WoW Woman in FemTech | Maryon Stewart, healthcare expert and pioneer of the Natural Menopause Movement
Interview by MarijaButkovic
Maryon Stewart is a world-renowned healthcare expert, often referred to as the Pioneer of the Natural Menopause Movement.
Over the last 28 years, together with her team, she has helped tens of thousands of women around the world overcome PMS and menopause symptoms with a well-researched approach, without using drugs or hormones.
Maryon spent over 20 years helping women through her clinic in Harley Street in London. Following one million women viewing her four Facebook Live films on menopause at the end of 2016, she was overwhelmed with emails and stories of extreme suffering. In summer of 2017, by demand from her Facebook Group members, she launched her Six-Week Natural Menopause Solution, a live online learning initiative, based on her successful five-month program. The Six-Week Natural Menopause Solution has become a huge success in the UK, helping women to overcome symptoms, turning women’s lives around in a matter of six weeks.
Maryon Stewart has written 27 popular self-help books, co-authored a series of medical papers, written regular columns for numerous daily newspapers and magazines, and had her TV and radio shows.
In January 2018 Maryon Stewart was awarded a British Empire Medal by the Queen and in December 2018 she was voted as one of the 50 most inspirational women in the UK by Femail in the Daily Mail. She is a mother of four children and now lives with her American husband in Florida and splits her time between home, New York and London.
What is the idea behind your project/product and how did you come up with it?
My mission is to help people with menopause regain their wellbeing.
In the late 80s, I began helping women with PMS based on research in over 200 medical papers. The research was about a non-drug approach to this aspect of women’s health. Following articles in the media about our initiative, we received more than 2000 letters a day from women all over the UK. They were sharing their devastating stories of misery and asking for help. Our successful PMS program went on to help tens of thousands of women around the world, no matter how severe their symptoms. Our studies reported over 90 per cent of women said they were symptom-free within four months. In the early 90s the first medical papers were published on the natural approach to menopause, and at that point, I adapted our learnings from the PMS program to offer help to women going through perimenopause and menopause. We developed a fully researched and effective initiative.
When did all start and do you have other members in your team?
I spent six years out of the field of women’s health, running the Angelus Foundation, raising awareness about the dangers of legal highs in memory of my daughter. In 2016 when I returned to my health career, I no longer had my TV show or my columns in newspapers or magazines, so I wasn’t sure where to begin. I made a few films for women, and someone showed me how to make a Facebook live film and set up a group. I promised I would make a few more films on menopause in the following two weeks, speaking from my heart about my mission that women didn’t need to go on suffering. Within 12 weeks, more than one million women watched my four basic films made on my phone, which left me speechless. I was inundated with suffering from women who felt like they were struggling, feeling that menopause was stopping them from living their lives both in and out of the workplace. Just reading the thousands of messages each week made me tearful and angry that women in such a terrible state were being left to fend for themselves.
Realising I couldn’t do this on my own - I recruited my current team shortly after that. By Spring 2017, we were trying to cope with the number of questions we were receiving each day. And by Summer 2017, we undertook focus groups to find out what women wanted for Facebook has no memory and the answers to the many questions were getting lost in the ether. As women wanted more hands-on help, I took the research-based information I used with my one-to-one patients in my clinic in Harley Street, split it into six modules. I create a six-week course that would teach women how to manage their menopause naturally. What we didn’t realise at that point was that it wouldn’t only be an education piece, but it was turning women’s around in a short space of time. Once up and running, we realised we needed to create tech to support the women, and now the program can be accessed through a mobile phone. We are lucky to have a team with over 120 years of business, tech, design and healthcare experience; some have even won awards in their own right.
How long did it take you to be where you are now?
I’m three years into my journey now. As well as helping women B2C, we have started delivering services in the workplace. Our research of over 1000 women in the workplace that 84% feel their productivity is adversely affected by their menopause symptoms. We are dedicated to spending the next five years helping women, employers and the medical profession understand that women can reclaim their wellbeing at midlife and beyond.
What was the biggest obstacle?
The biggest and only obstacle has been raising funds to develop further our program and technology and our team, which will enable us to achieve our global menopause mission. We aim to change the paradigm on menopause so that instead of women feeling menopause is the beginning of the end of life as they knew it, they come to regard it as a time to have what I call a ‘Midlife Refuel’, without any stigma, so they can become the best version of themselves.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
I have helped tens of thousands of women around the world manage their PMS and menopause naturally, have written 28 self-help books based on published medical research, many of which have reached Best Sellers Lists.
In 1987 I launched the first Telehealth Service for PMS for women all over the world and have appeared regularly on TV shows in the UK and Australia and contributed to many series as well as having my own TV show, The Really Useful Health Show, for 3 years.
I had contributed to over 1000 radio shows and had my own radio show for 2 years.
Following the death of my 21-year-old daughter Hester in 2009, I established the Angelus Foundation and Campaigned for six years to raise awareness about the dangers of ‘legal highs’ (known as Bath Salts in the US), to prevent harm and save young lives. Together with over 20 world class experts on my Advisory Board, we introduced the New Psychoactive Substance Bill in the UK, making legal highs illegal, closing down 500 retail outlets including 115 websites, and we stopped Amazon from selling them world-wide. One year later, a Government Report found a circa 50% reduction in both use and harm in young people aged 16 - 24.
In January 2018 I was awarded a British Empire Medal from the Queen. In December 2018 I was voted one of the 50 most inspirational women in the UK by Femail in the Daily Mail.
What are the challenges of being an entrepreneur in the niche you are in? How about being a female founder / entrepreneur?
It’s sometimes lonely. It’s a lot of responsibility to have such a big vision and practically impossible to stop thinking about ways to achieve the objectives during most waking hours! I have to talk to myself regularly so that I keep a balance in my life, preserving my own wellbeing so that I can be strong enough to see my mission through.
What are your projects you are currently working on?
We are developing our technology so that it helps to motivate women to follow the recommendations. We are aiming to start research to look at the efficacy of our six-week Natural Menopause Solution as it is now and after the development of the next round of tech in conjunction with well published researchers at Loughborough University. We have partnered with Virgin Healthcare and are delivering menopause services in the workplace. We are also helping women with Covid-19 support. Plus, I have just finished my 28th book, which is my first American book, entitled ‘Manage Your Menopause Naturally’, being published by New World Library on 27th October this year.
Is #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
Immensely important. I’m so grateful to be able to attend WOW meetings. I have met some incredibly interesting people including other founders from startups as well as investors. You bring so many amazing and inspirational people together.
What is the most important piece of advice you can give to all female founders and female entrepreneurs out there?
Dream big and vision your success. Don’t be deterred on the bad days. Just know that good days will follow.
What will be the key trends in the health tech industry in the next 5 years and where do you see it heading?
I believe that FemTech will blow the taboo on menopause and both women and men, in and out of the workplace, will fully understand that this midlife experience is just a transition and that it’s possible to have a refuel and feel turbo charged.
Who are your 3 inspirational women in health tech?
Tania Boler, the founder of Elvie
Kate Ryder, the founder of Maven
Miki Agrawal, the founder of Thinx
And finally, you Marija! I am in awe of what you are achieving!
Link to Maryon’s website:
https://maryonstewart.com/healthywiseandwell/
Social media handles
Linkedin / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=maryon+stewart
This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic.