WoW Woman in Women's Health I Jade Kearney, founder and CEO of She Matters
Jade Kearney is a Mental Health Advocate, Founder & CEO of She Matters, and a mother, with a professional background in Education and Talent Development.
Jade’s mental wellness journey began soon after giving birth to her daughter. Jade experienced postpartum depression and anxiety and had difficulty finding a community and culturally competent resources to turn to. The birth of her daughter made her realize the neglect Black mothers face when it comes to their mental well-being.
Jade’s drive to take charge of her own mental health inadvertently led to the creation of the She Matters platform - an online/offline safe space for Black women to relate, connect, and inform on all things mental health.
Jade’s educational background includes degrees and training from NYU, Montclair State University, Georgetown, and Rutgers. Her wellness-related credentials include certifications in Hatha Yoga, Mindfulness for adults and children, Tui Na (Chinese medical massage), and Ayurveda.
She Matters is a digital health platform designed to support Black women who experience postpartum comorbidities by providing community, culturally relevant resources and access to culturally competent healthcare providers. Additionally, She Matters is the authority in Black Maternal Health and offers healthcare professionals a culturally competent certification to help them better meet the needs of Black Mothers and reduce instances of Black maternal mortality.
Tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far. How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
My background is in education and diversity and inclusion. What brought me to this industry was my Master’s degree in digital media design from NYU and the postpartum anxiety I experienced during my time there. This industry, "tech" is not easy to get into, especially as a Black woman. The biggest challenge has been, being outside of the Silicon Valley culture and not having family or friends who can help navigate being a startup and seeking venture capital. Most Black tech entrepreneurs are first-generation, so leaning on our traditional support systems is uncommon in this space. I am forever grateful for the accelerators we participated in, they educated us and gave us mentorship which is really important.
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?
We have been a company for 4 years now, but actively working on She Matters for 5. Most people would think capital is the biggest obstacle, but it isn't for us, it's racism, sexism, and prejudice that all reduce our access to capital.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
Saving the lives of Black women. Our users have told us that our resources have saved their lives. Being the first maternal health company to have a symptom tracker for preeclampsia, eclampsia and HELLP syndrome, being nationally recognized as a femtech company reducing Black Maternal morbidity and having a successful Black Maternal Health seminar in NYC
What are the projects you are currently working on?
Symptom tracker
Culturally inclusive maternal health scale (a culturally competent Edinburgh scale)
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
Absolutely, women deserve a seat at the table. Our ideas are just as important as anyone else's. The more women at the table, the more opportunity for younger women in tech, because we will be their investors and mentors.
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
Tracking Maternal health outcomes in Maternity Deserts.
Mobile and tech-enabled maternal health vans.
Maternal Health equity through telehealth monitoring.
All of these things hold people accountable for maternal health inequities and aim to reduce maternal mortality across the board.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
Know your customer. People will sell you dreams about your product, people will hype you up and invest in your product and the media will write stories about it, but none of that matters if you don't have customers.
Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire? Meena Harris (all-around amazing female founder and investor)
Kimberly Allers (Irth app)
Melissa Hanan (Mahmee)
Find out more about She Matters on their website.
Follow She Matters on Instagram.
Connect with Jade on LinkedIn.
If you want to share your story with us and be featured on our WoW Women blog, get in touch.
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 and read her stories for Forbes here.