How One "Aha Moment" in Kenya Built a Global Movement for 2.8M Girls with Celeste Mergens

What happens when you realize your "upper limit" is the only thing stopping you from reaching millions? In this episode of Women's Million Dollar Conversations, Alice Tang sits down with Celeste Mergens, the founder of Days for Girls International. Celeste shares the soul-stirring story of how witnessing menstrual inequity and sexual exploitation in Kenya led her to build an organization that has now reached 2.8 million women on six continents. Celeste reveals the hard-won lessons of her eight-year journey to the million-dollar mark, including why she had to "free herself from the desk" to allow the organization to thrive. If you've ever felt like fear was holding your steering wheel, Celeste's advice on "buckling up your lizard brain" will help you stay curious and resilient in the face of any challenge. In this episode, you'll learn: -How to "fail forward" and use every loss as fuel for your next big leap. -The "Lizard Brain" strategy: How to recognize and bypass your automatic negative biases. -Why money should be viewed as a "flowing resource" rather than something to hoard. -The power of asking "What if?" with a positive framework to blast away fear barriers. Key Moments: 01:13 – Introducing Days for Girls: Reaching 2.8 million women globally. 02:50 – The Kenya Story: Discovering the reality of cardboard for menstrual care. 04:44 – The turning point: Realizing disposable pads were leading to exploitation. 05:51 – The 8-year path to a million: Learning not to do it all by yourself. 07:40 – The BlackRock Challenge: Why you must get out from behind the desk. 09:55 – Blasting away the upper limit: Rallying in the final 15 minutes of a challenge. 13:16 – Understanding the Amygdala: How to buckle up your "Lizard Brain." 18:15 – Celebrations: Using a school bell to call your mountains. 21:11 – Staying curious in a crisis: The "Baking Soda" painting story.