves later. And we have a lot of customers write in, and they're like, I've never used a device, and I'm 65, and my husband and I finally used one, and it's heartwarming. Like, I've cried at some of these reviews. So I want people to be happy forever. I don't want them to feel like they've suddenly. You know, they're suddenly disconnected from that side of themselves.

How do you think they find Maude? The older.

I think there's a lot of press that they'll read. Friends will tell them. Googling. Okay, we have a lot of people to reach. We haven't reached that many people. We gotta go. Yeah, Billboard.

I could give a Christmas present to my mom for Christmas.

We should just be like, you give one to your mom, and then she can get a discount to give one to all of her friends. Like, I don't know.

No. How did you explain it?

Like, here, mom, have fun.

Just say, here's your gift. Open it later. I don't have to be here for it.

Yeah.

Not at the table with the whole family.

Do you remember? This is kind of funny, but you all saw the Notebook?

Mm, of course.

Okay. You know when she takes Allie to go see the boy that she was in love with? Do you remember that part of it? She, like, goes to the lumber yard or whatever, and she's like, see that man? I was in love with him.

Yes.

It just. It reminds me of this idea of, like, our mothers had lives before us. They're humans too. And it is really important that we advocate for them to feel that way, because we've been given the opportunity to live in a more sort of open world. So, like, including them in that is important. And recognizing that they are people beyond just the day we were born is important.

Okay, I know what to buy my mom for Christmas. On that topic, what should I buy? Or what's the most sold product?

Vibe.

The Vibe.

Tell her it's in the Louvre. She'll be fine.

That's a good point.

And the Vibe is a vibrator, right? Yeah.

Okay. And you sell in stores online. Do you sell.

Do you ship to.

To Europe from your website?

We ship to Europe, but you can also buy it in stores. Like, we're in to buying core. We're in Samaritan. We're in Selfridges. We're in. Yeah, we're in the Louvre. Go to the Louvre.

Go to Paris.

You just buy it.

Do a little trip with your mother to Paris.

Oh my God. Like, look at this.

This should be good. The driving force behind this podcast is Good Woman. Good Woman is your trusted source for hormonal health support, offering education, expert guidance and supplements. From day one, they've been more than just products. They've created a community where women can openly discuss personal and often taboo questions. Is there any advice you would give to those women to be able to receive pleasure more rather than give someone else pleasure?

Well, I think again, I was a really late bloomer, but we tried to create tools and devices that were not scary, they're not phallic, they're not meant to like intimidate you. And that is critically important to then learning about yourself. Right. So if you have tools that are useful and helpful and don't make you feel uncomfortable, like, and I'm not even talking about using them, I mean, more just buying them, reading about them, that will hopefully be helpful in you exploring and understanding your own body. But again, like, masturbation's not just sexual. Like you said, it's also, and this is what ties so closely to what you're building. It's also so much about sleep and stress and overall well being. And I think we need to recognize that it has a purpose outside of just being sexual.

Is Maud trying to create a more holistic idea of sexual wellness?

Yep. Okay, we're done.

That's the key takeaway.

This is something you should learn at school. Like, if you masturbate, you can sleep better.

It's true. Yeah, but those, I mean, you have to remember, like, it's just outwardly devices. And of course we all know that there are so many really graphic devices out in the world, and I get that. But I think in general they've all kind of been lumped together so that the perception is that that's what they're for. It is just sex. And that's not true.

I think I'm your demographic as well because I've been on toys websites that sell sex toys in the past and I've come as close to going to the checkout but not checking out because it does. It's us, not my vibe. Like the big pink dildos. It's not who I am. If people want to use big pink dildos, go for it, but it doesn't feel like it's me. So finding Mod has really been an eye opener. I like the fact that it's gender neutral, so I'd feel less embarrassed to suggest using them with my boyfriend.

Well, that's what's interesting is I Think that what you've seen historically in the industry is very gendered. Like it's like very pink or very blue, although arguably pink used to be in color. And then also you find a lot of choice on sites. I think what I hear more often is there's just so many choices, I don't know what to do. So when they get to Maud, they're like, okay, it feels pretty matter of fact. And like, I understand. And then the color was meant to be really neutral. Could fit into anyone's life. And I'm sure of our, you know, hundreds of thousands of customers, they all don't have the same aesthetic. But like, it certainly is so neutral that I think it fits. Yeah, that was the point. Great.

Because if you go on website with sex toys, there's pages and pages of products. Yeah. So overwhelming. I don't know which ones to choose. And then you start reading reviews and then I'm like, I don't know if I. Yeah, it's, it's, it's a weird atmosphere. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think Maud is like hitting the spot.

That's the point.

Great.

I know where to go now.

Okay. Right.

Something else. You've both been in long term relationships. Congratulations on the 15 years of marriage. Wow, that's impressive. Any advice for people in long term relationships? How important is the sexual wellness things within a long term relationship?

It's really important, but I don't think, I mean, especially because we were married so young, you have to proactively grow up. It's really hard when you're together so long because you become, you can be stagnant. It's really easy to sort of resort back to who you were when you met. So it's really. And it's not only on a couple's basis, but also on an individual basis. You have to evolve as a human being and know what works for you, what's comfortable, all of those things. But the biggest challenge is not having sex. It's talking about it. Even if you've been together for, in our case, 16 years. Like, it's just talking about it because you've now built, you know this like you've built a life. You're talking about the kids or the dogs or the, or work or like paying the bills or whatever it is. And all of a sudden you're supposed to be like, okay, now let's get. And you're like, oh, this feels really awkward. We were, we've just been partners in so many other things. So yeah, I think long term relationships, it's it's important to make space and time. But I always say it's like being bilingual. Like you have to have one language, which is the practical. The feed the kids, the dogs, et cetera, pay the bills. And then you have to have your own love language and figure out what works for you.

Have you been able to figure that out?

No, we're still totally inept because we're really good friends as well. And so like there's another depth of friendship. And I think you and Jan have the same. It's like we're together 24 hours a day, basically. Or if we're not, we're texting. If we're not, we're talking about. So that kind of of. Then you have to break up that pattern of just being like so practical and close, you know.

Is that something you recognize?

Yeah, for sure. Because I also work with my husband Jan, and we also have been like 15 years together. Not 15 years of wedding of marriage.

I would say dumb children.

And I'm still really happy to be. To be with him. But of course during those 15 years you have different stages of life. Then we created good women together. So it's through that we are a lot together. And I realized recently that I miss sometimes to do stuff by myself. And then it's important to communicate that and to take those steps then to really be maybe a bit more by myself. But also if we talk sometimes I also feel like pressure from the external world, like ah. And you still have to have sex every week or every two, three days, whatever. And that gives like a pressure that doesn't have to be there. I prefer to have less sex, but like good sex. I'm not going to have sex to have sex. And for me quality is more important than quantity. But then you also need to speak about it. Like, okay, how come that it has been a while that we haven't been sexual anymore with each other? Maybe because no life happens. You get kids, you build a company. So yeah, there are different kind of factors that come into play, I would say. But communication is key. And also talk about why you don't have things or what you would like to have, for example. Yeah. Or don't do it because you think the other one needs it. I'm really vocal now sometimes about the fact like why I don't want to have sex. And then if you give like a good explanation why you feel in a certain way, then yeah. It also promotes a better connection, again.

Better understanding for each other.

I will say though, that sex is like Exercise, it's you. Sometimes you just, like, if you do it more, you want to do it more.

No, and I agree. And that's why sometimes.

No, no. And this is not a. This is not saying, like, don't, you know, just do more and. And make, you know, just go for quantity. I think I'm just saying that our bodies physiologically respond and kind of create those hormones, those feel good hormones. And that is exactly what happens when you exercise. Right? Like, you. The runner's high is true, but you need to, like, exercise. You need to build it up, and you need to be comfortable. And it's so much easier just to be like, I'm not gonna go do that run. That sounds like a pain. And I don't want to do that.

After the run, you're so happy. And that's the same. That's why also, sometimes I like to plan it like, okay, we have really busy schedules, so when would be a moment that is okay to connect. To connect. And I really like to do it in that way too.

You're like, Thursdays and Sunday.

Better that then not communicating about it at all. Yeah, yeah, of course. So that's clear. I think it's a cliche, but communication is key with when you're in a relationship. But how about single people? How important is sexual wellness for singles?

I think it's really important, but it's also, I cannot imagine the pressure of, you know, maybe you're dating and you find someone that you have great sex with, and then the other pieces aren't there because it's this balance. It has to kind of be all of those things. You need to want to romantically be with them. That's. You asked what the key was. It's like, you still romantically like them, and you also like them as human beings. And you could. They're. They're good partners. So I think in dating, it's recognizing. Well, sometimes someone was just good.

You can't have it all.

But just trying to be mindful of, like, not especially the older you get if you're single, not thinking that the sex is a substitute for what makes a good partner. And I have a lot of friends who, like. But it was so great. And I'm like, I know, but it just sounds like they weren't really great in other areas of life. And that's not helpful to you. And it creates a whole. It creates a disconnect between, like, the wholeness that you need to be considering in terms of who you want to be as a person. And how you want to exist with a partner. So just being mindful of, like, what you want and having. Having a real conversation with yourself is important.

Yeah. I've also read on your blog. On your blog, and studies suggest as well that sexual desire tends to increase during summer months. Why is that?

I mean, I think it's because people are more naked. They're walking around with their elbows out and their knees out. I don't know. No, I think it's. Which I actually don't. That seems not the case because we see so much more of an uptick when people are, like, indoors. They have nothing better to do. So I don't know. I think maybe in the single world, because you're out and about looking cute, but I definitely think that there's a cuffing season as well, when you mean a cuffing. So a coughing season is like. It's like the winter when people start to, like, link up. It's like, coughing up. Yeah.

Oh, okay.

Like, it's more like cozy to get inside.

Okay. And those statistics, summer months, they kind of reflect the four seasons. Like, the summer in our cycle is also the month, the period where we have the most desire for sex.

Yeah.

Can you explain why that is, or.

Yeah, so it's true. When you look at the menstrual cycle, you have four different. Different phases. And we like to compare ovulation with the summer because during ovulation, you feel attractive, confident, and also your libido is higher. It's also the most fertile moment of your cycle. So it makes sense that you might have more desire to have sex. But that doesn't mean that you don't need to have sex in the other phases of your cycle. Because before. During the follicular phase, so the phase before ovulation, you are more open to try new things. So I think it's a great idea to, for example, try new stuff or new sex toys while during the premenstrual phase. So after ovulation, during autumn of your cycle, you will feel that your energy turns inwards and that you might not have as much libido as you have in spring or summer of your cycle. But that's not an excuse to not have sex or not be sexual. So maybe you can take, like, a warm bath together or make sure that the foreplay is long enough or ask for massage. So many options. And it's important to look where you are in your cycle to have a better understanding of your sexual needs. And you will also see that during the different phases, your cervical mucus will change. And it also makes sense because your cervical mucus during ovulation, for example, is more slippery. You will feel more wet. It's also more transparent. And it is because it can be used as a kind of. You can see it as a natural lubricant. So this also means that, for example, if you have sex and if you want to have a baby, that the sperm will get more easily through to your cervical mucus. While after ovulation you will see that your cervical mucus is thicker, a bit more sticky, yellowish, and that makes it harder for sperm to get through. And that's also when you are not fertile anymore. So it all makes sense.

Sense. Okay.

Yeah.

So if we don't have enough cervical mucus or we're a bit drier, so we would use lubricant, which is also still a taboo, I'd say. So it's the awkward moment, like, oh, you feel shame that you're not wet enough. That's. It's a shame really, that there's no.

It's a cycle of everyone feeling inept and beholden to each other. It's really, it's really. Yeah, it's a lot.

Yeah. So you, you sell lubricant as well. What do you think customers should look for in, in a lubricant and why should they go for high quality products?

Well, I think there's different lubricants for different purposes. And I think often understanding that some are really meant to supplement natural moisture, some are meant to be long lasting. Like we have why we named them both Shine. Don't ask me. We shouldn't have done that. But we have Shine silicone and we have Shine organic. And silicone lasts a really long time. It's good for use in water, although it is quite slippery. So be careful in the shower. But, but. Or to be used in other places. Right. So there are different purposes and I think understanding like what maybe what part of the cycle you're in or how your body responds or where you are in age, where, you know, recognizing that you can find a lubricant that fits your needs maybe within that month or just within where you are in life is really important and not feeling ashamed about it. Because the other thing is we also need to recognize we're not gonna have babies in our life, like late 40s, 50s and beyond. So what's left is like pleasurable sex, hopefully. So you should be making sure that, that it's possible and safe.

So you have the, the lubricant with the silicone and the other one, why, why, why would you. In what uses would you use the other one?

Organic? Is the organic aloe lubricant is more to supplement natural moisture or it's just preference. Like, maybe people just want different textures. Yeah, different textures. So. And then we have one that heats up, which some people are really into. And. And actually people use it more in the cold months. But I'm like, it's not really meant to heat up your whole body, but okay. So yeah, there are different lubricants for different purposes, but I think the stigma around them should tie back. Bettering and getting past the stigma really requires us to understand our bodies more.

So lubricant's still a taboo Libido sometimes as well, something you try to break with the gummies you sell. How does that work?

So we made gummies that are, like, meant to be used over time. Really supplemental. The same way that you would supplement, perhaps like your sleep patterns. When you think about how you take supplements or gummies around, I mean, you could speak to this a lot more. Like, there are. It's not. Unfortunately, people think it's like, take it and then it's edive hills. That's not what it is. Again, the naming of libido kind of conjures up this thought that you will immediately feel it, but it's really meant to be supplemental over time. And so our thought process is like, intimacy is very much and can be very much a part of the everyday, even if it's not just about sex. And that's really how we think about supplements.

That's great. Are there any other things we can do to improve our libido lifestyle wise? Morgan?

I think you have to look at the total package. It's not only supplements, but it's also, I think nutrition, stress, sleep, and stress is, I think, a huge thing. Yeah, the biggest one. But of course it's easy to say, like, yeah, just have less stress, but okay, how can I manage my stress levels? And for one person, it might be, for example, yoga. For another one, meditation. Or for another one, just spending time with friends. So you. That's so unique for everyone. And you just need to look for you. What. What works the best.

Yeah, if you have children, for instance, I think everyone feels this pressure to, like, you've put the children to sleep now you're supposed to just feel sexy. And the reality is, like, that's probably not what's happening. So you do setting the mood, setting the tone, like the bath, the massage. Like, that's why we Made these other products was to give you a moment between. To say, like, I need to decompress. And decompression is so much a part of this before there's like. Like done the foreplay and the, you know, whatever, or getting straight to it. Whatever you decide to do, there needs to be a decompression in it and kind of a separation of your stressful life.

What do you think the future is of sexual wellness and what developments are coming our way?

I think the next generation is they're just. They have so much more access to information so much earlier. They also have different definitions of gender and sexuality and fluidity and all of these things. And I think it's really allowed for them to then see themselves in the world. So that's probably the biggest change in my mind, like, if we had our grandparents who in the 40s and 50s were taught, like, this is gender. This is the role that you have in the world. This is what you should look like, this is how you should dress. All of these constraints. We're now in a generation or seeing a generation or raising a generation that's much less constrained, arguably. I think they sometimes then are so unconstrained that they, like, use terminology that is not necessarily true. Everything's not. Everything is, like, gonna be toxic for the rest of your life, and not everything's gonna, like, you know, you're gonna be okay. I think there's some level of recognizing, like, that not all things are a big deal, but the point is, like, I think that freedom to kind of find themselves in the world is really helpful. So I have a lot of hope for Gen Gen Z and Gen Alpha. I think Gen Alpha is going to be like, you guys are all, get out of the way. We're gonna. We're gonna get this done. So that's my hope.

Okay, great. I have one final question for you. Is there a certain misconception in your life or in your field that you think we should open up about?

I think there's a few. The first one is that you don't have to feel like you are a sexual person to have these conversations and that you don't even need to have these conversations openly. It's your business. But I think the first one is recognizing that, like I said, like, food and drinking and wearing clothes and doing that. It's. It's. These are all human behaviors. And you taking ownership of your own sexuality and behavior is, like, important to. To being alive and to being happy and healthy. So knowing that it is your choice is really critical versus trying to see what's on the shelf and figure out how you can see yourself in those things. You don't need to do that. There is not yet enough choice. So. And then I think the other one is just. I would say the. There's a misconception that, like, if you are doing this kind of work, that you know everything and I'm still a person, I don't know anything like, half the time. So I think it's just important that you people give themselves permission to be curious and brave and don't think that others know everything. Like. So my hope is that other people try to build businesses in this space or take that leap of faith to do something good in the world that they really believe in. But you don't have to know everything. Being alive is learning every day. And that's it. True.

Yeah. Anything you want to add?

No, it's really. I can recognize it because I have a. It's not because you have a company in menstrual health or hormonal health that you know everything or that you do all the things that you recommend or whatever. It's not that you use all your products that you designed, you know, but of course, you did it for, like, helping people and helping yourself. Yeah.

That's great. Yeah. Thank you so much both for coming and for sharing your journey with us. It's quite incredible to see how Mod is reshaping the conversation around sexual wellness, making it classy, accessible, modern. Yeah, really. Really. We're exactly excited to see what's next for you and for the brand. So thank you so much for being here.

Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you. Pleasure.

Thank you.

So let's all be kinder to ourselves, to our bodies and everything that comes with it. We still have so many people to reach, so many generations. So send this episode to your mom. Or if you want to ease her in, you can make a listen to our next episode where we will talk to Belgian tennis star Kim Kler. She will share her personal, personal story about discovering perimenopause brain fog.

To a point where I'm in a conversation, sometimes doing an interview and losing my thought completely. What is happening? Like, am I. Do I have issues with my brain?

So I'll hear you next week. Thank you for listening. Bye. Bye. This podcast was brought to you by Good Woman, produced by the audio collective Velcro, based in Belgium.