Melinda French Gates: Inside Her $600 Million Mission for Women's Health

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Hi there, friends. Well, we have all been sold a pretty specific story, I'd say, about what your next chapter is supposed to look like. You slow down a little bit, you finally start putting yourself first after lots of years of putting everybody else there. And I love a good rest as much as the next woman, but the guest sitting across from me today did the exact opposite and I've not been able to stop thinking about it. Melinda French Gates spent 25 years running the biggest philanthropy in the world and somewhere in her late 50s, she walked away from all of it. Not to slow down, though, but to go pick a harder fight. And here's the number that made me understand why. For every dollar the world spends on medical research, only about 5 cents goes to women's health. 5 cents for half the people on the planet. And the piece of women's health that gets ignored the most happens to be the exact piece this whole show is built around, the midlife years nobody warned us about. That's where Melinda has decided to put her money and her name. She also came here with some news and it is big and it's going to matter for every one of you out there listening. I'm not the one that gets to tell you though. I wanted her to come straight here and tell you herself. So, pay attention to what made a woman at the very top decide the fight wasn't finished and pay attention to what she's no longer willing to accept. Okay, enough from me. Let's get into it. So, it's so good to see you and so good to have you here, Melinda.

You know, the last time that we spoke, you had a big announcement and I just I was thinking about it, you know, we were jumping on here to talk and I was thinking about the fact you have pledged $2 billion to women and families in your lifetime, which is just incredible. And today you have more news. So, tell me what you are announcing.

I'm so glad to hear that and I, you know, when I first jumped into this space after being a journalist for such a long time, it was mind-boggling to me the number of women we were talking about and then continually seeing the lack of so many different parts of this. You know, I know that the goal, you know, initially when we talked last was announcing funding and support for the nonprofit Welcome Leap, which is just incredible. I mean, the goal to research conditions that uniquely and disproportionately affect women, this new announcement really builds upon all of that, correct?

You know, what pulled you toward midlife and menopause? Because I know that it, you know, it's starting to become a real conversation. And I guess when you peel back layers and you look, there's so many areas where we're missing. It's not just the education, it's all parts of this.

It is mind-boggling when I think it. When I think about what we watched other generations go through, too. I mean, for me, I stepped into this because it became very personal for me. It happened at work. I was having brain fog. I was dealing with things. I just didn't feel like myself, which I'm sure you've, you know, heard that sentence over and over if you've talked to any women, you know, in this transition. Was it personal for you at the same time once you started seeing what was going on?

You know, it's really interesting because now that women are I think they're feeling a little more free to talk about it at a younger age, too. And a little more like, oh, maybe that is what I'm dealing with. And I think that so many of the listeners we have on the podcast have sat across from a doctor, like you said, and then they've gone from one to another to try to figure out what's happening and then told, you know, as part of that dismissal, your symptoms are just all a part of getting older. And that has to stop happening. And I know that this announcement is going to lead toward women not being dismissed when it comes to being in that doctor's office.

Mhm. So many of the things I was saying to somebody recently, I didn't talk about my bones before. No one talked to me about cardiovascular health. I went to my first cardiologist just recently because one of the doctors I interviewed said, 'You haven't gone to the cardiologist yet?' And I said, 'I didn't even know I was supposed to.' If there is a woman that's listening that's maybe deep in perimenopause right now and feeling dismissed, what are you hoping she hears is coming? Because I think that, you know, this type of funding, this type of help, this type of exposing some of the things that need to be fixed right now is going to make a real big difference to one woman after another after another.

So, can we talk about that and just kind of drill down a little bit on the funding and announcement of what where that's going because, you know, you've touched on it. When somebody goes to a doctor, whether it's a GP or whether it's an endocrinologist or an OB/GYN, most of the time they're not informed, like you said. They don't know what's going on. And we're lucky that we have a lot of doctors that have said, 'Okay, you know, I delivered babies for a long time and now I want to focus my attention on midlife care and women that are going through this transition, but there are so many more that are not educated about this.' So, can we talk a little bit about what the funding and the grant is going to be able to do?

It's incredible because that is the one area that we need it most, right? So, if a woman's listening right now and she goes to a general practitioner, she goes to somebody else, they will, as a result of this, be educated, informed, and be able to know how to treat that, whether she wants to talk about hormone therapy or wants to talk about other options.

The fact that it is happening and you're doing what you're doing, I think makes all the difference to women because we know that there are so many years that we go through this transition that, you know, it's exciting to see. With the Menopause Society in particular, they have done just a really incredible job of that education, and now it's a matter of making sure that everybody, you know, is on the same page, no matter who you're going to.

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You know, I want to ask you this. Why go straight to the doctors instead of straight to the women? I think it's really important that people understand that.

Yeah, I mean, I thank you for asking that. I think that the experiences they vary, obviously, and I think that what's been really interesting of late anyway, is the fact that women are going in there really educated, which is good news. Women are going in there saying, 'This is what I want.' And they find some doctors know, and some doctors are not willing to talk to them about it, or some doctors are saying, 'You're too young to start hormone therapy.' If they're in the throws of perimenopause, so it makes me really excited to know that we're going to have eventually doctors that are trained, because for women to be dismissed is unbelievable. And to be what I would said to a friend recently is I said, 'The onus is on women all the time. It's to go in there and fight for it, right? It's to go in there and make sure we've got the right options. It's to make sure that we follow through.' And even today we're talking about an estrogen patch shortage in a lot of places. And so now women have to go there and figure out, you know, what they're going to do for their estrogen. So I think it doesn't stop for women, so it's nice to see, you know, this going toward women during this stage in life, because such a small fraction goes toward women that are in this aging process.

No. Right? Like that's such a good analogy.

I think so. You know, I never want to blame the doctors, because I think that nobody gets into the medical profession not wanting to take care of people. And so, you know, they're but at the same time they've not been educated about that. And so they come into this period of life and I think what I've seen is most of the doctors or physicians that, you know, they're going through this themselves and they're seeing their patients now go through it, are able to share and understand that a lot better, which is great. I've seen many leave their practices of years and years to be able to focus on this.

We did two different films on menopause and perimenopause, and the big question that was always at the end of that was, where do I go and find help now? And so I was thinking about that when I knew we were going to talk about this today of you know, people are going to be able to have an answer to that question. Daughters and granddaughters are going to be able to have an answer to that question, and that makes a huge difference.

Yeah, you know, it's interesting. I look at it now and I think like the different generations that are going to be coming up and dealing with this, you know, a lot sooner because they're going to be allowed to deal with it a lot sooner and have access. And I guess I think often about those young women and wondering if there's ever going to be, and maybe this is something that we do down the line, a baseline for women. So, you know, we know we go in there when we're supposed to have our mammogram or colonoscopy and I do wonder if women at 35 or 37 or whatever the age is are asked that question. How are you feeling? Do you have these 50, you know, symptoms? You have 10 of these symptoms, you know, maybe this is where you're at. So, that baseline I think is going to be exciting to see at some point.

I mean, maybe pay attention.

Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. You know, I lost my mom to breast cancer in 1990. So, it was right around, you know, right after she was diagnosed is when that foundation was set up and the changes that it made for so many women and they did focus on families of people that were lost to breast cancer, but what I've seen through the years because that was the big part of women's health that I was advocating for for such a long time and to see where that's come and I hope that, you know, we get to that next place here as well.

Yeah, I don't know why that continuum kind of stops right in the middle, you know? It was always mind-boggling to me. I was thinking about the fact, you know, I was a journalist for 30 years before I walked away from my career and I look at it and I was like, how many times did I ever say menopause on television? I honestly, I think beyond that study, it was never brought up. We did every study on heart and on men and on diets and on whatever you could do, but midlife and aging and women and menopause was certainly not one of them. Linda, I love your book, The Next Day. It is a must-read. For women who feel like everything is shifting underneath them, what do they need to know about how you get to the next day?

What do you say to a woman that is building her next chapter? We talk a lot about it on here. I certainly did that. I walked away from my career, got remarried at the age of 50. I did a lot of these changes in time and of course I went through menopause. What do you say to a woman who is building her next chapter?

Petrifying.

You don't and I think that a lot of us feel like we have to fit into this timeline. Do you feel like you are unfinished because I feel like that's a word that keeps coming back to me these days as I'm like, oh I'm not finished yet. I am unfinished right now. Do you feel unfinished?

You're so inspirational, such a great example and such a gem, too. All of it combined. I'm really grateful that I get to know you and be able to talk to you.

I really am.

What do you wish people knew about let's say when they're making a career change or in your case it sounds like you made a marital change. What do you want them to know?

What a great way to look at that. It's so true. Well, Melinda, we have Hot to Trot Walks. So, if you ever want to go on one with me in New York or LA, we get groups of women together and go on walks. So, let me know.

I love it. All right, do you have any habits that are your non-negotiables? That's going to be my last question for you because I think it's I want to learn from women always.

I'm with you. Thank you for this. Thank you for everything you're doing for women. You know, we're going to see these changes for generations and generations and that really means something. And to every woman that's out there that's been dismissed, you know, thank you.

I appreciate it. How inspiring is Melinda French Gates? I told you this was going to be a good one. Well, if anything she said stuck with you, do me a quick favor and leave a review wherever you're listening from. It takes about 30 seconds and it is the single best way to help another woman find this show right when she may need it. I'll see you next time. Today's podcast is sponsored by Midi Health. So many of you know this, but I was dismissed over and over again when I was struggling with perimenopause symptoms. I didn't even know I was in perimenopause. It is so important you're getting care from someone that specializes in women in midlife and that they're willing to have the hormone therapy conversation with you. I get questions from you every single day about where to go for support and I'm always suggesting Midi Health. It's covered by insurance and you don't even have to leave your house. Ready to fill your basket and write your second act script? Visit joinmidi.com/tamsen today to book your personalized insurance covered virtual visit. That's joinmidi.com/tamsen. Midi, the care women deserve.