Episode show notes
We’re long overdue a rewrite of the narrative surrounding women’s health, motherhood and their careers, and it’s the twin Co-Founders of Hertility who’re holding the pen.
Helen & Deirdre O’Neill were born just minutes apart, and despite their complete physical similarities, it’s their unique skill sets that makes them the perfect pairing.
Join us for a truly fascinating conversation on the twins’ journey, founding a business while 3 months pregnant, and their admirable work on the reproductive revolution.
This episode covers:
- The nitty gritty of startups, making the jump from bootstrapping to investment
- Helen and Deirdre’s contrasting skills and roles despite being identical twins
- Hertility’s revolutionary work in helping women take control of their health journeys
- Rewriting the narrative and combating myths around careers and motherhood
Episode highlights
“Being so connected to world leading experts in fertility clinics that can help people, and feeling absolutely powerless to be able to do something for myself or for all of the women who asked me about their menstrual health and fertility – that inspired me to create change.” – 5:35 – Dr Helen O’Neill
“There was a huge amount of work that we undertook from a regulatory standpoint, and from any aspect that we felt that we could be vulnerable, even before we got financing and fundraising. That added a huge amount to our valuation.” – 9:20 – Deirdre O’Neill
“For siblings in business together, they’d spar if there’s competition for a skillset. If there’s any element of competition, I think people tend to have a bit of one-upmanship, but when there’s not, it makes it a lot easier.” – 17:50 – Deirdre O’Neill
“We want to generate a wellbeing initiative within all businesses that women can recognise it’s okay to have a family, it’s okay to check in on reproductive health, and it’s actually fundamentally more important to check in on reproductive health and get the comfort of knowing that you have time, or get the reassurance to say, ‘Actually, I should do this quickly’.” – 28:00 – Deirdre O’Neill
“I feel like it’s almost a form of being trapped. We can so easily say to women they should have children younger, as if it’s a decision. But invariably, it’s not an active decision to not have children. It’s a lack of ability to have children because of their financial or personal circumstances.” – 40:30 – Dr Helen O’Neill
“Knowing that Dierdre is trained already to protect and to deal with every single bit of the legal side means I’ve never been distracted by that process. I’ve always felt entirely secure and comforted in the knowledge that the most important person in the world has my back, and that is the other half of me.” – 48:45 – Dr Helen O’Neill
“For me, the dream is that this becomes the go-to, the absolute must, the necessity for every woman. It genuinely helps women, it screens for conditions and symptoms and disorders that wouldn’t otherwise be picked up. That for me is the dream – that it’s not just a household name, but it is a must for every woman.” – 52:10 – Deirdre O’Neill