Four Things To Know…
Entrepreneur
01Hi! I’m an entrepreneur and women’s ethical tech advocate, primarily serving as the founder and CEO of Communia, the healthy social network for women. I’ve dedicated my career to prioritizing social safety, both with my company and as a challenge to the broader tech industry, in order to ensure that our digital environments are places where we all can thrive. As a survivor with a background in non-profits, I believe that private companies have a powerful role to play in effecting positive social change, and have been intentional in developing Communia as both a technical innovator and as a company that prioritizes its broader social mission. My latest project is an AI enabled emotional safety algorithm, both for Communia, and to license out to others. Since I can’t seem to stop stumbling into ideas through my own lived experiences, I’m also openly thinking about launching a liberal dating and discussion app, based on a shockingly viral amount of consumer deman.
Speaker & Researcher
02When not building my company, I speak out on #MeToo issues, women in business, tech issues, politics, and feminism. You can find my words & opinions in Glamour, Ms. Magazine, iNews, The Times, Newsweek, Third Sector, Metro, The Independent, the Restless Magazine editorial site (now archived as Redacted), TechCrunch, The Daily Express and more. I've spoken at Harvard, USC's Own It alongside speakers like Gloria Steinem, and varied ethical social media and AI events. I speak on entrepreneurship, women’s health, social media safety, self development, tech, and of course - #MeToo.
As a part of my work with Communia, I designed and implemented two “landmark” studies of over 2,000 women’s social media experiences in the UK and US. The results of helped shape the UK Online Safety Bill and garnered broad press coverage on topics such as: digital control in domestic abuse (Mashable/Huffpost/The Sun); the increased risks of online abuse faced by women of color; the nuances of LGBTQ+ experiences online; girls’ and womens’ mental health; cyberflashing (Marie Claire); the need for safe online spaces (Politico/Glamour); and discovered how common AI generated NCIIS is for women already (The Observer). Additional conversations about the extent of women’s experiences with online abuse went viral on social media.
Survivor Advocate
03As you may have seen via google, like so many millions of women, when I was a freshman in college, I was sexually assaulted. In an attempt to silence me, though I won two university tribunals, my assaulter sued me for millions of dollars simply for reporting him. What I experienced is just one example of a growing trend of abusers manipulating grey areas of defamation law to silence their victims. Alongside my ethical tech advocacy, I advocate for better protections for survivors and on behalf of women’s safety. Being a survivor is an identity forced on me, and I’ve found it imperative to show up owning it and without shame as a part of my social impact work. Because it’s only when we’re able to tell our stories that the narrative starts to change.
Business & Non-Profit Consultant
04My varied experiences allow me to offer consulting expertise in both advocacy and business. This year, I’m taking a limited amount of consulting projects on topics such as social media strategy, branding, positioning, product ideation, revenue strategy, app development, user safety, and more. I work with entrepreneurs just getting started, small teams figuring out how to best use their funding, and large companies struggling to understand their female consumers alike.
Building a better digital & IRL world for women ❋
As featured in…
❋
People Magazine
❋
TechCrunch (Twice!)
❋
Harper's Bazaar
❋
BBC News
❋
Ms. Magazine
❋
Huffpost
❋
The Independent
❋
Forbes
❋
The Daily Star
❋
Her Campus
❋
Cosmopolitan
❋
Hello!
❋
Digital Frontier
❋
STELLAR
❋ People Magazine ❋ TechCrunch (Twice!) ❋ Harper's Bazaar ❋ BBC News ❋ Ms. Magazine ❋ Huffpost ❋ The Independent ❋ Forbes ❋ The Daily Star ❋ Her Campus ❋ Cosmopolitan ❋ Hello! ❋ Digital Frontier ❋ STELLAR
As participated in…
Berkeley Pad-13 Incubator Program Summer 2024
The Larta Institute’s Heal.LA Accelerator Fall 2024
TechCrunch Battlefield 2023
Choice Press Feature Links
I consult for businesses and non-profits.
My first career path was in international development, and my experience in a number of international NGO positions, later research and startup roles have allowed me to also be an effective consultant for non-profits and activist campaigns.
I regularly privately consult and collaborate with researchers and health professionals working on cause aligned projects surrounding social media harms and women’s health/safety. If you’re running a cause aligned project, feel free to reach out via my enquiry form.
Read our ❋ 2023 Report on Women's Social Media Experiences ✳︎
