In June I left my job as Head of Beauty at Grazia magazine and I\u2019ve woken up every day since thinking about poo. Not just because I need one, but because for the last 18 months I\u2019ve been on a mission to help women have the best number twos of their lives.<\/p>\n
For me it\u2019s personal. Constipation and I go way back. We\u2019ve had an on\u2013off relationship since university. I\u2019ve had poo droughts lasting two weeks and things got serious enough for me to have stool tests. A very kind (and very professional) female doctor had to \u2013 to put it bluntly \u2013 pop a finger up my backside to see what was going. The verdict? Internal haemorrhoids – made worse by the joy of pushing out constipated, lumpy stools. So yes \u2013 I really do know the far-from-glamorous reality of living blocked up.<\/p>\n
When I told people I was starting a poo business, first they were shocked, then they were intrigued. They\u2019d say: I need that. My sister needs that. My neighbour\u2019s cousin\u2019s long-lost aunt desperately needs that.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s quite a pivot. Before this I\u2019d spent 13 years in beauty journalism. I was incredibly lucky to interview icons from Helen Mirren<\/a> to Cate Blanchett<\/a>, to travel the world with brands like Dior, Chanel<\/a> and Louis Vuitton, host a podcast with beauty legends, direct cover shoots, and spend countless fashion weeks backstage at shows from Versace to Burberry<\/a>. It was a career I adored, a team I loved, and a job that felt secure.<\/p>\n Joely Walker has had problems with constipation since university, and was diagnosed with internal haemorrhoids<\/p>\n The, a year and a half ago at a friend\u2019s birthday lunch, I sat next to Holly \u2013 one of my best friends of 18 years and talked about how she\u2019d been constipated since the day we met. From the age of 18, through university, into a high-flying career in the beauty industry as a commercial director she\u2019s had chronic constipation \u2013 pooing maybe once a week. Grim.<\/p>\n So we started investigating poo…<\/p>\n Why are so many women constipated?\u00a0<\/p>\n So why are we so backed up? The reasons are complex \u2013 with a mix of biology, lifestyle, and stigma at play. Here\u2019s what experts say:<\/p>\n Hormones<\/p>\n \u2018Oestrogen and progesterone have a big impact on gut motility,\u2019 explains nutritionist Laura Jennings (ANutr, MSc, BSc). \u2018When progesterone peaks mid-cycle or during pregnancy, everything slows down \u2013 which is why so many women feel backed-up. Menopause can have a similar effect.\u2019<\/p>\n Stress<\/p>\n \u2018The gut and brain are constantly in conversation,\u2019 explains award winning G.P. Dr Sigi Joseph. \u2018When our stress hormones are persistently raised \u2013 as they often are when we\u2019re juggling working and often caregiving \u2013 this can cause gut disregulation, which can result in going too frequently or too little.\u2019<\/p>\n Diet<\/p>\n \u2018Fibre is important, but it\u2019s the type that matters,\u2019 explains Jennings. \u2018Prebiotic fibres (found in foods like onions, garlic, bananas and oats) feed beneficial gut bacteria, while probiotics (like live yoghurt, sauerkraut and kimchi) add healthy microbes that support digestion. Combined, they help keep you regular.\u2019<\/p>\n Joely with WE ARE. REGULAR. co-founder Holly Brooke<\/p>\n Avoid processed foods where you can, and aim for a mix of soluble and insoluble fibre from whole foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, wholegrains) and include fermented foods a few times a week.\u2019<\/p>\n Holding it in<\/p>\n \u2018There\u2019s a cultural embarrassment around women going for a poo that makes loo avoidance in public places a very real issue for them,\u2019 explains Dr Joseph. \u2018The act of holding it in can train your bowel to become less responsive \u2013 making constipation worse in the long run and possibly leading to issues like haemorrhoids.\u2019<\/p>\n What helps get us moving<\/p>\n I know when I\u2019m ticking off the live-well boxes \u2013 exercising, eating 30 plants a week, keeping stress low and hormones happy \u2013 my bowels behave themselves. More fibre, plus plenty of fluids (you need to drink loads of water to help fibre do its job), and things run a lot smoother.<\/p>\n Holly found daily relief by popping a combination of all-natural supplements. But there was a catch: she was taking 30 pills a day and spending hundreds of pounds a month. Wildly expensive, impractical, and unsustainable.<\/p>\n I was also looking for a solution to help when I couldn\u2019t live as healthily as I wanted to. Because the reality is I\u2019m currently cramming in 14-hour working days, running on five to six hours of sleep a night, my cortisol\u2019s sky-high and my bum\u2019s glued to a chair, not a rowing machine.<\/p>\n So I said to Holly \u2018What if we put all those ingredients into a supplement that doesn\u2019t cost a bomb and just makes you poo every day?\u2019 And so the next day, we got started. The result was WE ARE. REGULAR.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Women have been conditioned to think poo is dirty, embarrassing, un-feminine. What utter crap. Surprise, we all poo! We want to open up the conversation around it and make it a more pleasurable experience for all.<\/p>\n![\"Joely](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/102410023-15128987-Joely_Walker_has_had_problems_with_constipation_since_university-a-1_175878954089.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Joely](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/102410025-15128987-Joely_with_WE_ARE_REGULAR_co_founder_Holly_Brooke-a-2_1758789540898.jpg\")
<\/p>\n