The Human Behind the Mission: Why Puberry Was Created
We make sure every student - no matter their background, zip code, or school resources - has access to high-quality, MD-verified health education.
On New Year’s Eve, just after turning 11, Demetra Mallios got her first period. She felt embarrassed, unprepared, and was told not to talk about it.
That early silence stuck with her for years and inspired something revolutionary.
A Founder’s Story
Growing up in a traditional Greek household, Demetra faced stigma around her body, mental health, and emotions.
She recalls countless awkward moments (like being taken off the soccer field because of her period) and how she never really learned about her health, menstrual or otherwise. Pads and tampons were hidden, and the topic was always hush-hush.
Frustrated by these experiences, Demetra began to dig deeper. She reflected on a campaign she’d seen about menstrual health education and its impact on girls’ confidence and school performance.
This led her to research health education in the U.S. and various cultures, where she found something shocking:
“Everyone I talked to had similar negative experiences - and beyond that, health education hadn’t improved over 15+ years!”
This gap, she realized, has lasting consequences.
Why Puberry?
Determined to change this reality, Demetra created Puberry to eliminate the shame and embarrassment around puberty. The gamified app transforms awkward lessons into fun, supportive experiences that help youth feel confident and prepared.
There are several reasons for why she started Puberry, including the following:
1. The US has the Highest STD, STI, and Teen Pregnancy rates of any developed country, and this can be costly!
2. 44% of menstruators don’t know what is happening during their first period and
3. 50% have experienced period shame or embarrassment.
4. The majority of parents don’t feel equipped or comfortable talking to their kids about puberty.
From One Story to Thousands
Puberry now serves students across NYC and beyond, delivering medically verified, inclusive health education through student, parent, and teacher-friendly platforms.
Puberry:
Turns awkward lessons into playful learning.
Provides live dashboards for parents to track progress in real time
Saves teachers ~5 hours of planning each week, giving them back valuable time
Aligns with DOE mandates
Also, did you know that DOE now requires schools to provide 54 hours of health education to middle and high school students?
Puberry helps schools meet this requirement - and makes it actually fun!
Built by a Team that Gets It
Demetra’s vision is powered by a diverse crew of former athletes, artists, engineers, equity-driven educators, and medical experts - all united by one belief:
Every student - no matter their background, zip code, or school resources - deserves access to high-quality, MD-verified health education, so they can understand their body and mind with confidence. At Puberry, we’re on a mission to make that a reality - positively impacting millions of youth and building incredible, healthy future generations.
Together, they’re rewriting what health education can be
The Data Behind the Mission
61% improvement in health education test scores
90% of students feel more confident discussing their health
75% of students feel more confident talking about health with adults
Over 50% increase in students reaching out to a trusted adult for help
Significant increase in classroom engagement and participation
Because when kids feel seen, they show up. When they feel prepared, they speak up.
Ready to bring Puberry to your community?
Visit www.puberry.org to get started.
With love, 💙
The Puberry team
Author: Ethan Freedman, MSW Columbia University
Our Resource Reference:
Puberry. (2025). Puberry Deck: Spring 2025. https://puberry.org
Mallios, D. (2025). About the Founder. Retrieved from https://puberry.org/about