The MiDOViA Menopause Podcast

Episode 028: The Future of Women’s Health and Menopause

• April Haberman and Kim Hart • Season 1 • Episode 28

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What if you could revolutionize an entire industry with just one bold move? Meet Rachel Braun-Scherl, the pioneer who turned a capitalistic chance into a groundbreaking venture in women’s sexual and reproductive health. Rachel shares her fascinating story of coining the term "Vagipreneur" and leading the charge in creating a new category focused on women's wellness. Tune in to hear how her journey began not from personal experience, but from seizing an opportunity to solve long-standing issues in women’s health.

Our conversation takes a deep dive into the challenges and innovations shaping the future of women's health, particularly menopause. Rachel draws parallels to Warby Parker’s disruptive approach in the eyewear market, emphasizing the need for unique, innovative solutions that are better, faster, and cheaper. We also navigate the complex landscape of raising funds for women’s health ventures, shedding light on societal and financial hurdles that entrepreneurs face.

Finally, Rachel highlights the burgeoning business opportunities in menopause care and the importance of influential figures like Oprah and Melinda Gates in changing public perception. We discuss the potential for industry consolidation to offer comprehensive, science-based care, making it easier for women to navigate this life stage. Join us for an inspiring episode as Rachel shares insights on the evolving menopause market, the role of influencer impact, and the future of women's health.

https://www.sparksolutionsforgrowth.com/about-rachel-braun-scherl/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelbraunscherl
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHQDQ7-WYPqL5ppAYvW-mQA
https://www.facebook.com/rachelbraunscherl/

LINKS:

Website: https://www.midovia.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mymidovia
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/midovia
Email Us: info@midovia.com

MiDOViA is dedicated to changing the narrative about menopause by educating, raising awareness & supporting women in this stage of life, both at home and in the workplace. Visit midovia.com to learn more.

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images & other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. 

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Medovia Menopause Podcast, your trusted source for evidence-based, science-backed information related to menopause. Medovia is dedicated to changing the narrative about menopause by educating, raising awareness and supporting women in this stage of life, both at home and in the workplace. Visit medoviacom to learn more home and in the workplace. Visit Medoviacom to learn more. I'm one of your hosts, april Haberman, and I'm joined by Kim Hart. We're co-founders of Medovia, certified health coaches, registered yoga teachers and midlife mamas specializing in menopause. You're listening to another episode of our podcast, where we offer expert guidance for the most transformative stage of life, bringing you real conversations, education and resources to help you overcome challenges and reach your full potential through midlife. Join us and our special guests each episode as we bring vibrant, fun and truthful conversation and let us help you have a deeper understanding of menopause.

Speaker 1:

Today we have Rachel Braun-Scherl joining us. She's a respected entrepreneur and thought leader and has successfully launched, built and revitalized companies around the globe, based on the belief that sustainable, profitable growth starts with a sound strategy and is continually driven forward by connecting with customers, building partnerships and creating revenue. As a managing partner and co-founder of Spark, she's led consulting engagements with multinationals such as Johnson Johnson, bayer and Pfizer. She has counseled numerous startups, with an emphasis on female health, focusing on insights, customer acquisition, customer lifetime value and retention. Her expertise has helped drive significant growth for her clients, as well as her own ventures. In the process of running businesses, Rachel helped create a new category in which she continues to lead. She's a self-described vagipreneur. She is a market maker in the multi-billion dollar global women's sexual health subsector. Her first book, orgasmic Leadership Profiting from the Coming Surge in Female Health and Wellness, was published in May 2018, and, yes, you can still get your hands on it. It's always an insightful conversation with Rachel. Enjoy the show.

Speaker 2:

Hey everybody, Today we're welcoming Rachel Braun-Scherl. She's a women's health expert, entrepreneur and a speaker, specializing in business growth strategies and female health, and she is also known for her orgasmic leadership. I am so excited to say these words and work on innovative solutions in women's health and wellness. Rachel, welcome to the show. It's so good to see you again.

Speaker 3:

So great to see both of you. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we've had you on our LinkedIn. Live you and I just you and me and I enjoyed that conversation, so we're excited to dive in again today. Can you start by telling us your journey and how you got to this women's health and entrepreneurship space?

Speaker 3:

Well, it's interesting. So many people, as you know, get into women's health because they have an experience or a condition or set of circumstances. They look around for a solution. They don't see one and they say, well, I better create this myself. Mine was much more capitalistic in nature.

Speaker 3:

I had been working in consulting. I had started my career after business school, at J&J. So any health business ultimately is women's health. So I'd been doing a lot of consulting with my company, with my business partner, for decades, and one day an investor showed me a business plan for a company that had a product that improved arousal, desire and satisfaction for women of all ages and life stages, called Zestra. And he said, well, this isn't for me, but maybe you and Mary, my longstanding business partner, would like to help them.

Speaker 3:

So, long story short, the asset wound up becoming available. We raised venture capital, we bought the asset and we built a company and a category at the same time around pleasure, desire, arousal and satisfaction. And that was in 2008 and haven't really looked back, really been focused on women's sexual and reproductive health since then, with companies large and small, venture-backed public companies, large and small venture backed public companies you name it If it has to do with finding a better mousetrap or providing a solution, um, that doesn't exist for our problem. That's been around for a long time. That's what I focus on.

Speaker 2:

It's a fun thing and yeah, and for your time.

Speaker 1:

I feel like, you know, I just feel like you're before your time, because we're definitely talking more openly about women's health, and certainly vaginal health and sex. You know, we're kind of turning that rock over, which is fantastic. I know that when our audience looks at your bio, they're going to wonder why you use the word I'm going to pronounce it wrong vagipreneurship, and you, I don't think you specifically coined that term, but can you tell us what you mean by that and what the heck does that mean?

Speaker 3:

Sure, I mean it's so fun. One of the things I talk about a lot in this space is that we need a language to have a conversation. So you know Vagipreneur and the name of my book, orgasmic Leadership. You know you can see that there's a trend.

Speaker 3:

I want things to be memorable, but in any case, when we were first working on the business and we were trying to get media outlets to take our assets our commercials we want to give you money, we want you to run our commercials 95% said no, and so we realized, after a lot of headbanging, that we needed to earn the media instead of buy it. So we found a PR company who thought that was the right strategy, and one of the first sort of breakthroughs that we had is we were interviewed by this amazing journalist, abby Ellen, who writes for the New York Times, and she was interviewing us and she says oh, you're in business and it's vaginas. You're a vagipreneur. So when I would go to speak, you know we would sort of test it out and see how people liked it, and they liked it. So at one point I was memorable and you know I define it as a person in the business of women's sexual and reproductive health.

Speaker 3:

So, you know, the vagina part is meant to be representative of a much broader spectrum of conditions and the entrepreneur piece obviously is the business side. So I reached out to Abby and I I give her credit every time we talk about this and I say you know what this seems to be memorable? I'm it's getting people's attention, at least gets them to laugh, and it it it lightens up a room. Do you have any intention of using this? Because if you don't want it, I would like to trademark or copyright it. So that's what I did, got permission and always kudos to Abby Ellen, who's a brilliant writer and obviously incredibly creative and still a friend after 16 years. So that's how it came to be.

Speaker 3:

And the name Orgasmic Leadership was also an idea that I was at an event that really it was this concept of how do you create Silicon Valley and the networking in New York. And I'm sitting next to a woman by the name of Karen Kahn who has a business focused on helping lawyers grow their business. And she said to me just in passing you know, rachel, everybody's talking about entrepreneurship, everything. Everyone's talking about leadership. You should make the name of your talks orgasmic leadership. And I said immediately I love that name. I think it is so clever. But you know I'm speaking.

Speaker 3:

I've had this experience where companies will hire me to speak and they'll say we want you to talk but you can't say the word vagina or you can't say the word sexual. I said so. You know, when I speak at a J and J or you know NFL teams, they're not going to hire me to speak about orgasmic leadership. But I think it's a great name for a book, and there were probably two or three years between that initial conversation and when I actually published the book, because I needed the idea to come to me as to how I would bring that to life.

Speaker 3:

But that is again, it's great to have smart people sitting next to you. So that's how I got that name and it just I really like in this space it's not hard to get people's attention, for sure, but it's really important to get it in a way that you can continue the conversation and not that you sort of like stun them into silence. Where we were speaking about the business at the Harvard Club in New York and we said the word vagina and, honestly, you could have heard a pin drop, and so one of our claims to fame is that we think we're the maybe the first or the only people to say the word vagina publicly at the Harvard Club of New York.

Speaker 1:

So what a badge. You know what I love and this is just a side note I love this conversation. We could probably spend the entire podcast just talk telling stories. But, um, I love the when I'm going through the grocery store line and someone just random conversation, just says, hey, you know, what do you do?

Speaker 3:

No, what do you do?

Speaker 1:

You have much friendlier, you just keep going.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, you know what it is. I have these bags that, um, my friends in Eswatini, africa, made, and it's always a conversation piece because they're like, oh, these are so beautiful, where did you get them? And then the story goes on on how I've been over there and set up enterprises, and then the question is what do you do? Right, I love that question and I love answering it, right?

Speaker 3:

Oh well, I mean, it's a setup, I talk about menstruation, menopause, sexual reproductive health, vaginas.

Speaker 1:

What would you like to talk about? Silence.

Speaker 3:

You then have a person who wants to learn more.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, a hundred percent. Yeah, it's fantastic. Well, we love what you do. Yeah, it's fantastic. Well, we love what you do. And there are a lot of companies, now that there is more buzz about women's health which thank goodness there is that want to enter this space, and I'm just wondering, from where you sit, if you can share with us what some of the biggest challenges are that companies face in this space as they try to bring innovative solutions to the table.

Speaker 3:

Yeah well. So it's a big question and we could talk about this a lot. You know, one of the jokes is and you guys have been the beneficiaries of this, I think, with the work that you're doing, you know it seems as if the New York Times discovered menopause like two years before that. It didn't exist. You know, millions of women are going through this transition since the beginning of time, but now it's real, if it's been in the times, which is, by the way, great because it creates conversations.

Speaker 3:

So I think one of the challenges is is really finding a solution. The problems are everywhere. There are conditions. Obviously we all use the language, things that affect women only differentially or primarily. So there's a plethora of problems to solve and I don't think the problems are new.

Speaker 3:

What we do need is a reason for the companies to be brought to life. Are they doing it? What I say, are they doing it better, faster, cheaper? Is there a reason that this solution is going to either get people to buy, pay for a solution, a product or service for a problem they haven't solved before, or is this a better solution to an existing problem? And so I think, and obviously the first question many VCs ask is what is the problem you're solving and what are people doing now? In many cases in women's health, the answer historically had been well, I'm not doing anything, I didn't know there was a solution for that.

Speaker 3:

And the world has changed, you know, in many productive ways, so that now we have lots of solutions. So the biggest challenge I would say is, when you're building a company, make sure there's a reason for it and the reason isn't just you. You know, as I referenced earlier, there are women who identified problems and started companies to solve those problems. But they didn't do it in a vacuum. They spoke to hundreds of people, they test the market, they see if there's a need for what they're doing and I think one of the clearest examples that I feel like always sort of makes it clear to people and when I'm speaking to students able to get glasses before the advent of Warby Parker um at April and Rachel.

Speaker 3:

So it wasn't like the problem that we're solving is that people can't get glasses. What they did is we said we're going to make this whole, and I wasn't in these meetings. This is the gospel, according to Rachel, is they sort of um, disintermediated the entire process and said okay, it's too expensive, we're going to make less expensive frames, it's time consuming, we're going to send it to your home. We want to be able to see how it looks. We're going to give you virtual try on. We don't want to wear the same pair of glasses all the time, but they're too expensive. We're going to combine this idea of fashion and price so that you really get value. So they were solving a problem that had a solution. But what was so unique is they were approaching this problem in an entirely different way, and I think that's often where companies get stuck. They identify a problem and they say, oh, I can do this too.

Speaker 1:

But it's the same way, right, it's still staying. Many times it's the same way.

Speaker 3:

And now we have a little bit of an embarrassment of riches, and I'm sure you're seeing this in the work that you're doing with workplace education. There are lots of people talking about different verticals within menopause.

Speaker 2:

What.

Speaker 3:

I'm not doing is sort of covering the whole range, and it makes sense for a lot of reasons. So you do workplace education. You're not delivering care. There are people who are delivering care. Those may or may not be the people you want to buy the products from, so there's you know. You want consultations. Then there are benefit opportunities.

Speaker 3:

How do you get these benefits in your workplace? All of these are different objectives. To help people, I'll say, make menopause more enjoyable, less disruptive People can fill in whatever descriptor they want More empowering, produce a greater, less expensive, less work days. You, you know there are thousands of benefits from doing this, but you really have to figure out what is your lane and how are you doing it in a way that's different than other people. And then, of course, you have the challenges of raising money, which is not just, uh, a challenge for women's businesses, but when you combine women getting less money, women being the majority of founders, and women's health and talking about things that many people aren't comfortable with you, know I call that sort of like the trifecta.

Speaker 3:

How do you, how do you figure out how to win, how to raise money, how to get access to media channels in an environment where I'm not going to say the cards are stacked against you, but the wind is not at your back in many cases, in women's health.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's a better way of putting it. Yeah, the wind is not at your back.

Speaker 2:

How do you see the menopause market evolving during this time, like what's especially with this increased attention to women's wellness and health? What do you? You know, what are you seeing? And you know you said state, you know everyone's got a lane and there's a lot of players in that space, but how do you see it evolving over time?

Speaker 3:

So, you know, money talks. It's nothing new. It's not related to menopause. I think, as we start seeing these companies, we're seeing these women's health unicorns, we're seeing, you know, really just an incredible surge in interest. Focus on menopause, because that's your space. I think the companies that can demonstrate that they can make a business out of it are the ones that are going to have the biggest impact, not because the ones that aren't making money aren't valuable, but the whole system works.

Speaker 3:

You know when, when, there's when, the when money is flowing through. So, for instance, many of the companies that are working in menopause now are tracking metrics that were never discussed track before, which is are we seeing increased productivity when we provide training and I'm sure you guys have a lot of data on that Are we seeing fewer lost work days when we give people access to online menopause care or access to holistic care around menopause? And once you can demonstrate that there's an economic benefit to doing this, that's when I think the conversation changes and we're starting to see that. You know you're as familiar as anybody with the Mayo Clinic study, that you know it's numbers next to this $1.8 billion in lost productivity for women going through menopause. 20% of women in the workforce are menopausal women. You know we're seeing companies are seeing that where we are with menopause is similar to where we were a couple of decades ago with fertility and family building.

Speaker 3:

So we were losing people you know at their prime potential for adding, making a contribution, because of all the things involved in family building. And so we're going to now offer benefits company X, apple, google, whatever the case may be to keep those people and I think we're seeing the same right now with women in menopause in the workplace. Not that you necessarily at least from my perspective want to run through the halls shouting I'm in menopause, but women tend to be older, they have more experience, they're more senior and it's a big cost to lose these people at the peak of their contributing potential. So I always go back to you build the economic case and the businesses grow. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, what are you most excited about in this space? I mean, there's a lot happening, there's a lot of buzz. What's most exciting for you that's either on the horizon or maybe on the burner right now.

Speaker 3:

Well, it's going to be boring, but I'm really excited about the data that says there's economic benefit to do this. And so that you know, the telehealth companies are gathering a lot of that. The benefits companies are gathering a lot of that.

Speaker 3:

So, I'm really excited that you don't have to continue to prove that this is an opportunity, you know, and when people say it's a niche, you know I haven't done math in a long time, but I was a math lead in high school. I mean, if I look at menopause and I say one out of every two people walking on the planet experiences this, it can last seven to 15, endless number of years and there are dozens of symptoms 15, endless number of years and there are dozens of symptoms, all which require different treatment or different attention. That to me, looks like the biggest category that I've ever seen. So we have to chip away at showing that taking care of women is good for business, and I think we saw that. So that's not a sexy answer like this crazy gadget or you know this.

Speaker 1:

No, it's a great answer. I mean, you're preaching to the choir here, right? I mean what? How many times with organizations do we have the same conversation to try to convince them that it's the right thing to do and that it is smart financially to bring in menopause programs within an organization? We're still having those conversations, which is shocking to me because there is data out there. It's not a secret anymore.

Speaker 3:

No, it's not a secret. We have the Wham study, we have the McKinsey study, we have the Mayo Clinic study, we have the Deloitte study, we have the Accenture study. I mean, there are lots of companies with a lot of credibility who are now saying this is huge, this is an opportunity, but I think it's a, you know, a one on one kind of effort, and I think you're probably seeing that, when you're trying to sell these programs, that there is a benefit for doing this. We're not doing this for our health, right? You should do it in spite of the fact that it's the right thing to do. So. Don't, don't have that be the issue, because I think women's businesses get put in a corner. Oh, it's the right thing to do, but there's no business model lead with. Here's the business benefit, right, yeah, right.

Speaker 1:

And oh, by the way, it's the right thing to do. It's the right thing to do, and companies.

Speaker 3:

I've. I've spoken to companies insurance companies, companies that are on the most admired places to work who say they're now using their benefits as a way to attract and keep talent Absolutely Back in the day. You know, when you were going from company to company, you weren't looking at that. I should speak for myself. I and many of my peers were not looking at that. It wasn't a competitive advantage. Now it can be a competitive advantage and people can choose to stay because of the breadth and depth of the benefits, or they can choose to leave. It becomes another decision criteria in deciding about where you want to work.

Speaker 1:

I think 100% it does and we are looking for that. We want that support and it's not looked down upon for us to change positions like it used to be. I mean 15, 20 years ago, if my resume had two years of experience at an employer and then I hopped to another employer, that would have been questioned. But I don't think it's questioned anymore. Not as much, maybe, maybe a little bit, but not as much.

Speaker 3:

So I think the millennials have said you know, we're clearly not interested in staying a place for our lives, right? You know, in my own experience having conversations with young people, you know I would never give someone advice to leave, and under a year, right years, because that's sort of how we were trained. But it's not the case anymore. And I think the other thing that we can learn in the menopause market from younger people is you know, they're saying just because it was that hard, we don't want it to be that hard, right, right. I would never have said you know, boss, I need a day off for my mental health.

Speaker 1:

It wasn't even a thought, I mean because you would have been afraid you would have been fired and you would have had to have been creative to think about it.

Speaker 3:

That's right, right. And how do I protect myself?

Speaker 1:

So how do I protect myself? And I still have had to have been creative to think about it, that's right. And how do I protect myself? And how do I protect myself? And I still have those questions.

Speaker 3:

I still have those questions, but it's a conversation and companies are concerned about their employees' mental health and famous athletes and celebrities are coming out and talking about their mental health issues and that's all good. That's another huge change. You know, especially in menopause, the best thing to happen to menopause is Oprah hitting menopause.

Speaker 3:

So you know when you have Oprah talking about it, and when you have Melinda Gates talking about it, and when you have Naomi Watts and Gayle King, and you know you get people in power who have platforms talking about it. That's as quick a way to change the conversation as anything. Take these people who are crushing it. No one would look at them and say, well, clearly menopause has slowed them down or age has slowed them down.

Speaker 3:

I happen to have been one of these longstanding diehard fans of Oprah, and the first article that I wrote that got some attention was how to find your leadership voice, because Oprah's is already taken, you know, decade after decade. You know she creates new industries, she revitalizes old industries, and so it's so powerful when someone like that, who is a self-made billionaire who didn't come from you know huge opportunity and certainly not financial security. Who did this? And oh, by the way, she did this while she was experiencing menopause or she did this when you know she didn't have someone helping her helping her. And so I really think it's so important that we have the businesses, the economic data and influencers.

Speaker 3:

You know, celebrities were our original influencers. They might not be using it the same way as the younger influencers are, but it matters. It matters when people are talking about this. It matters when Dr Ashton gets on ABC for the past many years and brings up discussions on menopause. It matters when Brooke Shields, you know, launches a documentary about how, about her life when she was at least for people my age the most famous person on the planet she's experienced. All of that makes a difference for the discussion. It does.

Speaker 1:

We're grateful for all of them, really yeah absolutely For sure.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, makes the conversation more direct, right, we don't have to like circle around it in any way, we can go right to the point.

Speaker 3:

And you know I get a little tired of words like empowered, but you know often, but if you look at people who are in power like some of the ones that we, that we were just talking about, you would have to do a lot of work to say these people aren't at the top of their game.

Speaker 2:

For sure, and I read a statistic the other day where people need to hear it 250 times before they take it on and totally believe that this is a thing that we need to, whatever.

Speaker 3:

Is that statistic?

Speaker 2:

menopause specifically, no just general.

Speaker 3:

It used to be 10 or 12 times when we were doing TV advertising. So now now with.

Speaker 2:

you know now, with all of the social media and all that you know, I think the truth problems that we're having, for lack of a better word, like people always believing the truth, it takes a little bit while longer for people and you have so many different sources of information coming at you.

Speaker 3:

No-transcript run once a year and everybody watched them. We didn't have, you know, not to date myself, but you didn't have 10,000 choices. I remember there was once a year when the Wizard of Oz was on and if you wanted to watch it you had to watch it then, and so it's 200. The reason I mentioned that is this 250 time thing is in a context where you're being inundated with inputs all the time, day and night, from many different channels.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely, which makes sense? That makes sense, right? Yeah, I wonder. I'm wondering if I had a crystal ball and I could put it right in front of you right now. Rachel, with the untapped market here, with menopause, with the opportunities that are in front of us, what would you say is going to happen?

Speaker 3:

I think consolidation is really what's going to happen and companies will umbrella, companies will create a portfolio approach to menopause or to women's health in general. They will have efficiency in the operations piece. You know, often these companies are speaking to either the same healthcare providers or the same insurers, or the same patients or the same consumers. So I think there will be fewer individual companies and a couple larger ones who are meeting at least a range of needs. Obviously, anyone who's in menopause, either experiencing it or in the business of, knows that there is not one company ever that could meet all the needs. But at least there would be sort of centers of excellence for where I would get menopause care and I could get these elements of my menopause treatment here. I would get menopause care and I could get these elements of my menopause treatment here. And, you know, maybe they have 10 different products and services and I could go go to this group if I wanted to do something else.

Speaker 3:

I think it's really confusing right now when there's, you know, dozens of skin care companies and lots of telehealth companies and and and lots of fill in the blank, any kind of company that you can hair care companies. You know, we're just educating people about menopause. And then we throw 1000 choices at them, so it becomes difficult, and one of the things I've seen in consumer research is that too many choices is a is a point of stress. So, going through menopause and you're already experiencing all these new things and you may or may not have learned that they're not your fault and they're part of an actual cycle, you know. On top of that, do you want to be flipping through 17 different options to figure out? You know why your hair is falling out.

Speaker 1:

Right, right, I don't think, then the answer is no. I mean, we talk to women in menopause all the time that say that very thing, like I'm too busy, I'm too darn busy, I don't have time to muddle through all of that information. Just give it to me. Just tell me, right. Tell me what is science-based, evidence based, so that I don't have the junk, I'm not wasting my money. Um, give it to me, right.

Speaker 3:

And I think that's what we're really saying. Exactly what you said Science-based, evidence-based is really what people are looking for, and there are plenty of companies out there who have one or the other or both, and some have neither Right. And so one of the things that I'm sure you're seeing in the menopause literature a ton right now is how much disinformation there is.

Speaker 1:

Right, oh, a hundred percent.

Speaker 2:

You look it up and you get three different answers. And so how do I? Even I don't have time to to take care of that, so I'll just forget about it and ignore it.

Speaker 3:

And how do I know as a lay person which information is accurate and which isn't? And that's where you know all the impact of, you know, celebrity doctor influencers comes in, right, you know? Just, it's just interesting how that has become a way. We have data that say that many women get the bulk of their health, broad health information, um information from influencers. But you take an example like there's been a huge growth in influencers online talking about the dangers of hormonal contraception. Now, that is only true for individuals and the medical community hasn't said let me tell you about all the dangers. I mean, they're giving you more information but they're not making blanket statements like that. So it really is the influencer community who has catalyzed that conversation. Now, it's great to ask those questions. It's terrific to figure out what is the right choice for you with your history and your pre-existing conditions, and what your life goals are, but you have to do it in the context of a conversation or knowledge about your own health, absolutely.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and knowledgeable physicians, right, who are familiar with your own individual health. I think the most important thing is offering up that broad buffet of options, as we like to call it. You know, here it is, we'll lay it out on the table, and it's all science-based, evidence-based, so that you can trust it. Now you get to choose what you put on your plate, right, yeah? And if you need help deciding, then bring in a professional that understands you, understands your health and can help you make that decision.

Speaker 3:

Right, and now that's wonderful. There are lots of people who are talking about menopause and providing menopause treatment, you know, in its broadest sense so, but it's a process.

Speaker 1:

It is and it's individual, so I love that. I love that.

Speaker 2:

Well, I love this conversation, Um, and we could go on and on Cause we, we, uh, before we went on on record, we were like we, better start recording. Have so much fun talking, to get talking with you, rachel, but is there anything else that you'd like our audience to to know about what the work that you're doing this space and how can they find you if they're interested in knowing a little bit more about what you're?

Speaker 3:

doing. You can look me up RB Sherrill. You can search for Vagipanora Orgasmic Leadership. My company is Spark Solutions for Growth. Most of my handles are RB Sherrill. Love hearing from people.

Speaker 3:

I'm really focused. What I'm interested in is figuring out the connective tissue between these startups, and I spent a lot of time on these transactions. How do you get the venture-backed startup with a better solution and, as we discussed, better can be defined a number of different ways with the right partner, is it the right distribution partner? Is the right strategic partner? Is it the right investment partner? So I really focus on that. So I encourage people.

Speaker 3:

If you have a great idea and you have some traction, that's where we would come in to help you figure out. How can I catalyze growth? You know I've demonstrated product market fit, but I need, you know I need the fuel lit under me to get to the next level, and that's really what I focus on, which is finding homes and opportunities for companies, from pre-seed to series, fill in the blank, fill in the letter in women's health, so that they can at least be in a position to offer solutions and drive their customers to engage in transactions, because you know I'm a broken record, but without the economics. You know, a business that doesn't make money is a very expensive hobby.

Speaker 1:

Yeah that's right, absolutely, we'll put all of the uh, your links in show notes as well, but we always end our podcast with a little bit of fun. So we're going to, we're going to do a little rapid fire here to get to know.

Speaker 3:

I love that. I always wanted to be on a game show.

Speaker 1:

Okay, Well here you are here you are yeah, oh, easy, easy peasy. What, uh, I'll start.

Speaker 3:

What is your? What's your favorite indulgence? Watching classic comedies for hours on end.

Speaker 1:

I love that. We all need to laugh actually.

Speaker 3:

So you have to laugh a lot in women's health.

Speaker 2:

Yes, you do. Oh, my gosh Laugh and cry Right. I mean, it's a roller coaster ride, what do?

Speaker 3:

you do for fun. I exercise, I travel, I play pickleball oh, you, pickleball. I have a big extended family that I love being with. It's fantastic.

Speaker 1:

You're blessed. What's your favorite season, as we're switching seasons right now. What's your favorite season as we? As we're switching seasons right now. What's your favorite season?

Speaker 3:

I have to say I've always loved fall. I've lived in the Northeast my whole life and I love the four seasons. I like winter falls my favorite because it's you know, it always reminds me my kids are out of school now but sort of the rebirth and starting again and school supplies and sweaters and leaves falling and just it feels like a time of opportunity and renewal. So I love the fall.

Speaker 2:

School supplies. Well see, I was one of the loons who love that?

Speaker 3:

Wow, I can't. I'm terrified at a Home Depot. Put me in a Staples and I'm in my element Like golden. Yeah, I got it. All the highlighters, yeah. Oh perfect and the different. The advancements in stickies is just phenomenal.

Speaker 2:

I mean, let's not even talk about that.

Speaker 1:

Clearly need to go to the office supply section a little bit more often. I haven't seen it. The last question that we have for all of our guests is the same what is?

Speaker 3:

the best piece of advice you've ever received Don't give up. Now we I always use this quote no timeout, no substitution which was from a movie, of course, which you know. The concept in the movie was you know, you play to the death kind of morbid no timeout, no substitution. But I, for me, it's always been a great metaphor, for you know how you live and how you build a company. It's harder than you think, it's more expensive than you think, it takes longer than you think, but you know you have to really just every day put your head down, do as much as you can to advance what your business goals are, and come back the next day and do it again, yeah, yeah. And there is something to endurance in this game.

Speaker 1:

A hundred percent. A hundred percent. We understand that, don't we? Yeah, now for us today. Don't give up, Kim.

Speaker 2:

I got lots to do, lots to do.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we sure do. Uh well, rachel, it has been a pleasure having you on. We'll have you back on cause we clearly can keep talking. But, Rachel, it has been a pleasure having you on. We'll have you back on because we clearly can keep talking. But until then, um audience, go find joy in the journey. We'll see you next time.

Speaker 3:

Thanks, Rachel, thanks so much. Great to see you both.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Medovia menopause podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please give it a thumbs up. Subscribe for future episodes, leave a review and share this episode with a friend. There are more than 50 million women in the US who are navigating the menopause transition. The situation is compounded by the presence of stigma, shame and secrecy surrounding menopause, posing significant challenges and disruptions in women's personal and professional spheres. Medovia is out to change the narrative. Learn more at Medoviacom. That's M-I-D-O-V-I-A dot com.

People on this episode

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April Haberman

Co-host
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Kim Hart

Co-host