Business of the V

Women’s Health from a Legal Perspective

Healthcare and law may seem unrelated, but this episode of the Busine$$ of the V aims to demonstrate just how intertwined they really are. Dr. Dweck and Rachel are delighted to welcome Delphine O’Rourke, one of the few and esteemed attorneys focusing on women’s health. Delphine is extremely subspecialized in the field of law, and she is a trailblazer in the field of women’s health legislation. Her primary concern is, as she puts it, “what can I do to contribute to advancing the health and wellness of women?”

 

This discussion emphasizes the importance of a woman having both medical and legal support. It addresses modern-day issues such as electronic medical records, telehealth, and the overall physician shortage in the United States. Delphine approaches each of these topics with the same fiery passion and demonstrates the significance of putting patients first. Medicaid is a program she strongly supports, and emphasizes how important it is for all states to accept and expand this program. If you are interested in the seismic shifts in the women’s health and wellness industry, Delphine O’Rourke is the person to follow!

You can subscribe or listen to previous episodes of the Busine$$ of the V podcast by clicking here.

 

TOPICS COVERED:

 

• When Delphine first began practicing law, she realized that women’s health was a relatively small niche.
• Medicaid required the involvement of more lawyers, and it was no longer just a clinical issue.
• In the United States, approximately 98.6 percent of babies are born in hospitals.
• Rachel suggests that Delphine's engagement was dual in nature: she was concerned with both the mother and the baby, as well as with reducing the number of legal suits.
• Delphine: “What can I do to contribute to advancing the health and wellness of women?”
• Dweck discusses her unfavorable experience with electronic medical records. Delphine adds: “It’s a good idea in theory.”
• When it comes to the EMR, a lot of pretty amazing technology is on the horizon, according to Delphine.
• We learn that the field of digital health is teeming with innovation.
• Although telehealth has both advantages and disadvantages, it has helped many people access basic medical care.
• Contrary to popular belief, telehealth was effective for patients beyond the age of 60.
• Dweck expresses her concerns regarding the shortage of doctors and other healthcare professionals.
• Interesting fact: the emergence of home clinics is highly likely.
• Delphine’s overview of the Affordable Care Act.
• Rachel is astounded by Delphine's enthusiasm.
• What happens when public health emergency ends?
• HOT FLASH: It has been estimated that only about 71% of providers accept Medicaid. That’s compared to 85% who take Medicare and 90% that accept private insurance!

 

 

QUOTES:

 

“Talking to the lawyer in regard to maternal fetal health is never my first choice.” (Dr. Dweck)

 

“I don’t know what people’s impressions are of attorneys, but bursting with enthusiasm is not necessarily a stereotype that I would’ve had.” (Rachel)

 

“We saw a lot of activity in telemedicine through the pandemic. I think that where opportunity really lies is the bridge between the traditional health system and innovation.” (Delphine)

 

 

 

FURTHER RESOURCES:

Goodwin: goodwinlaw.com

Delphine @LinkedIn

 

 

LINKS FOR BUSINE$$ OF THE V:

Website: www.businessofthev.com

Dr. Alyssa Dweck: https://drdweck.com

Author Rachel Braun Scherl: www.sparksolutionsforgrowth.com/about-rachel-braun-scherl/

 

 

 

 

Using TikTok to Normalize the Menopause Conversation

Who knew that TikTok could serve as a resource for millions of women trying to figure out menopause? Certainly not Tamsen Fadal, who tentatively dipped a toe into the social media platform for the first time only to be shocked by the eye-opening response. In no time her post – 34 Symptoms of Menopause – blew up and the award-winning New York news anchor had uncovered her next assignment! As we’ll learn on this episode of the Busine$$ of the V, there is a movement afoot to make the world safe for discussions about menopause. It’s here, it’s real and its impacts on workplace productivity are real. Having herself collapsed on the job with a constellation of symptoms that took her off-guard, Tamsen received a crash course on all things hormonal while investigating the episode. She has since gone on to produce a new documentary exploring women’s physical, emotional and professional passages and the science that shapes their journey. Also at work on a book about what it means to enter midlife, Tamsen is exploring the stories of women – herself and others – navigating a transition that can be both frightening and liberating, challenging and exhilarating. Enjoy this heartening conversation about the many ways in which menopause (and its workplace impacts) have emerged from the shadows, and not a moment too soon!

 

Want to hear about Tamsen’s 34 symptoms of menopause – and more? Click

here to visit her TikTok page.

 

Would you like to hear previous episode of the Busine$$ of the V? Click here!

 

TOPICS COVERED:

 

• From Broadcasting News to Broadcasting Menopausal Symptoms: How Tamsen embarked on her current work building a community of women dealing with menopause in the workplace and beyond.
• A cluster of symptoms literally knocked Tamsen off her game at work, prompting her to launch an inquiry into the source.
• She sought help from doctors including a gynecologist, neurologist, endocrinologist … before tests finally yielded the verdict: Tamsen was in menopause.
• Women commonly experience frightening symptoms that very often don’t call to mind menopause right off the bat.
• Leveraging TikTok: Tamsen blew up by simply offering straightforward information (i.e. 34 symptoms of menopause) and promoting conversation.
• Tamsen is providing a service by sharing information and research with women who otherwise might, like she was, be clueless when menopausal symptoms strike.
• The Disconnect is Real: Because symptoms can be vague and intermittent over a long period of time, it’s easy for women to overlook menopause as a potential cause.
• As the result of a 2002 study (now acknowledged to have been flawed) a huge number of women abandoned hormone replacement therapy due to perceived risks. Menopause was momentarily in the news, but otherwise still far from the front pages over the ensuing decades.
• HOT FLASH: A 2022 U.S. survey revealed that 17% of women reported leaving or considering leaving their jobs as the result of menopausal symptoms.
• Tamsen highlights her research into a variety of previously untapped topics related to menopause and media imaging, the workplace, mental and emotional impacts.
• About the perspective and purpose of Tamsen’s documentary, whose tone mixes realism with optimism based on interviews with a broad range of women and experts.
• Some 6,000 women a day enter menopause and are in search of solutions to a variety of attendant symptoms.
• Cracking a Mystery: Why is it that some women glide through menopause while a huge pool of others suffer a litany of miseries. Ways to stave of negative symptoms: Reduce alcohol, caffeine and stress.
• Workplace Challenges: While Tamsen has felt supported at her news studio, office environments generally have a long way to go in inviting women to be candid about symptoms and strategies for managing them on the job.
• Menopausal women represent a huge and valuable business asset, which is why forward-thinking corporations are looking to provide accommodations and benefits to support them.
• Tamsen provides an update on her book about women and midlife, menopause and what lies ahead based on personal anecdotes, research and solutions.
• Forthcoming Documentary: Tamsen anticipates her film will be released within the coming year with support from various sponsors in support of the message.

 

 

QUOTES:

 

“We could be doing this show 12 hours a day every day. There’s so much to talk about and so many people making contributions.” (Rachel)

 

“Menopause in the workplace has been the ultimate taboo and it really does affect people’s productivity and also it’s an economic burden that needs to be discussed.” (Dr. Dweck)

 

“I started talking on TikTok and all of a sudden one of the videos went over a million and another went to almost two million and I went, ‘Uh oh. I think there’s a conversation that needs to be happening here.’ ” (Tamsen)

 

“The first time you start to have symptoms you really have no idea what’s going on and you really get scared. Am I having a heart attack? Am I having a stroke? What’s going on here?” (Dr. Dweck)

 

“Menopause doesn’t happen from one night to the next. It’s a transition that can take eight, nine, 10 years. Symptoms kind of wax and wane.” (Dr. Dweck)

 

“It’s time to reframe menopause not as a negative but as a known entity. Lots of good things come out of the menopause state and I prefer to focus on those ... For a lot of women it’s a liberating time.” (Dr. Dweck)

 

“Most of the things that happen in women’s lives that are physiological or emotional are everything else, too. They’re social, they’re behavioral, they’re contextual.” (Rachel)

 

“A lot of women have felt very shameful about their symptoms and uncomfortable to talk about it … I feel very lucky to be able to do that.” (Tamsen)

 

“When money is involved, things change.” (Rachel)

 

 

GUEST BIO:

Tamsen Fadal is the primetime anchor of the PIX11 News at 4p, 5p, 6pm and 10pm. She is a 13-time Emmy award recipient and author of three self-help books. Tamsen is Executive Producer and host of The Broadway Show that airs nationally. As an advocate for women who are in the next chapter of life, Tamsen has published three self-help books including, The New Single: Finding, Fixing and Falling Back In Love With Yourself. It's a guide to help women emerge from a big life change with confidence, grace and a recipe for self-care. Tamsen has appeared on The Talk, Lifetime, A&E, The CBS Early Show and the Today show in support of this mission.

 

 

FURTHER RESOURCES:

Website: www.tamsenfadal.com

Tamsen @LinkedIn

Tamsen @TikTok

 

 

LINKS FOR BUSINE$$ OF THE V:

Website: www.businessofthev.com

Dr. Alyssa Dweck: https://drdweck.com

Author Rachel Braun Scherl: www.sparksolutionsforgrowth.com/about-rachel-braun-scherl/

These Disposable Undies are Changing the Conversation About Incontinence

When it comes to female incontinence, it’s a little unexpected to see a young businessman as the face of a solution. But Steven Cruz is here to tell us on this episode of Busine$$ of the V exactly how he came to develop an innovative disposable underwear that is breaking barriers and changing the conversation. As a founder of Hazel, he is helping to shake up a consumer product sector that has been stigmatized and stagnant for decades.

 

Hosts Dr. Alyssa Dweck and Rachel Braun Scherl walk their guest through how the Hazel model was developed, including the new technology built into every fiber of its flexible, breathable fabric. As easy comfortable and gentle as menstrual underwear, Hazel is nonetheless designed to absorb exponentially more liquid – which is key for millions of women sidelined by anxieties around bladder leakage. We learn what the primary causes of incontinence are and that by no means is it an affliction limited to people in nursing homes.

 

Data indicate an outsized economic burden associated with incontinence and there is also a significant cost in terms of quality of life. Bladder leakage is associated with factors like weight and genetics, as well as pelvic floor stress as the result of childbearing. With one in four women experiencing some level of discomfort – many of them young and active – Hazel’s modern, disposable solution offers game-changing freedom from worry and self-imposed social isolation. Steven is also highlighting the educational aspect of the evolving Hazel platform, which is nudging incontinence out of the shadows and into the realm of 21^st century femtech!

 

Get complete show notes, subscribe to our newsletter or listen to previous episodes of the Busine$$ of the V podcast by clicking here.

 

Better Ovarian Cancer Diagnostics Are Being Developed by This Femtech Startup

Long known as a “silent killer,” ovarian cancer wouldn’t claim nearly as many women’s lives as it does each year if reliable early screening were available. But as we learn on this episode of the Busine$$ of the V, such diagnostics have been elusive — a challenge that Oriana Papin-Zoghbi and her co-founders at AOA have taken up with a passion that has yielded amazing progress.

 

We learn about this innovative femtech startup company’s new blood test and where it is on its journey to market (stay tuned for 2025!). Co-hosts Dr. Alyssa Dweck and Rachel Braun Scherl walk through the journey from AOA’s inception through its development and what lies ahead for a diagnostic that could boost survival rates for this deadliest of cancers into the 90th percentile.

 

Early detection of the type AOA is currently moving through clinical trials and FDA approval will be a game-changer not only for women’s health care practitioners but for workplaces that lose valuable employees, insurers who pay astronomical treatment costs and families who suffer irreplaceable loss.

 

Today women with symptoms that indicate the possibility of ovarian cancer must undergo biopsies that result in removing at least one fallopian tube and ovary when only half among them will in fact turn out to have the disease. For the other half, those who receive a very scary diagnosis, it will very often have come too late to save their lives.

 

AOA’s introduction as a screening tool (first for women with symptoms and soon thereafter for those at high risk and ultimately — fingers crossed — as a general screening tool not unlike a pap smear) is beyond transformational, as is everything that Oriana has to share about the work she and her team are doing to bring this unique women-led biotech venture to life!

 

You can subscribe or listen to previous episodes of the Busine$$ of the V podcast by clicking here.

This Platform Helps Women Struggling with Low Libido & Sexual Dysfunction

This episode of the Busine$$ of the V is focused on a digital health platform that is drawing raves from women wrestling with low libido and sexual dysfunction. Dr. Dweck and Rachel are hearing from Dr. Lyndsey Harper, an entrepreneur to watch in the sexual health space. She is the CEO and Founder of Rosy, a unique platform that blends education, coaching and a supportive community for women to better understand – and revel in – their sexuality.

 

As Dr. Dweck likes to say, “Sexual health is general health,” which is why the subscription-based Rosy business model’s positive outcomes resonate far beyond individuals. Being able to direct patients to Rosy is huge for busy OB-GY’s who simply don’t have time – or sufficient training – enough to provide the detailed information their patients want and deserve. The Rosy application connects women with a wealth of educational resources, trained experts and even a library of erotica with a choice among three levels of spice, as in heat!

 

Drs. Harper and Dweck recall their days in residency, where information about erectile dysfunction and other male-oriented sexual issues were part of training rotations. By contrast, as Dr. Dweck puts it, when it comes to women’s sexual health and well-being their training amounted to “a big fat zero!” Enjoy this lively conversation with Dr. Harper, an innovator to watch in the women’s health space. Rosy is a digital community unlike anything out there – and women learning from and meeting each other on the platform are thrilled!

 

You can subscribe or listen to previous episodes of the Busine$$ of the V podcast by clicking here.

Suhani Jolata is Building a Platform of Change For Women in India

Deeply entrenched stigmas and taboos are hard to overcome. But if there’s anyone who can effect transformational change it would have to be Suhani Jalota, the social entrepreneur Dr. Dweck and Rachel welcome on this episode of The Busine$$ of the V. She has not only founded the visionary Myna Mahila Foundation to educate and debunk disempowering myths about menstruation prevalent in India, she’s ultimately seeking to do nothing short of revolutionize the Indian economy to equalize the power of women within their households. It’s an amazing agenda for anyone, but particularly for such a young woman.

Suhani has secured a PhD in Health Policy and Economics as well as an MBA at Stanford while overseeing the mission of the Myna Mahila Foundation, which was founded in 2015 to provide a voice for adolescent girls and women in marginalized communities. She is building a team and network for young female entrepreneurs and leveraging technology to provide access to job opportunities throughout the world – work that has not gone unnoticed. She has been honored with the 2017 Queen's Young Leader Award and featured in the Forbes Asia 30 under 30, not to mention receiving an invite to Meghan Markle’s royal wedding. (Yes, the experience was amazing!)

You’ll learn about the origins of her vision (as an undergrad), the cultural barriers her organization is breaking down and what is on the horizon for a young woman who clearly has barely begun the work she intends to do. It’s exciting and heartening for Rachel, who shares an alma mater (Duke University) and longtime alliance with Suhani. “The gender attitude has to change,” says this social entrepreneur. And she’s developing the tools, network and platforms to do exactly that!

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This Device Disrupts Hot Flashes For Women in Menopause

Could it be that menopause is finally getting its day in the sun? On this episode of the Busine$$ of the V, Dr. Dweck and Rachel showcase the latest example of a femtech product addressing a massive, never-ending, recession-proof market opportunity. Liz Gazda, CEO of Embr Labs, is introducing us to a therapeutic device that disrupts hot flashes at the touch of a button. It’s a welcome solution for menopausal women, who spend an average $2,000 per year on various treatments to ease persistent symptoms.

 

This conversation underscores the significant loss of productivity associated with women suffering chronic menopausal issues. At what should be the peak of their careers, many are sidelined by a pain cycle with very real social and economic repercussions. The Embr Wave, however, offers a non-invasive alternative that has been a game changer already for more than 100,000 customers in 170 countries.

 

Liz explains how the thermo-receptor technology was developed, why it differs from other wearable devices and whether we can expect to see its price point come down in the future. We also learn about the specific process through which the Embr Wave disrupts hot flashes by sending a burst of cold through neural pathways uniquely designed to block pain. It essentially breaks the cycles of anxiety and cortisol spiking that compromise sleep and otherwise slow women down.

 

About 70% of women struggle an average of 7.4 years with untreated menopausal symptoms. It’s a huge, huge market with voracious demand, no expiration date and outsized buying power. With Liz at the helm, Embr Labs is going to be one of the femtech innovators to watch in the years ahead!

 

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How to Raise Venture Capital for FemTech Startups

Women’s sexual health is more than a huge (often untapped) market with outsized impacts, it’s also a huge investment opportunity. Learn more about this sector and its many verticals from Carli Sapir, Founding Partner at Amboy Street Ventures, who is sharing with Rachel and Dr. Dweck the ins and outs of raising capital for “femtech” and related startups on this episode of Busine$$ of the V. It may still be a challenge to pitch products and platforms associated with women’s sexuality and pleasure, for instance, but entrepreneurs – mostly women – are out there cracking open space for candid conversation, education and very real financial returns.

 

Carli explains the focus of Amboy Street Ventures as well as its philosophy, which includes a mandate that at least 70% of its investment portfolio go towards female-founded and/or led companies. They’re looking to address overlooked or under-served target markets and fill gaps in areas such as LGBTQ and gender-affirming care, abortion and contraception access and women’s sexual pleasure. Innovations on the horizon not only promise huge profitability but also transformational impacts – such as the introduction of Contraline, an implantable, reversible form of male birth control now under FDA trial and Go Aunt Flow, a free dispenser of pads and tampons in public places. Women’s sexual health and pleasure is big business, and ripe for disruption. “Hopefully we’ll live long enough to see the end of people using the expression ‘Women’s health is niche,’ ” sums up Rachel. “Then we will know that we’ve made some impact on the planet!” The momentum in this space is palpable – and also undeniable.

 

Subscribe & listen to previous episodes of the Busine$$ of the V podcast Website: https://businessofthev.com

 

About Carli Sapir

Carli is a Founding Partner of Amboy Street Ventures and leads the Investment Team. She is also the Founder of the Female Founded Club (FFC), a global platform that introduces VC investors to high-quality female founded startups. Carli has an affinity for startups in the Sexual Health & Women’s Health Technology (SH&WHT) landscape due to personal health experiences. While running the FFC, she recognized that the lack of venture capital flowing to the SH&WHT market is stunting the growth of startups that tackle significant health problems for all genders. Carli founded Amboy Street Ventures to initiate a shift in the funding landscape that, until now, dictated the innovation in the SH&WHT market. Carli has a background in Private Equity and Engineering.

These Patented Undies Let More People Say Yes to Oral Sex

Many of the most impactful products in the sextech space have grown up in direct response to an unmet need. As we learn on this episode of Busine$$ of the V, Melanie Cristol brainstormed her unique patented underwear technology because she wanted to enable more people to say “yes” to oral sex. You’ll learn how and why the CEO & Founder of Lorals stepped out of a successful partner-track legal career in order to launch an international venture that promotes not only more oral sex but more orgasms, sensual fun and exploration of all kinds.

 

This episode also features big news: While Lorals has been growing exponentially based on the comfort and utility of its underwear alone, a whole new horizon will be opening up as the result of impending FDA approval. In addition to encouraging great sex, Lorals will also at last be able to promote safer sex. Rigorous design and testing make this product (which is available in a range of styles and sizes) a highly effective barrier to STIs and invitation to increased intimacy. You’ll be fascinated to hear about Melanie’s journey, her experiences securing federal approval and lessons learned about the world of venture capital.

 

So say hello to a smart, sexy, innovative product in a fast-growing niche market – and say goodbye to the old dental dam solution. With women three times more likely to orgasm through oral sex as compared with intercourse, the target market is clearly there! Click here to learn more about Lorals and check out their blog, Lorotica.

 

You can subscribe or listen to previous episodes of the Busine$$ of the V podcast by clicking here.

About Melanie Cristol

Melanie Cristol is the Founder & CEO of Lorals, the new standard for oral sexual wellness. As inventor and CEO of Lorals, Melanie holds four patents, has been nominated by XBIZ as Entrepreneur of the Year and has been featured in the NYTimes, Fast Company, and Cosmopolitan. Melanie has also been a featured speaker at SXSW, Lesbians Who Tech, the Brooklyn Sex Expo, and at colleges and universities across the country. Prior to creating Lorals, Melanie studied Sociology at Columbia University and received her JD from Columbia Law School. She worked as a healthcare and consumer products attorney and was part of the legal team that secured gay marriage rights for the western United States. Melanie also fought for LGBTQ rights in California and Ohio as a field organizer with the National LGBTQ Task Force.

 

Understanding Inequities in Women’s Healthcare Research

This episode highlights inequities in clinical research due to a lack of both diversity and nuance within the industry. To understand the “why” behind this persistent problem, Dr. Dweck and Rachel welcome Dr. Ru-fong Joanne Cheng, Senior Medical Director in charge of women’s health projects in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at Johnson & Johnson. It’s an overwhelmingly tall order, but this conversation breaks down many of the stubborn barriers to inclusive medicine one by one.

You’ll learn about the $100 million dollar commitment that J&J has made to correcting inequities in women’s health care over the next five years. Dr. Cheng and her team are sponsoring research that is taking a cutting-edge prism to everything from the astronomical (and disparate) rates of death in childbirth among Black women in the U.S. to the FDA’s acknowledgement that clinical research must incorporate and reflect the reality of gender variability. Topics covered also include research processes that Dr. Cheng believes warrant reconsideration, strategies for harnessing data-driven insights, key factors impacting access and quality of care among different female demographics and how a physician in private practice might go about pursuing alternative careers in the medical space, including within industry.

The bottom-line focus is all about diversity – diversity of study subjects, diversity among clinical researchers. Dr. Cheng contextualizes gender, racism and implicit bias –  and how acknowledging variability is elemental to determining the course, accessibility and equity of ongoing medical research that so deeply impacts the ability of women to thrive now and into the future.

You can subscribe or listen to previous episodes of the Busine$$ of the V podcast by clicking here.

About Dr. Ru-fong Joanne Cheng

Dr. Cheng was inspired at a young age to make a difference in the world, which led her to become a physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology. While working in academic medicine, she discovered clinical research, which provides an opportunity to make a difference on a larger scale. For the past 12 years, she has worked in the pharmaceutical industry in clinical development for drugs and medical devices, taking positions of increasing leadership. In her roles, she blends science and medicine with the business of pharma and delivers treatments to patients with unmet needs. She is energized by the variety of work and leading cross-functional teams across different therapeutic. She has experience across all phases of drug development, regulatory submissions and approvals with global health authorities, post-marketing activities and lifecycle management.

FURTHER RESOURCES:

Website: J&J Office of the Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Cheng @LinkedIn