How this CEO is fighting for innovation in women’s health care

In this episode of “The Founder CEO” we talked to Kathy Lee-Sepsickfounder and CEO of the company Femasys, who shared her personal motivation for starting her company. Guided by her own experiences, she recognized the urgent need for higher health care options for women, especially everlasting contraception, and got down to create safer and simpler solutions. She candidly discussed the challenges of balancing her role as CEO with being a mother, highlighting her hands-on leadership style and strategic vision for the way forward for Femasys. Despite quite a few obstacles, Kathy’s unwavering commitment to improving women’s health stays evident as she continues to guide Femasys toward significant advancements and support for other progressive technologies in the field.

Main takeaways

Personal motivation and Femasys mission

• I felt an urgent need for higher health care options for women, especially everlasting contraception.
• He believed that existing options were lacking and aimed to create something higher and safer.
• Motivated by personal experiences and the belief that girls deserve higher health care.
• Awareness of the threats associated with existing solutions and the desire to enhance them.

Challenges and evolution as a leader

• I combined the duties of a working mother and CEO.
• My daughters grew up with Femasys, which positively influenced their profession decisions.
• I felt responsible for every penny raised and its impact on women’s health.
• He maintained a balance between skilled and personal life, ensuring commitment to each.
• I never thought about giving up despite the quite a few challenges.
• She faced attempts by others to take over her position, but she remained steadfast.

Strategic planning and vision

• The infrastructure was built and prepared for commercialization many years in advance.
• It focuses on establishing a strong foundation to support future development and product launches.
• It plans to make use of its current position to bring more progressive technologies to market in women’s health.
• He sees Femasys as a platform for underfunded and shelved inventions to seek out a path to commercialization.

Leadership style and team dynamics

• Actively involved in all facets of the business, from clinical cases to patient encounters.
• He believes in leading by example and working with the team.
• I successfully recruited a high-quality sales team and appreciated their contribution.
• Ensures the team is well informed and aligned with the company’s mission and goals.

Personal reflections and conclusions

• emphasizes the importance of taking care of your personal health in order to find a way to perform your skilled and personal roles effectively.
• She recurrently monitors her health to make sure she will be able to proceed to guide the company.

Continuous learning and networking

• Emphasizes the value of strategic networking and learning from the experiences of others.
• Attends events and conferences to remain ahead of the curve and gather insights that profit Femasys.

Personal challenges

• Proud of taking the company public without a CFO and being one of the few founders to do it.
• She finds achievement in seeing the impact of her work on women’s health.
• Dealing with the demands of being a CEO and mother, often feeling exhausted.
• You have experienced moments when reconciling skilled and personal life was particularly difficult.