Dr. Somi Javaid shares how a promise to her mother became HerMD—a women’s healthcare company that raised $10M in five weeks. She unpacks scaling brick-and-mortar clinics, pivoting to virtual care, navigating imposter syndrome, and stepping away from clinical practice after two decades. A candid conversation about grit, intuition, and building with conviction in women’s health.
What you’ll learn:
• The personal origin story behind HerMD
• Raising $10M in 2021 as three minority co-founders
• Why storytelling matters as much as financial metrics
• The real economics of brick-and-mortar healthcare
• What telehealth can safely unlock in women’s care
• How to recognize when a business model needs to pivot
• Why “stop chasing” might be the best founder advice
Tune in for insights on making this category purposeful, profitable and rewarding.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:55 The Call That Changed Everything
04:56 Opening HerMD in 2015
09:10 From Doctor to Founder: Imposter Syndrome
12:29 Raising $10M in 5 Weeks
14:55 Growing Without a Marketing Budget
18:55 Pivoting From Brick-and-Mortar to Virtual
21:35 Acquisition and Stepping Away From Clinical Care
28:01 Founder Grit and Identity Shifts
31:48 Stop Chasing snd Trust Alignment
33:40 Intuition, Leadership, and Lessons Learned
Episode Resources:
Somi Javaid on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/somi-javaid
Destinee Berman on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/destineehberman
