How Halle Berry Became The New Face Of Menopause

Forbes

Now 58, the Oscar-winning actress is taking on her most important role yet—championing women’s health. It’s a mission of both advocacy and entrepreneurship that began when her own perimenopause was misdiagnosed as herpes.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2025/07/30/how-halle-berry-became-the-new-face-of-menopause/  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00Today on Forbes, How Halle Berry Became the New Face of Menopause.

00:06Halle Berry knows what you think of her.

00:09The first, and so far only, black woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress,

00:14the former model and fixture on Most Beautiful People lists,

00:17is all too familiar with being best known for her performances and her looks.

00:22But three words she shouted on Capitol Hill in May 2024,

00:25while surrounded by a bipartisan group of all-women senators,

00:29might change that.

00:30She said, quote,

00:32I'm in menopause.

00:34I've heard you also say that you are the perfect messenger for menopause advocacy.

00:39Why do you say that?

00:40Because I'm unafraid to speak about it.

00:43And I think for so long, people have, I think, put me in this sex symbol box.

00:53And I think for someone like me to speak about going through menopause,

00:57which has been so stigmatized, and if I can say,

01:00hey, it's sexy to be at this, to arrive to this time of our life,

01:04it's actually a privilege to age.

01:06And we can really do that in a beautiful, confident way,

01:09I think makes a difference.

01:11And I think people are listening to me,

01:13and I think women are listening to me,

01:15and I hope I'm giving them the courage to stand tall

01:18and accept that this is a wonderful part of aging,

01:21and that we don't have to stay eternally 30.

01:24I mean, who wants to stay eternally 30?

01:26And when you ask women to do that, we don't ask men to do that,

01:29but when you ask women to do that,

01:31you're really setting us up to do the impossible.

01:33So you're setting us up for failure,

01:35and therefore furthering how bad we feel about ourselves.

01:39And that just can't be our story.

01:41We've got to change that as women.

01:44In her sixth decade, Berry is laser-focused on women's health.

01:48It's a mission of both advocacy and entrepreneurship

01:50that began when her own perimenopause was misdiagnosed as herpes,

01:55and she realized just how much more awareness

01:57both doctors and patients needed about this crucial,

02:00and for those who live long enough, universal life stage.

02:05Berry's vehicle is ReSpin,

02:07originally a wellness and exercise website she founded in 2020,

02:11but which relaunched this February

02:12as a menopause-focused healthcare company.

02:15With less than $5 million in funding from investors,

02:18including Kossla Ventures,

02:20ReSpin is still in its earliest days.

02:22Telehealth visits just launched in July,

02:24and revenue is still mostly nascent.

02:27But she's feeling invigorated by the task

02:29of growing and scaling her startup.

02:31She says, quote,

02:33This is my greatest act,

02:34and I couldn't have imagined

02:35that this would be my greatest act

02:37because I think as women,

02:39we've been afraid to age.

02:41Berry is one of the 200 entrepreneurs,

02:44changemakers, and leaders

02:45on Forbes' fifth annual 50 over 50 list

02:48who have come to see their age as an asset

02:50rather than a liability.

02:53Produced in partnership with Morning Joe co-host

02:55Mika Brzezinski and her Know Your Value initiative,

02:58the 50 over 50 highlights women

03:00who are generating outsized professional impact

03:02in their sixth, seventh, or eighth decades.

03:06Berry launched ReSpin.com as a website

03:08during the pandemic,

03:09offering at-home workouts,

03:11exercise gear like strength bands and jump ropes,

03:14and a community of like-minded women.

03:16Today, the company is dual-pronged.

03:19One side sells community memberships.

03:21For $149 a year,

03:22users get access to private chats

03:24with other women going through menopause,

03:26live Q&As with doctors

03:28and early access to Berry's favorite wellness gadgets,

03:31and through a partnership

03:32with women's intimacy company JoyLux,

03:35intimacy gel for $21 or $45

03:37and a vaginal wand with red light therapy

03:40to help with vaginal dryness

03:42and pelvic floor functioning for $495.

03:46Over on the ReSpin health side of the business,

03:49women seeking answers about their menopause symptoms

03:51can book a 30-minute telehealth visit

03:53with a menopause-trained physician

03:55or nurse practitioner for $55.

03:59Ali Tam Tumasova,

04:01ReSpin Health's co-founder and CEO,

04:03says women can also answer a detailed questionnaire

04:06to receive a personalized lifestyle plan for $20,

04:09sign up for group coaching sessions

04:11to help stick with that plan for $45 per month,

04:14or pay $100 for a one-on-one session.

04:18Frederic Dahm,

04:19a general partner at GV,

04:21formerly known as Google Ventures,

04:22and an early investor in ReSpin competitor MidiHealth,

04:26which was founded by 50 over 50 alumna Joanna Strober,

04:29says that currently there is more demand for menopause medicine

04:32than there are practitioners available.

04:35In the U.S., 1.3 million women enter menopause every year,

04:39while fewer than 2,500 physicians

04:41are certified in menopause medicine.

04:44Globally, the market,

04:46which includes hormone replacement therapy,

04:48prescription and over-the-counter drugs,

04:50dietary supplements and nutritional advice,

04:53was valued at $17 billion last year

04:56and is projected to grow to $24 billion within five years,

05:00according to Grandview Research.

05:02Dahm says, quote,

05:03It's a huge market.

05:06And it's a broadly defined one,

05:08which is why Berry is aiming wide.

05:10Can you tell us about ReSpin Health?

05:12We are trying to be your one-stop shop,

05:17all things menopause.

05:19Because what I've learned on this journey

05:22is that every woman menopause is in a different way.

05:25For full coverage,

05:26and to see our full video interview with Halle Berry,

05:29as well as see the whole Forbes 50 over 50 list,

05:32check out Maggie McGrath's piece on Forbes.com.

05:36This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes.

05:39Thanks for tuning in.

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