Coffee with Changemakers

Karate Champion to FemTech Entrepreneur: The Flora Story

Ukrainian Karate athlete Anna Kreshchenko moved to Japan in 2017. There, she founded Flora, a startup improving women’s wellbeing. The company runs the popular ‘Moonly’ app which helps users track menstrual cycles, access health insights, and improve pregnancy planning. Flora also works with major companies to enhance healthcare services for women and empower the female workforce.Anna is a Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 Honouree and was also recognised in the prestigious Forbes Japan ‘Next 100’ list. We sat down with Anna to discuss everything from overcoming imposter syndrome to building the right team and the importance of self-care, as well as Flora’s grand ambitions for the future.Highlights03:40 Anna's Journey from Ukraine to Japan08:26 The Inspiration behind Flora17:06 Flora's Impact29:02 Favourite Moments 31:05 Anna's Personal ‘Why’ 35:20 Building the Right Team40:06 Complementary Skill Sets and Emotional Stability42:10 Big Things Take Time44:04 Taking Action and Learning by Doing44:54 Prioritising Health and Resilience49:57 Global Expansion and Future VisionFind out more about Flora: https://main.flora-tech.jp/

ZNotes: Building a Tech-driven Movement for Educational Equality

Zubair Junjunia founded ZNotes - a community-led learning platform with a mission to end educational inequality everywhere - as a teenager in his bedroom. A decade later, Zubair and the ZNotes community have grown their movement exponentially; the platform now empowers over 5 million young people across the world with its vast range of student-built educational content and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.We sit down with Zubair, a recipient of the prestigious Diana Legacy Award and a Generation17 Young Leader appointed by UNDP, for an in-depth discussion on community building, technology, social mobility, mentorship, and sustainable funding models for social enterprises. Highlights00:00 Introduction and Background03:24 Starting ZNotes and Addressing Educational Inequality06:25 Creating a Global Community of Learners09:20 Challenges and Rewards12:12 The Importance of Balance and Self-Care32:53 Nurturing Leadership and Building a Sustainable Movement36:35 Cultivating Community and Embracing Change39:29 Aligning with the Problem, Not the Solution46:31 Challenges and Opportunities in Funding and Revenue Generation53:00 The Power of Education in Creating Social Mobility55:04 Empowering Individuals to Create ChangeFind out more about ZNotes and join their movement: https://znotes.org/

Introducing Coffee with Changemakers

On the ‘Coffee with Changemakers’ podcast, we explore the stories of changemakers taking on some of today’s biggest social and environmental challenges. Every episode, we host an intimate conversation on social impact and leadership, where we listen, learn, and connect with inspiring guests from all over the world. In episode 1, hosts Robin and Yoshi share their “why” behind starting this podcast and their hopes and dreams for the journey ahead.Join us as we meet remarkable leaders driving positive change on the front lines, one cup of coffee at a time!