WoW Woman in Women's Health I Tracy Wogman, founder and CEO at Create Better Days

Tracy Wogman is the Founder & CEO at Create Better Days. Having suffered from PMS and period pain all her adult life, Tracy has never been happy with what’s been on the market. She was searching for something that had natural ingredients instead of the usual harsh chemicals and side effects found in over-the-counter pain killers. So she specifically set out to create a product that would help with PMS to help soothe the anxiety that some feel at this time of the month and also relieve the inflammation of period pain.

Tracy was keen to include CBD as one of the ingredients, as she had used it to help relieve neck pain and so had experienced its benefits first hand. Later she found out that the uterus has one of the highest concentrations of cannabinoid receptors in the body, which are responsible for inflammation, so it enforced the need to add it to the mix.

The result is Monthly Calm: a soft gel capsule that contains a synergy of Chamomile, Cramp Bark, 25mg broad-spectrum CBD, Magnesium, and Fennel to support the body's natural easing response to the discomfort associated with the menstrual cycle to address PMS, period pain and empower women.

Tracy, tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.

I worked as a Trader in the City of London and loved the challenges and opportunities that the job brought with it. This male-dominated environment really taught me how to find my voice and develop the sort of entrepreneurial skills that I now use in my day-to-day business. At that time British society was only really just beginning to accept women in this male-dominated marketplace in a meaningful way. I really relished this time and the opportunity to develop these unique skills. However, like so many women, I found it hard to navigate a demanding career with extremely long hours alongside motherhood and then made the decision to prioritise raising a family at that time in my life.

Now that my children have grown up and started families of their own, I felt that I wanted to get back into the workplace, do something productive and try to give back something that would empower women. Having suffered from period pain myself, the idea of Monthly Calm was born. 

How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?

Little did I realise about 3 years ago, that a trip to visit my sister in America and two hastily picked magazines grabbed at London Heathrow airport would lead me to found Create Better Days CBD.

My sister lives in California and as I live in London, we decided that we would meet up halfway in New York for a girly week together. I got on the plane, settled into my seat, and started to read the magazines. Both, it turned out, had articles about what was then the emerging CBD market and its numerous wellness benefits. By the time I had landed at JFK my interest had been piqued about cannabidiol oil, which I learned is naturally present in hemp leaves and has been recognised as possessing calming, anti-inflammatory, and pain-relieving properties. This is due to its interaction with receptors in the brain but without the intoxicating or addictive elements associated with cannabis. 

I met up with my sister at the hotel and I complained to her about my sore neck due to the way that I had been sitting on the journey. She suggested that I tried some of her CBD oil that she had found helpful after a minor gym injury. I couldn’t believe the coincidence that I had just been reading about CBD and its benefits on the flight and here was the opportunity to try some for myself! The benefit that I received from those not too pleasant tasting drops spurred me on to investigate CBD further and the formation of Monthly Calm.

There have been challenges, and much more than I had anticipated when embarking on my journey. Having to get to grips with internet marking, social media, and conducting business online has been a steep learning curve for me.

I’m so grateful for those people who have offered help and advice along the way. I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without the support of others and especially the community of women entrepreneurs who have been particularly helpful in getting my product where it is today.

How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in? 

It’s taken me about three years to get to where I am now and I feel like I’ve still got a long way to go! I honestly didn’t realise how challenging the CBD industry would be! I just wanted to help other women that suffered from menstrual discomfort just as I had. CBD marketing and its use are highly regulated. The most challenging aspect of selling CBD in the UK is that currently, we cannot make any references to medical claims. We have to reiterate that our CBD products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

What are your biggest achievements to date?

I am proudest of the way my husband and I have parented our 4 sons – we have wonderful children!

What are the projects you are currently working on?

Menopause is a normal part of life and a time of extreme change. There is a growing number of women that wish to avoid prescription hormone medication to manage their symptoms and with the continuing research being carried out into the positive effects of CBD on menopausal women we have two products in the pipeline that could offer natural and effective relief to of the two most reported symptoms - hot flushes and sleepless nights.

Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why? 

I think initiatives like #WomenInTech are really important. Women have too often been marginalised and their contributions to the workplace, not least technology, and the vital role that it plays has been minimised often going unrecognised. Women should be equal participants in creating and developing the new tech businesses, products, and services that shape our world. The more women who work in the tech industry, the more role models and mentors who can help young women imagine their careers in the tech industry. 

What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?

What is particularly exciting about CBD is its infinite uses is that it is a product that easily finds its application in multiple industries. Its numerous wellness benefits appeal to health businesses, beauty brands as much as it does to food & beverage producers – not to mention pets. I am hopeful that over the next ten years as CBD moves further into the mainstream marketplace, more people will be more educated about the benefits of CBD.

I see the compound being much more established and I hope that there will be a trade body established set up to regulate the market which will help to shake off some of the stigmas of this ingredient.

I expect also more chic packaging of CBD goods to emerging - I think that we can do a whole lot better than the green and brown tones of the packaging that predominates with images of cannabis leaves!

What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?

The CBD market is still a growing business and there is still plenty of room for you and your brand. Make sure that you use a reputable supplier that can provide you with a Certificate of Analysis (to provide transparency and details of the cannabinoid profiles within your product) understand the regulatory framework, work hard and be honest and authentic.

Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?

I don’t think it’s hugely surprising that the last decade has seen the most development in menstrual health products as more women have been empowered to lead companies and design things that better suit.

There are so many women that are doing amazing work in the female health space that I feel it difficult to narrow it down to only three.

In my opinion, any woman that has bought a product to market that supports women’s health and wellbeing is inspirational and deserves recognition.

Find out more about Create Better Days on their website.

Follow them on Instagram. Connect with Tracy on her LinkedIn.

This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.