Over the last few months we've added some new faces to the Taboo crew. Along with your old favourites we'd love to share some fun facts and interesting anecdotes from Jaida, Harriet, Ali, Izzy and Eloise.
Jaida
- What did you do on Australia Day?
Australia Day meant hanging around the beach at Wallaroo, playing grip-ball, chillin out, and talking about basically nothing for hours. But the real Australia Day for me was the 27th, listening to the Triple j Hottest 100, jetty-jumping, swimming and mucking around with some new friends at Moonta.
- How did you come to be part of the Taboo team?
I went to primary school with Eloise, and had heard about the awesome work she was doing. We caught up for coffee, I wanted to get involved, and the rest is history (but that was only a few months ago, so I’m still super fresh and new.
- What are you most looking forward to for Taboo this year?
As Ambassador Coordinator, I am most looking forward to meeting and working with all the passionate people wanting to get involved with TABOO. The ambassadors inspire me to put my best foot forward every day, and remind me how powerful the individual is. May we never forget that!
- Tell us an interesting/funny period story – we all have one!
My periods have been very uninteresting, apart from a few humiliating bleed-throughs. Gosh, I wish my period was lighter is all I’ve got to say. But, you know… at least I’ve got the gear to soak it all up!
- What do you with yourself when you’re not helping out at Taboo?
Being a keen environmentalist and nature-lover, my hobbies include hiking, trail-running, road-tripping and messing around outside.
Learning is important to me too. Gotta keep my brain ticking! I study science at uni, write a blog, play ukulele, read, and enjoy deep chats with anyone who’s willing to go there.
But most of all, the thing I really thrive off is working one-on-one with vulnerable people. So when I’m not in the TABOO office, I make phone calls for the Red Cross, and work with clients at St John, which keeps me motivated to serve!
Harriet
- What did you do on Australia Day?
I personally don’t celebrate Australia Day so I just got some work done on the 26th and on Triple J Hottest 100 Day I just got some (very yummy) pizza with a friend and listened to the countdown! Very low key and relaxing weekend which was definitely needed.
- How did you come to be part of the Taboo team?
Around the middle of 2018 I applied for an internship at TABOO through my university course and met Izzy and Eloise for the first time. I had previously heard about TABOO and was keen to get involved, however my busy schedule meant that someone else interned at that time. Despite not getting the internship I was still really interested in being involved so I followed up with Izzy and Eloise a month or so later, and that’s when I became part of the team!
- What are you most looking forward to for Taboo this year?
Apart from the obvious product launch this year (eeeeep) I’m super excited to see TABOO physically grow and expand this year! I’m excited for more people to know about the TABOO mission and to see tangible action to our mission.
- Tell us an interesting/funny period story – we all have one!
When I first got my first period I was so confused about what was happening to me (clearly didn’t listen in sex ed class) I had to quickly whip out my phone to do a quick Google search to check I wasn’t dying. I somehow Googled some inaccurate symptoms and genuinely thought I was going to pass out from this mysterious condition before I realised what was actually happening. Oops :)
- What do you with yourself when you’re not helping out at Taboo?
This year I’m starting my Honours in Marketing at the University of Adelaide. I’ll be researching the impact of social media influencers on brand authenticity - something that I’m quite interested in given how popular social media influencers are becoming as a marketing tool. I’ll also be teaching Introduction to Marketing, Marketing Strategy and Building and Managing Brands at the University of Adelaide! I also love to play netball and do that a lot in my spare time.
Ali
- What did you do on Australia Day?
I don't really celebrate Australia Day so I took the opportunity to get my car serviced. Lots of fun! The A/C has never been cooler.
- How did you come to be part of the Taboo Team?
Back in 2017 and early last year I started seeing the Taboo stickers around uni. I googled Taboo to find out what it was and I was immediately interested in helping out. I had always wanted to use my journalistic and media skills to help give women a voice and a platform to share their stories. I sent Izzy and Eloise my resume and had to wait a couple of months to hear back from them (worth the wait!). We all met up for a coffee and realised I had some skills that could be useful. That was April last year and I can safely say it's the best job ever.
- What are you most looking forward to for Taboo this year?
I'm really excited to see how the business grows and changes over the next year with the arrival of PRODUCT! And of course seeing how much money we can give to projects that help women in Developing Countries gain access to pads and tampons. That's the big one!
- Tell us a funny/interesting period story - we all have one!
When I first go my period and started to wear pads, I was convinced they could be seen, like a nappy, through my shorts and pants. I used to stare at my butt in mirrors for ages, trying to see if it was visible that I was wearing a pad. Insanity!
- What do you do with yourself when you're not helping out at Taboo?
When I'm not at the Taboo office I'm either putting in some long hours at work (I work in marketing), getting all stretchy at a pilates class or snuggling up with my cat Gatsby and most likely a book about feminism.
Izzy
- What did you do on Australia Day?
On Friday night of the long weekend, the fam and I headed to Robe to spend time with our family friends! I’m actually currently answering this question from their balcony, battling the impossible 3G connection to try and listen to some Montaigne on Spotify :’) We had a fairly low key day and just took the holiday as a chance to relax!
- How did you come to be a part of the Taboo Team?
Eloise and I came up with the idea of TABOO on a leadership conference at Bond University in early 2016! Since then, our team has grown and it has been such a humbling experience to see that happen. Nearly all of our team members are people that we didn’t know before TABOO - we feel so privileged that there are many others that feel as passionate about TABOO’s mission and trust us enough to join the team!
- What are you most looking forward to for Taboo this year?
Oh man!! I am so so keen for this year! We have been working solidly for about 2 years towards our product: TABOO branded pads and tampons. This year, we will finally see the result of the last 2 years! I am most excited for the moment we begin hearing from our customers and can reliably deliver a great quality product that gives them the opportunity to practically improve the standard of menstrual healthcare around the world.
- Tell us an interesting/funny period story - we all have one!
Ahahah I must admit that I am in debt to my amazing friends for leading me through my first period. Just before it came, one of my best friends noticed that I was super clumsy and forgetful. At the time, we were performing in a school musical and on the night of the performance my friend gave me a pad just in case. Low and behold, it came as I was running on stage to dance as a little 1920’s chicken character ahaha. I did actually trip down the stairs on stage, which no doubt was the result of the raging and unfamiliar hormones in my body! The next day, my other bestie hosted a period party for me in the out-of-grounds part of school. I definitely felt pretty mature, empowered and rebellious!
- What do you do with yourself when you're not helping out at Taboo?
Most of my time away from TABOO is taken up with uni! I study medicine at Adelaide uni and I absolutely love it. In my spare time, I love running, and catching up with my beautiful friends for coffee with the dogs! My favourite is probably whistle & flute on Greenhill road - they do such amazing food & coffee and the dogs are allowed inside :) :) Otherwise, Joe’s Kiosk or Malobo in Henley are super fun in the summer!
Eloise
- What did you do on Australia Day?
I woke up, packed up all my things, wolfed down some rice pancakes and walked to the Indonesian language school to get on a bus to the airport! The team of 21 of us and 2 staff jumped on a plane to Jakarta to experience yet another aspect of Indonesia! That night I went swimming in a pool whist watching fireworks and went to a rooftop bar, 53 stories high to view the city of Jakarta from a beautiful perspective. It was a pretty cool day to be honest!
- How did you come to be part of the Taboo team?
To be honest, joining the team wasn’t really a strategic decision. When Iz and I first started we would dream of having a team and already it’s come true! It’s a huge honour to be working with the team I work with. Each person brings such skill and joy to each day we work together. The crew we have now is nothing but a blessing I don’t quite know how it’s ended up this way but it is wonderful!
- What are you most looking forward to for Taboo this year?
PRODUCT AHHHHHHH. The power of what taboo does come from the sales of our product and after years of hard work that day has finally come! (Well nearly) It’s going to be so awesome to see the product moving through hopefully thousands of hands and letter boxes to change so many lives!
- Tell us an interesting/funny period story – we all have one!
I actually got my period in a sex ed class at school, what are the odds! I remember seeing blood for the first time and being super weirded out by it but also kind of excited. I also can’t ever forget the time I first used tampon. I remember running out of pads and I had to go to a friends house for the day. I then, in desperation went into mums bathroom and took one of her super tampons (because that’s not going to be uncomfortable or hard to use at all). No one had taught me how to use a tampon but me being me I was convinced I could figure it out myself. It was an incredibly uncomfortable day. I didn’t use a tampon again for a long time afterwards....
- What do you with yourself when you’re not helping out at Taboo?
I work at a wonderful restaurant in the front of house with some fun, loving people. I also study a double degree of Business and International Relations at Flinders University. I love cooking up really yummy foods and singing too loudly to good music! I’m a sucker for traveling and trying new things to avoid boredom and complacency. I love going on big walks and camping with friends (SA is so good for camping!) I also love looking at potential dogs to adopt knowing fully well I can’t quite afford that commitment yet. (Yes this is a plug to let me dog sit your dogs and no that’s not a joke).