Alumni Award Winner 2024: Gabby Jahanshahi-Edlin

Gabby Jahanshahi-Edlin (BA English Literature, Fine Art Drawing and History of Art, 2010) received the award for Outstanding Social and Civic Contribution.  

This award celebrates alumni who are making a real difference in the community, including those who work with community groups and voluntary organisations to help others, support underrepresented groups in accessing essential services, create new businesses to positively impact their local community, and lead and innovate cultural progress through the creative arts. 

Meet Gabby

After a Masters at university, Gabby went on to found Bloody Good Period (BGP), a revolutionary charity tackling period poverty. This grassroots initiative quickly evolved into a powerful organisation under her leadership. BGP not only distributes period products and provides reproductive education, but also advocates for systemic change.  

Gabby co-convened the Government's Period Poverty Task Force, led campaigns to establish period products as a human right, and created the podcast "Stay in the Room" to involve men in conversations about periods. Her writing has appeared in The Sunday Times, Metro, and Glamour, and she is a sought-after speaker for companies like Apple, The Guardian, and Disney. Gabby's accolades include being named one of The Evening Standard's Progress 1000 in 2018 and being included in Who's Who in 2021. 

Hi Gabby, thanks for agreeing to speak with us! Could you please introduce yourself and tell us about your journey after Newcastle University?

What motivated you to set up BGP? 

After graduating, I entered the arts sector hoping to pursue a career in museum education. However, I quickly became frustrated with the lack of autonomy and noticed the disconnect at the gallery where I worked—despite producing feminist-themed exhibitions, their actions didn't reflect feminist principles. Seeking change, I pursued a Masters in Applied Imagination at Central St. Martin’s, focusing on driving societal change through design and creativity. 

Returning to the arts while working as a nanny in the afternoons, I was approached by the family I worked for to assist in setting up an asylum seeker drop-in centre in North London. At the same time, I read an article on destitute women and their challenges with periods which highlighted a critical gap—there are no provisions for period products at the centre. This spurred me into action; starting with a social media call-out that gained traction and grew rapidly. 

Recognising my passion for supporting feminist causes, I leveraged this momentum to establish BGP, dedicated to providing support to feminist organisations and addressing period poverty. 

That’s amazing work! How did BGP transition into Bloody Good Employers (BGE)?

When BGP had been running for a few years, it sparked many conversations and connections about menstruation, shifting the dialogue away from extremes—either being ashamed or overly positive and spiritual about it. However, I noticed a significant gap: menstruation wasn't being discussed in the workplace.  

BGE was established to bolster employee confidence in understanding workplace culture, communications, and policies regarding periods. In 2019, it debuted with a significant research article that underscored two critical statistics: nearly 90% of individuals menstruating in the workplace experienced anxiety about it, and close to 4% lacked access to any type of workplace restroom facilities. The launch was in collaboration with partners such as Public Health England and the British Red Cross.  

Whenever I went into businesses and organisations as a speaker or to seek support for BGP, women would often approach me with stories of being managed out of jobs or denied flexibility because of periods and related conditions. This got me thinking about what could be done. Simultaneously, I was exploring ways to make BGP sustainable and generate funds. This led me to the idea of a workplace consultancy focused on periods, like HR consultancies addressing mental health and LGBTQ+ issues. There was nothing in place to help people understand periods in the workplace. 

My goal was to change the culture so people wouldn't feel compelled to lie or feel lied to about periods and related issues. Around this time, I met Joe Gray, another Newcastle University graduate who was really interested in developing my idea. After a conversation, we created a program to present to companies and organisations. Joe also helped secure the initial company buy-in. It took us a year to create a viable product that businesses would want to use and pay for our consulting service. 

How does destigmatising periods, or improving the cultural view about periods improve the professional environment, and society more generally? 

In the workplace, being honest about how you feel without the extra burden of hiding it enables better productivity. Having the flexibility to choose where to work, especially when feeling unwell or in pain, avoids the added discomfort of being forced into the office. 

When there's strong managerial support and a company-wide understanding of menstrual issues, employees are more likely to remain with the company, which aids in staff retention and saves money. Feeling heard on menstrual issues fosters comfort in discussing other concerns, creating a supportive workplace environment. 

In society at large, considering that menstruation is a natural part of life for half the population, many people face unnecessary obstacles in accessing support and diagnosis for period-related conditions. Normalising periods can mitigate income loss and livelihood disruptions and promote informed and open conversations in society. 

Overall, reducing the stigma around periods improves work quality, life quality, staff retention, and enhances workplace attractiveness.​​ 

Thanks for sharing more about your work! Now, could we discuss your time at university? Have you been back to campus much since you graduated?

I came back the year after I graduated but haven’t been back since. I think I’m like a lot of graduates, where all my friends moved away from Newcastle, and it was the people as much as the place which made it so important.  

Do you have any special memories from your time at Newcastle University that you would like to share?

My experience on the Fine Art drawing course was amazing, the highlight of my week. I have brilliant memories of being in the art room with my ​​lecturer Tracey Tofield. I feel so grateful that I got to do this brilliant academic degree which really challenged and pushed me and made me realise what I was capable of. All those experiences led me to go to work at the Royal Drawing School on the strength of that part of my degree. 

Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to a recent Newcastle University graduate, what would it be?

For students, the advice is to take advantage of all the extra things that the University has to offer. My biggest regret is that I only went to the Careers Service in the last few months of my time there and I wish that I’d spent much more time having conversations with people about the kind of work I could go into. And more generally, it’s never too late to get involved with something, it’s up to you to forge your own path. 

For creative careers the biggest piece of advice I can give is to be open to consistently learning and teaching yourself new skills. There’s never been a better time to self-teach yourself things, from AI to illustration. So, pick a few things that really interest you and get good at them. Finally, learn how to bring projects to completion with a team. 

Huge congratulations to Gabby!  

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