Melinda French Gates: Inside Her $600 Million Mission for Women's Health
6/4/202628 min
Melinda French Gates joins Tamsen with a major announcement, a huge new donation toward women’s midlife and menopause care, and she’s making it right here on The Tamsen Show. Melinda has pledged $2 billion to women and families in her lifetime, and this new commitment expands her women’s health work into menopause for the first time. In this episode she breaks down what the funding means for perimenopause and menopause care, why so many women get dismissed by their doctors, and how she plans to fix it, starting with the people we turn to first: our doctors. Right now only about a third of OBGYNs are trained in menopause. Less than one percent of aging research even looks at it. Melinda is putting real money and her name behind changing that, and this conversation is about what that shift will mean for you, your friends, your daughters, and the generations coming up behind us. We also cover:
- Why the funding goes toward training doctors instead of going straight to women
- Why it took Melinda three doctors to get the right care, even with every resource available to her
- The bone health and cardiovascular risks no one warns you about
- How menopause could have its own Susan G. Komen moment
- What she learned about navigating big transitions and building your next chapter
- The daily non-negotiables and decades-long friendships that keep her grounded Melinda’s latest book, The Next Day, is a must-read on navigating life’s biggest transitions. You can find it here If you like this episode, then you will love: Perimenopause 101: The Symptoms, Tests & Fixes No One Tells You About Follow Melinda on Facebook Follow Melinda on Instagram Stay connected with Tamsen: Get Tamsen's newsletter filled with free tools to living better, feeling stronger, and knowing you’re never alone Get Tamsen’s NYT instant bestselling book, How To Menopause Free Resources from Tamsen Watch all the episodes on YouTube Follow Tamsen on Instagram The Tamsen Show on Instagram Follow Tamsen on TikTok This show is sponsored by Midi Health. Visit https://joinmidi.com/tamsen today to book your personalized, insurance-covered virtual visit. Midi. The Care Women Deserve. Go to https://www.leesa.com/ for 25% off select mattresses PLUS get an extra $50 off with promo code TAMSEN. Support our show and let them know we sent you after checkout! Medical Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical concerns or treatment options. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of The Tamsen Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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First 90 secondsTamsen Fadal· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hi there, friends. Well, we have all been sold a pretty specific story, I'd say, about what your next chapter is supposed to look like. You slow down a little bit. You finally start putting yourself first after lots of years of putting everybody else there. And I love a good rest as much as the next woman, but the guest sitting across from me today did the exact opposite, and I've not been able to stop thinking about it. Melinda French Gates spent 25 years running the biggest philanthropy in the world, and somewhere in her late 50s, she walked away from all of it. Not to slow down, though, but to go pick a harder fight. And here's a number that made me understand why. For every dollar the world spends on medical research, only about five cents goes to women's health. Five cents for half the people on the planet. And the piece of women's health that gets ignored the most happens to be the exact piece this whole show is built around, the midlife years nobody warned us about. That's where Melinda has decided to put her money and her name. She also came here with some news, and it is big, and it's gonna matter for every one of you out there listening. I'm not the one that gets to tell you, though. I wanted her to come straight here and tell you herself. So pay attention to what made a woman at the very top decide the fight wasn't finished, and pay attention to what she's no longer willing to accept. Okay, enough from me. Let's get into it.
Speaker 21:18
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