What happens when two friends read an article on a Sunday night and decide they can’t just scroll past it?

They build a movement.

Welcome to the very first extended podcast episode of *Hope in Action* — the companion series to our monthly show highlighting the nonprofits doing transformational work right here in Lansing and beyond. Host Sheri Jones sits down with **Lysne Tait**, co-founder of **Helping Women, Period**, for an honest, eye-opening, and genuinely inspiring conversation about what it looks like to see a problem in your own backyard and refuse to look away.

What started in 2015 as a breakfast for 30 friends, which quickly grew to 100, has grown into a statewide force. Today, Helping Women, Period partners with 400 nonprofits across Michigan, has distributed millions of menstrual products, and is changing the conversation around periods, poverty, and access in ways that are long overdue.

In this episode, Lysne shares:

✔️ The origin story — from a viral Facebook post to filing nonprofit paperwork in the same week
✔️ Why 1 in 4 Michigan students miss school due to lack of period products (and why that number hits harder than anything you’ve heard about girls overseas)
✔️ How Helping Women, Period evolved its language and mission to fully serve the LGBTQ+ community
✔️ The “menstrual product petting zoo” — yes, it’s a real thing, and it’s exactly what people need
✔️ Why cities like Lansing, East Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Novi are now putting free products in public bathrooms — and how you helped make that happen
✔️ What’s next: menopause education, advocacy with the Michigan Women’s Commission, and a vision for a future where this problem is solved

This is what it looks like when passion, purpose, and practical action come together. This is Hope in Action.