The Velvet Lab Podcast .
Focused
The Velvet Lab is a bold, thoughtful podcast where changemakers shaping the future of women’s health share what’s working, what’s missing, and what’s next. Whether you're in healthcare, consumer tech, FemTech, or policy — this is your space to unpack big ideas, untangle hidden tensions, and spark clarity around the moments that matter most.
Expert Dialogues
Conversations with leaders across women’s health, data, operations, strategy, public policy, and technology—bringing diverse expertise and real-world perspectives to the table.
Strategic Briefs
Solo episodes where Sheena D. Franklin, Founder and Managing Director of 1836 & Co., breaks down frameworks, unpacks strategy, and shares the structured insights used to guide clients.
Season 1
From Insight to Infrastructure.
Strategic Briefs
Women’s Health at a Crossroads: Where Women’s Health Strategy Must Go Next w/ Sheena D. Franklin, Managing Director, 1836 & Co.
The Five Pillars: What Most Founders and Funds Still Don’t Get w/ Sheena D. Franklin, Managing Director, 1836 & Co.
Why Trust Is Your Real Risk Model in FemTech w/ Sheena D. Franklin, Managing Director, 1836 & Co.
The Data Gap Is a Business Risk, Not a Research Problem w/ Sheena D. Franklin, Managing Director, 1836 & Co.
From Insight to Infrastructure: What This Season Revealed w/ Sheena D. Franklin, Managing Director, 1836 & Co.
Expert Dialogues
"Women’s Health Needs Standards, Not Just Innovation” w/ Kerri Conn Haresign, Director of Industry Standards, The Consumer Technology Association
Designing Beyond the Pink Label: Fixing the Product Gap in Women’s Health w/ Beenish Zia, Health & Life Sciences Technologist, Intel
Founding Through the Gap: Building Clinical Credibility in Women’s Health w/ Kirthika Parmeswaran, Founder & CEO, Vital Start Health
Scaling with Integrity: What Growth Looks Likes When Trust Comes First w/ Danny Mendoza, Chief Growth Officer, Vital Start Health
The Mental Model is Broken: Redesigning Behavioral Health with Women in Mind w/ Brianna Brennan, Chief Innovation Officer, Ontrak Health