When it comes to likely pairings, menopause and entrepreneurship probably wouldn’t rise to the top of the list. Fueled by outdated tropes and stereotypes (about both menopause, and start-up founders) – we’ve been conditioned to believe that old, sweaty, miserable (mostly White) women are representative of the menopause experience, and young, innovative (mostly White) men have cornered the start-up game.
However, with some deeper reflection, a better understanding of what menopause actually is, and some compelling data points (i.e., the facts), the notion of the ‘menopausal entrepreneur’ isn’t really so far-fetched. And after speaking with board-certified Ob-Gyn, Dr. Joy’el Ballard, about how her own perimenopause journey laid the groundwork for her recent transition from a thriving medical practice to founding her menopause coaching practice and Menopause MogulsTM online program, it actually makes a lot of sense.
With Movement Comes Clarity
A recent article in “The Guardian” reported that amidst the pandemic, Black and Latina women are starting their own businesses (with many leaving their traditional jobs) at higher rates than White men and women. According to the article, “Women of color make up only 39% of women in the US but represent 89% of new women-owned businesses. Within that demographic, Black women are leading the charge at 42% of new women-owned businesses, followed by Latina women at 31%.”
Various reasons – from caregiving challenges, to micro (and not so micro) aggressions in the workplace, to pay inequity – were cited for this surge of women-of-color-owned businesses. In early 2021, as the pandemic rolled into its second year of disrupting life as we’d previously known it, Dr. Joy’El Ballard, a wife, mother, and formerly practicing board-certified Ob-Gyn, found herself among this “new-majority” of women-owned start-ups.
“When COVID hit, I’d been a pretty successful practicing physician for more than thirteen years,” she explains, “but when my employer was no longer able to offer the flexibility I needed to support my children through virtual learning at home, I knew I had to make a change.”
At the start of the pandemic, Dr. Ballard was working at a private practice in Maryland that was acquired by a regional hospital system. Prior to the acquisition, her medical practice had been supportive of the flexibility she required to accommodate the home-based learning needs of her three school age children, who were 9, 7 and 5 at the time. When that flexibility was no longer an option, Dr. Ballard made the painstaking decision to resign from her long-established practice so that she could prioritize the needs of her family in light of the new realities pandemic life presented.
She didn’t know it then, but just a few months later she would find herself among the 42% of Black women “leading the charge” in starting a new business, and launch her Menopause Moguls coaching program and intensive workshop for women navigating menopause.
Developing the Mogul Inside of You
It’s important to note that Dr. Ballard’s transition from practicing Ob-Gyn, to claiming her spot as THE chief Menopause Mogul, didn’t come overnight or without some serious preparation.
Now 46 years old and still in active perimenopause, Dr. Ballard first began experiencing life-affecting symptoms related to perimenopause at 39.
“When the symptoms first hit me, I didn’t realize it was perimenopause,” she admits. “I was only 39 and I thought I was too young.”
Up until the point she began having symptoms herself (night sweats were one of her earliest), she says that when working with patients going through what she suspected was perimenopause, she would have to “piece together information” from medical journals or consult with her colleagues, because she hadn’t been taught anything about menopause in medical school.
Dr. Ballard is candid about her own struggles with her changing body and mental state. She’d always considered herself a positive and upbeat person who enjoyed seeing her patients, but her fluctuating hormones had begun to change all that.
“I loved my practice and looked forward to seeing and speaking with my patients, but when perimenopause hit, treating patients became more transactional and impersonal for me, and I found myself exhausted at the end of each day.”
In addition to the night sweats, mood changes and depleted energy, she says she noticed her body was changing and she also struggled with hormonal acne. Her experience spurred her to want to learn more about menopause transition so that she could get some relief and better serve her patients.
As she managed her own experience – primarily through educating herself and then making lifestyle modifications to alleviate some of her symptoms – she began to feel better. She also became hyper focused on helping her patients that were struggling through menopause.
In 2019 she published her book, “Through Perimenopause & Beyond: Loving Me, Myself & Her”. She says that it was also around that time that she became a certified menopause practitioner through the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
In the latter years of her medical practice, Dr. Ballard stopped seeing OB patients and devoted focus to her gynecology practice, allowing for more time to understand symptoms and talk through treatment options with her patients who were mostly perimenopausal or post-menopausal.
“I resigned early last year, just as I was transitioning into more of a menopause focus with my patients. Increasingly, I felt this calling to build my own brand and grow a platform for women going through menopause.”
Even though she had not clarified the vision for Menopause Moguls when she left her medical practice early 2021, she soon realized that she’d been building the foundation for what was to come next. Now she helps other women like her, do the same.
At the Intersection of Menopause and Entrepreneurship
“When I thought about what I wanted to do with my own brand, I knew I wanted to build a business, but initially, I didn’t really know what that looked like,” she said. “I knew I wanted to work with women, especially Black women, and help them along with their menopausal symptoms, but the Menopause Moguls concept really evolved with me as I was transitioning into entrepreneurship myself.”
While she’s been able to more effectively manage her perimenopausal symptoms, she says they’re still prevalent and some days are more challenging than others. She recognizes that without actionable information and the proper support, many women like her may be overwhelmed by symptoms that are keeping them from achieving their career or entrepreneurial goals.
Dr. Ballard says she was intentional in naming her program Menopause Moguls, as opposed to Menopause Boss. “’Boss’ connotes oversight of a thing,” she explained. ‘Mogul’ represents a powerful individual.”
She is resolute in her desire to help more women, particularly Black women (who she believes are under-represented and under-supported when it comes to menopause information), claim their power over menopause so they can “move from resistance to acceptance” and evolve into their purpose.
In her work with clients – whether in her one-on-one coaching sessions or multi-week program cohorts – she emphasizes the three pillars of being a Menopause Mogul:
- Versatility – Menopause represents a life transition; for some this can mean significant change. Your ability to adapt to this change can determine how well you’re able to manage your menopause and career transition.
- Movement – Have you ever heard the saying “fear is a dream killer”? So many of us have fears or self-limiting beliefs that keep us from achieving our goals. The anxiety and cognitive disruptions associated with perimenopause can amplify our fears and limiting behaviors. By taking action – even one small action each day – you move closer toward realizing the life you want and envision for yourself.
- Prioritize YOU – Make self-care a lifestyle, not an activity. Often we are caretakers and nurturers of others – both in our personal and work lives. However, perimenopause and the changes it can bring require that we focus more on our own needs (and wants) so that we can effectively manage this period of transition.
Through this work, Dr. Ballard is living out her vision to support Black women who are navigating the complexities of menopause transition and want to reinvent themselves like she did.
“Menopause Moguls allows me to spend time with women — talking and connecting with them on a deeper level. We work through what they’re feeling, what they want for themselves and what’s holding them back. Then we can focus on the powerful work of helping them not only build a business, but build an empire so they can actually live life on their own terms.”
To work with Dr. Ballard or learn more about the Menopause Moguls program, visit her website. You can also listen to the Menopause MogulsTM podcast on Apple or Spotify and follow her on Instagram and Tik Tok @drjoyel. Her book, Through Perimenopause & Beyond: Loving Me, Myself & Her is available for purchase on Amazon.
Create Account or Sign in to post a review