.png)
We'd love to learn about your business and what you do. Can you share more?
Our virtual clinic, Midlife Wellness, was founded because women and people AFAB deserve better menopause and perimenopause care. As nurse practitioners, we repeatedly saw people in midlife struggling to feel like themselves again—experiencing symptoms that affected their sleep, mood, energy, relationships, and work, but often feeling dismissed or rushed through appointments.
Many traditional clinics operate on 10–15 minute visits, which simply isn’t enough time to address the complex hormonal and life changes that happen in midlife. We knew we could serve people better by providing longer consultations, listening carefully to our patients’ experiences, and using evidence-based, FDA-approved treatments to help manage symptoms.
In the United States, 80% of healthcare providers report feeling inadequately trained to manage menopause, and research shows that many people must attend multiple medical appointments, sometimes as many as ten, before receiving adequate treatment for their symptoms. We’re on a mission to change that.
At Midlife Wellness, we focus on personalized care for perimenopause and menopause, including hormone therapy, non-hormonal treatment options, and comprehensive education so patients can understand what’s happening in their bodies. We want people to feel heard and validated—and most of all, we want them to feel like themselves again.
Achieving a balance between personal life and business demands is a hot topic. What strategies have you found effective for maintaining harmony in your life?
It can be easy to get caught up in grind culture when you’re building something you care deeply about. But we remind ourselves that we work so women can have their best lives possible—and we want that for ourselves too.
We believe rest is part of sustainability. Taking breaks, setting boundaries, and protecting our personal time allows us to show up fully for our patients and for our families.
We also like to say that the patriarchy hates women who rest—so rest becomes a radical act of resilience. Imagine the creativity, health, and joy thatcould exist if we collectively rejected grind culture and prioritized well-being instead.
How do you leverage community and collaboration in your business strategy? We're keen to explore how female entrepreneurs are strengthening ties and creating synergies with other businesses and community members.
Our Atlanta community has been incredibly supportive. One of the most rewarding parts of building this clinic has been connecting with other female entrepreneurs and business owners.
We’ve partnered with several women-owned businesses to host educational events and conversations about menopause and midlife health. These collaborations allow us to bring important health information directly into the community while also supporting other local businesses.
We love the idea that when women support each other’s work, everyone benefits.
Failure is often seen as a taboo subject, but it can be a powerful teacher. Could you share an experience where you faced failure and how you turned it into a learning opportunity?
Owning a business requires making a lot of decisions, and not all of them will be perfect. We’ve learned to be comfortable with small failures along the way. Not once have we gotten something right on the first try while learning how to be website designers, accountants, social media managers, and everything else that comes with running a business.
There has definitely been a lot of trial and error. We’ve invested time and money learning new skills and figuring out what actually works for us. Sometimes that has meant pivoting or trying something completely different. But each experience has helped us better understand our patients, our workflow, and the kind of clinic we want to build. Being willing to adjust, learn, and keep moving forward has been one of the most valuable skills we’ve developed as founders.
Every entrepreneur faces hurdles along the way. Can you talk about a significant obstacle you've overcome and what you learned from it?
Both of us come from nonprofit and healthcare backgrounds where the focus is often on giving as much as possible. One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to provide accessible care while also building a financially sustainable business.
We care deeply about making care accessible, but we’ve also had to learn that just like our patients’ time is valuable, our time and expertise are valuable too. Creating a sustainable business allows us to keep showing up for our patients and serving our community long term.
Like many women entrepreneurs, we’ve also faced moments of imposter syndrome. Over time, we’ve learned to quiet those doubts and trust our training, experience, and the positive outcomes we see in our patients everyday.
What advice or tips would you have for other female founders starting their businesses?
Do it.
Starting a business can feel intimidating, but it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of our careers. Surround yourself with people who support you and lean on your community.
We’ve found that many people want to help and often have skills or advice that can make a huge difference. When women share knowledge and lift each other up, incredible things can happen.
Find Stacy & Marian on Instagram at @midlifewellness_menopause
Photos by Samantha Turnage
Know A Small Business Owner?
We love highlighting female founders. If you know of someone and want to give them some recognition for their hard work, please nominate them!