Intimate Wellness in Healthcare with Colette Courtion, Joylux Founder

In this episode, Mary sits down with Colette Courtion, CEO and founder of Joylux, to explore one of the most overlooked—and misunderstood—parts of the menopause journey: intimate wellness.

They unpack the persistent menopause knowledge gap in healthcare, where many primary care providers receive minimal formal training in menopause, leaving women dismissed or told their symptoms are simply something to endure. Colette shares how her rapid transition from motherhood to menopause exposed this gap—and sparked the creation of Joylux.

As an entrepreneur in medical aesthetics, Colette had a pivotal insight: if red-light technology could rejuvenate facial tissue, can it support vaginal tissues? By partnering with a leading OB-GYN, that idea became vFit—the first FDA-cleared, at-home device designed to support vaginal and pelvic health through menopause and beyond.

The conversation highlights why science-backed innovation matters in a crowded menopause market, how Joylux is raising the bar through clinical research and medical advisory boards, and the role of authentic advocacy—including partnerships with Halle Berry—in bringing vaginal health into the mainstream.

Colette calls out the disparity in female health and the urgent need for systemic change from insurers and regulators to acceptance of language around intimate wellness.

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Transcript

 This blows me away. Even doctors don't know about menopause and intimate health, to the extent they should.

They're given something like less than five hour, like, an OBGYN is given less than five hours of training specifically on menopause during their residency. So, anything that a doctor learns about menopause is because it came later 'cause they were interested in and pursued continuing education on it. But something like 80% of OBGYNs are uninformed about menopause and thus can't help their patients.

Let, so let's start with educating the doctors, making sure it's mandated in these residency programs or these physician education that they have to learn about menopause. They have to learn about these issues. So let's start there. There's just so much work that needs to be done. Thankfully, women are so strong today and have a voice and are speaking up that, the media is talking about it and people are making, positive moves. 

Welcome back to the Menopause Disruptor Podcast, where I challenge outdated narratives and spotlight the innovators reshaping women's health. In today's conversation, centers on one of the most overlooked and misunderstood chapters of a woman's menopause journey.

Intimate wellness. We have spoken about this before. It merits more attention. It always deserves attention. From the early transitions of motherhood through peri and post menopause, women are often expected to tolerate discomfort, silence their concerns, or accept decline as inevitable. We are here to say, no, no more.

Me and my next guest, we're breaking down those barriers in women's sexual health. We're gonna talk about. Joylux Joylux changing that story through a powerful platform of life-changing science-backed solutions, combining high tech devices, digital tools, and thoughtfully designed products, Joylux is addressing intimate health in a way that is accessible, evidence-driven, and deeply empowering.

At the helm is Colette Corion, CEO, and founder of Joylux, a medical aesthetic expert and bold advocate for women. Colette is committed to normalizing conversations around once taboo topics, replacing shame in silence with education, science, and self-trust. Her mission is simple but revolutionary to help women 

Reclaim their wellbeing, find light in their lives, and thrive from motherhood to menopause and beyond. In partnership with Respin, the Midlife Wellness brand , founded by Academy Award-winning actress and filmmaker and advocate, Halle Berry Joylux is helping bring long overdue solutions to more than 60 million.

Peri and postmenopausal women navigating common, yet rarely discussed intimate health challenges.

Really excited to share this interview with you. But before we begin, here's something you need to know about Colette named one of Inc. Magazine's Top 100 female founders of 2020. Colette Courtion is a distinguished and award-winning consumer marketer, inventor, and fem tech leader. Who is revolutionizing the billion menopause market with Joylux, the leader in at home medical devices, personal care products, and digital tools for menopausal women experiencing vaginal and sexual health issues with over 20 years of cross-functional 

Expertise, leading consumer product, retail, and medical device companies. Colette, is known as a category creator in the emerging health and wellness space. Prior to founding Joylux, and her other two skincare related startups, Colette Was a marketing executive with Starbucks responsible for launching and growing the Starbucks card and customer loyalty program into a multi-billion dollar business.

Colette and her companies have earned numerous accolades, including the A A RP Innovation Labs Women's Health Award in 2021. Angel Capital Association's most innovative company in 2019. Best Product of the year in 2003 for Starbucks. Duetto card from Business Week and Top 15 women of Influencers in 2009 in Seattle.

As well as Top 40 under 40 Leaders in 2006 from the Puget Sound Business Journal. 

Please join me in welcoming Colette to the Menopause Disruptor Podcast.

Welcome, Colette Courtion. I am thrilled to meet with you to learn more about Joylux, and the empowerment you're giving women sexual health, pelvic health, so glad to have you here.

Oh, Mary, so glad to be here too. Thank you. Thank you for talking about menopause. We need more people talking about menopause.

Yes, and not just in any way, we are doing it in such a disruptive way that we're changing the landscape, changing the narrative. You are doing it in spades. Please share with the listeners your entire backstory.

Oh my gosh. How much time do we have? It's hard. How do I take 12 years of working in menopause and, and put it into a, a couple of minutes? I'll try and keep to the highlights. And, and please interrupt me, I don't wanna bore your listeners, but I have a, a beauty background and my career prior to starting Joy Lex was in the field of medical aesthetics.

So I helped women look younger and feel younger with what we call energy based technologies, lasers, lights. Ultrasound, radio frequency, you name it. Anything that deposits energy into the skin to rejuvenate it, to turn back that aging clock. That's what I did. So about, uh, what is it? Yeah, my son just turned 11, so I know exactly how it's been.

Uh, 12 years ago when I was pregnant with my son, I, uh, was having conversations with my girlfriends. And I was a first time mom and they said, oh, Colette be prepared to pee your pants every time you jump up and down or sneeze. Right? And I was mortified to learn of this. I've never heard. Such a thing. And so I started investigating and talking to my doctor and that's when I learned the how prevalent incontinence is with women, especially after childbirth.

But it really comes on as women are going into perimenopause and menopause.

Absolutely.

Uh, fast forward, I give birth to my son and I realize that there's a whole lot of other things that women deal with. And I went from being a first time mom to going into perimenopause like the next day. And, um, and then when you start to realize what happens to your body, all the changes.

I am a very inquisitive person, so I start doing my homework and realize that they're very. Few treatment options for women, um, for what we call common pelvic floor, uh, disorders, whether it's vaginal, you know, incontinence, vaginal dryness, pain with intercourse, um, you know, all these things. And this is when I had my aha moment.

I said, well, wait a minute. We use all these awesome energy based technologies for skin rejuvenation, for anti-aging purposes here. Why aren't we doing it down there? Literally no one was doing it and doing it in an at home setting. The laser companies were starting to come out with in-office procedures that were, uh, you know, called like the Mona Lisa or Aviv.

And, and, but no one was looking at it from a home use perspective. And, and that was to me, a game changer because I personally, I don't know. How many women love this, but I hated to go see my ob, GYN, love her as a person, but hated the whole process of going and sitting there with your feet and stirrups and you know, it's very intimate.

Yes. So the idea of being able to treat at home with a technology that was proven to, you know, rejuvenate the um, body or the vaginal tissue and the pelt floor health that is, was very interesting to me. And so long story short. I developed with a team of experts, OB-GYNs and scientists, the world's first home use device for, vaginal rejuvenation or the treatment of pelvic floor health issues.

Um, whether it was strengthening of the pelvic floor or rebuilding that collagen, elastin, or increasing blood flow for lubrication. That's what I do.

Now we're,

we are, 10 years. Fantastic. I'm really curious before we get into a description of. What the products look like, how they're used. 'cause I'm conjuring up all kinds of ideas from my Dyson hairdryer to a wand. But before we go there, I'm really curious what resistance did you face when you start openly talking about vaginal and sexual health, particularly when you were getting your investors on board, regulations 

gosh. Well being the first is always painful, and that's what we were the first. So just on the investor side, I mean, most people, when I would say the word vagina, would get all red and embarrassed and look the other way. Couldn't look me in the eye. so it was very, very tough raising capital for the company.

 and then throughout this journey, even to this day, we fight the system. Who wants to censor anybody that is openly talking about the vagina? Even though we're talking about it in a purely medical, uh, you know, way in which women are suffering these conditions and we're helping improve their quality of lives, even with that.

We're banned, shut down, censored every single day because we say the word vagina or we say the word sucks. Just the other day we have an app. This app is an amazing app. Uh, the iOS store shut us down because we had articles in there about intimacy and aging, about having sex in your midlife. Like, that's a bad thing to talk about.

I mean, it's crazy. So we had to, for four days, our app was shut down and so we had to remove all reference to the word sex. And we're like, but that's part of living, that's, that's what literally makes the world work, right? And uh, and we can't talk about it. So yes. So we've been fighting every single day.

The, um, censorship, the, uh, embarrassment, and it's all coming from men, right? Like, yes, some women are squeamish about talking about their health, but generally the pushback we get is all coming from men.

Oh my gosh, this is incredible.

Yeah.

know, as long as we keep silencing the, those conversations making it. It's not accessible and it takes it to the other extreme where bad behavior and bad thoughts are all kind of affiliated with the talk of sex and the

Oh yeah.

But I, I

Yet Mary, how long have we been talking about erectile dysfunction? Openly.

it's just

In the nineties, there were national television commercials around erectile dysfunction. I remember Senator Bob Dole was one of the spokespersons, and here he is talking about Ed. Here's a fun statistic. Ed impacts 24% of men.

Vaginal atrophy and dryness impacts 50% of women. So double the amount of women suffer, which is essentially the same. You know, condition. Men can't have sex if they have a limp, you know, penis, they can't get erection. Women can't have sex if their vagina is dry and hurts. So, you know.

But that's just the thing is women's health has never been part of the equation.

Nope.

had a seat at the table.

Nope.

never been able to have women's bodies fully and properly researched until recently. Hell, Plato used to say, we had small brains, and Aristotle said our bodies were inverted Men's bodies. and so goes the story generations and generations and

But we're breaking down that stigma. We're changing the landscape. I wanted to ask though, 'cause. As the, these ghosts of the Women's Health Initiative still linger and we are seeing still taboo conversations around sex and vagina. And then women are going in to see their doctors complaining about pain, dryness, loss of intimacy, and told, oh honey, that's just part of the aging process. What do you wish every woman understood about what is not normal in menopause and what kind of conversations or comments we should no longer be putting up with?

Well, it is part of the aging process. There is an explanation on why it happened so that the doctors are correct, but living with it is where the. Are incorrect. You don't have to accept it. You can change it. There are tools. There are products like what we offer our, our Vfi device, our V sculp device. If you're in Canada, there are products we offer that.

Change your health. There's vaginal estrogen, there's lubricants, there's vaginal suppositories. There's so many tools now that we women have access to that we didn't have, even 10 years ago or 20 years ago. That we can use it and you can overcome this. You can have enjoyable sex, for the rest of your life.

In fact, we are about just about to release a, a study, an information on women's health, where we've been, or women have been sharing what their symptoms are and, and what they're experiencing, and. Libido doesn't decrease with age. Libido decreases because sex is painful. And so if we can make sex less painful, which often is tied to dryness, then you will live a fully libido, happy free life and intimacy will be great, and your quality of life.

Will be, incredible. So let's just deal with the symptoms with these amazing tools that we women now have.

Yes. You know, I've had other guests on the show before who have spoken about the vaginal area, the vagina as you. Its own separate microbiome. And when we look at in the context that way, you know, the skin has a microbiome. The gut has

Mm-hmm.

which we understand the most, as well as the vagina.

I mean, we had conversations around vagina yogurt to health and the blood flow in

that area 

and I love that you were able to bridge the fact that the skin also being, an organ, a healthy organ that will age and all of the things that brings it vitality. You can use the same techniques to support vaginal health and vaginal atrophy.

And you bring up blood flow, which is really critical. And that's the one thing that people don't understand, that the, the average person, you think of blood flow, you think of periods, but our tissue ha is vascular. It has blood flow in it. And the analogy I always like to use is when you see a young child, they have.

Beautiful, plump, rosy cheeks, these beautiful complexion. And then as women A, or people in general age, we start to lose that, that collagen, that elastin, that blood flow, our skin becomes dull. You look at it, a older woman, in her eighties, and you'll see the skin almost just gray and it's different.

It's lost that vitality. Well, the same thing happens to the vagina, and a big part of that is blood flow. So how can we, increase that blood flow in a way that benefits the tissue health? And that's what red light therapy does and why our product is so effective is that it increases, it accelerates.

 the mitochondria in our cells, it gets them to produce these key chemicals that regulate blood flow, like nitric oxide, and that is then what helps keep your tissue healthy Is blood flow. 

Yes. So I really love the fact that this is just so empowering for women because it is an at-home empowerment tool.

Yes.

was this, you hinted on it, but why was this so important that you're to this, to be part of your product philosophy,

Well, so we are really busy women and for me getting to a doctor is so. Time consuming and difficult booking appointments, driving, whether it's a 10 minute or a half hour, or, you know, hour drive, parking, going in, waiting in the, waiting room. And let's be honest, OBGYNs, they're overworked. So if you sit there and get in before half hour, that's a good thing.

But I've sat there for hour, an hour and waited for my appointment. So frustrating. And then to just. Be in these vulnerable position. So I said, can we create a device that is as effective as something you would get in the clinic, but safe enough and quick enough to do in your home? And so the purpose around our products, if we can treat within 10 minutes.

You as women, busy women, you can still find 10 minutes in your day to treat you. So it doesn't, it's not gonna take you an hour to drive to the doctors. It's just 10 minutes, 10 minutes of what I call self-care. So that's why it was so important that to me, it be a home use product because the, it would be something that we could actually, do in our daily lives.

So let's circle back to that product. Exactly. Explain, walk our listeners through what it is,

and I have one right here, so I'll show you. So the biggest feedback we always get when I show it is, oh my God, it looks like a vibrator. Well, let's talk about.

of what I imagined.

what, what's your vagina look like? I mean, could you stick something square up there? No. So, you know, vaginas are meant to, have a certain body shape to accommodate certain things, and so our device had to be, shaped so it would comfortably fit into the vaginal canal.

So yes, it looks like a vibrator, but no, it is not a vibrator. it is a red light therapy device. That you put into your vaginal canal only up to the window here. and you know, you sit back and relax and it's 10 minutes of self care. And there with the red light is really doing the magic.

It's doing what I just said. It's, activating the mitochondria in our cells. They produce a TP nitric oxide, all these wonderful upregulation of cellular function to help your body naturally do what it's supposed to do, but starts to decline with H. So we're, we're jump starting your battery, your cells to be healthy, to do what they're naturally supposed to do.

I mean like this is cutting edge technology that you have been the leader on,

Mm-hmm.

in your vision to break into the industry, as daring and risky as it might have been, and overcome all of the naysayers to bring this

Oh, and there's been many, many still naysayers every day, but the proof is in the results. Women love our product. They've been trusting us for now the past 10 years for their intimate health. And it's just, it continues to grow and, and the landscape today, what we're able to talk about today versus where we were 10 years ago.

It's incredible. Like I, I talk about the challenges. We still have challenges like the app story or. You know, I have so many, but the fact that we are even having this dialogue, having a podcast about menopause and women's health, we've come so far and there's been a lot of people along the way that have helped.

Women's health get here. I mean, I'm one player in this, but there are so many other entrepreneurs and doctors and thought leaders and influencers and people that are out there advocating for women's health. It's incredible. we've come a long way, still a long ways to go, but we've come a long way.

Yeah. Yeah. We're still at the precipice of change and trailblazer. Like yourself are moving the yard stick. But you're right, there's so much more advancement we can make. But on that topic, and I'm glad you brought that up because there has been such a recent surge in interest in menopause and, bringing advocacy, bringing products such as yourself, but not everything is ethical. evidence

I know,

research back. So can we help women discern between innovation like yours from opportunism?

Yeah. Well, I always say look behind. The product who's behind it? Look at the company. Who is bringing this forth? I always start with the, inventors or the people like for Joylux It's not just me, right? If I don't think I could have done it. By myself and had the same level of, credibility.

I brought on people that are way smarter than me to actually solve this. I just had the idea, but I brought on a team of OBGYNs that really understand the problem and. Speak to how this physiologically works with the body and how it improves it. so it's the OB-GYNs then it's the scientist, right?

 I'm not a scientist. I know. Technologies, and I'm well versed in it, but I'm not the person in the, the, r and d room tinkering, figuring out. But I have some of the most brilliant scientists on my team doing that. So I would say, look who's behind the company. we get, we often get, I don't wanna name names 'cause I don't ever wanna discourage any brands, but there are a lot of.

Me too. Competitors that are merging, not just, not in MySpace, but just in beauty or women's health that are foreign, companies that see this trend and they can get products to market quickly and cheaply, but if you look past it, you could see that they don't really understand. Why we're doing this and how it can transform lives.

They're just stuck on the, their wave. They're riding that wave of like, oh, this is hot and this is trending, so I wanna get on board. So I always say, take a look back, look who's behind the company. Then look for clinical evidence. 

Yes.

we as a company. Have published papers, we have done scientific studies.

We've done things like vaginal biopsies where pre and post, so you can actually see what is happening to the tissue before use of red light therapy, then after use of red light therapy. So, look at the studies out there, the research. Read the comments, read customer comments. They tell so much. But you know, if they're not paid, if they're not part of a review program, right?

So many people get paid to review, but authentic reviews of the company read it. They tell a really wonderful story or sometimes not a good story, right? it goes both ways. so there is a lot of steak oil out there. But there's a lot of good things. So do your homework, and see who's behind the brand.

It's very impressive that Joylux is not just a product, but it's an education platform as

Yes, yes.

that's, thank you for sharing that, and I'm very impressed that on the website you have the whole list of your advisory board that is involved, including your chief inspiration Officer Coleman.

Yes, he's now 11. Oh my goodness. He just did a video the other day at my office where he had all his, our products and he's like, I'm the son of my mommy who runs this company and she created this soap and I wanna tell you how to use it. So it's coming soon to our Instagram feed. It's so cute.

Oh, I'm gonna watch that. We'll link it in the episode description once that Instagram post comes out. Adorable.

So cute.

true. As women, we were always, that brings up a point for me, Colette, and that is, as women, we always siloed our life. our personal life, my family is in this box, my career or my, profession is in this box.

And sometimes, society of the workplace never let us sort of blend the two and celebrate who we are completely as women and our children are part of our experience, they bring that. to us, and to be able to openly and publicly celebrate it important. But not only that, it makes the story behind Joylux, real, relatable, intimate, and humanizes it.

Yes.

I, I admire that. Just wanted to throw

Thank you. Thank you very much.

 you're more than just that laser like

Oh, yes, yes. Blood like therapy. Yes. For more than that.

light therapy. Let's talk about other things Outside red light therapy that Joy Lux is bringing to the market to support vaginal sexual health.

Oh my goodness. Okay, so let's be real. Vaginal dryness is not a one size fits all. Just like skincare is not a one size fits all. Skincare. We have an array of products that meet women where they are. Based on their needs. So for instance, a woman who's in perimenopause who's just starting to experience some.

Pain or dryness is not the same as a woman who has full on vaginal atrophy and really suffers at her quality of life is, altered because of her, dryness. So how we treat the perimenopausal woman is different than how we treat the menopausal woman. So we offer, a whole suite of products. That meet women where they are in their life cycle.

So we are just about to launch a, vaginal suppository. That's probably more, that's perfect for a perimenopausal woman. Once every two, three days, she can have a suppository to give herself that extra boost of hydration. A woman that is older may need, a product more like feet fit, where it's really changing the, health of our tissue, improving the health of her tissue.

It all depends on where she is, but we have lubricants. Maybe you just need something to help you in the moment. We have a wonderful lubricant that's FDA cleared that has hyaluronic acid and allo in it. That's done in partnership with our brand partner, Holly Berry. It's called Let's Spin. so we have all sorts of, wonderful products that help with dryness.

We also have products just take care of your pelvic floor health. Like I, I mentioned this or showed this box, this, this soap. Oh my God, this soap is the best soap ever to be invented. What makes a soap different is I went to. Dr. Sarah, our O-B-G-Y-N, and the co-developer of the product. And I said, okay, I want a soap that doesn't dry me out and makes me feel fresh.

And she says, Colette, you shouldn't be using soap at all. Just wash with water. And I was like, but that's not reality. I want to feel fresh, especially after I've worked out or.

course.

You know, and she's like, well, you do not use perfume. And I was like, okay. So she developed the soap using all natural ingredients like coconut oil, Jehovah oil, beeswax, aloe, like these amazing natural ingredients.

It doesn't have this drying, soap ingredient that most soaps have. It does not have this. So we call it the non soap soap, yet it has this amazing lather. And then it has some light essential oil, mandarin, orange, essential oil. So you have this beautiful scent without it being drying or damaging to the vaginal tissue.

Then the soap is pH balanced. It's clean, like everything about it is wonderful. So we have things as simple as that. Two things more complex like the vith. And everything in between, but we really understand vaginal health and intimate health, and we want to help women feel as confident about that part of their body as they do the rest of their, their body, whether it's their hair or their skin or their makeup.

We invest in this. It's time we invest down there and take care of that too.

Absolutely. And just going back to that earlier point where we said it's still being silenced and taboo and people are awkward and uncomfortable, even shutting down that kind of language and what does that leave an impression on for the woman? Shame.

Exactly.

body parts, shame about even having them, let alone going through the experience of the vaginal atrophy, dryness, et cetera, loss of sexual desire. So, so much of shame is attached.

That's unfortunate.

very difficult, overwhelming, and downright depressing anxiety almost for women going through the menopausal experience, even women going through puberty and their first menstrual cycle. Still so much shame brought about our female bodies and I'm so, grateful for you to come along and break down that stigma.

Okay.

thank you for bringing up that, your partner company, respin. Who's in with Halle Berry's product? Have you found that having, because she's really taken up this advocacy role, you know, partnering with, Joe Biden to pass that, legislation as well. Have you found that having a figurehead of her stature gave the company a little bit more of an edge up to get the story out of your products?

It was a game changer for us. but why it was a game changer was because she's an authentic voice in menopause. She is not a paid spokesperson. She came to us. Because she suffered from severe vaginal atrophy and she was finally in a, a committed relationship with a partner that she really loved. But sex was really painful for her because she was going through menopause and

Yeah.

one had shared with her what that means for that part of the body.

And so she suffered. And when she learned about our products and she tried vfi and it changed her life, she reached out to us and says. I want to help women. I, my mission in life is this is my second act. I wanna make life better for women and I have a platform from which people will listen to me. So what can I do?

And so we partnered up, she's actually an investor in our company and we co-developed these products that met her needs. And we'll do so much for so many people. And, we have a new product. I can't tell you what it is, but we co-developed yet an a third product with her that's coming out in, later part of this year, mid-year.

But, she truly is an authentic voice, a trusted voice, and the partnership is based on that. Authenticity, that trust because it came from a real need that she had. And so it's a true partnership, but she has been a game changer for us. 'cause people are paying attention, finally to what we have to say.

'cause they think, well, if Halle Berry thinks this company is doing something, this company must be doing something.

That's fantastic. Congratulations

thank you. Thank you.

context, looking at, uh. Menopause in society holistically altogether. We see a lot of, women still suffering because of insurance company even workplace policies, workplace accommodations that are really making it difficult for women comfortably deal with symptoms in the workplace.

 let's face it, career women are gonna spend the majority of their lives in their place of work. So what role do you believe that employer's insurance. policymakers can play, must play if we're truly going to support women throughout the midlife years and beyond.

 this is about it being a complete ecosystem. Supporting a, everybody starting with the inventors and the funders getting on board with women's health to then, the, platforms from which we learn about things, whether it be Facebook or Instagram or television or any kind of media that communicates.

 health, that they'd be open to talking about it to then, insurance companies being open to reimbursement, to payment to even doctors. let's just stop for one second. This blows me away. Even doctors don't know about menopause and intimate health, to the extent they should,

Yeah,

they're given.

Something like less than five hour, like an OBGYN is given less than five hours of training specifically on menopause during their residency. So anything that a doctor learns about menopause is because it came later 'cause they were interested in and pursued continuing education on it. But something like 80% of OBGYNs are uninformed about menopause and thus can't help their patients.

Let, so let's start with educating the doctors, making sure it's mandated in these, Residency programs or these, uh, physician education that they have to learn about menopause. They have to learn about these issues. So let's start there. There's just so much work that needs to be done. Thankfully, women are so strong today and have a voice and are speaking up that, the media is talking about it and, and, and people are making, positive moves.

But I, this is funny, like. Uh, Halle Berry was advocating that, California and Gavin Newsome add menopause funding in the bill, and he turned it down and it was bi-partisan support in the state California. And he turned it down finally because she said she went public about like he's gotta get his act together.

So he put funding in. so this was just announced last week, but guess how much funding he put in State of California? It's like they have what's billions and billions of dollars that go to the state of California and he put 3 million in for menopause. 3 million, like, come on, that's not gonna help many women.

 so we're making tiny steps, but we still, there's so much, you know, big steps that policy makers, insurance companies, everybody needs to make to truly make, menopause and menopause care and intimate care. just part of standard care, like erectile dysfunction, blue pills are covered.

We need, you know,

it,

stuff for women.

Well, how dare we stop a man from having an erection? Right?

Exactly,

I love that you brought up the fact that it begins with a lot of education. Education in the medical community, education in the workplace, education, almost walking into insurance companies and giving them a full explanation.

Wow.

biological process that happens. Nothing to be shamed about. It's. It's natural, but with it comes a whole host of health concerns. I look at it this way, if we can help a woman's health, all of her health markers now with proper care, all the tools in the toolbox from your products to even hormone replacement therapy or menopause hormone therapy, we're setting her up for success for her three big health markers, which are heart, brain, and bone. And that takes such a toll in our healthcare system to, help people with cardiovascular disease and dementia, s Alzheimer's, even osteoporosis, osteopenia. So why would we look at it from a big picture? You know, begin with the end in mind. If we can set the woman up, just think about what we could be saving in the healthcare system.

Well, we're not truly in the business of healthcare. That's the unfortunate thing because there are so many things insurance companies could be doing to reduce the incidences of diabetes, obesity, all these heart disease. Yet they'd actually don't want that because then. The drug companies don't make money, right?

If everybody's healthy. So there's this, I mean, I could go off on a tangent on our healthcare system isn't really about care,

Yeah.

 thankfully we have people like you, people like me, people in this, you know, universe now where we are educating women. We are, helping women. Demystify what menopause is, what intimate health is so that they can seek the care they need and the resources they need.

Exactly, and without the shame, embarrassment. Yeah. Colette, this has been a great conversation. I really wanna, I'm excited to learn more about this product that's coming out, but what you have to offer, are gonna get all those details in the episode description below. I'm doing something new for this season of the Menopause Disruptor Podcast, and I wanna close with something's fun, something a little bit more, ad hoc.

And this

Okay. All right. I'm ready.

of rapid fire questions. You've heard it before on other podcasts. I think Brene Brown might've been the first one to do it. I absolutely love it. So here we go.

Okay.

One word you'd use to describe menopause if shame were removed.

Confidence.

Oof. Most overrated advice women receive about aging.

This is more than one word for me, but, uh, I just don't care. Oh my God. Uh, there's this whole movement with this influencer about I just don't care. I disagree. You should care. You should care about the second part of your life.

Yeah,

Yes, you should care.

absolutely. Goes back to those three health markers too. We talked about. Okay. A habit you swear by for vitality.

Oh, well for me, it's exercise, getting on the tennis court. But the other thing for, I get a monthly facial and that's the only thing I do for my skin and I know all about skin is I get a monthly facial. Really deep, good monthly facial

Oh,

game changer. Yeah. Self care.

A belief about women's bodies you wanna see disappear in your lifetime.

You know, we don't all look like Kim Kardashian and that's okay. We all come in different shapes and sizes. I love those, male trolls that criticize celebrities 'cause they've gained a little of a weight. And then you look at them and they're, you know. Not on the attractive scale yet. They have like, let's get over it.

Let's embrace every body type, every image, and just accept who we are, because it's really not about the outside. It's really what's inside that matters most.

And how we feel

Yeah.

our bodies. True. And one book you would recommend, be it on Menopause or anything at all.

Oh my gosh. Oh, one book on. Well, one of the old classic books I go back to, from an entrepreneur's perspective is, from Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks, or the CEO of Starbucks. Pour your heart into it, uh, because truly to make change happen, you really have to have passion and heart and soul into what you're doing.

Because there are gonna be so many people that say no, that unless you're passionate about it, you'll give up. So pour your heart into it and, and keep going. So that's a great book.

That's such a beautiful segue to close this off. If any entrepreneurial spirited woman I've ever met can speak about pouring heart and passion into the landscape and helping others, helping womankind, that would be you. Colette.

Oh, thank you, Mary. Thank you.

for all that you do. I can't wait to try. I think I'm gonna be ordering my little red light therapy device.

Yes, please do. Thank you very much. Enjoyed speaking with you today and, and people like you are making a big difference in women's health. So thank you.

Most definitely. Tell our listeners where they can find you and your products.

Joylux.com. That's J-O-Y-L-U x.com. And the other thing I wanna add. We have an amazing menopause app that is free, that is full of education, daily new content to help you live a better life. This isn't just about Joylux products, it's really about menopause, and it is free, a free resource for you. So I encourage you to download it and use it.

We'll get that in the show notes as well. Thank you so much. I had such a pleasure having you on the show.

Thank you. A lot of fun.

Thank you, Colette.

Such a great conversation. and so as we wrap up today's episode, here are a few powerful takeaways. I want you to sit with number one, intimate wellness is healthcare not a luxury, not a vanity issue, and certainly not something women should quietly endure.

What Collette reminds us of is that symptoms like vaginal dryness, discomfort, or incontinence are not signs of personal failure, their biological realities that deserve evidence-based solutions and compassionate care.

Number two, innovation in women's health matters And so does who leads it?

Joylux exists because Colette saw a gap where women were being overlooked and decided that wasn't acceptable. when women lead innovation, lived experience meets science, and that combination changes everything. Number three, education is empowerment.

Joylux isn't just selling devices. It's creating a platform that helps women understand their bodies, trust themselves, and make informed decisions. In a market flooded with trends in quick fixes. Science-backed solutions and clinical research are what truly move the needle.

Number four. Silence is a real problem. The resistance Colette faced from funding challenges to cultural discomfort reveals just how deeply ingrained The taboo around women's intimate health still is, and yet every conversation like this one disrupts it and chips away at that silence and creates space for change for real conversations.

Finally, menopause is not the end of vitality. It's a transition that deserves support, respect, and innovation. partnerships like Joylux with Respin. That is a signal, a cultural shift that says women's health doesn't stop at midlife uhuh, and neither should investment, research or care.

So if today's episode resonated with you, I encourage you to explore colette's free educational resources and tools. You can find all that on her website, Joylux.com. And what's more important? Keep asking questions. Keep pushing the yardstick. Keep advocating for your body. and trusting what you feel.

Because disrupting menopause isn't about fighting aging, and it's certainly not about fighting the system. It's about reclaiming agency dignity and power at every stage of life, and that's what matters most.