Mariam Oyinloye

The first time I heard Mariam Oyinloye speak, it wasn’t about her awards, though she has plenty, from being named the 2025 Rotman Family Entrepreneur of the Year to landing on Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch 2024 list. It was about the physical ache, the profound vulnerability of being a young teenager dealing with a deep, persistent pain in silence. We talk a lot about ‘purpose-driven business’ now, but Mariam’s journey began with a question mark hanging over her own body. That, for me, is the real pulse of community journalism: finding the human truth hidden in the accolades.

It is easy to look at the CEO of Abimbola, a vibrant, Toronto-based brand focused on eco-friendly, sustainable menstrual care, and assume a smooth ascent. To understand the true resilience required, you have to slow down and trace the outline of that initial discomfort.

Mariam grew up in Toronto, and like millions of others, navigated the confusing, often painful reality of early menstrual health. It was during these formative years, specifically around ages 13 or 14, that her personal pain intersected sharply with two enormous systemic crises: period poverty and the overwhelming environmental toll of traditional products.

Imagine, as a young teen, the discomfort you feel is compounded by the gnawing knowledge that the solutions available are generating mountains of waste that “will outlive most of us,” and may also be exposing you to undisclosed chemicals. This exposure shaped her early commitment to social justice, environmental sustainability, and the critical need for honest menstrual health education.

“I learned pads and tampons had chemicals.”

The transition from personal problem to entrepreneurial solution was accelerated by the hyper-speed urgency of the digital age.

She found herself scrolling, learning rapidly about the reality of conventional pads and tampons. “I learned pads and tampons had chemicals, there was a lawsuit that was ongoing, and there was a lot of distrust,” she shared. This was information that generated profound anxiety about what she had been putting in her body. The realization, the sudden, sharp fear that the products designed to help were actually harmful, was the catalyst.

“Why don’t you start your own business?”

Suddenly, the timeline sped up. Her mother, seeing the research and the frustration, dropped the challenge, “Why don’t you start your own business?”

It was an immediate call to action that demanded an equally immediate, intense response. Mariam had to jump from worrying about her own period to deep diving into the world of forensic research and business development. She leveraged programs like the Social Venture Zone with TMU for data access, alongside her own rigorous internet searches. Her mission had become clear; to build something different.

She named it Abimbola, a name resonating with legacy, purpose, and power. It is both her middle name and her mother’s first name, meaning “born to wealth”. The wealth she is building, however, is health-based and community-centered.

Mariam views Abimbola as “more than just a brand.” It is a commitment to positive change built on the bedrock of chemical truth and radical equity.

This focus on truth is where her entrepreneurial edge truly shines. She recognized a glaring gap in the market: accessibility and equity, particularly for Black women. She notes, “One thing I have seen is that companies don’t make health-based menstrual products accessible to minority communities. My company makes it equitable, so that Black women can afford it.”

Affordability isn’t enough without accountability. Abimbola sells reusable menstrual products like pads and cups, explicitly framed as both health-conscious and eco-conscious, reducing the mountains of waste headed to landfills. What truly sets her product apart, however, is the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification.

OEKO-TEX 100 is a globally recognized, third-party label that signals profound trust. It means every component (from the yarn to the dyes) is tested for over 1,000 harmful substances, including heavy metals, formaldehyde, and pesticides. It is a rigorous, science-based process that often surpasses legal requirements. Mariam points out, “I notice that many other companies don’t use this when creating tampons and pads.” By using it, she is fulfilling her promise of providing chemical-conscious options, building loyalty, and standing out as responsible in a world increasingly worried about product safety.

This level of maturity and dedication has earned her recognition, including the Sisters in Sync Entrepreneurship 2024 Award. She actively uplifts local youth through community events like a Diversity Talent Show. She speaks nationally at forums such as GLOBExCHANGE, sharing her vision for advancing wellness solutions for Gen Z. She is weaving her personal journey into a powerful fabric of collective empowerment.

Of course, being a pioneer, especially one so young, comes with resistance, and that requires a different kind of emotional stamina.

Mariam admitted that she has “Only gotten negative reactions from teens who have not done the research on the work I do.” She views this as a “maturity thing,” but understands it.

“You need a team.”

This is why her final advice, distilled down to its core necessity, feels so resonant and powerful. She is focused on the future: exposing the research, ensuring her products become the “new normal” for young women, and achieving significant environmental change. For any 13-year-old girl feeling too young to act on an idea, Mariam’s message is clear and real, “You need a team.”

She urges young people to find a trusted mentor: a parent, teacher, guest speaker, or even a LinkedIn connection, and ask questions. She knows firsthand that this entrepreneurial journey cannot be done alone.

Mariam Oyinloye is crafting a legacy born from vulnerability, built on chemical truth, and designed to uplift the next generation, one reusable, independently tested product at a time. It’s a powerful lesson: when we choose to transform our personal aches into public purpose, we change the world.