No, we are not trivializing menopause, a life stage that can include as many as 34 symptoms, but we thought it was a clever wordplay. In truth, menopause is deeply personal and varies from woman to woman. Listen to Catherine Balsam-Schwaber speak about the importance of education and science-backed information to bring menopause to the forefront.

After spending 20 years working in leadership positions in marketing for well-known brands (MTV, NBC Universal, and Mattel), Balsam-Schwaber pivoted to a role that would fulfill her passion of understanding consumer motivation and providing quality health solutions.

That role was with Kindra, a science-backed women’s health community that provides a myriad of estrogen-free menopausal products and education. Balsam-Schwaber describes how “it was destiny” when she took over as Kindra’s CEO after the company’s inception at an incubator.

Balsam-Schwaber passionately describes the stigma and silence surrounding menopause. Some women experience a myriad of symptoms, others hardly any, and many somewhere in between. The Kindra community is defining the new normal when it comes to menopause, by sharing personal stories and science-backed research.

Balsam-Schwaber uses her team members’ wisdom and the strong women-centric platform Kindra provides as a guide for the company’s goals. Listen to her explain why these voices are more valuable than any three-year plan she could come up with alone on this episode of SheVentures.

P.S. Check out Kindra’s online quiz to help you learn more about your body — and determine where you are on your menopause journey.

Time Stamps:

• 1:29: Balsam-Schwaber describes how the skills she gained as a marketer translated to scaling a startup.
• 4:45: Are you curious about the origin of Kindra’s name?
• 13:00: Balsam-Schwaber speaks about why it is crucial to understand how menopause (an often taboo topic) affects the body
• 14:30: Balsam- Schwaber highlights the depth of feedback Kindra receives from its online quiz.
• 16:50: Lavagnino talks about how she experienced a sense of loss when she became menopausal
• 18:00: Our bodies are constantly changing. Balsam-Schwaber describes how menopause is another aspect of a woman’s health that is often stigmatized.
• 19:45: Balsam-Schwaber reiterates that it’s essential to get legitimate, factual, and science-backed information online

SheVentures note: Some additional resources to explore: the National Institute on Aging, the National Institutes of Health Menopausal Hormone Therapy Information, and the Office on Women’s Health

• 20:30: Balsam-Schwaber discusses how Kindra was initially in an incubator program, and how she became the CEO
• 22:15: Learn what it was like for Balsam-Schwaber to pivot from working at large corporations to leading a startup in the middle of a pandemic
• 29:50: Balsam-Schwaber delves into her deep passion for helping women.
• 34:00: Business tip! Balsam-Schwaber underscores why it’s a win-win when employees are in roles where they succeed, not necessarily a role they envisioned for themselves
• 39:45: Balsam-Schwaber describes how she listens to Kindra’s community to understand potential gaps.
• 42:30: Lavagnino and Balsam-Schwaber discuss the challenge of finding time for yourself and the importance of self-care