Shame, Power & Healthtech: De-Stigmatizing the Female Body, The Innovation & Leadership Medicine We’ve Been Missing #82 Kamola Mir, Founder/CEO Lidavex
Why We Still Can’t Say ‘Vagina’ at Work, and What It’s Costing Women in Leadership. Ugh. I know. What if the biggest barrier to women’s leadership isn’t a lack of confidence — but the shame we’re taught to carry about our own bodies? In this episode, Helena sits down with Kamola Mir, CEO and founder of Lidovex, a health-tech company building the world’s first cervical data ecosystem. What begins as a conversation about fem-tech quickly expands into a deeper truth: You cannot build a world that values women if you still devalue the female body. From being laughed at on stage for saying the word “vagina,” to navigating investor meetings where a woman’s worth is often assessed before her work is — Kamola breaks down the emotional, biological, and cultural realities women face when they lead inside male-designed systems. Together, we explore: Why de-stigmatizing women’s bodies is a leadership issue, not a “women’s topic” How shame shapes everything from our ambition to our burnout cycles Why female biology is not a weakness — it’s a strategic advantage The hidden mental load female founders carry in VC and corporate rooms How to stay authentic when the world rewards you for fitting in How to build inner power even when the system feels rigged This is an episode for every woman who has ever hustled through pain, silenced her intuition to appear “professional,” or tried to win inside a structure that was never built for her. If you’re ready to unlearn the shame, reclaim your biology, and lead from a place of grounded power, this one is for you.
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Show Notes
Why We Still Can’t Say ‘Vagina’ at Work, and What It’s Costing Women in Leadership.
Ugh. I know. But there's hope:
What if the biggest barrier to women’s leadership isn’t a lack of confidence, but the shame we’re taught to carry about our own bodies?
In this episode, Helena sits down with Kamola Mir, CEO and founder of Lidovex, a health-tech company building the world’s first cervical (data) ecosystem. What begins as a conversation about fem-tech quickly expands into a deeper truth:
- You cannot build a world that values women if you still devalue the female body.
- From being laughed at on stage for saying the word “vagina,” to navigating investor meetings where a woman’s worth is often assessed before her work is
- Kamola breaks down the emotional, biological, and cultural realities women face when they lead inside male-designed systems.
Together, we explore:
- Why de-stigmatizing women’s bodies is a leadership issue, not a “women’s topic”
- How shame shapes everything from our ambition to our burnout cycles
- Why female biology is not a weakness, but a strategic advantage
- The hidden mental load female founders carry in every room
- How to stay authentic when the world rewards you for fitting in
- How to build inner power even when the system feels rigged
This is an episode for every woman who has ever hustled through pain, silenced her intuition to appear “professional,” or tried to win inside a structure that was never built for her.
If you’re ready to unlearn the shame, reclaim your biology, and lead from a place of grounded power, this one is for you.
Chapters:
00:55 Intro: Why femtech isn’t niche but a cultural revolution
01:20 Moving past generations of research centered on white men
02:16 The rise of women leading taboo-breaking innovation
02:49 How women are finally steering investment and change
03:37 Celebrating Kamola Mir, Founder/ CEO reshaping women’s health with Lidavex: Building an ecosystem that returns ownership to women’s bodies
04:16 Kamola's Trauma: childbirth care built without women in mind
06:00 Leaving patriarchal workplaces, listening to our inner voice and create the change we need in the world
07:30 Women must fight for their bodies
09:07 The moment intuition becomes survival in labor
10:41 Why women need both intuition and data to lead well
12:06 How shame still silences women’s conversations about our bodies
13:03 Reclaiming our anatomy and naming our truths without fear
15:01 When saying “vagina” triggers giggles and how to speak up
17:09 Patriarchy at work and why women don’t fit the 9–5 mold
19:37 Redefining productivity through the wisdom of female cycles
21:08 Navigating sexualization while trying to lead authentically
24:26 Three ways women can release shame and rise into leadership
29:43 Building an immune system for disagreement and staying grounded under pressure
31:53 The emotional cost of being ‘fuckable’ in male-dominated spaces & how to deal with it
33:07 Showing up empowered while navigating safety, power, and perception
37:53 Knowing when to adapt, when to walk away, and when to stand your ground
43:01 Why patriarchal hustle culture breaks women’s bodies and how to reclaim balance
Connect with Kamola on LinkedIn
Discover, stay up to date, fund and support Lidovix' journey: Website and LinkedIn
Until next time!! xx
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