Building a Menopause Brand: Naomi Watts on HRT, Hot Flashes & Hollywood
2/17/20261 hr 1 min
This week on unPaused, Dr. Mary Claire Haver sits down with Naomi Watts, Academy Award nominated actress, entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author of Dare I Say It. Naomi's career spans decades in Hollywood, from her breakthrough role in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive to recent work with directors like Ryan Murphy and Lena Dunham. After receiving a shocking early menopause diagnosis at 36 while struggling with fertility, Naomi spent years navigating untreated symptoms in silence before becoming an unexpected advocate for millions of women facing midlife transitions. In 2021, she founded Stripes Beauty, a menopause focused skincare and wellness brand...
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMary Claire Haver· Host0:00
So, you decide to do a brand- Mm-hmm ... around menopause.
Naomi Watts· Guest0:06
Yes, and that's where we met.
Mary Claire Haver· Host0:08
Did you get pushback?
Naomi Watts· Guest0:09
I wasn't listening to the pushback. I was listening to myself. That was, you know, like I- I'm sure you've had a moment, you know, you've had ideas that you've percolated for several months, possibly years, you know, and you play, you test the waters with your contemporaries. I'm sure that most people, when, when they come up with an idea, just like comedians go out and test their jokes- Yeah ... we think it through. We test our, through our friends. We, um... And I was, I was getting met with, you know, like, "No, no, no, no. You're not in menopause. You're far too young." You know, like, or, " [laughs] Don't be silly." You know, like, if I would say, you know, "Oh, I'm having an estrogen dip," I would, I would be getting plenty of messaging from those around me that, "This isn't a real thing. Don't go there," kind of, you know- Mm-hmm ... "I'm not r- willing to talk about it, so why should you?" So I definitely kept it tight for a long time.
Mary Claire Haver· Host1:03
[upbeat music] The views and opinions expressed on Unpaused are those of the talent and guests alone, and are provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. No part of this podcast or any related materials are intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Three and a half years ago, I was invited to consult