Introduction
I am thrilled to spotlight my mentor, Dr. Laura Widman, who recently presented at SHA’s Sexuality Business Summit to share how she transformed years of groundbreaking research into a successful business.
Laura is a researcher, professor, author, psychologist, and all around badass dedicated to improving adolescent health, with an emphasis on sexual communication skill development. In much of her work she incorporates digital technologies to deliver health programming to teens and families.
She is a co-author of the bestselling undergraduate textbook Our Sexuality, a professor at Florida State University’s Institute on Digital Health and Innovation in the College of Nursing, and founder of Teen Health Research, a woman-owned small business committed to modernizing sex education.
With nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications cited over 6,500 times, Laura’s research spans HIV and STI prevention, sexual communication, and digital health interventions. In this blog, I’ll review some of her research findings and how she translated them into real-world solutions.
Research Focus
A consistent finding in Laura’s decades of research: sex education in the U.S. is not working. Programs differ widely across states and districts, leaving many adolescents with clear gaps in knowledge and support.
To better understand these gaps, Laura went straight to the source: Laura and her team asked adolescents what they want to know about sex and relationships in a research study published earlier this year. Her team surveyed a diverse group of adolescents, which included more than 20% trans adolescents and over 60% who identified as queer. Their questions ranged from:
“How do STDs spread?”
“Is everyone’s first time horrible?”
“How do you say no to a partner who thinks you owe them sex?”
“Is pornography an accurate representation of sex?”
These questions fell into six themes: relationship, sexual activity, opinions and attitudes about sex, health and communication, LGBTQ+ topics, and sex education.
Relationships
Sexual Activity
Opinions and Attitudes about Sex
Health & Communication
LGBTQ+ Topics
Sex Education
The findings showed that teens still lack important sexual health knowledge. Why does this matter? The consequences are huge: youth account for half of all STI infections in the U.S., more than four in five teen pregnancies are unintended, and one in six children experience sexual violence. Not all teens are impacted the same way; marginalized groups are often affected the most.
From Research to Business
Laura saw an opportunity to address these gaps in sex education by supporting parent-teen conversations. Her research consistently shows that when parents talk openly with their kids, teens are more likely to use condoms, contraception, feel confident in their sexual decision-making, and communicate with partners.
Parent-teen sexual communication is related to:
Yet, these conversations are often not happening early enough. By senior year, only 70% of adolescents report ever discussing sexual health topics with parents and 40% don’t have these conversations until after becoming sexually active.
To bridge this gap, Laura turned to digital health solutions. This approach is accessible and interactive and has the capacity to be tailed to the individual.
The solution: Let’s Talk!
Laura’s business, Teen Health Research, launched Let’s Talk. This online program was designed for parents and kids to complete together and developed with psychologists, pediatricians, and researchers. The program offers:
Expert guidance
Conversation starters
Practical tools and resources
Age-appropriate, interactive lessons for kids
The goal: empower parents to have real, trusted conversations that prepare youth for healthy relationships and safer sexual decision-making.
Development Journey
After decades of exploring trends in adolescent sexual health and family communication through her research, Laura founded Teen Health Research in 2021. Since then, she has:
Completed entrepreneurship training
Competed for funding opportunities
Developed and tested prototypes with 35 families
Collected feedback from participants
The pilot studies were overwhelmingly positive. One kid shared, “I love that I know what to expect when I hit puberty.”
The new Let’s Talk website launched in July 2025 and already has over 500 subscribers. The full product is set to release this fall.
Tips for Sexual Health Professionals
At SHA’s Annual Business Summit, Laura shared valuable tips for anyone looking to start a business in this field:
Growing a business is hard and slow. Laura is still hustling for money, learning new lessons and expecting the unexpected
Progress is not linear. Development of your business, product doesn’t happen in a straight line. Expect changes and setbacks, but don’t let that stop you from going after what you want!
Innovation in the sex ed space is needed. The sex education field remains underfunded and underexplored – your ideas matter.
Surround yourself with good people. SHA provides comprehensive certification programs and expert-led events to help grow, connect, and network with peers, mentors, and leading experts like Laura.
Want to Grow Your Own Business?
SHA focuses on bringing expert presenters and lecturers to our community year-round. These events are designed to help you gain the knowledge, skills, and connections that can take your work to the next level. Check out SHA events that can support you in growing your business.
Looking for more personalized support? The SHA Business School 2025–2026 Cohort offers mentorship, business-focused guidance, and practical tools to help you transform your ideas into impact. This program is built to empower entrepreneurs like you who are shaping the future of sexual health.
Written by Emma Sell-Goodhand, MPH
Emma is a doctoral student and Global One Health Fellow at North Carolina State University studying adolescent sexual health. She brings prior experience as a Technical Advisor at the World Health Organization.
Want to become an in-demand sexual health professional? Learn more about becoming certified with SHA!
