Dr. Mary Claire Haver

So you decide to...

do a brand around menopause.

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No part of this podcast or any related materials are intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Three and a half years ago, I was invited to consult on a new brand that was being developed in the menopause space by my guest today, the Academy Award-nominated actress and now entrepreneur and author, Naomi Watts.

She was building this brand after her own personal struggles with menopause.

At the time, I was still a practicing OBGYN running a very new small menopause clinic with just a modest social media following.

I was flattered and curious, so I said yes and got on a plane to New York.

When I got there, honestly, I was a little nervous.

I walked into a room with 30 people, medical experts, advocates, and a group of people from brand development.

And the middle of it all was Naomi.

Not celebrity Naomi, but quiet, focused, intent Naomi.

She didn't just want to sell products.

She wanted to normalize the conversation around menopause, build community, and give women language and tools.

I asked her point blank if it was scary, as an actor, to label herself as menopausal in an industry that punishes women for aging.

She answered fully and honestly, and something she has continued to do in the years since.

Since that weekend, Naomi and I have shared the stage on panel discussions and at conferences.

And when she asked me to write the foreword for her book, Dare I Say It, now a New York Times bestseller, it was one of my greatest honors.

And she is here today to talk more about all of this with her trademark honesty and desire to build a community of empowered women.

I'm Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and certified menopause practitioner.