This Isn’t a Women’s Issue. It’s a System Design Issue.

Menopause has never been just a medical conversation, it’s a systems conversation. As Sabine Hutchison reflects in this episode, the real challenge isn’t that women experience menopause; it’s that the structures around them were never designed to support it.

In conversation with Ann Broché, founder of Uma Health, and Victoria Finlay, creator of The MenoPal, Sabine explores how two women transformed deeply personal frustration into platforms for change.

Ann’s journey began at 46, when unexplained symptoms started affecting her work, wellbeing, and confidence. Despite her medical-adjacent background, she found herself dismissed and unsupported. “It was 2023,” she shares, “and women still can’t access proper menopause care.” Uma Health was built to change exactly that, offering digital access to trained clinicians, prescriptions, and long-term support for women who feel unheard by traditional systems.

Victoria’s story echoes a similar pattern. After years of misdiagnosis, heavy bleeding, anxiety, and physical pain, she realised the system wasn’t just failing her, it was failing an entire generation of women. The result was The MenoPal: an AI-powered companion designed to help women track symptoms, understand their bodies, and walk into medical appointments informed, prepared, and confident.

Throughout the conversation, one truth becomes unmistakably clear: awareness is agency. From anxiety and rage to brain fog and bone health, the guests reframe menopause symptoms not as inconveniences to endure, but as signals deserving attention, context, and care.

The discussion around mental health is particularly striking. The increase in anxiety, depression, and suicide risk during this life stage is real and still rarely discussed openly. As Victoria notes, silence doesn’t protect women. Information does.

The episode closes with a powerful reminder: when women collaborate, systems shift. Innovation alone isn’t enough. Courage, conversation, and community are what turn solutions into movements.

Ripple Reflection:
When women share their stories and build together, they don’t just rewrite systems, they change what future support can look like.

Key Takeaways and Insights

• • Menopause is not a disease it is a natural life stage that deserves holistic, informed support.
  • Digital health platforms like Uma Health and The MenoPal are closing critical gaps in access, education, and care.
  • Mental health during peri- and post-menopause requires urgent attention; silence here can be dangerous.
  • Collaboration between innovators, clinicians, and communities creates lasting ripple effects.
  • Awareness must start earlier; menopause education should reach younger generations long before symptoms begin.

Timestamps & Segment Titles

• [00:00] The Unfiltered Opening: Why We’re Leaving the Bloopers In
• [02:10] Why Menopause Is Still Underserved
• [04:30] What Menopause Really Is — and Isn’t
• [10:20] Uma Health: Rethinking Access to Care
• [14:15] The MenoPal: Data, Dignity, and Agency
• [25:40] From Misdiagnosis to Mission
• [41:15] The Mental Health Conversation We Avoid
• [46:10] Generational Shifts and Cultural Change
• [47:40] Collaboration as the Catalyst for System Change

Watch or Listen:

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