Saundra Pelletier - CEO Of Evofem Biosciences | TEDx Speaker | Women's Health Advocate

CEO Of Evofem Biosciences | TEDx Speaker | Women's Health Advocate

Ruhi Ladwa #GirlPowerUnleashed in Conversation with Saundra Pelletier

Ruhi Ladwa:

 Hi everyone. Welcome to the Girl Power Unleashed Podcast. Today I'm here with a very special guest, Saundra Pelletier. Saundra, thank you so much for taking the time to be on the podcast. It means a lot to me and my listeners. To start off, tell us about yourself and your journey so far.

Saundra Pelletier:

Well, thank you for having me. I’m so happy to be here. I’ll try to keep this short, but I’m someone who came from a very rural place compared to where I live now. I grew up in Caribou, Maine—the furthest point you can fly to from my current home.

My journey has been a mix of intention and destiny. I always say, sometimes what you choose ends up choosing you. I grew up in a place where girls were told they had two options: who they’d marry and how many kids they’d have. There was no talk of education, running businesses, or chasing dreams.

After school, I ended up in women’s health by accident—but I truly believe it was the universe guiding me. I realized I was meant to be a voice for women who don’t have one. I’ve spent my entire career focused on women’s health—understanding the mindset of women from puberty to menopause, whether they want to get pregnant, don’t want to, or want to space pregnancies.

Women are the healthcare decision-makers, and I’ve done a lot of quantitative and qualitative research on what they want and need. I’m now the CEO of a company called Evofem Biosciences. We brought to market, in my opinion, the most exciting innovation ever in contraception. It has no hormones, and women only use it when they have sex—which is amazing because it gives them control.

I'm also a single mom to a son who’s a senior in high school. I’m raising him to be a feminist and a gentleman. That pretty much sums it up!

Ruhi Ladwa:

That’s amazing. I really love your company and everything you’re doing. What are some of the most interesting things you're working on right now, and how will they empower women?

Saundra Pelletier:

The most interesting thing is definitely our birth control innovation. Birth control was introduced in the U.S. in 1960, and since then, girls and women have been told to take a drug every single day, regardless of whether they’re having sex. For 5, 10, 15, even 20 years sometimes.

Our company brought to market the first and only birth control that has no hormones and no systemic activity in the body. It’s called Phexxi—spelled P-H-E-X-X-I. You only use it when you need it, just like a condom.

The product was originally developed by Rush University in Chicago, which was researching HIV prevention back in the early '90s. They discovered that a woman’s vaginal pH is normally between 3.5 and 4.5. When semen enters, it raises the pH to 7 or 8, which allows for pregnancy. Phexxi helps maintain the natural pH, making it inhospitable to sperm.

It doesn’t matter what medications you’re on or what your weight is. It’s easy, safe, and makes women feel empowered.

Ruhi Ladwa: 

That’s amazing. What obstacles did you have to overcome? Any specific lessons you learned from them?

Saundra Pelletier:

 Oh my goodness—so many. I could talk about that for four days!

Some of the biggest obstacles came from within—my own confidence and learning to believe I was enough. I had to convince myself that I could be a female CEO of a publicly traded biotech company in a space mostly dominated by men.

I often had to pitch to rooms full of male investors—no women, just me. Can you imagine explaining how women’s bodies work to men who sometimes said, “Why should I care?” or “This doesn’t affect men.” I’d respond with, “Do you have a daughter? A wife? A mother? Let me explain why this matters.”

That was eye-opening. I had to bring men into the conversation and show them that women’s health impacts everyone. I was lucky to find a few great male investors who love their daughters and wives and understood that women make up half the population. But still, the obstacles were real—bringing others on board, convincing myself I was worthy, and changing the mindset of women too.

Women have been conditioned to be pleasers, mediators, and martyrs. I’ve worked hard to remind women that they deserve innovation, power, and choice. Just because things have always been done a certain way doesn’t mean it’s right. Just because our mothers had limited options doesn’t mean we should accept the same.

My motto is: Strong women don’t have attitudes. They have standards.

Ruhi Ladwa: 

That was a great answer. What’s your secret to success? Are there a few key qualities that helped you get where you are?

Saundra Pelletier: 

Yes. One of the most important things I ever learned came from a wise woman who told me: There’s no such thing as good or bad feelings—it’s just the energy you give it.

Two people can experience the same thing, but how they react makes all the difference. You have to be like Teflon—let negativity slide off. You only control two things in this world: what you feed your body and what you feed your mind. Garbage in, garbage out. Positive in, positive out.

Fear can paralyze you. You have to be brave, stand up for yourself, and go for it. The fastest way to change your life is to change how you think about it.

Never say, I’m not good at this. Say, I’m learning. I’ll get better.

Attitude made all the difference in my life.

Ruhi Ladwa: 

That’s powerful. And finally, what would you say to girls who want to become the next generation of leaders?

Saundra Pelletier: 

I would say three things.

First: Decide whose opinion really matters in your life—and ignore everyone else.

Second: Be extremely clear about what you want. Write it down, repeat it every day—not just on weekends or when you feel motivated, but every day. Your goals should be personal, educational, and professional—and you should state them out loud regularly.

And third: Be your own biggest advocate. If you don’t believe you’re worth it, no one else will.

Ruhi Ladwa: 

Well, thank you so much, Saundra, for your time, for sharing your story, and for telling us more about your company and Phexxi. It was really eye-opening to hear about the challenges you’ve faced and overcome. I’m sure our listeners learned something truly valuable.

Saundra Pelletier: 

Thank you for having me! It was lovely, and I appreciate you creating this podcast and giving women a voice.

Ruhi Ladwa: 

Thank you so much!