Mirror Talks

"Don’t Ask Permission”: How Sylvia Kang Built Mira to Redefine Women’s Health

Episode Summary

Told that science wasn’t for women, Sylvia Kang built Mira — empowering others to understand their own bodies.

Episode Notes

“Young women need to see role models. They need to believe it’s possible. I want to show them — you don’t have to wait for someone to save you. You can make it happen.”

When Sylvia Kang left China at 18 to study engineering in the U.S., she had already spent her childhood training to be a concert pianist. Everyone around her told her to stay in her “safe” path — music was elegant, acceptable, feminine. Science, they said, wasn’t for women.

Years later, Sylvia proved them wrong by founding Mira, the world’s first at-home hormone health monitor that helps women truly understand their bodies. In this conversation, she shares how she went from self-teaching physics textbooks to building one of the biggest hormone data banks in the world — and what it means to trust yourself when no one else does.

You’ll hear about:

• Growing up in a culture where girls were told science wasn’t for them
• Leaving behind a career as a pianist to study biomedical engineering
• Facing loneliness and doubt as a young immigrant founder
• Explaining basic female anatomy to male investors — and still getting funded
• Building a company that gives women real, personalized data about their health
• The advice Sylvia gives to any woman with a dream: “Don’t ask for permission.”

Connect with Sylvia on Linkedin