We were lucky to catch up with Shanika Graffeo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Shanika, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
My generosity comes from all the moments in life that forced me to grow a heart big enough to hold other people’s pain, and bold enough to actually do something about it.
It didn’t come from comfort.
It came from witnessing gaps so wide they swallowed people whole — and realizing, even as a young adult, that sometimes you’re the one who has to become the bridge.
That’s why service has never been a pastime for me. It’s been a pulse.
I created Soup 4 Souls right in Maryland, not because I had a nonprofit, funding, or a team, ( I did it without those things ) but because I was tired of watching our most vulnerable neighbors brace for winter with nothing but hope. I gathered the community, organized resources, and built a four-year movement from scratch that fed people, warmed people, and made them feel human again. It wasn’t charity; it was dignity work. And once you’ve witnessed what a hot meal and warm coat can do on a freezing morning… you’re never the same.
And honestly? That’s the same fire that birthed the Flow Forward Initiative.
Because period poverty is just another invisible crisis, one that people love to whisper about but rarely solve. I know what it feels like to push through pain with no support. I know what it feels like to figure out your body in silence. I know what it feels like to need help and not want to ask, because you’re used to systems not showing up for you.
My generosity comes from those truths.
From those scars.
From those quiet memories that still drive me today.
It comes from the part of me that refuses to let a young girl miss school, or a woman misses out on an interview opportunity because she didn’t have pads. The part that refuses to let someone bleed through their clothes and feel ashamed. The part that refuses to let menstrual pain be dismissed as “normal.” The part that refuses to let dignity be optional.
Everything I build, KUSHIE, Flow Forward, the partnerships I fight for, comes from this belief:
If I can soften someone’s struggle, I will.
If I can break a cycle, I will.
If I can create change with my own two hands, I will.
My generosity isn’t passive.
It’s active.
It’s disruptive.
It’s strategic.
It’s love in motion, with purpose and backbone.
And that’s the engine behind everything I do and every initiative I lead.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m the founder of KUSHIE, a menstrual wellness brand built out of lived pain, frustration, and a refusal to let the next generation suffer in silence like so many of us did. I know what it feels like to be dismissed, unprepared, and forced to “push through” pain that should’ve never been normalized.
KUSHIE exists because those with periods deserve comfort, real education, and dignity, not shame. We offer drug-free menstrual pain relief products and self-care essentials, but our real heartbeat is the Flow Forward Initiative, our menstrual equity pilot designed to get period kits, pain relief tools, and modern, culturally relevant menstrual health education directly into schools and youth programs.
What makes my work exciting? We’re not just selling products, we’re shifting a culture. We’re breaking generational silence. We’re creating the support we desperately needed growing up.
And what’s new?
The Flow Forward Pilot is gearing up.
We’re expanding partnerships with organizations, community partners, and non-profits.
And a full digital menstrual health resource hub is on the way.
KUSHIE is here to change the way the world treats periods, loudly, boldly, and without apology. And we’re just getting started.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities that shaped my entire journey are resilience, cultural awareness, and radical empathy. Each one became a survival skill long before it became a professional strength.
1. Resilience:
I had to build a business while managing chronic conditions that don’t care about your deadlines. Resilience isn’t waking up fearless, it’s waking up exhausted, discouraged, or in pain, and choosing to move one inch forward anyway.
Advice: Start where you are, not where you think you “should” be. Consistency beats confidence every time.
2. Cultural Awareness:
KUSHIE and the Flow Forward Initiative weren’t born from a boardroom, they were born from real experiences in Black, brown, and underserved communities where menstrual pain, shame, and lack of access are everyday realities. Understanding the culture you serve is what makes solutions land.
Advice: Listen more than you speak. Your community will tell you exactly what they need if you’re humble enough to hear it.
3. Radical Empathy:
I learned early that empathy without action is just a feeling. The work I do is fueled by compassion, but it’s anchored in building actual solutions, period kits, pain relief products, education, and programs that change futures.
Advice: Don’t wait to be “qualified” to care. Start by solving one problem for one person, and scale from there.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Absolutely. KUSHIE and the Flow Forward Initiative are actively seeking collaboration — not just with schools and community programs, but with individuals, organizations, nonprofits, philanthropists, foundations, and mission-driven brands who want their impact to be felt for generations.
We’re looking for partners who are:
🔥 Ready to champion menstrual equity at scale
Nonprofits, foundations, advocacy groups, individuals and philanthropists who understand that period poverty is a systemic issue — and are ready to back real solutions with real resources.
🔥 Interested in funding or co-sponsoring our Flow Forward Pilot?
We’re launching a statewide menstrual equity program designed to get period kits, pain relief tools, and modern menstrual health education directly into the hands of young people who need it most.
If you’re a funder looking to support programs with measurable outcomes, cultural relevance, and immediate community impact — we want to work with you!
🔥 Passionate about health equity, youth empowerment, and education
We welcome organizations working in public health, women’s health, youth services, sports, schools, social justice, mental health, or community wellness.
🔥 Looking to partner with brands making tangible, sustainable change
CSR teams, corporate giving departments, and socially responsible companies ready to align with a powerful, purpose-driven initiative.
🔥 Wanting to co-create new pathways to dignity, access, and care
From research partnerships to product donations to funding support to education — if you care about menstrual justice, there’s space for you in this movement.
How to Connect With Us:
🌐 www.kushie.org
📱 Instagram: @shekushie
If you want to uplift women and youth, transform communities, and rewrite the future of menstrual health access — we’re ready to partner with you!
Let’s Flow Forward, together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kushie.org
- Instagram: @shekushie
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kushie/
- Youtube: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kushie/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
