WoW Woman in FemTech I Allison Lewin, founder of Menowar
Allison Lewin is the founder of Menowar.
She earned her B.A. and M.B.A. from Duke University and built a 25+ year career as a marketing and corporate leader, with experience spanning startups to global corporations, including Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, and Walmart.com. After a challenging menopause transition, she pivoted her career to women’s health, becoming a certified Menopause Coach and founding Menowar to provide midlife education and support.
Allison partners with Over the Bloody Moon to deliver workplace menopause education and training and represents the nonprofit, Menopause Café, in the Bay Area to foster open conversations about menopause. Combining her marketing expertise with women's health, she consults for companies like Midi Health and volunteers with Women’s Health PAC and Women’s Health Advocates to further awareness of, funding for, and legislation to support women’s health broadly.
Menowar empowers women to navigate menopause with expert guidance and support. Their services include personal coaching, educational webinars, speaking engagements, and corporate coaching. On the B2B side, Allison Lewin provides marketing and business consulting for women’s health companies, offering fractional support, project management, and advisory services. Menowar is dedicated to breaking the stigma around menopause and helping women thrive in midlife.
Tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.
With over 25 years in marketing and executive leadership—building brands, businesses, and organizations—I never expected to transition into women’s health. However, two years ago, I faced an incredibly challenging menopause journey. It was my first real encounter with a women’s health issue, and I was shocked by my lack of education and preparedness, as well as how ill-equipped many doctors are to treat menopause.
At that moment, I realized my next chapter was clear—I needed to help other women navigate midlife. I founded Menowar to provide education, coaching, and support. I later partnered with another company to bring corporate midlife education to the workplace. I also offer free Menopause Café sessions to create a space for women to share experiences and advice. Additionally, I leverage my marketing and women’s health expertise to consult with other companies and advocate for policy changes through participation in the Women’s Health PAC and Women’s Health Advocates.
How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
Like many women, I was blindsided by menopause. I knew I had to help others find the resources I struggled to access. However, breaking into the women’s health space was harder than I expected—I quickly realized how much I didn’t know!
My research and education process was extensive – reading as many books and articles I could, listening to podcasts, getting certified as a Menopause Champion with Menopause Experts Group in the UK, and then taking the Women’s Health Mini-MBA (In Women’s Health). I try to talk with as many people in the field as possible and learn every day!
Beyond that, transitioning from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship was a steep learning curve. I was used to managing teams with specialized expertise—now, I was doing it all myself. It was humbling, but I leaned on my network and many resources to get my business off the ground.
How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in?
While I had a strong foundation from my 25+ years in business, I started my journey in women’s health two years ago. I often joke that “pivot” is my middle name! This field is evolving rapidly, so staying ahead of trends and technology is critical, but time-consuming. A good problem to have 😊.
The biggest challenges have that I lacked foundational training in women’s health/tech, the industry being relatively nascent – many start-ups that are small and have tiny budgets and connecting with people in the industry. However, one of the biggest gifts of this space is the generosity of women. There is an incredible spirit of collaboration and support that makes this journey so rewarding. Funding & research for women’s health startups remain a major challenge, but progress is happening!
What are your biggest achievements to date?
Launching Menowar in just three months!
Expanding corporate menopause education with Over the Bloody Moon
Co-leading the SF Women’s Health PAC and organizing a keystone event with 150+ attendees and top-tier speakers
Helping to create the Menopause Brain Trust, now 160+ members strong, fostering collaboration and new initiatives
Consulting with top companies like Midi Health, merging my menopause expertise with business strategy
Attending JPM for the first time, networking with incredible women shaping the industry
The many friends and colleagues I’ve met in this incredible space!
What are the projects you are currently working on?
Consulting with a peri/menopause & longevity startup to define its market positioning
Volunteering with Women’s Health Advocates to organize a San Francisco event
Collaborating with a team to support the American Heart Association on their Go Red campaign to boost women’s heart health awareness & funding
Expanding Over the Bloody Moon’s U.S. corporate business to support midlife women in the workplace
Working as an advisor to two women’s health tech start-ups.
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
Absolutely! The #WomenInTech movement is critical to driving progress in women’s health. The movement is important to me so I can help:
Support women founders & leaders to maximize their success
Increase funding for women’s health tech & female entrepreneurs to develop better solutions for women’s health issues
Ensure women have the knowledge to advocate for their health
Create more jobs for women in tech
Close the gender gap in research so women receive better care & treatment
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
Here are some key trends I see in women’s healthcare and femtech in the future:
Expanded access to HRT as its benefits for symptom relief & long-term health gain recognition and women learn to disregard myths about hormone therapy. Hopefully more doctors will gain menopause education as well!
AI-driven healthcare to predict disease risk, improve diagnosis, and personalize treatments – this will both improve speed of healthcare solutions, reduce cost, and improve outcomes.
Sex-specific research to tailor treatments for women’s unique biology.
At-home diagnostics for UTIs, yeast infections, cancers, and possibly endometriosis.
Consolidation of women’s health startups into larger, full-spectrum care platforms (menstruation to grave).
More funding for women’s health tech from VCs, government, and philanthropic organizations.
Advancements in breast imaging and early risk detection for dense breasts & genetic markers.
Longevity science focused on early screening, regenerative medicine & hormonal optimization.
Greater investment in women’s sexual health, including pelvic floor therapy & self-care solutions.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
Liz Powell: I got to know Liz through the Women’s Health PAC and am totally inspired by her. She is clearly and women’s health and government/policy expert who connects with leaders in the space to advocate and implement change. She has so much positive energy and a warm heart! She is a lawyer, founded and runs her own business (G2G Consulting), does speaking engagements all over the country, helped found the Women’s PAC and just started Women’s Health Advocates. Just an amazing all-around person!
Dr. Mitzi Krockover: I met Dr. Mitzi Krockover through my work with Over the Bloody Moon and got to know her better through the Women’s Health PAC. I deeply admire her mission to engage, educate, and inspire a community of women to achieve optimal health and well-being while driving meaningful change in the systems that impact women's health. She brings this vision to life through her work on the Beyond the Paper Gown podcast, her leadership in the Arizona women’s health community, and her ongoing contributions to the Women’s Health PAC and Women’s Health Advocates. In addition to her advocacy, she actively supports and mentors women entrepreneurs, chairs the Board of the Institute of Mental Health Research, and serves on the board of the Black Women’s Health Imperative. She is also deeply involved in academic institutions, serving on university councils at Arizona State University and Washington University in St. Louis. Through all of her accomplishments, one of the most central aspects of her life is her love of being a mother to two daughters.
Carolee Lee: Carolee is an innovative trailblazer who is transforming women’s health. She founded WHAM (Women’s Health Access Matters), a non-profit pioneering research and funding for women’s health. I love her data-driven, fact-based approach that recognizes that women’s health is a business, and an economic argument needs to be made to progress. Before these efforts, she was a creative force and visionary leader in the fashion world, has served on numerous public and private boards and has been active in numerous civic, philanthropic, and educational organizations
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