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Unlocking the $24B Menopause Market: Why Are Women Still Untreated?

  • Apr 15
  • 25 min read


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Menopause Is a $24B Market. So Why Is No One Being Treated?

The Spending Shift No One Is Framing Correctly

Feb 15, 2026

∙ Paid

Shoot My Shot: Episode OneEarlier this year I did something mildly destabilizing.

I said my goals out loud. Publicly. On the internet. In writing.

And if I am going to be the woman who tells you to bet on yourself, build wealth, raise your hand, ask for the room, then I probably cannot sit quietly hoping the universe reads my vision board.

So welcome to a new mini series: Shoot My Shot.(thank you to the brilliant Ash Schroeder)

Once a month for the next three months, I am going to actively pursue one of my goals in public. No vague manifestations. No “big things coming soon.” Actual action.

Sometimes it will be strategic.Sometimes it will be bold.Sometimes it might make me sweat a little.

This month, I am starting right here.

Shooting My Shot… On You 💌As many of you know, I genuinely love what I do.

I spend my days with founders building the future of wellness. Investors allocating capital. Operators navigating growth. I get a front row seat to where wellness is moving next.

This Substack has become the place where I synthesize all of that. Not just commentary. Context. Pattern recognition. What this means for you as a consumer, a builder, an investor.

But more than that, I want this to become a real platform.

A place where we decode deals and retail strategy.Where we do not just consume the wellness economy, we understand how to build and invest in it.

That takes intention. And it takes community.

So here is my shot:

If you have found value hereIf you forward these emailsIf you think differently about wellness because of something you readIf you quietly read every week but have not subscribed

Please upgrade to a paid subscription.Please share it with someone whip smart.Please subscribe if you have been lurking.

Building this into something meaningful requires more than great ideas. It requires backing.

A paid subscription is not just “supporting me.” It is backing this becoming bigger. Better. More ambitious.

It gives me the leverage to keep investing real energy here.It signals that there is demand for the business of wellness.It helps turn this from a newsletter into a platform.

And if you are already paid, you are quite literally building this with me. Thank you.

…shot taken 🎯

The Menopause Gold Rush: We’re High-Tech and Still SweatingSilicon Valley has finally discovered menopause.Naturally, they brought a dashboard.

As of February 2026, menopause is a projected $24B market, and the energy is familiar. Capital is flowing. Products are launching. UX is getting prettier. The stigma is finally cracking.

And yet.

We are the most monitored generation of midlife women in history, and still one of the least treated.

We can now track a hot flash to the minute. Rings log temperature spikes. Apps flag sleep fragmentation. AI tells us our hormones are “off.” What we still can’t reliably get is care.

Welcome to what I’ll call the Diagnostic Trap.

We have over-engineered awareness and under-built solutions.

Here’s the part that should make everyone uncomfortable: Hormone Replacement Therapy has the data. Decades of it. It remains the most effective treatment for many menopausal symptoms. And yet in 2026, getting HRT still feels like a second full-time job.

First you have to find a provider who doesn’t dismiss mood changes as “stress.” Then one who’s actually comfortable prescribing hormones. Then you take that prescription to a pharmacy… and find out they don’t have it. Or not your dose. Or not your formulation. Or they can get it in three weeks.

So yes, we can track the hot flash at 3:14am with 99% accuracy.We just can’t stop it.

This is where the system starts to look upside-down.

We’re compounding GLP-1s at scale. When weight-loss drugs hit shortages, compounding pharmacies moved fast to meet demand. Entire parallel supply chains popped up almost overnight.

But for HRT? The story is fragmented. Compounding can happen, and some women do access customized hormones that way, but it’s inconsistent, lightly standardized, and not designed for broad, reliable access. HRT isn’t treated like an urgent infrastructure problem. It’s treated like a niche women’s issue.

So instead, we get wearables.

Cooling bracelets. AI menopause trackers. Sleep dashboards. Tools that tell you what you already know: you’re tired, you’re hot, and you feel off.

Meanwhile, specialists are now openly saying that for many women, a $10 handheld fan is often more effective than a $250 “smart cooling” device. Not because tech is bad. But because data doesn’t equal relief.

Add in the regulatory Wild West. “Menopause coach” is not a protected title. Anyone can claim expertise, sell supplements, powders, or AI advice, and call it care. A recent UK survey warned that women are increasingly exposed to unregulated menopause “solutions” that sound clinical but aren’t backed by trials.

And then there’s the pink-washing.

Existing tech, rebranded with midlife empowerment language, often at a 30–40% premium. Diagnostics boom. Aesthetics improve. Access stays gated.

This is the real gap in menopause care.

Not information.Not awareness.Access.

Menopause doesn’t need more dashboards. It needs clinicians, supply chains, and systems that treat symptom relief as non-optional.

Until that happens, we’ll keep paying for insight while sweating through the night.

And that’s not innovation. It’s misallocation.

The Spending Shift No One Is Framing CorrectlySo in my latest rabbit hole of research, I started digging into Gen Z’s spending trends. The headline floating around is “Gen Z is pulling back.” But the more interesting story is what they’re refusing to pull back from.

At first glance, it reads like a budget story. It isn’t. If this were purely economic, they would be trading down across the board. Instead, for example, they’re pulling back hardest on fast casual dining while holding steadier at full service restaurants.

That’s not scarcity behavior. That’s selectivity.They’re cutting frequency, not upgrading to cheaper.They’re consolidating into moments.

The generation raised on digital convenience is quietly rejecting hyper optimization in the physical world.

If they are going out, they want a table, a waiter, a reason to linger.The meal needs a narrative arc, not just macros.

In a low confidence economy, that is wildly counterintuitive. And wildly telling.

Zoom out and the pattern repeats.

In beauty, Gen Z isn’t wandering aisles trying everything. It’s not experimentation culture. It’s curation culture.

They are building tight, identity driven rituals. Fewer products. Stronger loyalty. Founder trust matters.

In fitness, they are showing up for pilates and strength studios even though at home subscriptions are cheaper and faster.

In housing, buying feels out of the question, so they curate. Candles, cookware, plants, table settings are on the rise. If ownership feels distant, atmosphere becomes the asset.

The through line is this: Gen Z is funding identity, not convenience.

They’re not spending less. They’re reallocating toward meaning.

Brands that win purely on speed, customization, and price are starting to feel the air thin.

Brands that offer ritual, human texture, and a sense of belonging are being protected even in shaky economic cycles.

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🔒 Behind the Paywall

Part II: The Market Signal Hiding in Menopause Skin Care (And It’s Not About Wrinkles)This week, a new global survey from Galderma landed and, frankly, none of it surprised me.

The headline is simple: women don’t learn about menopause. They learn it by experiencing it.

What is striking is where the impact shows up next…

The survey found that menopause-related skin changes carry a real psychosocial toll.

  • 60% said these changes made them feel less attractive.

  • More than half reported increased anxiety and lower confidence.

  • Nearly half said they were less inclined to socialize.

This is the part we don’t say out loud enough.

Skin is visible.Menopause is not.

So when the visible changes arrive without context, women internalize them.

And then they act.

When asked how they’re addressing menopause-related skin changes:

  • Nearly half of respondents said they currently use aesthetic treatments, compared with just over a quarter who used them preventively.

  • More than 60% said they would have taken action earlier if they’d simply been better informed.

That action looks practical, not extreme.

Neuromodulators a few times a year.Hyaluronic acid injectables to address dryness and volume loss.Skin-quality treatments, lasers, energy-based devices, biostimulators.

In real dollars, that often means $5,000–$60,000 per year, per woman. Sometimes more. Rarely zero.

Not because women want to look frozen.Because they want to feel like themselves.

But here’s the under-discussed layer.

Procedures don’t exist in isolation. They create gravity.

They pull in pre-care.They require post-care.They change how women think about daily maintenance.

Which is where skincare has a massive opportunity to support and extend this spend.

Think:

  • Barrier-first formulations designed for estrogen-depleted skin

  • Products that assume slower healing, higher sensitivity, lower lipid production

  • Pre- and post-procedure skincare that reduces downtime and improves outcomes

  • Maintenance regimens that stretch the time between treatments

  • Education-forward packaging that explains why skin is changing, not just how to fix it

This isn’t about “anti-aging.”It’s about hormone-adaptive skincare.

Right now, many women are spending thousands in-clinic and then guessing at home. Mixing actives that once worked but now backfire. Overcorrecting dryness. Underestimating sensitivity. Burning money on routines built for a different hormonal reality.

That’s the whitespace.

And the scale matters.

By 2030, an estimated 1.2 billion women globally will be menopausal. In the U.S. alone, roughly 35% of women will be in some stage of menopause.

Even modest monthly skincare spend layered on top of clinical care becomes enormous.

So where does a company like Galderma invest next?

If you follow behavior, not branding, the answer is clear. Women aren’t chasing transformation. They’re looking for maintenance, prevention, and earlier intervention, both in-clinic and at home.

Menopause is no longer a whisper market.It’s a timing market.

And the brands that win won’t be the ones that shout the loudest.They’ll be the ones that show up earlier, with products and protocols that actually match the hormonal reality women are entering.

That’s the signal hiding in this data.

Cheers to me pretending to be in menopause, my amazing friends who nudge me to shoot my shot, and my sister calling me a boomer this week!

All the best,

Rachel & WGV Team

Do you know someone who would benefit from being part of this community? Simply forward this email to them and share the link below to join our list!

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Discussion about this post

Love this - more solutions and less tools! Have been trying to get refill of estrogen patches for 2 weeks now! Seriously??!! It goes back to the idea that a healthy society doesn’t make money - but can we beat this philosophy??

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Why $40M Might Be the New $100M in Food M&A

What $40M Brands Know That $100M Brands Don’t

Feb 22, 2026

∙ Paid

Why $40M Might Be the New $100M in Food M&AGeneral Mills cuts guidance.Margins tightened.Volumes softer than expected.

The easy take is: big food is in trouble.

The more interesting question is: What does this mean for acquisitions?

Conventional wisdom used to be simple: If you’re an emerging brand, get to $100M in revenue and strategics will care. Below that? Too small. Too risky. Not worth the integration headache.

But in this environment, I think something is shifting.

$40M might be the new $100M.

And not in a hype cycle way. In a capital discipline way.

When legacy portfolios are under pressure, the question shifts.

It’s no longer: “How big could this become?”

It’s: “Can this protect our P&L now?”

If cereal volumes are declining and a $35M high-protein breakfast brand is growing profitably without heavy promo, that is not just a trend. That’s share theft.

And share theft inside your own category is strategically dangerous.

Let’s be precise. I am not talking about every brand in that revenue band.

I’m talking about the profitable ones.

The ones that:

• Have 50%+ gross margins• Are EBITDA positive• Win on velocity, not discounts• Are stealing share in pressured categories• Have clean supply chain economics• Are capital efficient

Those brands are not aspirational bets. They are portfolio repair tools.

And in a year where EPS is under scrutiny, a profitable $40M brand is easier to justify than a $120M brand still burning cash.

There are three quiet advantages.

1. Lower integration risk: A disciplined $35M brand that already makes money is far less operationally fragile than a hypergrowth brand dependent on constant capital.

2. Margin accretion story: If management just cut guidance, acquiring something that improves blended margins is defensible to the Street.

3. Smaller checks, bigger signal: Writing a $200M to $400M check for a profitable insurgent is digestible.

Writing a billion dollar check in a fragile moment feels reckless. Bolt-ons become smarter than moonshots.

So if you’re building between $25M and $50M right now, the question isn’t just growth.

It’s discipline.

Are you building something that needs a strategic to survive?

Or something a strategic needs to survive?

In this cycle, that difference might determine your outcome.

Austin Didn’t Just Show Up. They Raised The Bar.40 women. Founders, investors, and builders. 8:00 AM, and the room had more energy than a cap table before a hot round closes.

We don’t do “polite” networking. We do participation.

The morning looked like:

  • The Work: A functional conditioning session rooted in resistance.

  • The Fuel: Post-sweat glows powered by Cure Hydration and BelliWelli.

  • The Magic: We went straight to “What are you building?” and “How can we solve this?”

I watched partnerships spark before the protein shakes even settled. Just high-level women building at the top of their game.

Here’s the thing: These rooms are curated on purpose. They aren’t about proximity; they’re about compounding excellence. If you weren’t there, you missed the blueprint.

Come ready to lift heavy—in the gym and in your standards 🖤

Wellness Debates Protein. But What’s in Your Water?A few recent wellness launches have quietly nudged me into a spiral.

Not about supplements.Not about protein.Not even about GLP-1s.

Water.

Between Loonen and a handful of other brands entering the “elevated hydration” chat, I found myself doing something I haven’t done in years:

Questioning the water I drink every single day.

I’m fizzy water obsessed. Deeply. Historically loyal to Topo Chico. If you’ve ever been in a room with me, there’s a 70% chance I’m holding a glass bottle.

But water matters.

A few years ago, testing found certain sparkling waters, including Topo Chico, had higher detectable levels of PFAS (“forever chemicals”) than others. After public pressure, levels were reportedly reduced. Still detectable. Just lower.

A there have been countless bottled water recalls across the industry for contamination issues.

None of this is scandal-level chaos.All of it is enough to make you pause.

Because most of us choose our water the way we choose candles.Based on aesthetic.Maybe mineral content or bubble crispness if we’re feeling advanced.

So I started digging into PFAS levels in sparkling water, mineral sourcing, filtration standards, and recall histories… and I ended up deep down the filter rabbit hole.

And here’s what surprised me most:

A large portion of these filters are white-labeled (and this isn’t just drinking water, think all the fancy water filters that became popular in recent years👀). Same factories. Same certifications. Basically the same products with different fonts.

This isn’t a panic post. It’s a curiosity post.

Water is the most basic input in our lives.Our body is well over 50% water.We talk about biohacking. Hormones. Longevity.But what about the thing we consume more than anything else?

I’m not giving up fizzy water.But I am paying closer attention.And maybe on the hunt for a new crisp sparkling water?

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Part II: The 10 Slides That Turn a Cold Deck Into a Meeting

Reading a pitch deck in my inbox is not the same as being in a room with you…

Continue reading →

A cold deck has one job: make me want the call. That’s it. Not to answer every possible question. Not to prove you anticipated every objection in a 42 slide novella. Your KPI is curiosity.

I’m usually opening it between meetings, brain moving fast, pattern matching even faster. If I can understand what you do, who it’s for, and why now within the first few slides, you’re ahead. Clarity pulls me in. Clutter pushes me away.

And here’s the nuance: the deck is the trailer. The call is the movie. You do not need to resolve every question in the PDF. You need to create enough conviction and enough intrigue that I want to spend 30 minutes exploring it with you.

So here’s the tight list.

The 10 Things I Care About Most

  1. A crystal clear problem statement

  2. A sharp, differentiated solution

  3. A one sentence description of what you actually do

  4. The specific customer and their real behavior

  5. How you will scale

  6. Proof of demand, revenue, retention, waitlists, repeat purchase

  7. Unit economics with honest assumptions

  8. Your unfair advantage as a founder or team

  9. The real risks and gaps

  10. A clear raise amount and what the capital unlocks

Now let me add some meat to that.

Problem and solution are everything. If the pain is vague, the solution will feel ornamental. Show me the cost of the problem in dollars, time, stress, friction. Then show me how your solution changes the equation in a measurable way. Not “better for you.” How, exactly?

Your customer slide should read like anthropology. What are they already buying? What are they hacking together? Where are they currently dissatisfied? Behavior is more convincing than adjectives.

Why now needs teeth. Regulation shifts. Technology shifts. Cultural shifts. Distribution changes. Something structural must have moved. “Wellness is growing” is not a why now.

On unit economics, I am not looking for perfection. I am looking for coherence. If your CAC is $200, tell me why that’s rational and how it comes down. If your margins are tight, tell me what changes at scale. Investors trust founders who understand the levers.

On risks, maturity wins. If you know you need a COO, say it. If supply chain is concentrated, say it. Self awareness builds credibility faster than pretending you’re invincible.

And please exclude:- Long paragraphs on slides.- Inflated TAM math with no sourcing logic.- Five versions of your mission statement.- Financial models that assume you “go viral.”- Design theatrics that obscure basic math.

The best decks feel grounded and a little electric. I understand the problem. I see the path. I respect the founder. And most importantly, I want to reply: Let’s talk.

Cheers to me saying goodbye to Topo Chico, Austin thriving, and my theory on $40m profitable startups…

All the best,

Rachel & WGV Team

Do you know someone who would benefit from being part of this community? Simply forward this email to them and share the link below to join our list!

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Ha! We have twelve different Rachel waters in our house! Can we finish these first?!

But seriously can't wait to find out what you determine to be the best.

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Why Is Everyone Talking About Cycle Syncing Right Now?

What Would Wellness Look Like If It Started With Women?

Feb 01, 2026

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The Goals I Was Almost Too Embarrassed to Say Out LoudLast week I had coffee with someone I deeply admire. Not just professionally. Personally. The kind of woman whose career you respect, but whose way of moving through the world you really study.

At some point between sips, she asked me a simple question:“What are your goals for 2026?”

It’s January. I should have crushed this question.

I did all the December rituals. The reflecting. The mapping. I know my goals. I revisit them weekly.

And yet… my answer was light. Vague in a way that made it sound like I hadn’t really decided.

I walked away disappointed in myself.

Not because she judged me. She’s too lovely for that. But because I felt like I hadn’t shown up fully. Like I played small in a moment where I actually wanted to be seen as someone who knows exactly where she’s going.

I’ve been thinking about it ever since. (Casually, of course…not spiraling at all 😉)

And here’s what I realized.

I wasn’t unsure about my goals.I was embarrassed by them.

That’s hard to admit. Even typing it makes me cringe a little.

But the truth is, my real goals feel… vulnerable. They feel big enough that saying them out loud risks someone thinking, Who does she think she is? Or worse, risks them not happening.

Sharing your actual desires means letting people see what you care about. What you’re reaching for. What would hurt if it didn’t work.

And that’s scarier than having no goals at all.

So instead of only half-answering one woman I admire over coffee, I’m going to do the opposite and say them clearly. Here. With you.

Because if I want these things, and I really do, then I have to stop protecting myself from being seen wanting them.

So, for 2026:

I want to write a book.More on that soon, but it’s something that’s been quietly tugging at me for a while now. It feels like the right next container for everything I’ve learned, built, gotten wrong, and rebuilt.

I want to keep building Wellness Growth Ventures into a platform strong enough to raise a Fund II in 2027.That means more speaking. More time with founders. Continuing to build the team (Tracy, I see you). It means deepening relationships across the industry and continuing to chase this dream, even on the days when it feels exhausting or lonely.

I want The 2% Club to grow into a home for thousands of women in wellness.A place they come because they feel understood, inspired, and seen. A genuinely safe space that helps them get better at what they’re building. The kind of community where, in 2027, we finally host the very-demanded 2% Club Europe retreat.

I want to sit on a board as an independent board member.I’ve had the honor of serving on boards, and I want to take it to the next level. To add real value. To be trusted in that seat. To help guide a brand through growth and inflection, the way I’ve seen modeled and the way I know I can.

I want to keep building The 2% Club podcast.Not as a vanity project. But because women deserve to understand the business of wellness. The economics. The hard parts. The hormonal realities. The difference between building something that exits and something that quietly implodes. It matters to me that this information is accessible, honest, and human.

I want to grow my Instagram.This one took me a while to admit without judgment.

A couple weeks ago, I met another woman I deeply admire. Someone who embodies so much of what I aspire to build. She told me she found me on Instagram.

Not LinkedIn.Not Substack.Instagram.

For a long time, I carried shame around that. Like being taken seriously in finance and having a decently large Instagram following were somehow incompatible. But the truth is, Instagram has been one of the most powerful community builders in my life. It’s where I’ve connected with women all over the world, many of whom I don’t get to see in person but still feel deeply connected to.

So yes, I want to keep fostering that space. Not to be an influencer. But to keep building community where it already exists. So if you haven’t joined me, there, please do. I encourage you to comment, save and share posts; it’s truly the best (and means so much).

And finally, I want this Substack to grow.

This quiet, happy corner of the internet I started just over a year ago has become one of the most meaningful parts of my work. It’s helped me sharpen my thinking, explore my theses, and connect with some of the smartest people I admire.

If you’re reading this, I hope you share it. Or reply. Or send feedback. Because I want this community to grow too.

I often say that individually, each of my platforms might seem a little silly or small. But together, they’re powerful.

That’s how my goals feel too.

They’re intertwined. They build on each other. They’re all pointing toward the same thing.

I want to build something that matters.Something that makes an impact.Something that lasts.

And now this officially feels like letting you read straight from my journal. But if I’m asking myself to stop playing small, this is what that looks like.

So thank you for being here <3

Men Reset Daily. Women Don’t. No One Planned for That.Men operate on a 24-hour hormonal rhythm.Women operate on a roughly 28-day one.

That single biological difference explains more about modern burnout than most wellness advice ever will.

Most systems we live inside, work schedules, fitness programming, productivity culture, even “discipline” itself, were built around a body that wakes up hormonally reset every morning.

Cycle syncing didn’t resonate because it’s trendy. It resonated because it exposed a mismatch we’ve all been quietly managing.

For decades, women were taught to perform like men. Same energy. Same output. Same expectations. Every day of the month. But that system just wasn’t built for women’s biology.

Women don’t have one hormonal setting. We move through four distinct phases each month, each with different strengths, needs, and tolerances. Creativity, confidence, focus, and endurance don’t disappear. They shift. Ignoring that shift doesn’t make you stronger. It makes you exhausted.

This is why cycle syncing landed first in fitness.

A new wave of studios is starting to design classes around the reality of hormonal fluctuation instead of pretending it doesn’t exist. Rest is integrated, not treated as failure. Classes are designed to support the body you show up with that day, not the one you “should” have.

Importantly, this approach isn’t limited to people with regular cycles. It supports women on birth control, women with PCOS or endometriosis, women approaching or experiencing menopause, and even people who don’t menstruate but still live in bodies affected by stress and recovery. The phases become a framework, not a rulebook.

What’s actually happening here is bigger than fitness.

We’re watching the first real attempt to build wellness systems around female physiology, instead of asking women to override it. That’s not softness. That’s overdue.

Work culture, leadership expectations, and productivity norms are all rooted in a male hormonal model. Flat energy. Daily reset. Linear output.

Cycle syncing quietly asks a more interesting question:What would change if systems were designed for the bodies actually using them?

This shift matters because once you see the design flaw, you can’t unsee it.

Burnout stops feeling like a personal failure.Rest stops feeling like laziness.Fluctuation stops feeling like inconsistency.

They start feeling like data.

Cycle syncing isn’t about doing less. It’s about working with reality instead of against it. And reality is that women aren’t meant to show up the same way every day of the month.

That’s the part we’re finally saying out loud.

This Is What the 2% Club Actually Looks Like IRLLast week in New York felt like a quiet flex.

Not loud. Not flashy.Just deeply intentional rooms filled with women who are actually doing the work.

The 2% Club came together across three moments that perfectly capture what we’re building.

A fireside chat on investing. Not the aspirational, pastel version. The real one. How wealth is actually built. Where women get stuck. What no one puts on a panel slide. Smart questions. Sharp answers. No posturing.

Then movement.A workout at Physique57 with the founder of a brand that’s stood the test of time, expanded, evolved, and stayed relevant for over a decade. Proof that longevity is a strategy.

And then NRTHN STRONG. Founder-led. Cutting-edge. A glimpse into where fitness is actually going, not where Instagram says it is.

Old guard. New guard. Capital. Culture. Bodies. Businesses.All in conversation.

This is what happens when you put women who are serious about investing, building, and leading into the same room. The energy shifts. The questions get better. The standards rise.

There is something very special about this moment for the 2% Club. It’s focused. It’s global. It’s women getting honest about money and power without needing to perform either.

If you felt like you missed out, you did.If you’re feeling the pull, that’s not accidental.

If you’ve been circling the idea of joining, now is the moment.We’re just getting started.

When the Substack Hits Before the HeadlinesWrote about the beauty → wellness shift in my Substack last week. A few days later, BeautyMatter called.

As Sephora steps back, Ulta is doing what smart retailers do when consumer behavior changes. Follow the repeat purchase. Follow the replenishment. Follow the spend.

This is the lens I invest and advise through every day.If you want to know where wellness is really going, and who’s positioned to win, this is the conversation I’ll always lean into.

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Part II: What It Looks Like When Someone Actually Designs for Women

Up to now, cycle syncing has lived mostly at the idea level. Language. Awareness. Naming the mismatch. That matters, but it’s not the hard part.

The hard part is design.

Because once you accept that women don’t operate on a daily hormonal reset, you can’t just slap new language on old systems. You actually have to rebuild them.

That’s where things get interesting.

There’s a new generation of wellness companies quietly doing something different. Not louder. Not trendier. Just structurally smarter. One fitness studio in has become a clear signal for where this is headed.

Continue reading →

Their classes are organized around the four hormonal phases, but not in a rigid, prescriptive way. You’re not asked to identify a phase, prove where you are in your cycle, or sit something out if you don’t menstruate. Instead, the phases act as a design framework.

Each class is built to support a different nervous system state. Some emphasize strength and output. Others emphasize precision, mobility, or recovery. Intensity is offered as an option, not a requirement. Rest is built in, not tacked on as an apology.

What’s notable is who this works for.

Women on hormonal birth control.Women with PCOS or endometriosis.Women in perimenopause or menopause.Postpartum women.Women with irregular cycles.Even people who don’t menstruate at all, but live under chronic stress.

The reason it works is simple. The studio isn’t actually designing for periods. It’s designing for fluctuation.

Traditional fitness assumes consistency is the goal. Same effort, same output, same benchmark, every time. This model assumes variability is the reality and builds flexibility into the system instead of asking people to override themselves.

That distinction is everything.

What they’re really selling isn’t “cycle syncing.” They’re selling trust. Trust that your body isn’t wrong for needing different things on different days. Trust that modification isn’t failure. Trust that long-term strength comes from working with biology, not against it.

This is the part of the conversation that hasn’t fully crossed into the mainstream yet.

Awareness is here. Design is still early.

Most wellness companies are still trying to motivate women harder inside systems that weren’t built for them. More discipline. More consistency. More willpower. That approach quietly breaks down over time, especially as women age, take on more responsibility, or move into perimenopause.

The companies that will win next aren’t the ones that promise transformation faster. They’re the ones that build systems women can stay inside longer.

This is where the opportunity opens up far beyond fitness.

Workplaces built around female hormonal reality don’t optimize for hours worked. They optimize for decision quality, creative timing, and recovery. Leadership models stop rewarding constant availability and start valuing clarity and sustainability. Wellness products stop focusing solely on stimulation and start supporting regulation and resilience.

Cycle syncing was simply the entry point. The real shift is structural.

Once you design for women’s biology, a lot of things we’ve normalized start to look strange. Chronic burnout. Guilt around rest. Shame around inconsistency. None of those are personal flaws. They’re symptoms of systems designed for a different body.

The quiet truth is this: women have been adapting for decades. The next phase is systems adapting to us.

That’s when this stops being a conversation and starts being a movement.

And that’s where the real leverage is.

Cheers to The 2% Show showing up deep in New York (even in the unbearable weather), me forever preaching on cycle syncing, and to 2026 goals!

All the best,

Rachel & WGV Team

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Really loved this article - if late commenting as a recent joiner of substack. Love the honesty of your goals and would love to be considered for 2% club events

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Wow Rachel what a great piece of work! Your goals are amazing and so proud of you for sharing. And cheering you on all the way!

Love you discussing the cycle syncing. Wish that it had been done 40 years ago!

And yeah for 2% in NYC even though it was freezing😳

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