Growing up in a medical family with a mom who was a labor and delivery nurse, Hale was used to having frank discussions about birth control and other women's health issues at home. "I've always been the type of person who’s been an open book about my body and myself," she says. "I feel really lucky that my mom paved the way for me." From a young age, Hale recalls being aware of what birth control was and how it worked, although she recognizes that not everyone had the same freedom. "A lot of girls didn’t have that access, and they were scared or embarrassed to talk about these things," she says. "It seems to me that's more of the norm than what I grew up with."