Community Building for Femtech Brands with Serena Gasparini | Blush & Bloom Podcast | Ep. 53

On this week's Blush & Bloom, Gigi Kenneth sits down with Serena Gasparini, founder of the community management agency Sense & Forum, to talk about community building for femtech brands. Serena's view is simple: social media is a place to broadcast, while a community is a place where women can speak safely, find what they need and come back when they are ready.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• How a career in event management led Serena into community management and community-led growth
• Why she is building FemNest, a financial wellness idea that links women's health and healing to financial support
• What makes safe online communities for women, from guidelines and moderation to data ownership and accessibility
• Why community is not a sales funnel, and why trust has to come before products
• How to keep members engaged without exhausting them, and what to do when a community goes quiet
• Delia, Serena's community and cohort for femtech, sexual wellness and female-led brands

From event manager to community builder

Serena grew up in Australia, studied tourism, event management and marketing, and spent years running events for hotels, trade programmes and the wine industry, including in London. When she went freelance just before COVID, clients kept asking her for community management work. Events and communities turned out to share the same core skill: bringing the right people together on a regular rhythm. When the pandemic stopped events, she pivoted, and Sense & Forum was born. At the time of recording, the agency had just turned six.

Why does women's health need its own financial safety net?

Serena's own experience of maternity leave and chronic health conditions showed her a gap: women take time away from work for illness, birth and menopause, but the financial support rarely matches the healing time they need. FemNest grew from that gap. At the time of recording it was in the idea and market research phase, built community first, with products and resources to follow.

What makes an online community safe for women?

Safety is designed in from the start. Serena points to a clear layout with spaces for specific conversations, onboarding and community guidelines, a visible way to report problems, active moderation, and a platform whose data and privacy policies protect members. For events, it can be as simple as asking every attendee one question in the RSVP form: "what accessibility needs do you have?"

Is community a sales funnel?

No. Serena is direct about this: "you can't use community as a sales funnel." People join and stay when they trust a brand and value what it gives them, and that takes time. For a femtech founder dealing with money or health, trust has to be earned before any product is shown.

How do you keep a community engaged without burning everyone out?

Serena compares a good community to a local market: you visit when you need something, not five times a day. A healthy community works as a pocket guide that members return to for resources, questions and connection, supported by a newsletter and social channels that point people back in. Constant notifications exhaust members and lead community managers straight to burnout.

What should founders do when a community goes quiet?

Look past likes and comments. Serena estimates that around 80% of community members are lurkers, so views, opens and event attendance matter as much as posts. If engagement drops, ask members what they need through feedback and surveys, give them chances to talk about themselves and help each other, and check that the space has evolved with its members rather than with the founder's original idea.

Delia, and advice for 15-year-old Serena

Delia is Serena's community for femtech, sexual wellness and female-led brands, along with founders and community managers who want to grow in the space. It includes an eight-week cohort that guides people through building their own community, with the aim of growing at a grounded, intentional pace rather than a "fast and furious" one.

Her advice to her younger self is one many founders will recognise: "listen to the no's, but prove them wrong."

FAQ

Who is Serena Gasparini? Serena Gasparini is the founder of Sense & Forum, a community management agency, and the creator of Delia, a community and cohort for femtech and female-led brands. She is also building FemNest, a financial wellness concept for women.

What is community-led growth for femtech brands? It means building trust through a dedicated community before selling products, so members can share experiences, find resources and connect with each other. For femtech brands, it also gives founders direct insight into what their users need.

Why aren't social media platforms enough for women's health brands? Serena points to blocking, banning and algorithms that limit women's voices and health information. A private, well-moderated community gives brands a safer place for sensitive conversations.

How often should a community be active? Daily activity is not the goal. Serena recommends showing up with a weekly prompt and making the community a reliable resource members return to when they need it.

Listen and connect

Listen to the full conversation on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Connect with Serena Gasparini on LinkedIn and learn more about Sense & Forum and Delia at senseandforum.com, and follow FemNest on LinkedIn. Explore more conversations on the Blush and Bloom podcast hub and at Asele.

This episode is for general informational purposes and does not constitute medical, legal, or regulatory advice.