Embracing Cycles: Harnessing Female Empowerment and Entrepreneurship with Alyx Coble-Frakes

The Iowa Tech podcast, hosted by Kaylee Williams, featured Alyx Coble-Frakes, the founder and CEO of The Agenda. The conversation began with light-hearted banter about Alyx’s style and a quick nod to Jethro’s Barbecue, a local favorite. The discussion then shifted to Alyx’s entrepreneurial journey, which began with her early experiences in the Girl Scouts and evolved through various roles, including time in the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. Her career led her to the realization that she preferred entrepreneurship over working for others. 

Alyx founded a health coaching company in 2018 and discovered an intriguing link between her sales performance and her menstrual cycle phases. This observation inspired her to create The Agenda Period, a platform designed to help women optimize their productivity by understanding their menstrual cycles. Alyx explained the four phases of the menstrual cycle and their impact on women’s lives, advocating for the empowerment and understanding of these natural cycles.

The podcast also highlighted the challenges of building a startup, particularly in the FemTech space, which involves overcoming societal taboos and stigmas associated with women’s health. Alyx shared insights into customer discovery, product development, and the importance of staying close to customer needs. She also discussed her recent ADHD diagnosis, which helped her better understand her strengths and challenges as an entrepreneur.

Looking ahead, The Agenda plans to pivot towards addressing perimenopause, a significant and often overlooked phase in women’s health. Alyx emphasized the economic and personal implications of perimenopause and her company’s goal to become a leader in this area, providing support and resources for women during this transition. The podcast concluded with Alyx encouraging women to embrace their cyclical nature and use it as a strength in their personal and professional lives.