We recently connected with Lynette Medley and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lynette, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken as the CEO of No More Secrets Mind Body Spirit Inc. was opening the Nations first and only menstrual hub and uterine wellness center during a national pandemic without funding all while tackling the systemic racism and oppression within the menstrual/uterine health sphere

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly exacerbated the need for menstrual products because no one had thought about the lack of access to all the resources people might have, from schools, community centers, camps and nurses as everything went virtual and the community were left to their own devices.

Our organization’s period deliveries during the pandemic increased to roughly 325 a week from the usual 75-85.

My daughter and I also addressed needs beyond menstrual products: providing phone and internet access from our car and driving people who depended on public restrooms to other available facilities. It was during this time we said to ourselves, we need to open up a hub, we need to open up a safe space to address menstrual care, uterine care and menstrual hygiene during a pandemic when no one believes in the issue.

We started a GoFundMe October 2020 raising $24,000 to open the first menstrual hub in the country. The SPOT, which stands for Safety Programming for Optimal Transformation, spans 2,500 square feet and offers much more than free menstrual and hygiene products.

There’s office spaces for private and open discussions, free Wi-Fi, a computer room, clean water and bathroom access.

We have a Breonna Taylor Safe Space room which is the hub’s epicenter for education. It includes a television and two futons for guests to relax, or even nap, while they’re receiving services.

Lynette, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

No More Secrets Mind Body Spirit Inc., a comprehensive sexuality awareness organization founded and run by a dynamic mother daughter duo, Lynette Medley and Nya McGlone, officially opened the nation’s first and only Menstrual Hub and Uterine Wellness Center in the nation, “The SPOT Period”, on February 20th, 2021, during a national pandemic through a crowdfunding campaign.

No More Secrets MBS Inc.’s mission is to eradicate period poverty and period stigma nationally through a menstrual and social justice framework. In 2021 alone NMS independently distributed over 6 million Menstrual products throughout the nation to end period poverty and educated over 250,000 individuals to decrease period stigma in vulnerable populations.

The revolutionary SPOT (representing Safety, Programming, Optimal Transformation) Period Menstrual Hub not only provides a one stop shop for physical menstrual care products to persons in need, but more importantly it provides a safe, welcoming, and nonjudgmental space to regain dignity and self-respect. This is achieved by accessing menstrual health management services such as clean water and operable toilets, provide free information related to menstrual care, uterine fibroids, bleeding disorders, endometriosis, PCOS and other uterine care services, access to a computer center, relaxation lounge, health care resources and introduce trauma informed positive uterine care and menstrual messaging, e-series, workshops etc. that address key topics targeted towards risk reduction in underserved communities.

In addition to their amazing work in Philadelphia, Lynette and Nya are visionaries, advocates, and menstrual/social justice activists. They are on a mission to establish auxiliary menstrual hubs on every HBCU in the nation to provide workshops and demonstration lessons about uterine care and menstrual health to marginalized populations. They have already successfully created the first menstrual hub at Lincoln University then subsequently at Morgan State University, Hampton University and Delaware State University. The No More Secrets MBS team officially opens their 5th HBCU satellite menstrual hub on Cheyney University’s campus November 14th, 2023.

Lynette and Nya have successfully co-authored the first peer reviewed article on Period Poverty in the American Journal of Public Health March 2022 and have launched the world’s 1st Mobile Menstrual Health Clinic, The SPOT on the Go on April 20th, 2022, to end period shame and stigma and increase education and awareness about proper uterine wellness and menstrual care. Since 2021, NMS has distributed over 17 million products and served over 1 million individuals.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Lived experiences out way assumed perceptions and perspectives.

“From the authentic viewpoint of a Black woman in America facing systemic racism and discrimination daily within the realm of menstruation, the genuine voices and lived realities of Black, vulnerable, menstruating bodies are deliberately obscured by mainstream menstrual movements. Performative gestures and scripted narratives perpetuate the misrepresentation of their truths, exacerbating these injustices.”

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Being authentic, addressing our communities needs by listening to them, meeting them where they are and providing a safe welcoming nonjudgmental space for information sharing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nomoresecretsmbs.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nomoresecretsmbs/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoMoreSecretsMBS/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nomoresecretsmbs

Image Credits
Images by No More Secrets Mind Body Spirit Inc.