OBGYN expert Dr. Rebecca Booth and Womaness founder Sally Mueller discuss options for women to be informed and proactive about their health. Physical, mental and financial health planning should start during midlife: Rebecca and Sally have tips for doing so.
OBGYN expert Dr. Rebecca Booth and Womaness founder Sally Mueller discuss options for women to be informed and proactive about their health. They say that starting good practices means that physical, mental and financial health planning should begin in midlife – ideally even earlier. Our hosts also describe the need for institutional and systematic support for women navigating these life transitions.
Womaness is the leading women’s wellness brand that’s modernizing aging. Womaness empowers women to feel and look great as they age through clinically and doctor-tested supplements, sexual wellness, and skincare products formulated to meet the needs of a changing body.
Dr. Booth is the author of The Venus Week: Discover the Powerful Secret of Your Cycle…At Any Age. Together with her sister, Cecil Booth, she co-founded VENeffect, an anti-aging skin care line and wellness platform dedicated to helping women with hormonal optimization.
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BOOTH: Let's face it, when you don't understand something, how can you be comfortable with it? … What's happened is there's been an absence of that information, the practical information for both men and women.
BOOTH: I have to say, having been through the sandwich generation phase, it is so difficult and the most difficult for my patients through these years that I've been taking care of them, especially with regard to adding elder care, because there are so many mysteries there. “When is this going to get easier? How is this going to be economically?” A lot of times with raising children, you sort of know there's an end in sight or a level of maturity, but when it comes to elder care, it's easy to get in a rabbit hole, and you just have to go back to that same old metaphor that we all have seen on the plane, you got to put the oxygen on yourself first.
BOOTH: I do think for the first time that employers are seeing opportunities to help women navigate their health challenges as a possible recruitment tool. And that's really exciting. We know there's a lot of data out there, that when you get women in high places, like on boards, all of a sudden the performance of the board, no matter what the industry, improves… institutions are becoming more aware of how they can attract women throughout their entire life, from the earliest worries about the biological clock to the later worries with coping with aging and how that affects the aesthetic, their acceptance with regards to their appearance and so on. When it comes to economic effects, in other words, recruitment and workforce, then you're going to see a big impact. And I'm really feeling excited about that in the future.
MUELLER: We have so much wisdom to share and I think as we extend our lives, we're staying more relevant longer in terms of technology and trends and how to do our job. .. It's going to be just an open conversation. You know, and not shoved under the rug. I think in the last three years, it's changed dramatically. But I think as that generation starts to age into menopause, they're going to be even more vocal about changes. I think it's a generational shift that's happening.
MUELLER: We all have to become informed and that's the first step. And we say this all the time to our community, you have to become informed and then you will feel more empowered to make a decision. I think there's a lot of other, you know, practical things that women are starting to do, like nutrition levels, protein intake, weight bearing exercise, all of that is so important to start even in your 30s. And it's never too early to start these good practices.
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00:46 - Meet Dr. Becca Booth
01:46 - Meet Sally Mueller
09:27 - The state of women’s health practices
11:24 - Finding accurate information
19:50 - Setting realistic aging expectations
23:47 - Systems and institutions that offer support
31:56 - Women’s roles in families
35:00 - Looking to the future
47:10 - Where to find our guests
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Find Angela Pittman Taylor on LinkedIn
Find Jaleigh White on LinkedIn
More about Baird
[00:00:00] Angela: Welcome to Invested. We're hosting a five episode miniseries on the Sandwich Generation. My co host for this miniseries is Jaleigh White. Jaleigh, how are you doing today?
[00:00:14] Jaleigh: Great, Angela. So excited about our conversation today. Good to see you.
[00:00:18] Angela: Good to see you too, and I am excited as well. Our conversation today is about health and wellness planning in that critical midlife period, and I can't wait to get into it. We have two fabulous guests joining us today, so Jaleigh I'll turn it over to you to introduce them.
[00:00:34] Jaleigh: Great. Thank you. I'm very excited to have just such experts with us today, uh, both from talking about their personal stories and journey and how they help so many women. So we're going to start with Becca Booth, uh, who is an OBGYN, uh, for 35 years. She, uh, was at Women's First of Louisville, one of the largest OB GYN facilities in Kentucky, serving women for so many years.
[00:01:01] Uh, she's an expert at hormonal wellness and, uh, I've got to tell you, Becca, your first book, The Venus Week, I've shared with so many people, uh, from my daughters to girlfriends along stages. It was such a help to all of us. Uh, and I know you've appeared in a number of different leading women's magazines and really I'll say brought the conversation into the mainstream of our conversation.
[00:01:24] That has been such a helpful. So welcome. We're thrilled to have you today.
[00:01:28] Becca: Well, it's great to be here. And yeah, the book was a gift to be able to do, but it, you know, like anything that you do, there's always those that came first. So I was able to kind of float on the backs of many other pioneering women to try to help them spread the messaging. So thanks, Jaleigh.
[00:01:46] Jaleigh: Well, and another, you're sitting right beside another woman who's helping, uh, both spread the conversation, information, and provide us with real tools and resources we can use. And that's Sally Mueller, co founder of Womenness. Uh, she's all about changing the conversation around women's health, aging. Uh, and you're an expert really in the retail business, 20 plus years at Target. So an expert in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and, uh, really how would we all start helping each other, uh, talking about this more, sharing information. I think back to my mom's generation, it was just a taboo subject that no one talked about, like, but we all experienced. So,
[00:02:29] Sally: It's changing. Thank you. It's so great to be here.
[00:02:33] Jaleigh: Yeah, it is changing. I mean, thank goodness. Uh, we, we all, we all, it is well overdue. So I'd like for both of you to first start talking and sharing with us a little bit about what makes for you personally the work that you do, rewarding. how did you kind of get on this journey and what makes it rewarding for you? So Sally, let's start with you. I
[00:02:56] Sally: Well, I think, you know, it's all about helping women and my career, as you said, started in retail and I spent a lot of time in fashion. Womanness came about because of my own personal journey, which I know we're going to touch on, but it was, it's so rewarding to really have a company with such a great mission.
[00:03:18] And our mission is to, to educate, to inspire. Women and provide products that are innovative, clinically proven, really a total solution to healthy aging and menopause. So it goes without saying it's very rewarding to help women and get such great response, um, from our customer and just women at large. I also think it's been rewarding to see how we're creating a new category at retail.
[00:03:47] A lot of retailers are now deciding to really go after women's health. They're realizing the buying power of midlife and, you know, older women. And we've been really largely ignored. So it's, uh, not just from product, but also from marketing. So it's really exciting to be educating retailers and seeing them act on this opportunity.
[00:04:12] Jaleigh: agree. And as you said, this is personal for you. Tell us a little bit about that, uh, that doctor's visit that really changed your life.
[00:04:20] Sally: Yeah, so I knew I was in menopause, but I didn't realize menopause was more than hot flashes. So I was experiencing sleep issues, low libido, change in skin, and I really thought it was stress. I was traveling with my job all over, frankly, the world, and gone a lot, and not sleeping well, I think, was kind of the underlying issue, but it affected me holistically. And I finally found myself at a doctor's appointment at Mayo Clinic. And the doctor there was very educated about menopause, which as Becca, you know, it's very rare that doctors are comfortable and educated in menopause because it's an elective in med school. That's what I've been told by the Mayo doctors and she educated me about menopause and she said, Sally, I see patients all day long with libido issues and sleep issues and, you know, we're going to get this fixed.
[00:05:22] And, you know, she educated me about hormone therapy. But at the end of the appointment, she gave me a list of products to check out on Amazon. And that's when I literally gasped and I said, I'm not buying any of these products. They were not modern. They were not, um, innovative. And I could tell that was, you know, I trusted that she had curated the best assortment, but it was just symbolic of the fact that this category was not touched.
[00:05:53] It was some of these old legacy brands. And, you know, I had just come off of creating a skincare brand that was all about clean formulations. It was for millennials. And I thought, Oh my gosh, this is such a great opportunity. Someone's going to go after that, you know, the space and it should be. Me, you know, I'm in midlife, I'm experiencing this after all, you know, creating so many brands for women.
[00:06:19] So that was really my personal experience of, um, just being shocked at the level of products, over the counter products, that is, that, that were available to women. And this is like, you know, six or seven years ago.
[00:06:33] Jaleigh: It truly is amazing. And, uh, Becca, we expect OBGYNs, all of them to, uh, be the experts in every aspect of menopause because all women experience it, but tell us about your journey as a physician and, and what passion you have around helping us all through that, uh, as we age change and what you find rewarding about the work you get to do.
[00:07:00] Becca: Oh, sure. But you know, I have to agree with what Sally is saying is that I even call it white blindness, Sally. There's so much white space, but
[00:07:11] Sally: Yeah, you're right.
[00:07:12] Becca: reason, the reasons are multiple, but a lot of it has to do with the model of medical education, which is really an apprenticeship. So traditionally, doctors have been taught by men to men until very recently, let's face it, in critical mass.
[00:07:29] So when it comes to understanding the intricacies of the feminine hormonal milieu, if you will, um, it, it takes a lot of metaphors. And it was my, Um, challenge in a office that small office that we have with a small amount of time that we have per patient to try to deliver understanding, which is still the most valuable message we could do.
[00:07:54] And, um, and, and hopefully today will help with that in giving women the empowerment to make their own choices, but which they can't do well, uh, or even manage everything from menopause, perimenopause, but even beyond, uh, fertility, the biological clock and PMS and relationships and even health issues that relate as well and the aesthetic.
[00:08:19] And we could go on and on, as you know, but it's the metaphor that, uh, became my favorite tool. So once I honed a few and then was able to put some down in print. I realized that that was the, that was a great inspiration to me to be able to say here, let me deliver understanding as best I can. And if I see a light up, like I'm sure that many students do with a teacher, then I know that that gift has been passed.
[00:08:48] And that's, that's really driven me and drives me now on this evolution of the second part of my career.
[00:08:53] Jaleigh: you've just helped so many of us start to talk about it more, uh, understand what's really happening in our bodies. Help us know we're not crazy, uh, or, or alone, uh, and just wonder how the generation before us made it through almost in silence. And certainly, you know, without the products, Sally, that, that you're helping to develop and we just feel so fortunate to be in this age where, where it is starting to happen more.
[00:09:24] Uh, and are, are you seeing, is it starting to be more of even a specialty practice among OBGYNs or in physicians, or is it still, uh, rare to find someone who really has deep expertise?
[00:09:39] Becca: Well, we're starting to see a specialty.
[00:09:42] But I will say that one of the problems that we have with the specialties or the siloing, as I call it, of areas of women's health is that women sometimes have trouble deciding whether they are menopausal or perimenopausal or premenopausal or what, and so then they get a little bit more confused and part of my messaging, and it's true with the Venus Week, is that the metaphor is something that can help women understand that there's a transition. The greatest rule for women, and really, and we know this to be true in life in general, is change. So if we don't understand If we understand the changes, the passages that we're to go through, then we, it just makes a silo down. So the, probably the richest, uh, gift than any clinician provider can give a patient, um, is time. And that's a reciprocal. Um, one of the problems with American healthcare is that we have an insurance based model for the most of us, and that limits the economics. So many of my patients would say, I want to, at my annual, you to solve this problem, this problem, this problem, this problem, and it's really not practical.
[00:11:05] So what happens is if I say, I'm going to start you with some information, but I need you to come back. Okay. Some can't afford to come back and some cannot, both from a time standpoint and from an economic with regard to co pays and such. So that's, that's the biggest blockade, uh, economics after understanding.
[00:11:24] Jaleigh: And you mentioned information, uh, it's so hard in this world of social media to know where to go for accurate information. And Sal, I remember the first time I ordered something from your website, I got information back. First of all Great note from you that was personal and welcoming, but, but also you're, you're really, uh, trying to inform us and being that, uh, source of truth and information where, where can women really go if they want to do their own research?
[00:11:58] And, you know, to Becca's point, it's hard in, uh, our current healthcare environment to get the time you need. So where do we go for information?
[00:12:09] Sally: Well, I hope they go to womanness.com, , because we've invested in a lot of educational content. Um, we work with the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Akta Kapoor, there. I know Becca just mentioned menopausesociety. org. I think that's also a really good resource for information. I know the Mayo Clinic has a pretty, um, extensive content, you know, content around menopause on their site. So, I would choose, you know, those kind of vetted platforms for information. I think there, there's a lot of social media out there.
[00:12:46] There's a lot of doctors in the space providing educational content and, you know, I think each woman's experience is unique. So their content might be right on point, but you kind of have to take it upon yourself to try different things. And, um, I think sometimes even running some of the ideas past friends and colleagues is a, you know, that have experienced what you're experiencing is another good way to kind of just like test out if the idea is going to work or not.
[00:13:20] Jaleigh: was thinking even in the last 15, 20 years, uh, there was quite a bit of estrogen hormone therapy fear that was out there.
[00:13:29] what have we learned and where does the U S fit in when you look at the global landscape of how we're dealing with some of the issues of aging?
[00:13:37] Becca: Well, those are all great questions, but I'll start with the fear factor because let, let's face it, When, when you don't understand something, how, how can you be comfortable with it? And again, the lack of understanding in medical education and, and it's, I don't want to sound too blaming because again, apprenticeships, um, are basically mini fields. Uh, it's hard, for example, for an artist to teach an art student without, uh, apprenticing them. Um, and in, you know, In the case of women moving into medicine, it's been slow for obvious reasons. I mean, the birth control pill was only really, um, delivered to us in the United States in 1960, and the globe is still slow to have options to move the woman from the home and the hearth into the professions such as medicine.
[00:14:30] So, getting back to the, What's happened is there's been an absence of that information, the practical information for both men and women. So even when I was in medical school, I kept raising my hand. Oh, let's go back to that slide. Well, you know, no one really wants somebody up there in the front row, raising their hand all the time in a busy, busy curriculum.
[00:14:52] So I had to admit finally that I was passionate about women's health because of my own questions within my own, my personal experience and, and that's a great organic start, isn't it? That being said, when you ask about attitudes of fear, the pendulum swings. In fact, if you look in ancient history, one of the most valuable, um, sort of facts is our secrets that help women avoid unwanted pregnancy.
[00:15:24] And in fact, there is a plant that was farmed into extinction. in a way pre recorded history called silphium. It's thought that the heart shape comes from the seed of that plant. And, um, but there was a lot of hysteria also around the possibility that someone could chew seeds from the fennel family and contracept.
[00:15:48] Um, so we all know that there's been a lot of fear through the years and centuries about contraception and, and really, even the act of having sex. In fact, so much so that until very recently, you chose a life either in a convent or to have multiple children as a woman. There wasn't any other choice. So again, the pendulum has swung so dramatically that we don't even remember that fear so much.
[00:16:16] And that wasn't very long ago. Um, the same thing with hormones. Um, when I was in training, uh, that hormone therapy was extremely popular for menopausal symptoms, but it was ironic, it was almost paternalistic, and I can say this honestly, because there was a professor, uh, associate, not, not clinical full time faculty, and in one of the rounds in my, uh, residency, he literally said we'd like to have our women warm and soft about hormone therapy.
[00:16:46] And it's laughable now because it was so, you know, patronizing, but the truth is that there was a big movement that all women should be on hormone therapy. Well, that's a little bit too much of a pendulum swing if it's driven by, uh, well, you know, what I just stated, for example. And so when complications and risks were made clear through standard medicine, the pendulum swung the other way.
[00:17:10] Uh, then it gradually, it sort of normalized, and in the 80s and 90s, we were prescribing hormone therapy for those women that wanted to accept the risks that were known at that time, until 2002, when the Women's Health Initiative came out. And that, that study was interestingly motivated by the possibility that heart health might be, you Um, something that we should think about with hormone therapy for women.
[00:17:36] And so the cardiologists were so nervous about having to prescribe hormone therapy, I don't blame them, they were elated when they could say, Oh, this is dangerous. In 2002, Um, almost every baby boomer who was coming into menopause felt that it was a crime or a sin to even consider the word estrogen became in the United States so vilified that it was almost the same as even the apple.
[00:18:01] Um, To
[00:18:02] Sally: Mm hmm.
[00:18:05] Becca: other places in the world were far more accepting. And I found when I, when I speak, for example, in the United Kingdom and, and in other places in Europe, there's much less fear about the word estrogen. And in part, one could argue that we've got the forefront here with cutting edge science in the United States.
[00:18:24] But on the other hand, again, that causes the pendulum to go back and forth, which adds to confusion. All of this is a long winded way of saying that. Um, if you don't have understanding, you can't make your own decision. So it goes back to that same theme of delivering the information in an understandable way.
[00:18:42] Jaleigh: Yep. Thank you. You're right. And the responsibility we have to become informed ourselves, but leaning on professionals like you to, to really help start us on that journey is just so helpful and, uh, Uh, so this, our podcast series is all about the sandwich generation, which we've, we've all been there, are there, uh, busiest parts of our lives where we're taking care of children and parents and our own careers and all this.
[00:19:13] And then we start to go through all these changes inside our own bodies at that. to use that time where we have the least time really to take care of ourselves. So, when we talk about aging well, what are the things we really should be focused on and doing in our 40s and 50s to make sure that we're setting ourselves up for good aging?
[00:19:36] You know, long, successful, productive lives inside these bodies that we, uh, reside in. At the time where we don't have any time to do that or can prioritize it. So, would love both of your thoughts. What does aging well really look like?
[00:19:54] Sally: Well, I was just going to say what Becca reminded all of us how important education is. Like, we all have to become informed and that's the first step. And we say this all the time to our community, you have to become informed and then you will feel more empowered to make a decision. I think there's a lot of other, you know, Practical things that women are starting to do, you know, it's, um, nutrition levels, you know, protein intake, uh, weight bearing exercise, all of that is so important to start even in your 30s.
[00:20:31] And it's never too early to start. You know, these good practices. So I think women are really starting to realize that they have to invest time and in some cases, you know, money into, you know, hiring a personal trainer or attending, you know, a Pilates class or whatever it may be. So, um, but I just think a lot of it is in your 30s, really starting some really good practices.
[00:21:01] Becca: Now, I have to add to what Sally was alluding to earlier when she was struggling with her own journey and feeling as though there was really nothing. There was so much blank space there for her to use as aids. Um, again, going back to understanding being the first step, but also awareness When it, with regard to the sandwich generation and the age we're talking about, um, it's relevant that this is the first time in global history that women are actually living more years without ovarian function than with ovarian function. Now if you think about it, It's kind of staggering, but women really only have ovarian, which, let's face it, ladies, those are our gonads.
[00:21:48] Sally: Mm
[00:21:49] Becca: Ovarian function from ages 12 to about 52, that's, that's 40 years. And half of those 40 years, the ovarian function is in decline. So think about that. Now that women are easily, many women living to age 90, that means they only have ovarian function for 40 years.
[00:22:11] And again, half of those years in decline. Just kind of think about that from a man's perspective. What if you told a man, okay, you're going to go through puberty, but you've only got 40 years. You better, you better start optimizing yourself early. Again, not to make light of it or make it a whole. about gender, but it is again to that point of understanding that we are in the sandwich generation markedly impacted by the way our metabolism, our mood, our aesthetic, and our sleep, as Sally said earlier, is all affected by the ovarian retirement plan, as I call it. And I have to say, you know, having been through the sandwich generation phase, it is so difficult and the most difficult for my patients through these years that I've been taking care of them, especially when it, uh, with regard to adding elder care, um, because there are so many mysteries there with when is this going to get easier?
[00:23:13] How is this going to be economically? A lot of times with raising children, you sort of know maybe there's an end in sight or a level of maturity, um, but when it comes to elder care, it's easy to get in a rabbit hole, and you just have to go back to that same old metaphor that we all have seen on the plane, you got to put the oxygen on yourself first.
[00:23:35] Angela: I think it's interesting that you, um, that you talk through, you know, the, the things that we can do for ourselves, you know, the steps that we can take for ourselves. I'm curious if you have, um, opinions. I'm sure you have opinions about systemic and institutional things that need to happen to support women a little bit more during these phases of life that could help us help ourselves.
[00:23:59] Um, and if there are things that you would offer from that perspective.
[00:24:04] Becca: Oh, sure. That's a great question, Angela. And, and to Jalee's point earlier, things are changing. And the best example I can give you is, is one that, um, My daughter has allowed me to share with others is that institutions, including hers, are now paying for, uh, fertility options, such as egg freezing, and we may say, okay, well, that's not every institution, and we know that, but there's a movement, and it's really catching on, and it will catch on fast now that the millennials are not taking on.
[00:24:38] Um, ease lightly to the lack of information. The Gen Xers have said, this is not my menopause. And I was relieved by that because we baby boomers, Jalene knows, were encased in fear since 2002. So I'm so happy to see the Gen Xers sort of change over that dynamic. And the Millennials in the meantime are saying, hey, we want even more than that.
[00:24:59] And whatever you tell us, it's going to spread like wildfire. And behind them, we know are, are. The Gen Zers in the office. So information will spread and that will pressure dynamics to change in the institutions that you're referring to. But again, getting back to my daughter, I'm so happy to go through that process for her.
[00:25:18] And it's sort of like investing with your team, Julie, you got to start early. So understanding your biologic clock and your ovarian retirement plan really needs to happen in the 20s so that when you get to the sandwich time, you're more prepared to put the oxygen mask on.
[00:25:37] Jaleigh: Yeah, I remember the first time I actually, uh, and it was a lot at your encouragement, Becca. You've got to do strength training. You've got to, you know, you're not doing enough. And the first time I went on, I hired a personal trainer and actually blocked it on my calendar. And then I was like, Oh my God, this is, uh, you know, being selfish or what will anyone think?
[00:25:57] And, um, and, and it wasn't even during work hours. It was just,
[00:26:01] Sally: Yeah, I know. We have so many preconceived issues, I think, especially the, as you said, Becca, the, the boomer generation, you know, I think we see it too. Our Gen X customers are so much more open to talking about menopause and, you know, boomers are still a little quiet about it, but, um, I think women. In the past have been instilled to this day are so guilt ridden, like we can't use, you know, an hour of our day to work out. We have to. So I think a lot of companies too are investing in resources. I've been speaking at a lot of women's groups within companies. Obviously, this is a great example, but, um, several, you know, law firms and retailers have invited me to speak just to even educate their female teams about them. Aging well and menopause.
[00:27:04] And I am so thrilled that so many young women come to these events. It's not just the women in menopause. So it's been, you know, I think a lot of companies are starting to realize that they have to educate their workforce. And, um, you know, I think it's going to change in the next several years. You know, as companies have focused on fertility options and, you know, maternity leaves and that kind of thing, what are they doing for their menopausal workforce?
[00:27:34] Becca: it's so true, uh, Sally, what you're saying about the hormonal changes, and what I, what I often will share with my patients is that Mother Nature really has a design on us, and, um, we're, and that's not just true of us, it's also true, of course, of men, and when I say that collectively, it's humans.
[00:27:51] We are, are reproductive, um, Initiatives are very manipulated, including our aesthetic, which can affect our health. So it's not just about being skin deep, as I often say, but, but it's also about mood and understanding and forgiving each other. And that's why I always say, forgive yourself first and then go forward with, again, trying to understand.
[00:28:14] But if you, if you try to deny that there's some kind of a force, then, then you're going to feel even more lost. And what's better is to be able to negotiate with it. And then again, you can say, okay, I get this. I'm in this terrible mood because my hormones just plummeted, or I'm actually having a great hair day because my hormones are really sky high because it's my fertile week.
[00:28:37] I better be careful. I've got rose colored glasses on this week. You know, I maybe need to Try clothes on in a different time of the month.
[00:28:46] Sally: Yeah.
[00:28:46] Becca: so that I'm not saying, why did I think this looks so good on me? So it's all about that again, understanding and then forgiving yourself and going forward with initiatives to offset it.
[00:28:58] Jaleigh: yeah, I see in, um, and technology, some tools that are out there to allow you really track, I mean, you learn so much about it in your book, Becca, in the Venus Week, and, uh, and now there's some tools that actually can help you track where you are in that cycle,
[00:29:12] which is helpful in relationships. And, uh, and iat Baird one of the things we're really working on and have Focus on is the connection between people's financial health, mental health, and physical health and how they're all tied together that it's not enough for us to put together this great plan for you and say, yes, you're going to have enough money to retire and travel and do all the things you want.
[00:29:36] But, but you haven't invested in your physical health, so you're going to get there with enough money, but not the body you need to be able to do those things. So how instead can we help bring that into the conversation in people's 30s, 40s, and 50s of how are you investing in your wellness so that your, these goals you have for later parts of your life, we can help you get the financial resources, but. You need to make some other investments in yourself to be able to really have those become a reality.
[00:30:13] Sally: so true. They're all interconnected.
[00:30:16] Becca: And part of that, to your point, is realizing how much longer we're living. Women have commented that they didn't expect to live as long as they are, and so it goes back to that whole planning. It's sort of like I always say, you've got to pay attention to your skeleton.
[00:30:31] You can have your joints replaced, but when it comes to bone density, you can't have your entire skeleton replaced.
[00:30:38] Sally: Right.
[00:30:39] Becca: So, you've got to know how to start on that again back in the 20s and 30s to monitor that so that when you're 90, you're, you're saying, I can still get around.
[00:30:49] Sally: They need to teach all of us and even high school about, you know, all the different life stages, right? And what you can expect and, you know, how do you become more educated and prepared?
[00:31:03] Jaleigh: You know, Sally, that's a great idea, because you remember when they, um, started on different health, I'll say health issues, like, uh, Smokey the Bear, they did at grade school to kids, because then they went home and put pressure on their parents who are smoking. They went back, you know, if you start to teach high schoolers, maybe they will help with their mothers and encouraging them to take better care of themselves.
[00:31:27] So besides knowing what was coming for their own wellbeing as well. Becca, back to what you're talking about, about the changes in our health system in general, one of the, um, emphasis that we're. Uh, just legacy impact that women have, uh, and one of the things you, you and I were talking about, you were talking about how women are really kind of the keeper of their family health history and that relationship with their OBGYN.
[00:31:56] Can you talk a little bit more about, uh, about that, about what our role is as women in our expanded families of, uh, you know, what history exists in our families and how that might help inform. others in the future.
[00:32:13] Becca: Well, if we think about the model of what we think of Dr. Marcus Welby, MD, some of you may remember that picture or the, the doctor who took care of us from birth to grave and, and we know, know in the United States that in most, most parts of the developed world, that model doesn't exist anymore. And what we found in OBGYN is that we are left with an important legacy to be able to take care of the mothers, daughters, sisters, and even their male relatives, the brothers and the sons.
[00:32:48] Because we ask questions generationally, even from the time that we deliver a baby and look at genetics in the mom that might pass on to the baby, to the time where I'm worried So, when we're talking about breast cancer risk or ovarian cancer risk and talking about hereditary cancer syndromes, what we're finding is that OBGYNs are starting to carry that legacy responsibility.
[00:33:12] And I see that again as dovetailing what what you're some of the work you're doing. So, I know that you and your clients, too, is looking not just at that client, but their future and their future future. So, I've encouraged my partners and my associates to be very open minded about the responsibility and to dive in.
[00:33:34] Because I don't know that there's going to be another field of medicine as we get more siloed that can take on this generational responsibility to educate about the importance of family history. Now that the genetic age has is upon us?
[00:33:49] Jaleigh: I think that's fascinating and something that we didn't just how the role of your specialty has evolved because you know that Marcus Welby, now we run to convenient care for most of the things we used to run to our primary cares for and so that gets siloed all over the place without anyone that really knows the holistic or history of, of what's happened in our family. So, kudos to you for helping the other physicians that you work with understand that they might be it. That can carry that knowledge through to the generations.
[00:34:29] Let's talk about the future. What's out there that's exciting for you as, As far as, uh, how we're evolving from, uh, solutions, resources that might be out there, how we're, you know, one of the things you both clearly mentioned is in the workforce that companies are starting to lean into the conversation, Sally, the work that you're doing in educating them, Becca, many of the things you talked about, about fringe benefits that the companies are starting to offer that are helpful, uh, in all of these different types of areas.
[00:35:04] What do you see as future trends or things that are out there that are going to be helpful for women as they go through all of this aging process?
[00:35:13] Becca: You're summarizing it, but I do think for the first time that employers are seeing opportunities to help women navigate their health challenges as a, as a possible recruitment tool. And that's really exciting. Um, we, we know there's a lot of data out there, that when you get women in high places, like on boards, that all of a sudden the performance of the board, no matter what the industry, improves. And so how are you going to do that? Because as I use many times, I'll have a patient who will say, well, I'm going to go on hormone therapy until I retire. And then I'll say, well, what if you get recruited to a not for profit and you're chair and you're at the board meeting?
[00:35:54] I mean, You might need some help and I want to be able to help you through that passage too. Don't, don't think that your life has ended just when your professional life does. But my point is that I do think institutions are becoming more aware of how they can attract women throughout their entire life, from the earliest worries about the biological clock to the later worries with coping with aging and how that affects the aesthetic, their accept, their acceptance with regards to their appearance and so on. When it comes to economic effects, in other words, recruitment and workforce, then you're going to see a big impact. And I'm, I'm really feeling the excitement about that in the future.
[00:36:36] Sally: Well, and just even for retention, you know, they've invested in these amazing employees and, you know, I've seen it in, in retail. It's such a young environment. And then when they hit like 52, it's kind of expected that they make a decision. You know, to like opt out and that's not right. I mean, we have so much wisdom to share and I think as we extend our lives, we're, we're staying more relevant longer in terms of like technology and trends and how to do our job.
[00:37:12] So it's, um, I agree. I think it's really interesting. I also think, um, you touched on it. Becca, but just the millennials and Gen Z are going to demand better solutions overall. You know, whether it's better, better medical care, better products, better services, all of, all of it. And, um, most importantly, it's going to be just an open conversation. You know, and not shoved under the rug, which it's changing already. Thank God. I think in the last three years, it's changed dramatically. But I think as that generation starts to age into menopause, they're going to be even more vocal about, about changes. Um, so I, I think it's a generational. shift that's happening. And I also think, and this might be controversial, but men are starting to really understand it as well. Um, I mean, there's for sure the men that just want to kind of like, you know, close their eyes and ears to it. And it's sad because I think it's really hurting a lot of relationships, but I know a lot of men that are very You know, very excited about just learning more about it so they can have, you know, they can support their significant other or whoever, you know, female is in their life.
[00:38:38] Becca: I couldn't agree more with that, Sally. And, and in fact, I, I have to say that some of the best reviews of the Venus Week when I wrote it were by men. And, and they would say, oh no, this explains a lot. I, I'm so grateful to have this understanding and, and so it helps all of us,
[00:38:56] Sally: Yeah,
[00:38:57] Becca: And um, and kind of getting back to that point about, okay, bear warning, this next week is not going to be so good for me, for those who are still in that ovulatory manipulative phase of their life. Um, if you will, if you know the recipe, if you know what's going on behind the scenes with Mother Nature's design for you, then you can channel what you want.
[00:39:18] And that really is the beauty of menopause. I mean, once the ovaries retire, we, we get to take back our are aesthetic, we get to take back to some degree our brain, we get to take back a large part of our physiology as far as reproduction goes, and if we understand it we can optimize it. And, and again, Sally, you said it so well, we've got so many more years to be relevant.
[00:39:47] Um, so that's changing everything. It's, it's I will have to say that in the field I'm in, I'm blessed because there is a shortage. And so, I, retirement is a little bit overrated, which is why I use the, the term, um, uh, evolving rather than retiring for me, personally. But I am moving out of the clinical practice setting, even though I loved it dearly, because I need more time to speak to the broader audience, and so do many women.
[00:40:16] And this is, this is what institutions will begin to recognize. And value, um, and then therefore support information sharing.
[00:40:26] Sally: That's exciting.
[00:40:28] Angela: I know that just research just around women's health just in general, and you both touched on it, but I wonder if there's any more that you want to share just around what you're seeing in terms of trends.
[00:40:39] Do you see people just going deeper into, um, Um, more research, more funding, more around women's health.
[00:40:49] Well, I, I, I want Sally to speak to about, I think she's witnessed firsthand that, um, her fundraising has been very successful and that, that would bode for some energy in that space, which is let's face it, global economic forces. Right. That's, um, But there are two things I will say that excite me about where the energy may be going economically, which will lead to more initiatives like what the one we're starting here or you're starting, um, at Baird.
[00:41:19] Becca: The first is that apps, so applications. So I noticed when I was speaking to groups about the book and about the female physiology, that the young, uh, who were using, um, menstrual books, Following flow apps, like I mentioned one brand, Flow, but there are several now that monitor the various cycles. Those young women, because of their understanding from utilization of the application, got the messaging a lot quicker.
[00:41:51] And so there's a technology arm to this. So that's one. So women's intricacies are very application ready, if I might say so, even the old fashioned basal body temperature chart, right? That's so much easier if you can wake up in the morning and take your digital and then put it on your phone or even hook up a thermometer to your phone or watch.
[00:42:13] All right, that's number one. The number two is that genetic medicine is here. Julie pointed out earlier, I had told her that I really see OB GYN, um, again, Women Care as holding the torch of the responsibility to spread the understanding about why genetic data is important. There's a lot of biotech money in the world ready to launch, and it can't be successful without understanding.
[00:42:41] So, who's going to deliver that messaging? And I think, again, when it comes to the little room where One of us is saying we need this test, we'll help you interpret it. That OBGYNs will be the front line, and it could be other, because direct to consumer is very helpful, can be helpful, as long as the information is there.
[00:42:58] But those are two big economic forces, tech and then biotech, meaning genetics.
[00:43:04] Sally: That's
[00:43:05] Angela: And Sally, what would you add to that equation? Because there's a ton of R& D that you've been doing with your work. And what are you seeing that you'd add
[00:43:13] Sally: mean, there's, there's a lot of interest in from investors in investing in this space. So women's health, I think, is the hot category. Um, and I think aging in particular is like, the hot category within women's health along with longevity, which we really see longevity being part of healthy aging.
[00:43:35] And I don't even separate it. You've got to be focused on longevity, as we said, in your thirties and forties, and really preparing for those outer years of, of your life, so it, it all ties together. But I do know from working with the Mayo Clinic, they have told me time and time again, there's just such little investment in women's research, women's health research.
[00:44:01] So I know they're making a huge effort to invest more in women's health because as Dr. Fabian told me, we are not little men. So it's very, I mean, Becca, you, you can speak about this, but you know, just the way we experience heart disease and, um, all sorts of diseases are very different, um, in, in a women's body than a men's body.
[00:44:28] So,
[00:44:30] Becca: Yeah, and it's all coming to light nowadays and, and, um, to your point, uh, and the dollars will follow that and the support and the research will follow the dollars. We, it's hard to move away from economics, but there is also room for, uh, private investment. And, um, we are seeing that increase. Women are, uh, are out there in the workforce and have resources and want to share those resources.
[00:44:55] And I always remember that economically, it was a woman who really funded the research behind the birth control pill, which, let's face it, changed the world. Her name was Catherine McCormick, and she had, she was married to someone with a very bad disease, schizophrenia, who died quite early, and she wanted to make sure that women had opportunities to family plan. And so, I think this is gaining momentum, and so there's the private arm to support the initiatives, which again, mainly is education and understanding.
[00:45:32] Sally: right. But yeah, there's been so many female entrepreneurs that have decided to really embrace women's health and menopause. I know, you know, the medical community, many of them are opening their own businesses and practices, and it's been really exciting to be a part of it. And I think investors, you know, venture capital is obviously very exciting.
[00:45:56] Yeah. You know, starting to invest more and more in this category. Um, and, you know, we've been, as Becca said, we've been really grateful for our investors and, you know, we've, we've haven't had any issues raising money because I think everyone realizes that the market potential is huge.
[00:46:17] Angela: It's very encouraging. Very encouraging.
[00:46:20] Jaleigh: We appreciate the work that you both are doing. To help, be there to help us with information and resources and education. Uh, and we just thank you for being with us today. It was, uh, informative and, you know, 20 years ago, 10 years ago, maybe, uh, could never have imagined a financial services firm having a discussion about this topic. That's so important to so many of our clients and as we're having those conversations with clients about their total wellness of financial, mental, physical, and how they all must be fit together for the ultimate outcome. To prioritize what they need as we all age, to be able to be there for the people that we love and to live life to the fullest for as long as we can, which is getting longer and longer.
[00:47:10] Angela: Thank you for joining us. Now, as we close here, Becca, where can our listeners find or connect with you online if they want to learn more?
[00:47:17] Becca: So, um, I'm still emeritus at Women First in Louisville, but um, veneffect. com, Veneffect is sort of a condensation of the Venus Effect. That my sister Cecil, who runs it with me, uh, and I call the, this sort of the messaging behind the Venus Week. Um, so veneffect. com.
[00:47:40] Angela: Wonderful. And Sally, how about you? If people want to learn more about you or more about woman ness, where can they find, where they can find you?
[00:47:47] Sally: Womanness. com, easy enough to remember. And then my Womanness is our Instagram handle. So, and Facebook handle. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and even LinkedIn. We publish a lot of information on LinkedIn.
[00:48:05] Angela: Wonderful. Well, thank you so much, both of you, for being here.
[00:48:08] Becca: Thank you all.