The Women Behind OLLY: The Brains, The Heart & The Hormones

Meet the OLLY Team

We’re catching up with a few of OLLY’s brilliant minds to see what it’s like out there both personallyand professionally—from developing products to dealing with perimenopause.

Women Taking the Lead

Q: What’s it like working for a majority women-led company?

Vonnie: It's great to work with other women going through the same experiences, trying to balance work, life, family—all while having a seat at the table and making big decisions. I feel very lucky because not many women get to experience that.

“Being at a company where I use the product and the product is speaking to me—I am the consumer. It’s huge. It’s where I want to be.”- Halee

Jenniffer: It makes it so much easier knowing that OLLY as a company is so supportive of an entire woman’s journey. From early life all the way through menopause. Knowing that these topics are not shied away from, that we are openly talking about problems that everyday consumers are having and everyday employees are having, it makes it so much easier.

Shikha: It’s one of my most unique experiences working within the R&D team—a woman-led team. Our head of R&D is a woman. Nearly everyone on my team is a woman, and we come together to craft these products.

The Juggling Act

Q: How do you juggle self-care, caring for others, and being a working professional?

Katie: I really try to take care of my mental health through therapy, writing, and journaling. I think having those outlets, beyond my immediate support group, having a range of support is really helpful for me.

Shikha: I ask for help and I take all the help I can get. I’m not trying to do it all. I put my mental health before other things. Like if I need a break, I need a break. I will take that break, and I will try not to feel guilty about doing that.

“The best way I have learned to deal with stress is to give myself permission to pause. To sit back and just allow myself to be.”- Jenniffer

Halee: When I start to stack things, that’s when anxiety starts to show up. What I do for myself is make sure I’m taking my dog on a walk and taking time for myself to play basketball. It’s something I still struggle with, but I’m trying to find moments where I give myself space to relax or space to say no.

Where Real Life & Work Collide

Q: Did you learn anything new or surprising while launching Balanced Perimeno and Period Hero?

Vonnie: I'm definitely in the thick of it with perimenopausal symptoms. I will say hot flashes come on like fire and sometimes it's very hard to cool down. I have itchy eyebrows and tingling fingers. My anxiety level has been on another level; I didn’t expect that. I'm constantly worried about this and that—and it’s been reassuring to learn more about why this is happening to me through launching Balanced Perimeno.

Shikha: When you start talking about the products we’re launching and developing, you start hearing from people “oh, I didn’t know there was something I could do about it”—and that is very interesting to me. Nobody wants to reach out for a perimenopause product because it almost signals you’re old or you’re not the same. Products like this help take that away.

Halee: I have a really horrible period, and I don’t even have it as bad as some women. The fact that we endure this every month is incredible. Women are so tough. OLLY finally has something to help with those annoying period symptoms and I’m so excited to add Period Hero to my routine.

“Perimenopause is a time when you should be trying to intervene so that you have a better outcome in menopause.”
- Shikha

Q: What surprised you the most about creating content and engaging with OLLY fans on social?

Katie: I have made a lot of silly memes about Happy Hoo-Ha that people really resonate with. I think it’s a great way to start having those tough conversations about taboo topics. These products have faced censorship on different platforms. It’s really disheartening to see because OLLY is really trying to break down taboo topics.

Halee: I love interacting with our community. It’s funny because we do have a team, but I am on my phone so much I find myself commenting and reacting back to our consumers on Instagram, just because. I find it very grounding. I want them to feel like there is a human behind this brand.

Unexpected Thoughts & Feels

Q: What do you wish more people understood about perimenopause?

Vonnie: I wish more people understood that so much of this is out of our control. Because perimenopause is really hard and I never know what’s going to set me off. Sometimes I feel totally out of control, and I wish there was more empathy for that.

Shikha: You don't have to power through perimenopause. There's no need to be scared. It's not easy for some women, but there's help available.

Q: What health and wellness advice would you give your younger self?

Jenniffer: Prioritizing yourself, your self-care, and mental well-being isn't a bad thing. It's not selfish. And it doesn't mean that you don't care about other people or your family, your friends, your coworkers. It means, if anything, that you care more about them because you're making sure that you're good and can take care of them, that you can show up for them, especially when they need it.”

Halee: I would tell her to slow down a little bit, drink more water... I would tell her to go outside more and check in on myself more.

Katie: I would tell my younger self to get more sleep. And taking an actual moment for myself. I grew up having a lot on my plate, and I think I would have benefited from starting those wellness habits at a younger age.

"Set healthy habits young and early. Practice taking care of yourself and slowing down. When you get older, it’s harder to break old habits."- Vonnie