Postpartum care in the United States ends at six weeks. A brief checkup, a pat on the back, and women are sent home with the message: you're fine now. For Katy Whalen, co-founder and COO of Joi + Blokes, that six-week mark was anything but fine. Brain fog, anxiety, energy depletion—none of it fit the narrative she'd been handed. And when she looked around, she realized she wasn't alone. Women everywhere were struggling through similar experiences without adequate support, information, or care.
What began as a personal health crisis became the foundation for a telemedicine company reshaping how women and men approach hormone health, longevity, and preventative care. In this episode of The Growth Layer, Katy shares the origin story of Joi + Blokes, why feeling heard is still revolutionary for women in healthcare, and what it takes to build, scale, and sustain a health brand in one of the most competitive markets in wellness.
The Origin: A Husband's Health Struggle and a Wife's Postpartum Reality
Joi + Blokes didn't start as a joint venture. It started with Katy's husband, Josh, who launched the men's side of the business—Blokes—after his own hormonal health struggles. Katy was supportive from the sidelines, focused on building their family. But that process proved harder than expected. Miscarriages, IVF, and the emotional toll of trying to conceive became the backdrop of those years.
Eventually, Katy successfully had two healthy babies in her early 40s. The relief was profound—until it wasn't. At the six-week postpartum appointment, she was told she was fine and didn't need to come back. But she wasn't fine. The brain fog was overwhelming. Her anxiety was through the roof. She didn't have the energy she needed to care for the babies she'd wanted so badly.
Katy felt stuck. She'd received extensive medical support during pregnancy and fertility treatment, but once the babies were born, that support evaporated. It was a light bulb moment: the healthcare system had helped her become a mother, but it had no framework for helping her thrive as one.
Because Josh had already built the men's side of the company, Katy had access to something most postpartum women don't: comprehensive lab work, clinician support, and a personalized protocol. She started slowly, addressing thyroid issues, hormone imbalances, and nutrient deficiencies. The results were life-changing. She felt better than she had in years—better, even, than before having children.
She looked around and saw women in their 40s and 50s who were doing everything "right"—strict diets, rigorous exercise routines—and still struggling. The difference wasn't effort. It was data, support, and personalized care. That's when Katy decided to join Josh and launch the women's side: Joi.
Today, Joi + Blokes operates as one company with two distinct voices, speaking to men and women differently while sharing the same core mission: empowering people to take control of their health through preventative, personalized care.
The Missing Piece: Why Women Still Don't Feel Heard
One of the most powerful metrics Katy tracks isn't revenue or retention—it's sentiment. Specifically, how many women say: "This is the first time in my life I've felt heard by a doctor."
That line comes up again and again. Women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond—women who have spent decades navigating the healthcare system—tell Joi that this is the first time someone listened to their symptoms, took their concerns seriously, and treated them as an individual rather than a checklist.
Katy finds this both gratifying and heartbreaking. It's wild, she says, that someone could go their entire life without feeling heard in a medical setting. But it's also a massive opportunity. The companies that crack this—that make women feel seen, understood, and supported—will win long-term loyalty in a crowded market.
Joi accomplishes this through live clinician visits. While comprehensive lab work is the starting point, the real value comes from the one-on-one conversation with a provider. Labs give you data, but data without context is just numbers. Patients need to talk about their symptoms, their goals, their lived experience. Everyone's body is different. What works for one person won't work for another, and personalization requires conversation.
Joi requires regular check-ins for patients on hormone therapy or other ongoing treatments. These aren't optional—they're built into the care model. Providers review updated labs, discuss changes in symptoms, and adjust protocols as needed. It's the kind of continuity most people don't get in traditional healthcare, where appointments are rushed and follow-up is inconsistent.
Katy believes this human touch is non-negotiable. Joi will always use data. They'll always incorporate AI and build sophisticated digital tools. But at the end of the day, health is personal, and people want to feel heard. That's not something an algorithm can fully replace.
Longevity Labs and the Shift Toward Preventative Care
When Joi + Blokes launched four and a half years ago, comprehensive lab testing wasn't mainstream. People questioned why they needed such extensive panels. Insurance would cover basic labs—why pay out of pocket for more? There was skepticism, especially around women's hormones. Critics accused the company of fearmongering or unnecessarily medicalizing normal fluctuations.
That's changed. Longevity labs, biomarker testing, and preventative diagnostics have exploded in popularity. People now understand the value of comprehensive data in managing their health proactively rather than reactively.
Joi offers labs as an entry point. For customers who don't know exactly what they need or what's going on with their bodies, a comprehensive panel is a great place to start. Many patients also bring in labs from other providers and ask Joi's clinicians to walk them through the results.
One unexpected insight: most women coming to Joi also had thyroid issues. Katy and her team hadn't initially focused on thyroid care, but the data told them they needed to. They expanded their clinician education, developed protocols, and now address thyroid health as a core part of their offering. This is a recurring theme—letting patient needs drive product development rather than imposing a rigid service model.
Some customers know exactly what they want. If someone understands NAD+ and wants to try it for energy, they can purchase it directly. A clinician reviews their health history asynchronously to confirm they're a good candidate and ensure proper dosing. No appointment required. This flexibility meets people where they are, whether they want deep support or targeted intervention.
Marketing in a Crowded Space: Channels, Messaging, and Differentiation
Joi + Blokes operates in one of the most competitive categories in digital health. Longevity, hormone optimization, telemedicine—every angle is crowded. So how do they differentiate?
First, by discounting heavily on the front end. Labs and initial clinician visits are priced to acquire customers, not to generate profit. The goal is to prove value. If patients feel heard, see results, and trust the process, they stick around. That's where Joi makes money—through ongoing subscriptions, follow-up treatments, and long-term relationships.
Customer retention averages around 18 months, though some patients have been with the company since launch. Katy's job is constantly optimizing: improving the patient journey, refining communication, adjusting pricing, adding new offerings. It's iterative work informed by surveys, churn analysis, and direct feedback.
From a marketing channel perspective, Joi invests heavily in Meta and Google, with recent tests on Pinterest and CTV (connected TV). CTV has been surprisingly effective for awareness and conversions, helping the brand reach audiences who might not be actively searching for hormone health solutions.
One channel they underinvested in early: lifecycle email and SMS. Katy admits they didn't prioritize retention marketing for a long time. Only in the past eight months have they focused on perfecting email sequences and text messaging cadences. It's a common mistake—brands wait too long to build retention infrastructure because they're focused on acquisition. But retention is where profitability lives.
Joi is also exploring YouTube (which they haven't tapped yet) and TikTok. The challenge is balancing channel expansion with execution quality. It's easy to spread resources too thin, especially when the market is moving fast and competition is fierce.
Webinars as Trust-Building Tools
One of Joi's most successful recent initiatives is monthly educational webinars. These aren't sales pitches—they're free, hour-long sessions with doctors or experts where attendees can ask questions live. The format works particularly well in a space like hormone health, where people need education before they're ready to make decisions.
Webinars humanize the brand. In an era of telehealth and AI-driven care, showing up live with real clinicians reminds people that Joi is run by humans who care. The sessions are open to anyone—existing patients and potential customers alike. Joi also offers replays and sends recap emails with key takeaways.
Katy isn't sure they can perfectly attribute webinar attendance to new customer acquisition or improved retention, but the engagement is strong. People show up, ask questions, and express gratitude. That qualitative signal matters, even if the quantitative attribution is fuzzy. Content and community-building efforts often work this way—the impact is real but hard to measure in clean conversion funnels.
Working with a Spouse: The Highs and Lows
Katy and Josh are co-founders and spouses, which brings unique advantages and challenges. They share the same vision and goals. When they win, they celebrate together. When they struggle, they're in it together. Their strengths and weaknesses complement each other, which makes them effective partners.
But it's also hard. Entrepreneurship is more stressful than Katy anticipated, and the stress is ongoing. There are no real breaks. That kind of sustained pressure affects anyone individually, and it affects relationships.
Managing stress requires intentional self-care. Katy has learned—especially now in her mid-40s—that she can't just grind through like she used to. She needs daily practices: red light therapy, grounding, breathwork. Even five or ten minutes makes a difference. Without that, she hits a wall.
She and Josh also have to protect their marriage. It's easy to let the business consume everything, but that's not sustainable. Katy mentions being part of CEO Mama, a supportive community for entrepreneurial parents. One tip that stuck with her: take a 30-minute transition between work and family time. Meditate, walk, decompress. When she does it, the evening feels better. When she doesn't, the transition is jarring.
She laughs as she admits she doesn't always follow this advice. There's too much to do, and taking that half hour feels like a luxury. But she knows it's necessary.
Pivots, Lawsuits, and the Reality of Scaling in Health
Katy describes the founder journey as constant pivoting. Customers tell you what they need, and you adjust. But there are also behind-the-scenes challenges that don't make it into the highlight reel.
Payment processors randomly cut you off and hold your funds. Unexpected lawsuits land on your desk. Tech issues disrupt operations. Legal compliance in healthcare is complex—accessibility requirements, advertising claims, data privacy. As the company grows and becomes more visible, it becomes a bigger target. There are people and lawyers waiting to pounce on any misstep.
This is especially true in healthcare, where regulations are strict and the stakes are high. Katy emphasizes the importance of having strong legal advisors who understand the space and can help navigate the minefield of compliance.
These challenges require nimbleness. You have to be able to roll with the punches, dot your i's, cross your t's, and keep moving forward.
What's Next: Peptides, Gut Health, and Scaling
Joi + Blokes is preparing to launch new products, including additional peptide offerings. The availability of certain peptides depends on FDA and compounding pharmacy regulations, which are always shifting. But Katy is optimistic that they'll be able to expand their peptide menu soon.
They're also rolling out gut health testing and other diagnostic panels based on patient demand. Gut health has gained mainstream awareness, though the science is still early in understanding how it connects to skin health, brain health, and overall wellness. Joi sees an opportunity to meet people where curiosity and need intersect.
From a business perspective, the focus is on scaling. Joi is working with a debt partner to fund growth, and the primary goal for the next year is reaching more people. That means refining acquisition funnels, expanding marketing channels, improving retention mechanics, and continuing to build trust through education and personalized care.
Why This Matters
Joi + Blokes represents a shift in how healthcare can work when it's built around the patient rather than the system. By starting with comprehensive data, offering live clinician support, and creating space for people to feel heard, they're addressing gaps that traditional medicine overlooks.
For operators building in health and wellness, Katy's story offers lessons about the importance of human connection, the value of listening to customers, and the reality that differentiation in crowded markets comes from empathy as much as innovation.
The future of women's health isn't just about having more features or better diagnostics. It's about making people feel seen, supported, and empowered to take control of their own care.
Key Takeaways for Operators
1. Feeling heard is still revolutionary for women in healthcare. Companies that prioritize listening and personalization will build deep loyalty.
2. Data is the starting point, not the endpoint. Labs and diagnostics are valuable, but they need to be paired with human interpretation and individualized care.
3. Discount on acquisition, profit on retention. Proving value upfront creates long-term relationships that drive sustainable revenue.
4. Lifecycle marketing matters earlier than you think. Don't wait to build email and SMS retention flows. They're foundational to profitability.
5. Webinars and educational content build trust. In complex health categories, people need to learn before they buy. Content that educates without selling creates credibility.
6. Working with a spouse requires boundaries. Shared vision is powerful, but stress management and relationship care are essential to sustainability.
7. Scaling in healthcare means navigating complexity. Legal compliance, regulatory shifts, and operational challenges are constant. Build a strong support team and stay nimble.
Joi + Blokes offers telemedicine services for hormone health, longevity, and preventative care. Learn more at joiandblokes.com.
If you're building a health or wellness brand and need support on positioning, retention strategy, or lifecycle marketing, Future Digital partners with founders creating the next generation of personalized care. Let's connect.
