One World Women
After being given an unnecessary hysterectomy at the age of 42, Michelle King Robson saw a dramatic shift in her health. She went into menopause overnight, gained weight, experienced hot flashes, joint pain and memory loss. I got so sick that I didn’t want to live anymore, she recalls of the experience. Her struggles with the procedure and the long road to recovery that followed, lead her to create her website EmpowHER.com.
Michelle recently sat down with Deepak Chopra to have a discussion on her experience as part of the One World series.
As Michelle struggled through recovery, she searched for someone who had been through something similar. After visiting hundreds of websites and reaching out to doctors across the country, she couldn’t find a single other person who could tell her what to expect, recommend a course of action or even give her any words of encouragement. I got sick, I got well, and then I got mad and that’s when I decided to start a company, Michelle explains. EmpowHER was created to ensure that no woman has to go through the struggles that Michelle went through without support.
What happened with me was I didn’t advocate for myself, and most women don’t advocate for themselves. We advocate for everybody else, but we don’t do it for ourselves, she tells Deepak. EmpowHER allows women to not only find support when they are dealing with a variety of health challenges; but also find the best ways to take charge of their own health.
EmpowHER gives advice to women on what questions they should be asking of their healthcare providers and what things they can be doing themselves to ensure they are putting themselves in a position to be their own advocates. I wanted to make women got great information because that’s what I was lacking. This is how EmpowHER’s 24 hour promise was born. A person can log into the site, ask a question and they are guaranteed to have an answer within 24 hours. In this way, Michelle can ensure that no woman has to feel as if she is alone. There are other people out there who are willing to help, answer questions and serve as a support system.
As caregivers in most societies, women are taught to put their own wellbeing last. With EmpowHER, Michelle seeks to turn this trend on its head. It’s ok for you to be first in your life. Because if you’re not first guess what happens? The whole family suffers. Rather than becoming bitter as a result of her own experiences, Michelle has created the support system that she wished she had been able to access. She is reaching out to women to ensure they have access to the tools needed to make informed decisions about their health; empowering them to be the best advocates for their own wellbeing.
21:45 | 2014