diary of a ceo: we’ve been lied to about women's health! if this happens, call a doctor! hormone & fertility experts
The Diary of a CEO — The Truth About Women's Health
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summary
a deep and urgent conversation about how women’s health has been systemically neglected. hosted by steven bartlett, this episode brings together dr. stacy sims, dr. natalie crawford, dr. mary claire haver and dr. vonda wright, four doctors who have spent decades pushing back against a medical system built around male physiology.
they unpack everything from cycle literacy and pcos to menopause and longevity, exposing how much misinformation and underfunding still shape women’s health.
my reflections
it’s honestly shocking how recent this all is.
until 1993, women weren’t even included in most medical studies.
that’s just three years before i was born.
less than 1% of research funding goes to women over 40.
medicine still recommends the pill as a default solution, as if one hormone formula could fit every woman’s body.
we’re still so collectively ignorant about the female body.
even now, women entering perimenopause or menopause are called “whiny” or “emotional,” their symptoms dismissed as personality rather than physiology.
we’ve normalized women suffering in silence, apologizing for their pain, shrinking their symptoms, waiting years for answers.
and as a 29-year-old woman, i can already see how that conditioning starts early.
i’m deeply thankful for women like these speaking up because they’re not only fighting for their generation, they’re building awareness for what’s coming for mine.
highlights
00:00:01 menstrual cycles as health indicators
- irregular or missing periods are not “normal.” they’re early signs of imbalance.
- cycles are monthly reports of your body’s inner state: metabolism, brain, mood, longevity.
- yet most women were never taught how to read those signals.
00:01:45 systemic neglect and underfunding
- less than 1% of research funding supports women past 40.
- endometriosis takes up to a decade to diagnose.
- women live longer but spend more years in poor health.
- medicine was built on male physiology.
- women were excluded from trials until 1993.
- hormones were treated as “complications,” not key data.
00:14:07 cellular and physiological differences
- sex differences exist down to the cellular level.
- women’s metabolism, muscle, and immune responses differ greatly.
- yet women’s symptoms are still labeled “atypical.”
00:17:00 cultural gaslighting and internalized bias
- women still downplay pain to be taken seriously.
- labels like “hysterical,” “emotional,” or “whiny” are still used in clinical spaces.
- this self-silencing delays diagnosis and erodes trust.
00:35:01 pcos and metabolic health
- not behavioral, metabolic.
- insulin resistance, inflammation, stress, sleep, and muscle matter far more than calorie myths.
takeaway
this episode reframes women’s health as a whole-body, lifelong conversation not just about fertility or hormones, but about how we live, work, age, and thrive.
we’re just beginning to understand how much has been overlooked, and how powerful it is when women finally name what’s been ignored.
type: podcast
theme: women’s health / hormones / research / awareness
length: 1h+
host: steven bartlett
guests: dr. stacy sims, dr. natalie crawford, dr. mary claire haver, dr. vonda wright
status: ✅ watched
