Over the past few months the world has watched Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman become a champion at vocalizing her own truths, speaking up even in instances when it's extremely uncomfortable.

The author of her recently released memoir, Fierce, teamed up with Playtex Sport to launch tampon vending machines that accept selfies and advice instead of money. Raisman hopes the effort will empower female athletes and help normalize period talk, an issue that's received increased attention among activists in recent years.

"I think that what's going on right now in the world is women are speaking up. Young girls are speaking up and people are finally listening. Boys are speaking up, men are speaking up about their stories of abuse as well," she said.

"We all have to realize that the more we talk about these uncomfortable issues the more we can help each other, and the more that you keep inside the more you might feel insecure."

In November 2017, Raisman joined the #MeToo movement, revealing she was one of hundreds of women and girls who have been sexually harassed and abused by former USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar.

Nassar, who is currently facing 60 years in prison for child pornography crimes, also awaits sentencing for sexual abuse charges, to which he has already pleaded guilty.

Since sharing her experiences, Raisman has been an active voice in the movement, encouraging others to speak out and publicly supporting women who have, including former teammates McKayla Maroney, Gabby Douglas, and Simone Biles. She's also called out USA Gymnastics on several occasions, telling ESPN's Outside the Lines that the organization had previously told her to keep quiet about her abuse.

Read the full article about Aly Raisman's voice for change by Nicole Gallucci at Mashable.