From ancient taboos to modern period poverty, Georgia Goff takes us on an eye-opening journey through the complex global history of menstruation and its impact on society. Drawing from both academic research and cultural perspectives, she reveals how silence and stigma around this natural process have created unnecessary barriers for half the world's population. Through compelling examples and frank discussion, Goff demonstrates why open conversations about menstruation are crucial steps toward gender equity, academic advancement, and dismantling centuries of harmful social stigmas that affect everyone in society. Georgia Goff has long been interested in the power of stories and how we tell them. After being diagnosed with Endometriosis, she developed a deep interest in the world of women’s issues, advocacy, and, most specifically, menstruation. Georgia Goff is a recent graduate from Whitworth University where she received her bachelor’s in history. During the research she conducted in this program, Georgia combined her interests in menstruation and storytelling to highlight the complexities of menstruation through the lenses of faith, economics, politics, technology, and more.Currently, Georgia is working on her Master’s in Teaching through Whitworth University and hopes to someday become a history professor. When she is not studying, Georgia can be found watching movies, spending time with her family and friends, or trying to make up for all of the sleep she lost in college. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx