The Real Barriers to Women’s Health Innovation | Joanna Strober

Episode Summary

Women’s health faces systemic challenges that too often leave women without answers — especially in midlife, when care becomes fragmented and reimbursement models make solutions hard to scale.

In this episode of Fempower Health, Georgie Kovacs speaks with Joanna Strober, CEO and co-founder of Midi Health and a seasoned entrepreneur who previously founded Kurbo Health (acquired by Weight Watchers). Joanna shares her journey from personal struggles with perimenopause symptoms to building solutions that confront the structural barriers in women’s health.

Together, we explore why women are left to self-navigate, how venture capital and philanthropy are shaping the field, and what it will take to close the gap between research and real-world care.

If you’re a woman seeking answers about your health, or a clinician striving to better serve your patients, this episode will give you a candid look at the truth: the system isn’t designed for women — but with insight and bold action, change is possible.

Discussion Points

• Why do midlife women often “fall out” of the healthcare system?
• How do insurance and reimbursement barriers prevent women-centered care from scaling?
• Why does it take an average of 17 years for clinical evidence to become standard practice?
• How should innovators responsibly use emerging research in women’s health?
• What role did Pivotal Ventures and Wellcome Trust’s $100M commitment play — and why isn’t it enough?
• How do venture capital investors view women’s health innovation — is it bias, or a need to show scale?
• What cultural factors lead women to tolerate suffering instead of pushing for better care?
• Where does Joanna Strober see hope for the future of women’s health innovation?

🎧 Loved the episode? Here's how you can take action:

1. Help others discover Fempower Health:

Leave a quick review on Apple or Spotify. It’s the easiest way to support our mission and amplify women’s health voices.

2. Stay connected:

Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok, YouTube for real-time updates, expert insights, and relatable conversations.

Or join our newsletter to get curated women's health content—on your terms, in your inbox.

**Top 50 Health Podcast of 2024**

About Joanna Strober

Joanna Strober is a visionary healthcare leader and CEO/co-founder of Midi Health, the fastest-growing national telehealth clinic transforming how women navigate menopause and midlife. Since launching in 2021, Joanna has propelled Midi to serve tens of thousands of patients with insurance-covered, personalized care in all 50 states—filling a massive gap in women’s healthcare. Before Midi, she founded and scaled Kurbo Health, a digital platform tackling childhood obesity, which was acquired by WW in 2018.

Recognized as a CNBC 2025 Changemakers and TIME100 Most Influential People in Health 2025, Joanna is a fierce advocate for women’s health equity. Her leadership has earned national honors—including a White House award for her groundbreaking campaign protecting women’s healthcare access—and sparked viral conversations that challenge the status quo, like forcing Noom to retract an ageist ad. Backed by visionary investors such as Sheryl Sandberg, Connie Britton, and Amy Schumer, Joanna is at the forefront of redefining care for women at midlife, driving real, systemic change in a historically neglected space.

**The information shared by Fempower Health is not medical advice but for informational purposes to enable you to have more effective conversations with your doctor.  Always talk to your doctor before making health-related decisions. Additionally, the views expressed by the Fempower Health podcast guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.**

**May contain affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links**