May 21, 2025 • 40 mins
Low libido happens, but it's how you CHOOSE to deal with it. Jennie is sitting down with the incredible self-made serial entrepreneur, Cindy Eckert, to talk about how this female founder brought the little pink pill, Addyi, that is the first-ever FDA-approved drug for low sexual desire in women, to the mainstream market!
Let's talk about sex! Let's end the stigma!
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ADDYI is for premenopausal women with acquired, generalized hypoactive (low) sexual desire disorder who have not had problems with low sexual desire in the past, and who have low sexual desire no matter the type of sexual activity, the situation or the sexual partner. The low sexual desire is troubling to them and is not due to a medical or mental health problem, problems in the relationship or medicine or other drug use. ADDYI is not for use in men or to enhance sexual performance. Your risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting is increased if you drink 1-2 standard alcoholic drinks close in time to your ADDYI dose. Wait at least 2 hours after drinking before taking ADDYI at bedtime. Your risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting is also increased if you take certain prescription,
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to I Choose Me with Jenny Garland.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Hi, everyone, welcome to I Choose Me. This podcast is
all about the choices we make and where they lead us.
My guest today is someone who is a self made
serial entrepreneur and vocal advocate for women. Over a twenty
five year career in healthcare, she has built and sold
two businesses for more than one point five billion dollars.
(00:31):
She's the founder of the first ever FDA approved drug
for low sexual desire in women, Addie the Little Pink Pill,
and I cannot wait to speak with her. Please welcome
Cindy Eckert to the pod. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I'm having a pinch me moment. I need you to
know this right now. Sitting here with you, well I
really am. I mean, just sitting here with you and
now your whole I Choose Me. It's it just so
resonates with this entire path for me. So thank you
for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
I'm so glad. I'm so glad that it works for
you because it's such an important message. And I'm so
glad you're here too.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Oh we were talking before about how fabulous you look.
I'm just trying to reiterate that, I think before we
dive into women's libido and that vast topic. Yes, I
would love for our listeners to get to know you
just a little bit better. And one of the interesting
things that I found in my research was that you,
growing up moved around a lot, and I was wondering
(01:33):
what kind of impact that had on you, both positively
or negatively.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
So positively, I still ask my parents if it was
some kind of weird experiment to train me to be
an entrepreneur, because I was definitely the perpetual new kid,
you know, so I didn't fit. I was always a
little bit on the outside of the room looking in.
I wasn't the jock, I wasn't the geek. But it
also that's incredibly freeing because I was never sort of
(01:59):
defined by anyone else's you know, sort of belief of
who I was or their own terms. So that was
the pause of the negative like I was in that regard,
also such a social misfit. I came back, I lived
overseas and I lived in the Fiji Islands.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
There wasn't even tell them bad.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
It doesn't sound bad, but come back in like the
eighth grade, and no, no, like cultural reference. You're pretty weird.
But I look back on it and I'm so grateful
for it. At the time, you know, every twelve months
kind of packing your bags and leaving your friends and
saying bye. It was tough. A lot of disruption, disruptor
(02:39):
lots of disruption.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
That's good. But I also kind of love the fact
that you could just keep reinventing yourself, Like wherever you moved,
you could just be whatever you wanted to be.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
I think it really made me a very open minded
thinker in the sense that, you know, there were all
of these possibilities, all these different kind of points of
view that I saw, different cultures, everything else that, you know,
It's allowed me to not be confined in my thinking
even in my professional life now today.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I love that. Okay, how does one go about co
founding a pharmaceuticals brand, because I've got no idea. Had
you wanted to do this since your whole life or
is this something that just sort of came out of
the blow.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
You know what I want to do. I wanted to
be exceptional in business. I've always like chased learning from
people who are great at something, and so when I
got out of college, I went to work for Fortune's
most admired company, which happened to be a pharmaceutical company,
Like it could have been anything. I went there. Then
I fell in love with science and actually making a
difference in people's lives. Like I was so moved by
(03:40):
it that I chased innovation, and you know, I got
into smaller and smaller startups really doing the cool work,
the innovation, and thought, well, why am I going in
and like cleaning up everyone else's messes, Like I'll just
go make my own mess. It's my own fault. I'll
have to fix it. And I think I had enough
of a track record that I believed that people would
(04:01):
write me a check. It was all it takes, by
the way I have to and like that. My first
company was literally called slate, so clean slate on my
own terms, you know, soberen when you go out and
actually ask people to write you a check. And I
don't fit the mold of what you would think of
as a pharma CEO in any way. So that was
(04:23):
an interesting journey. But the idea was there've got to
be all of these other people out there in this
industry that like, really are in love with the patient,
and the difference we can make in patients lives, and
that can be lost in you know, big business. So
what if I got those kind of people together against
a challenge, what could we accomplish? And we built a
(04:46):
really successful business. But you know it's it's not a
typical startup story. Pharma is very expensive, all the clinical trials.
I had to figure out a way to raise a
whole lot of money to get these products to market.
But did get to do it on my own terms.
That's amazing. You went out and raised all your own
money too. Oh absolutely, And was like ceremoniously laughed out
(05:07):
of basically every room at the beginning, like you especially
are you kidding the pink pill? They were like hah,
like all the all the guys in gray suits for
link and get out of here. Good luck and you
know what is your what feels like your curse becomes
your blessing. You know, all those no's led me into
(05:28):
rooms of people who were high networth family office nobody.
I didn't have a rich uncle, so I didn't know
any of these folks to begin with. But I you know,
went into rooms and when I would meet people who
believed in me, I would say, can you introduce me
to five of your friends, And so now I have
this unbelievable group who bet on me, who were just
like private individuals who believed in the cause. And that
(05:50):
was the blessing because this was such a rocky road
to get this to market that as opposed to like
a classic venture you know, capitalist who would have said
no way the first time we hit a road bomb.
They stuck with me all the way through and they're
still still with me today.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
That's the persistence that it takes. And you found your people.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I did. I really found my people. I mean, I'm
so grateful for it. Even we'll get to this in
the story, but when we sold the product and they
never launched it, that group of people had a great return,
but they were like still stuck with me and said
go back and get it. We didn't do this for
women not to have access to it, so they they're
true to the cause. And I really appreciate that about.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yes, yes, and then selling the business, which is such
a huge decision, I'm sure, but part of that usually
means letting go of what happens after you're gone. Was
that hard.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
So I really can't think of a period of my
life in which I was more depressed. It's so this
is it was your baby, Addie is me. I'm in
so many ways like what it stands for. What it
stood for to me and to sell it was the
dream come true. Like it's a little bit you know,
you have this beautiful baby, but if somebody else could
(07:03):
raise your baby to its highest potential in the world,
you say, okay, you know, like I want that. That's
what I want for this baby. So it was arguably
like the entrepreneur's dream come true. I sold the business.
They were gonna get it to women everywhere, and then
when they didn't do it, it was soul crushing, like
I was so not only lost part of like what
(07:26):
this was all about for me, but I felt like
I'd let everyone down. I'd let all the women who
were counting on me down, all the doctors who'd stood
there next to me at the f day, I'd let
them all down. And that was really hard to wrestle
with until I like kicked myself in the ass and
said nope, not on my watch, Like you fought to
get this far, put the gloves back on, and then
(07:48):
I went, you know, and I fought big pharma and
I got it back.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Yeah, you ended up selling the company for a billion
dollar yes, and then that's a incentive, yes, and then
ultimately you got it back. What made you choose to
step back up to the plate just that that it
was your baby and you had so much passion.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
How in the world can a company we fought men
had twenty six FDA approved treatment options before we ever
got one, even though more women struggle than men do.
And then a company bought it and they never gave
women access to it. They shelved it. When was this
That was in twenty and fifteen, ten years ago, they
(08:25):
bought it. You know, so big week. I got this
product the first ever in the world approved, you know,
sell the company a billion dollars cash. Oh my gosh,
people are going to care about women's health. We're so excited.
And then literally it never gets launched. They like put
it on the shelf in no way, like absolutely not,
like we fought so that women could have access to it.
(08:47):
I even to this day, you know, whether women take
out of or don't take AUDI, that's not what this
has ever been about.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
For me.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
What it's been about is that you deserve to know
it exists. You deserve to talk about this and have
equal access to medical treatments for medical conditions.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Absolutely. Okay, before we get into Addy and all its glory,
tell me about the pink ceiling. Yeah, why is that
something so important to you to get involved with firsts?
That healthcare first that are for women, buy women?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Yes, well, you know, having an exit like that, it
was my second, but like it was, you know, big
lots of news media around it. I think in that
intervening period, as I was so sad that my baby
wasn't being launched, I also thought to myself, like, you
have a responsibility to help other women get there quicker
(09:39):
than you did, Like how do I help this not
happen to anyone else? How do I help them achieve
their dreams? And how do we continue to push for
first Like we can't have these massive discoveries in women's
health for them to be shelved. And so I thought, well,
then I'm going to start putting money behind it and
see the things that I want in this world come
to life. And you know, it's been so fun to do,
(10:01):
and it's had a variety, like I stick to my
lane of health, but you know, everything from a woman
in Texas. She's a brilliant engineer. She created basically like
a stud finder for the spine so that women's epidurals
are easier. Okay, amazing, right, Like as opposed to like
going like I think this is the right spot and
(10:22):
like sticking a needle in. You know, she's got an
actual device. It's like, no, this is the right spot.
Put it in. And you know those kind of things.
Bobby the Infant Formula Company, like talking you know, working
with Laura there as they were going through some FDA,
Like I feel like that's my lane. Like I understand
when it's regulated, but just have loved to be behind
(10:42):
these products for women that might not otherwise ever make
it to market.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
You said, I got a billion dollars. Heck am I
going to do with it?
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Success for me has never looked like money. It's looked
like impact. And like you know, money is a conduit
for a lot of good in this world can be
a conduit for bad. You choose, right, how are you
going to use it? And for me, it's been a
responsibility to I think, help other women achieve their dreams.
And I would like, you know, a billion more exits
(11:11):
if you will for women.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
So that's so admirable. I love the idea of women
building other women up. There's just nothing like it, no doubt.
I love that. So part of choosing ourselves and there
shouldn't be any shame around this topic is choosing to
acknowledge that we as women are sexual beings. Right, We
have desires and that's healthy, yes, But for some reason
(11:38):
society doesn't encourage us to talk about that. And so
when we experience dips in our libido certain times in
our lives, we tend to not talk about that either. Yeah,
and oftentimes internalize that and feel bad about ourselves because
of it.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
But still no talking, right, so filled with so much
shame and stigma. I you know, I really think about
like our desires as transcendent, even of the bedroom, like
in this conversation, right, Like what is our what brings
us pleasure?
Speaker 2 (12:10):
It?
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Maybe it's in the bedroom, and I think if you
become in touch with that, it comes out. It's in
the boardroom. It's all of those things. But this entitlement
that women deserve, women deserve to be in touch with
this part of themselves. And it's so weird to me
that we it's so it's such an obvious truth for men,
but for women it's like the silent unspoken.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
It's wild.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
I have a game that my fiance and I play.
We go not that kind of game, but we can
talk about that offline too. I we you know, when
we go to cocktail parties. It's like I live a
social experiment every day being in this business. So when
we go in, at some point in the night, it
comes to that conversation with like, what do you do?
(12:55):
What do you do? And he always looks at them
and he's like, buckle up, so just for it. So
I start telling and if it's a you know, a
woman and a man, a couple, they'll like the woman
will immediately like lean back from the conversation, and the
man will immediately lean in and he'll be can I
take it? And I'm like, what I'm watching right here
(13:16):
is actually all social conditioning. He understands he's entitled to it.
He's entitled to a great, satisfying sex life. It's part
of who he is. And she's worried she shouldn't talk
about it. Now, by the end of the night, I'm
in like a cluster of women and we're all talking
about it though, but it's not. It's still like that
social conditioning. It's fascinating. It sounds like that's the why, right, Yes,
(13:39):
breaking that down, like why shouldn't we get to live
life on our own terms? Why shouldn't we ask for
the things that we need? None of us would be
here without sex and trustake, I know this is gonna
we're going to break the Internet with But if that's true,
then it is a part of how we go through
this life and it's part of our overall wellness.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Yeah, because if you have a good sex life, something
that brings you pleasure, I can see how that would
transcend into all the parts of your life. Absolutely, the
endorphins and all the chemicals that come from a good
sex life.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
The most delicious cocktail our body releases, the most delicious
cocktail of you know, hormones when we have good sex,
and it really does like your in mental wellness, like
I always describe over time, like my probably greatest privilege
is how many women have shared with me this struggle,
like you know, behind the closed doors or their bedroom,
(14:40):
something that they don't They've revealed that to me. And
what I can tell you is to a person different
walks of life, different ages, everything. They feel disconnected. They
feel disconnected from themselves and like that inner moxy you
know that we have with our sex drive and our sexuality,
and they feel disconnected from the person that arguably they
(15:02):
want to be most connected to in this world. You
tell me that restoring that doesn't make It's like life
comes in color. I watch it like I feel it
with friends who you know, are sort of living in
this gray world. They've sort of shrunken back in themselves
everything else, and then like the lights go on and
(15:24):
they're just they're transformed.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
That's so beautiful. Wow, I love that. Okay, tell our
listeners about Addie. Okay, little pink pill, Little pink this
is what we've been doing. Yes, so Addie is this
is our biggest sex organ. So we're brain flow, not
(15:47):
blood flow. Okay, So Addie works on the brain. It's
a non hormonal pill that women can take that increases
their sex drive. It was discovered as a mood drug.
So actually, if you think about like all all of
these products, most of which women take, which are around
you know, depression, anxiety, what's their number one side effect?
(16:08):
Typically they decrease your sex drive. So The scientific thesis
was simple, if we work on dopamine and serotonin and
we cause your sex drive to go down, could we
also work on dopamine serotonin cause it to go up.
And the answer is yes, that's what Addie does. And
so when I'm in you know, perimenopause and I'm starting
to have mood disturbance, sleep disturbance, libido disturbance, that's really
(16:34):
how ADDIE's working and what's going on there on dopamine
and serotonin.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
So the media, you know, over time, has has called
us the female viagra, And all I'll say is we're
so much more interesting. Yeah, right, this is such a
bigger This isn't directed blood flow. This is about like
igniting the sex center of the brain so that you
(16:59):
are responding to cues. And you know, this is what
I love. So patients who respond I need I should
say not. No medication is a panacea, right, No medication
is perfect for everyone. So I always want to say that.
But when I see women who've responded, what's so fun
is that at the very beginning they talk about like Ooh,
(17:21):
I had the best sex dream, or you know, I
was watching a movie and I was like, wow, that
I'm really turned on, Like let's go do that, and
they're like, I can't remember the lastime I had a
woman come up to me at a medical conference who's
a physician. She's on Addie and she's like, I sent
my first nude. I'm like, okay, don't show me, and
like those are the stories that delight me because they
actually reveal exactly how we are wired biologically and how
(17:46):
it's working. And I think, like it's as if female
sexuality is so mysterious and then you're like, no, like
this is right here, and when things go off kilter,
it's not surprising. We don't think about it. We're lying
and bet we're doing our to do list. Oh like
I gotta do this, this, this, and like you're not
(18:07):
in that place or that headspace for sex to ignite.
So that's how it works, and.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
It makes sense because women are emotional beings and you
you know, men can just get it going and do
it anytime.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
You know, interestingly, I will say, like men don't get
an erection unless they have desire, So like there's a
very connection with like mechanics, if you will same with us,
like you know, arousal lubrication, like if you look at
all of the models and sex, like, if I can
get the engine started in that part of that brain,
(18:47):
like the quality improves. We actually, in our clinical size,
we had to prove that not only that you wanted
to have sex, but when you had sex, that it
was satisfying. And that's that's really the core relations.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
So this is such good stuff.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
It's very very fun sex ed for adults.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I need it. I love it. I'm not often so
open about talking about sex, but I feel like this
is such important information all women need to have access
to because you know what, like, as you said, it's
true that we are emotional beings, and that's important right
talking about that, But I think what happens in women's
(19:27):
health all too often is we end there you're just
emotion So when you come in with medical symptoms, I
first pat you on the shoulder and I tell you
just relax. You're just freaking out, And like that shows
up when if you're having a heart attack, if you
have PCOS, if you go on and on and on,
(19:49):
and it's because like we are, but that's not our
full picture. And maybe similar for men, like we immediately
think men are all men are biology like they have
a problem, fix it, Like we we're gonna fix it.
We're gonna give them a solution. And for women, like
for too long in medicine, our solution is take a
bubble bath.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
That's your prescription.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
I mean, I will take that prescription, but I want more.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
That's right. Like, That's that I think is exactly it
not biology to the exclusion of all of that conversation,
right like self care, you know, all all of those things, scheduling,
date night, making it, all of those things are very valid,
but they can't be the full picture.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Right.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
That's that's really I think, at least from my standpoint,
my crusade. And I'll I say this to audiences today
because I feel like everyone's talking about GLP ones or
weight loss medications and zempimunjar, et cetera. And I'm like,
what is that? Actually, what's the takeaway? The takeaway is
for so long we've told, you know, folks who struggle
(20:56):
with weight, work out more, eat better, do this, do that,
and a little bit we're like, I know that it
places blamed. You're like, oh, but I'm yeah, I'm trying.
I'm doing this and I've done this. Fad died and
this fad diet, and then all of a sudden a
medication comes along and we're all like, wait, it's genetics,
and like it's such an obvious truth. How could we
(21:18):
have missed it. It doesn't mean don't eat well, exercise,
do all of those things that are important for your lifestyle.
But again, like, let's be kind to everybody by acknowledging
they are a biological being and they may be struggling
with something for which there is a medical solution.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Okay, so specifically, tell me what are the positives you
will see from taking addia? Okay? What if are there
side effects? Yes? For sure the details.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Everything has side effects, whether it's a supplement or an
over the counter or a medication. What I likes about medications,
We know what they are because we've done the extensive
research and studies in them. So let's start there. Side
of effects common to Addie our sleepiness, dizzyness, nausea, those
are our top three. Less than two percent of women
in our clinical trials discontinue due to any side effect
(22:09):
less than well tolerated. You know, like I said, we're
not all one size fits all, so some woman might
not tolerate another woman will. It's why you take it
daily at bedtime. So that's really the key. It's not
for everybody. If you have liver impairment, you're not ready
for Addie. You know, it's not common in our age band,
(22:31):
but that's like a patient type that they would look
out for. And doctors of course know all this from prescription.
What should you expect? So if you take Addie, it's
building in your system over time. Remember we're working on
we're working on neurotransmitters, so it's building, so it starts
to come alive with exactly like I told you, those
spontaneous thoughts or little fantasies. There's an obgyn out of Ohio.
(22:56):
I love listening to her speak because she says she
had a patient comeback and she's like, I can't stop
thinking about Lebron James. And she was like, are you
a basketball fan? And she's like, not really no, but
you know, and who knows, who knows who yours will be.
But I think it's again, it's that like that place
in the brain waking up, percolating, responding to sexual cues.
(23:21):
I think that also is receptivity to partner that might
have been missing, you know, you might have been like
going to bed early just to avoid this, avoiding sex, avoiding.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Staying awake while when they go to sleep.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Yeah, I hear it all the time. So it's it's receptivity,
even initiation, like you're feeling you're sexy. So I think
that's really like it's a it's a waking up of
like an inner drive. It's sex drive, right, So that
that's what you can expect from it, I think, is
to feel that and because of how it works, you know,
(23:54):
because it's working on you're getting sort of that daily
dose of dopamine. We'll hear from a lot of patients
about food, so mood, I feel good sleep. Sleep is
a side effect for many women. And that's really getting
disturbed right now. Like I talked to so manyone whence
the last time you got a good night of sleep?
And that's all of those so important. So I think
(24:15):
those are you know, realistically, what you can expect from
from the medication. It's not zero to sixty, So I
do think, you know, sometimes because the media like to
call it, of course they had to call it the
male drug, right, female viagram. I'm still waiting for them
to invent a male addie, because I think men should
have a male addie right transmitter exactly right. But you know,
(24:38):
I think, like, you're not going to take it and
swing from the chandeliers tonight. I just want to set
that expectation with everybody. I can't remember my first press interview.
She's like, but what if Channing Tatum comes to the table,
like are you going home with him? And I'm like, actually,
probably not the first night.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Like it's it's.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Not it takes time, yes, I think it's It's much
like so many products we take, you know, for medical conditions,
like it takes a minute to like your system to adjust.
It's bringing you back to that place. It's just like
you wouldn't take an antidepressant tonight and become euphoric. You'd
be restored back to a place you once to work.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
It takes time at builds, whereas the viagra is on demand. Yep,
it is a situation.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
It is. We're not on demand when it comes to sex.
And I love that about us. I do too. I
actually love that even in our like even in our
market testing, women love that about us. I love that
we do like we are very well aware, so you know,
taking something daily and finally, like the kids are asleep
or it's date night or something like it. It's there right,
(25:45):
like it's the it's on board.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
It's on board. I'm a little confused. I read on
your website that Addie is not for menopausal women.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Okay, so I'll tell you that distinction. So we had
to study pre menopausal prepairs right and post separately. We
are at the FDA now for postmenopausal, so that's great.
They're reviewing it right now. We're already approved in Canada
for postmenopausal. But today in the United States, our indication
is for pre so up until the time you go
(26:16):
through menopause, but the data is already published in menopause.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Oh. I love this because, yeah, perimenopause can last for
years and years and years, and that can really affect
your relationship when you have no sex drive, no doubt
for those perimenopausal years. It's also when your menopausal doctor
Haer told me that menopause lasts for one day, yes,
and then you're after that.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
You are your post y.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
It's like a single day in your life day that's
that day you have disappointment.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
For me, I want like longer to celebrate it. That's great.
But yeah, so then you have the rest of your
life basically sure. And if your sex drive doesn't come
back yeh, or doesn't you know kick in, yes, then
you're just not It's not a work out for you.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
There's very way weird things in women's health. I know
you'll you'll know this, and there's far too vast to
go into for the whole audience. But it's a little unusual.
We had to study women separately pre and postment apostle
because it's brain chemistry. It's not hormones, right, ADDIE's non hormonal,
so it's a it's a funny thing. But we're really
(27:22):
excited about the review of our data right now because
we would be the first ever FDA approval for that too.
So keep your fingers crossed and I'm coming back on
the day that we get it.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
I love that. I mean, I'm so I have all
of my fingers and toes cross. Okay, specific can you
drink alcohol so you can't? Yes, short answer yes, Because
Addie makes you sleepy, you think about anything else that
might also make you sleepy, combining it.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
This is good common sense advice. So our language actually
looks like tile. It all addie. If you have three
or more drinks, we say skip the dose that night.
If you're going out to the you know, to party
with the girls, just skip your dose that night. And
it's really about like compounding effects basically, So would it
make you extra sleepy? So doctors know that language for us?
(28:11):
If you're out on a bendor, the answer is no,
but yes you can safely use if you're having a
couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and you know,
taking addis directed at bedtime.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Okay, yes, at bed time. That helps with the sleepy part, yes, okay.
What I love about this conversation is that so many
of us know about the little blue pill that we
talked about for men, and people talk about it so openly.
I think that all women out there should be talking
(28:41):
about this little pink pill just as much, because we
deserve it. We deserve to have good sexual health, and
I think that we are so prettydispositioned to somehow forget
that or not allow ourselves. That's mindset I know. I
think it's rooted in pleasure. I think it's rooted in
like so much shame around sex for us, Like we
(29:04):
are told we are here for reproduction that has reinforced
our entire life. We are only sort of taken seriously
if pain is present, like we never enter into the
realm of the pleasure conversation so messed up.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
It's so messed up. I mean, I really do. Every
audience I get an opportunity to speak, this is my
first question. By a show of hands, how many of
you know that there's a little pink pill for women?
And you know, thankfully more hands are starting to raise,
but for years it's almost no hands in the room.
And then I say, well, then I have to ask
the obvious next question, how many of you know there's
a blue pill for men? And the entire audience raises
(29:42):
their hand, and I'm like, well, you couldn't have missed
it because it was the cover of Time magazine and
we have three times as many patients worth of data.
This women's product has more science. So how has it
not been the cover of every magazine.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
To get you? On the cover of Time, Let's do
you and this little pink pill? I am here are.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Little pink pills, right, yep, yep.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
When women think about lolbido, they kind of associate it
with aging, and that's just a natural thing that happens
and there's nothing you can do about it. Not true,
not true, not true. And also I think people think
of that for Addie, and you'd be surprised. This is
pretty indiscriminate across the age bands, so across all of
our clinical trials, not necessarily our indication, you know, as
(30:28):
FDA gives you a narrower band.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
We studied eighteen to eighty. Really, and you know, your
distress is high, Like I can get stopped outside of
the you know, when I'm going to some of my
team's like wedding showers or the bridal showers, and like
young women are stopping me, Like Sunday, Sindy. You know,
I was struggling, like with dating because I really have
(30:51):
such a low sex drive and I'm so like, you know,
it's making me not get out there socially, and I
mean I love that. So it's not like this is
one thing if I had one wish, We're going to
make so many things happen out of this podcast. Time
agg all it we have so many things. But let
(31:11):
me put this out there to everybody. If we could
change one word in women's health, we would quit telling
women things that they struggle with are normal, and we
would say they are common, because once we acknowledge it's common,
we continue to explore what we might do to solve it.
As soon as we tell her it's normal, Yeah, you
(31:34):
just walk away it's normal. Deal with it like it's
not normal. Like actually losing your sex trip is not normal.
It's common, common, and there are things you can do
for it, many things you can do for it. But
I think that's crucial, and so I give that even
to the audience as a watch out that if if
(31:54):
you're in a medical office and you're talking about something
you're really struggling with that maybe you even are embarrassed
to be discussing and they tell you it's normal, you
have to push through. You have to like you're your
own advocate.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
What happens? What should we say when the doctor says, oh,
that's normal.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
You should say. I think what you say to them
is is it normal or is it common? And what
are the biological issues that might be going on? Because
what they're doing is they're saying emotion normal, move on,
good luck, and you just have to say normal or common.
Because I've read there's a lot of women who struggle
(32:34):
with this, what are my options? Again? Nothing if it's
too complicated for them to figure out, you know what's
not complicated for them to tell you what solutions there
are for it. That's not complicated.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
It shouldn't be. Yeah, so interesting. Okay, where can women
go to get addie? Do they go to their grinecologist?
And is it covered by insurance?
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Great questions. So to get Addie. First, I'm going to say,
go to our site ADI dot com because we have
a list of doctors in your area, so you'll know
that you're going to somebody who is passionate about this,
because I feel like so many women run into their
doctor and run straight into a brick wall because they're
not trained.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
They don't know about it.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
And actually that's true of obgyn's too. So while we
have wonderful obgyn champions, of course of Addie, they're actually
trained in reproduction and fertility. We are reproductive beings for them.
So pleasure is often not asked like I ask, how
many of you have been asked by your OBGN how's
your sex life? They're at the front end. If they're
(33:38):
asking you that question, they're going above and beyond to
become educated. What I find fascinating is that so many
women walk into the environments in which like a medspolike
environment where they're talking about vulnerabilities. They're talking about maybe
it's the GLP ones, maybe it's hormone replacement therapy, maybe
it's just mike toxin or whatever that might be. You've
(34:00):
kind of let your guard down. So we're seeing a
lot of adoption of Addie in that space. But the
simple answer really for the audience is find somebody on
our website, because I will tell you for sure, doctors
are not educated on this, and I don't want you
to be met with resistance or a blank stare back
at you, because there are physicians that are really passionate
(34:22):
about this.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yeah. I think it was so interesting when I had
doctor harn and she said that she was a terrible
gynecologist for many years. Yeah, and that took so much courage,
I think for her to admit that I agree, and
then to sort of adjust course. I know.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
I mean, there are people. I think Mary Claire has
done so much to like just inspire other doctors to
go back and get educated, like you must be solving
these challenges. I will share a story. It's a wonderful woman.
Her name is doctor Julian Burt. She's an OBQ in
in Atlanta, Georgia. Shout out. And she told a similar
story to me where she said, you know, I had
(34:57):
this patient who would come in and ask me about
this issue about her libido. And I was always like, what, Like,
you're good, it's normal, Ada, and she said, And one
day she walked her out to the checkout and her
husband was sitting in the waiting room waiting for her,
and she said, this was the most beautiful man she'd
(35:18):
ever seen. And she's like, wait, what, Like, what's going on?
What's the problem that's going on? And she actually really
that patient inspired her. She's like, I cannot be doing this.
I can't be going to Google. I need to go
be educated. And she was so excited when Addie came out,
but she lost the patient. So she thought, I finally
have something I can I can help her with something.
(35:40):
She was textbook for this diagnosis, and she said she
ran into her at Costco and.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
She's like, I'm so excited, I'm so exacy.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
I have something for you. And she said, oh too late,
doctor Bert, we got divorced.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
Oh god, And she said that terrible story.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
It's with me every day and I'm like, that is Look,
not all stories are going that way. That maybe is
the most dramatic. However, when we don't help women with
the things they're asking for, like, what is our responsibility
in it? Here's what I love. This has been a
long road for me. Of course, it's my deep passion
(36:16):
to change this conversation. Today, you can't be board certified
if you're a family practice internal med OBIQI n or
urologist without answering a test question on addie. Great, we're
changing it. It takes decades to change medical establishment, but
I really do. My niece just had a baby, and
(36:37):
I said, I'm promising her that like the world in
which her daughter grows up, she'll think it's ridiculous. We
didn't talk about this.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
There's just so many, so many fascinating, interesting, important developments
in women's health is happening now many and it's exciting.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
It is exciting. I think it's exciting, and I think
the hero of the story are women who just took charge.
They don't just got up and said stop, give me
real solutions. I want things studied in my body, I
want things proven and I think that we're actually causing
the sea change.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
Definitely. Oh I love women so much.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Me too.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Okay, I asked you if it was covered by interro.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Oh, thank you. The answer is, I mean, obviously it
depends on your insur if you have a great employer,
the answer is yes. And it's actually a reasonable conversation
for you to have with your employer if it gets rejected,
because I promise you they covered the ed meds. I
tell a terrible story again. Oh my gosh, I'm Debbie
down around this one. But last year, I like, I
(37:42):
had to close the door of my office and just scream,
and my whole team was like, what's happening? And a
doctor had sent me a rejection notice from Blue Cross
Shield that said they would pay for the woman's addy,
but first she needed to try marriage counseling. What what
(38:02):
what the actual that is offensive? To which I would say,
I'll give them my full proceeds of selling sprout if
they can show me one time they did that for
an edy medication with the man. Oh my god, that
is the that's the trap, right, that is the trap.
And that's even the trap for you know doctors when
(38:24):
they patch you on the shoulder. They're reinforcing being able
to get away with that. So the answer is not always,
but it should. If it doesn't, ask your employer, and
you know, if you're too shy. At a minimum, we've
got cash coupons through you know, good RX and through
med spas and stuff that you can at least get it.
But you should fight like I. We fight it. We
(38:46):
fight it every day. We you know, I went berserk
when that happened on behalf of all women. I'd like
to think, and but I, you know, I need everybody
to kind of do their own fighting too if we
want to change it.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
Okay, so I heard that on your website. Yes you
can do telehealth. Yes appointments so you don't even have
to go to the doctor. Yes you can do this
from home.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Absolutely. So honestly, when we set this up, I thought,
I just want women to be talking to somebody who's
educated about this, an expert, so you can like it.
If there's a blush factor for this, just go to
addie dot com. You'll talk to a doctor license in
your state. You do it completely online. They check on
the medications you're on, if you're appropriate for it or not,
(39:32):
and it ships to your doorsteps. So don't let shyness
or a blush factor keep you from addressing this that
was important to us too. Every way we can lift
the stigma and increase access around this conversation.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
Yep, Okay, before I let you go, Cyndi Eker, what
was your last I choose me moment?
Speaker 1 (39:52):
Oh, I choose me having great sex last night.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Okay, yay, that's a choice because you chose to take
your health, your sexual health in your own hands. Yeah,
and do something about it.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
But I did when we started at the top and
I said how much it means to me to be here.
I think I Choose me has been this whole journey
for me, every step along the way, whether it was
being laughed at when I raised money for it, and
choosing me in that like, I can do this, I
will find the way, you know, choosing me fighting the FDA,
(40:29):
like all of it, every step of the way. And
I think you know today choosing me is continuing to
get out there and get loud about this until it
changes in the way that I think it deserves to.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
I love your passion, Thank you, I love your conviction.
Thank you. You are very strong and inspiring and I'm
so happy you were with us today.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Thank you,
You're listening to I Choose Me with Jenny Garland.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Hi, everyone, welcome to I Choose Me. This podcast is
all about the choices we make and where they lead us.
My guest today is someone who is a self made
serial entrepreneur and vocal advocate for women. Over a twenty
five year career in healthcare, she has built and sold
two businesses for more than one point five billion dollars.
(00:31):
She's the founder of the first ever FDA approved drug
for low sexual desire in women, Addie the Little Pink Pill,
and I cannot wait to speak with her. Please welcome
Cindy Eckert to the pod. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I'm having a pinch me moment. I need you to
know this right now. Sitting here with you, well I
really am. I mean, just sitting here with you and
now your whole I Choose Me. It's it just so
resonates with this entire path for me. So thank you
for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
I'm so glad. I'm so glad that it works for
you because it's such an important message. And I'm so
glad you're here too.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Oh we were talking before about how fabulous you look.
I'm just trying to reiterate that, I think before we
dive into women's libido and that vast topic. Yes, I
would love for our listeners to get to know you
just a little bit better. And one of the interesting
things that I found in my research was that you,
growing up moved around a lot, and I was wondering
(01:33):
what kind of impact that had on you, both positively
or negatively.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
So positively, I still ask my parents if it was
some kind of weird experiment to train me to be
an entrepreneur, because I was definitely the perpetual new kid,
you know, so I didn't fit. I was always a
little bit on the outside of the room looking in.
I wasn't the jock, I wasn't the geek. But it
also that's incredibly freeing because I was never sort of
(01:59):
defined by anyone else's you know, sort of belief of
who I was or their own terms. So that was
the pause of the negative like I was in that regard,
also such a social misfit. I came back, I lived
overseas and I lived in the Fiji Islands.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
There wasn't even tell them bad.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
It doesn't sound bad, but come back in like the
eighth grade, and no, no, like cultural reference. You're pretty weird.
But I look back on it and I'm so grateful
for it. At the time, you know, every twelve months
kind of packing your bags and leaving your friends and
saying bye. It was tough. A lot of disruption, disruptor
(02:39):
lots of disruption.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
That's good. But I also kind of love the fact
that you could just keep reinventing yourself, Like wherever you moved,
you could just be whatever you wanted to be.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
I think it really made me a very open minded
thinker in the sense that, you know, there were all
of these possibilities, all these different kind of points of
view that I saw, different cultures, everything else that, you know,
It's allowed me to not be confined in my thinking
even in my professional life now today.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I love that. Okay, how does one go about co
founding a pharmaceuticals brand, because I've got no idea. Had
you wanted to do this since your whole life or
is this something that just sort of came out of
the blow.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
You know what I want to do. I wanted to
be exceptional in business. I've always like chased learning from
people who are great at something, and so when I
got out of college, I went to work for Fortune's
most admired company, which happened to be a pharmaceutical company,
Like it could have been anything. I went there. Then
I fell in love with science and actually making a
difference in people's lives. Like I was so moved by
(03:40):
it that I chased innovation, and you know, I got
into smaller and smaller startups really doing the cool work,
the innovation, and thought, well, why am I going in
and like cleaning up everyone else's messes, Like I'll just
go make my own mess. It's my own fault. I'll
have to fix it. And I think I had enough
of a track record that I believed that people would
(04:01):
write me a check. It was all it takes, by
the way I have to and like that. My first
company was literally called slate, so clean slate on my
own terms, you know, soberen when you go out and
actually ask people to write you a check. And I
don't fit the mold of what you would think of
as a pharma CEO in any way. So that was
(04:23):
an interesting journey. But the idea was there've got to
be all of these other people out there in this
industry that like, really are in love with the patient,
and the difference we can make in patients lives, and
that can be lost in you know, big business. So
what if I got those kind of people together against
a challenge, what could we accomplish? And we built a
(04:46):
really successful business. But you know it's it's not a
typical startup story. Pharma is very expensive, all the clinical trials.
I had to figure out a way to raise a
whole lot of money to get these products to market.
But did get to do it on my own terms.
That's amazing. You went out and raised all your own
money too. Oh absolutely, And was like ceremoniously laughed out
(05:07):
of basically every room at the beginning, like you especially
are you kidding the pink pill? They were like hah,
like all the all the guys in gray suits for
link and get out of here. Good luck and you
know what is your what feels like your curse becomes
your blessing. You know, all those no's led me into
(05:28):
rooms of people who were high networth family office nobody.
I didn't have a rich uncle, so I didn't know
any of these folks to begin with. But I you know,
went into rooms and when I would meet people who
believed in me, I would say, can you introduce me
to five of your friends, And so now I have
this unbelievable group who bet on me, who were just
like private individuals who believed in the cause. And that
(05:50):
was the blessing because this was such a rocky road
to get this to market that as opposed to like
a classic venture you know, capitalist who would have said
no way the first time we hit a road bomb.
They stuck with me all the way through and they're
still still with me today.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
That's the persistence that it takes. And you found your people.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I did. I really found my people. I mean, I'm
so grateful for it. Even we'll get to this in
the story, but when we sold the product and they
never launched it, that group of people had a great return,
but they were like still stuck with me and said
go back and get it. We didn't do this for
women not to have access to it, so they they're
true to the cause. And I really appreciate that about.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yes, yes, and then selling the business, which is such
a huge decision, I'm sure, but part of that usually
means letting go of what happens after you're gone. Was
that hard.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
So I really can't think of a period of my
life in which I was more depressed. It's so this
is it was your baby, Addie is me. I'm in
so many ways like what it stands for. What it
stood for to me and to sell it was the
dream come true. Like it's a little bit you know,
you have this beautiful baby, but if somebody else could
(07:03):
raise your baby to its highest potential in the world,
you say, okay, you know, like I want that. That's
what I want for this baby. So it was arguably
like the entrepreneur's dream come true. I sold the business.
They were gonna get it to women everywhere, and then
when they didn't do it, it was soul crushing, like
I was so not only lost part of like what
(07:26):
this was all about for me, but I felt like
I'd let everyone down. I'd let all the women who
were counting on me down, all the doctors who'd stood
there next to me at the f day, I'd let
them all down. And that was really hard to wrestle
with until I like kicked myself in the ass and
said nope, not on my watch, Like you fought to
get this far, put the gloves back on, and then
(07:48):
I went, you know, and I fought big pharma and
I got it back.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Yeah, you ended up selling the company for a billion
dollar yes, and then that's a incentive, yes, and then
ultimately you got it back. What made you choose to
step back up to the plate just that that it
was your baby and you had so much passion.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
How in the world can a company we fought men
had twenty six FDA approved treatment options before we ever
got one, even though more women struggle than men do.
And then a company bought it and they never gave
women access to it. They shelved it. When was this
That was in twenty and fifteen, ten years ago, they
(08:25):
bought it. You know, so big week. I got this
product the first ever in the world approved, you know,
sell the company a billion dollars cash. Oh my gosh,
people are going to care about women's health. We're so excited.
And then literally it never gets launched. They like put
it on the shelf in no way, like absolutely not,
like we fought so that women could have access to it.
(08:47):
I even to this day, you know, whether women take
out of or don't take AUDI, that's not what this
has ever been about.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
For me.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
What it's been about is that you deserve to know
it exists. You deserve to talk about this and have
equal access to medical treatments for medical conditions.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Absolutely. Okay, before we get into Addy and all its glory,
tell me about the pink ceiling. Yeah, why is that
something so important to you to get involved with firsts?
That healthcare first that are for women, buy women?
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Yes, well, you know, having an exit like that, it
was my second, but like it was, you know, big
lots of news media around it. I think in that
intervening period, as I was so sad that my baby
wasn't being launched, I also thought to myself, like, you
have a responsibility to help other women get there quicker
(09:39):
than you did, Like how do I help this not
happen to anyone else? How do I help them achieve
their dreams? And how do we continue to push for
first Like we can't have these massive discoveries in women's
health for them to be shelved. And so I thought, well,
then I'm going to start putting money behind it and
see the things that I want in this world come
to life. And you know, it's been so fun to do,
(10:01):
and it's had a variety, like I stick to my
lane of health, but you know, everything from a woman
in Texas. She's a brilliant engineer. She created basically like
a stud finder for the spine so that women's epidurals
are easier. Okay, amazing, right, Like as opposed to like
going like I think this is the right spot and
(10:22):
like sticking a needle in. You know, she's got an
actual device. It's like, no, this is the right spot.
Put it in. And you know those kind of things.
Bobby the Infant Formula Company, like talking you know, working
with Laura there as they were going through some FDA,
Like I feel like that's my lane. Like I understand
when it's regulated, but just have loved to be behind
(10:42):
these products for women that might not otherwise ever make
it to market.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
You said, I got a billion dollars. Heck am I
going to do with it?
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Success for me has never looked like money. It's looked
like impact. And like you know, money is a conduit
for a lot of good in this world can be
a conduit for bad. You choose, right, how are you
going to use it? And for me, it's been a
responsibility to I think, help other women achieve their dreams.
And I would like, you know, a billion more exits
(11:11):
if you will for women.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
So that's so admirable. I love the idea of women
building other women up. There's just nothing like it, no doubt.
I love that. So part of choosing ourselves and there
shouldn't be any shame around this topic is choosing to
acknowledge that we as women are sexual beings. Right, We
have desires and that's healthy, yes, But for some reason
(11:38):
society doesn't encourage us to talk about that. And so
when we experience dips in our libido certain times in
our lives, we tend to not talk about that either. Yeah,
and oftentimes internalize that and feel bad about ourselves because
of it.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
But still no talking, right, so filled with so much
shame and stigma. I you know, I really think about
like our desires as transcendent, even of the bedroom, like
in this conversation, right, Like what is our what brings
us pleasure?
Speaker 2 (12:10):
It?
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Maybe it's in the bedroom, and I think if you
become in touch with that, it comes out. It's in
the boardroom. It's all of those things. But this entitlement
that women deserve, women deserve to be in touch with
this part of themselves. And it's so weird to me
that we it's so it's such an obvious truth for men,
but for women it's like the silent unspoken.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
It's wild.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
I have a game that my fiance and I play.
We go not that kind of game, but we can
talk about that offline too. I we you know, when
we go to cocktail parties. It's like I live a
social experiment every day being in this business. So when
we go in, at some point in the night, it
comes to that conversation with like, what do you do?
(12:55):
What do you do? And he always looks at them
and he's like, buckle up, so just for it. So
I start telling and if it's a you know, a
woman and a man, a couple, they'll like the woman
will immediately like lean back from the conversation, and the
man will immediately lean in and he'll be can I
take it? And I'm like, what I'm watching right here
(13:16):
is actually all social conditioning. He understands he's entitled to it.
He's entitled to a great, satisfying sex life. It's part
of who he is. And she's worried she shouldn't talk
about it. Now, by the end of the night, I'm
in like a cluster of women and we're all talking
about it though, but it's not. It's still like that
social conditioning. It's fascinating. It sounds like that's the why, right, Yes,
(13:39):
breaking that down, like why shouldn't we get to live
life on our own terms? Why shouldn't we ask for
the things that we need? None of us would be
here without sex and trustake, I know this is gonna
we're going to break the Internet with But if that's true,
then it is a part of how we go through
this life and it's part of our overall wellness.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Yeah, because if you have a good sex life, something
that brings you pleasure, I can see how that would
transcend into all the parts of your life. Absolutely, the
endorphins and all the chemicals that come from a good
sex life.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
The most delicious cocktail our body releases, the most delicious
cocktail of you know, hormones when we have good sex,
and it really does like your in mental wellness, like
I always describe over time, like my probably greatest privilege
is how many women have shared with me this struggle,
like you know, behind the closed doors or their bedroom,
(14:40):
something that they don't They've revealed that to me. And
what I can tell you is to a person different
walks of life, different ages, everything. They feel disconnected. They
feel disconnected from themselves and like that inner moxy you
know that we have with our sex drive and our sexuality,
and they feel disconnected from the person that arguably they
(15:02):
want to be most connected to in this world. You
tell me that restoring that doesn't make It's like life
comes in color. I watch it like I feel it
with friends who you know, are sort of living in
this gray world. They've sort of shrunken back in themselves
everything else, and then like the lights go on and
(15:24):
they're just they're transformed.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
That's so beautiful. Wow, I love that. Okay, tell our
listeners about Addie. Okay, little pink pill, Little pink this
is what we've been doing. Yes, so Addie is this
is our biggest sex organ. So we're brain flow, not
(15:47):
blood flow. Okay, So Addie works on the brain. It's
a non hormonal pill that women can take that increases
their sex drive. It was discovered as a mood drug.
So actually, if you think about like all all of
these products, most of which women take, which are around
you know, depression, anxiety, what's their number one side effect?
(16:08):
Typically they decrease your sex drive. So The scientific thesis
was simple, if we work on dopamine and serotonin and
we cause your sex drive to go down, could we
also work on dopamine serotonin cause it to go up.
And the answer is yes, that's what Addie does. And
so when I'm in you know, perimenopause and I'm starting
to have mood disturbance, sleep disturbance, libido disturbance, that's really
(16:34):
how ADDIE's working and what's going on there on dopamine
and serotonin.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
So the media, you know, over time, has has called
us the female viagra, And all I'll say is we're
so much more interesting. Yeah, right, this is such a
bigger This isn't directed blood flow. This is about like
igniting the sex center of the brain so that you
(16:59):
are responding to cues. And you know, this is what
I love. So patients who respond I need I should
say not. No medication is a panacea, right, No medication
is perfect for everyone. So I always want to say that.
But when I see women who've responded, what's so fun
is that at the very beginning they talk about like Ooh,
(17:21):
I had the best sex dream, or you know, I
was watching a movie and I was like, wow, that
I'm really turned on, Like let's go do that, and
they're like, I can't remember the lastime I had a
woman come up to me at a medical conference who's
a physician. She's on Addie and she's like, I sent
my first nude. I'm like, okay, don't show me, and
like those are the stories that delight me because they
actually reveal exactly how we are wired biologically and how
(17:46):
it's working. And I think, like it's as if female
sexuality is so mysterious and then you're like, no, like
this is right here, and when things go off kilter,
it's not surprising. We don't think about it. We're lying
and bet we're doing our to do list. Oh like
I gotta do this, this, this, and like you're not
(18:07):
in that place or that headspace for sex to ignite.
So that's how it works, and.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
It makes sense because women are emotional beings and you
you know, men can just get it going and do
it anytime.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
You know, interestingly, I will say, like men don't get
an erection unless they have desire, So like there's a
very connection with like mechanics, if you will same with us,
like you know, arousal lubrication, like if you look at
all of the models and sex, like, if I can
get the engine started in that part of that brain,
(18:47):
like the quality improves. We actually, in our clinical size,
we had to prove that not only that you wanted
to have sex, but when you had sex, that it
was satisfying. And that's that's really the core relations.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
So this is such good stuff.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
It's very very fun sex ed for adults.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I need it. I love it. I'm not often so
open about talking about sex, but I feel like this
is such important information all women need to have access
to because you know what, like, as you said, it's
true that we are emotional beings, and that's important right
talking about that, But I think what happens in women's
(19:27):
health all too often is we end there you're just
emotion So when you come in with medical symptoms, I
first pat you on the shoulder and I tell you
just relax. You're just freaking out, And like that shows
up when if you're having a heart attack, if you
have PCOS, if you go on and on and on,
(19:49):
and it's because like we are, but that's not our
full picture. And maybe similar for men, like we immediately
think men are all men are biology like they have
a problem, fix it, Like we we're gonna fix it.
We're gonna give them a solution. And for women, like
for too long in medicine, our solution is take a
bubble bath.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
That's your prescription.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
I mean, I will take that prescription, but I want more.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
That's right. Like, That's that I think is exactly it
not biology to the exclusion of all of that conversation,
right like self care, you know, all all of those things, scheduling,
date night, making it, all of those things are very valid,
but they can't be the full picture.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Right.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
That's that's really I think, at least from my standpoint,
my crusade. And I'll I say this to audiences today
because I feel like everyone's talking about GLP ones or
weight loss medications and zempimunjar, et cetera. And I'm like,
what is that? Actually, what's the takeaway? The takeaway is
for so long we've told, you know, folks who struggle
(20:56):
with weight, work out more, eat better, do this, do that,
and a little bit we're like, I know that it
places blamed. You're like, oh, but I'm yeah, I'm trying.
I'm doing this and I've done this. Fad died and
this fad diet, and then all of a sudden a
medication comes along and we're all like, wait, it's genetics,
and like it's such an obvious truth. How could we
(21:18):
have missed it. It doesn't mean don't eat well, exercise,
do all of those things that are important for your lifestyle.
But again, like, let's be kind to everybody by acknowledging
they are a biological being and they may be struggling
with something for which there is a medical solution.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Okay, so specifically, tell me what are the positives you
will see from taking addia? Okay? What if are there
side effects? Yes? For sure the details.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Everything has side effects, whether it's a supplement or an
over the counter or a medication. What I likes about medications,
We know what they are because we've done the extensive
research and studies in them. So let's start there. Side
of effects common to Addie our sleepiness, dizzyness, nausea, those
are our top three. Less than two percent of women
in our clinical trials discontinue due to any side effect
(22:09):
less than well tolerated. You know, like I said, we're
not all one size fits all, so some woman might
not tolerate another woman will. It's why you take it
daily at bedtime. So that's really the key. It's not
for everybody. If you have liver impairment, you're not ready
for Addie. You know, it's not common in our age band,
(22:31):
but that's like a patient type that they would look
out for. And doctors of course know all this from prescription.
What should you expect? So if you take Addie, it's
building in your system over time. Remember we're working on
we're working on neurotransmitters, so it's building, so it starts
to come alive with exactly like I told you, those
spontaneous thoughts or little fantasies. There's an obgyn out of Ohio.
(22:56):
I love listening to her speak because she says she
had a patient comeback and she's like, I can't stop
thinking about Lebron James. And she was like, are you
a basketball fan? And she's like, not really no, but
you know, and who knows, who knows who yours will be.
But I think it's again, it's that like that place
in the brain waking up, percolating, responding to sexual cues.
(23:21):
I think that also is receptivity to partner that might
have been missing, you know, you might have been like
going to bed early just to avoid this, avoiding sex, avoiding.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Staying awake while when they go to sleep.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Yeah, I hear it all the time. So it's it's receptivity,
even initiation, like you're feeling you're sexy. So I think
that's really like it's a it's a waking up of
like an inner drive. It's sex drive, right, So that
that's what you can expect from it, I think, is
to feel that and because of how it works, you know,
(23:54):
because it's working on you're getting sort of that daily
dose of dopamine. We'll hear from a lot of patients
about food, so mood, I feel good sleep. Sleep is
a side effect for many women. And that's really getting
disturbed right now. Like I talked to so manyone whence
the last time you got a good night of sleep?
And that's all of those so important. So I think
(24:15):
those are you know, realistically, what you can expect from
from the medication. It's not zero to sixty, So I
do think, you know, sometimes because the media like to
call it, of course they had to call it the
male drug, right, female viagram. I'm still waiting for them
to invent a male addie, because I think men should
have a male addie right transmitter exactly right. But you know,
(24:38):
I think, like, you're not going to take it and
swing from the chandeliers tonight. I just want to set
that expectation with everybody. I can't remember my first press interview.
She's like, but what if Channing Tatum comes to the table,
like are you going home with him? And I'm like, actually,
probably not the first night.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Like it's it's.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Not it takes time, yes, I think it's It's much
like so many products we take, you know, for medical conditions,
like it takes a minute to like your system to adjust.
It's bringing you back to that place. It's just like
you wouldn't take an antidepressant tonight and become euphoric. You'd
be restored back to a place you once to work.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
It takes time at builds, whereas the viagra is on demand. Yep,
it is a situation.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
It is. We're not on demand when it comes to sex.
And I love that about us. I do too. I
actually love that even in our like even in our
market testing, women love that about us. I love that
we do like we are very well aware, so you know,
taking something daily and finally, like the kids are asleep
or it's date night or something like it. It's there right,
(25:45):
like it's the it's on board.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
It's on board. I'm a little confused. I read on
your website that Addie is not for menopausal women.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
Okay, so I'll tell you that distinction. So we had
to study pre menopausal prepairs right and post separately. We
are at the FDA now for postmenopausal, so that's great.
They're reviewing it right now. We're already approved in Canada
for postmenopausal. But today in the United States, our indication
is for pre so up until the time you go
(26:16):
through menopause, but the data is already published in menopause.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
Oh. I love this because, yeah, perimenopause can last for
years and years and years, and that can really affect
your relationship when you have no sex drive, no doubt
for those perimenopausal years. It's also when your menopausal doctor
Haer told me that menopause lasts for one day, yes,
and then you're after that.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
You are your post y.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
It's like a single day in your life day that's
that day you have disappointment.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
For me, I want like longer to celebrate it. That's great.
But yeah, so then you have the rest of your
life basically sure. And if your sex drive doesn't come
back yeh, or doesn't you know kick in, yes, then
you're just not It's not a work out for you.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
There's very way weird things in women's health. I know
you'll you'll know this, and there's far too vast to
go into for the whole audience. But it's a little unusual.
We had to study women separately pre and postment apostle
because it's brain chemistry. It's not hormones, right, ADDIE's non hormonal,
so it's a it's a funny thing. But we're really
(27:22):
excited about the review of our data right now because
we would be the first ever FDA approval for that too.
So keep your fingers crossed and I'm coming back on
the day that we get it.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
I love that. I mean, I'm so I have all
of my fingers and toes cross. Okay, specific can you
drink alcohol so you can't? Yes, short answer yes, Because
Addie makes you sleepy, you think about anything else that
might also make you sleepy, combining it.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
This is good common sense advice. So our language actually
looks like tile. It all addie. If you have three
or more drinks, we say skip the dose that night.
If you're going out to the you know, to party
with the girls, just skip your dose that night. And
it's really about like compounding effects basically, So would it
make you extra sleepy? So doctors know that language for us?
(28:11):
If you're out on a bendor, the answer is no,
but yes you can safely use if you're having a
couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and you know,
taking addis directed at bedtime.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
Okay, yes, at bed time. That helps with the sleepy part, yes, okay.
What I love about this conversation is that so many
of us know about the little blue pill that we
talked about for men, and people talk about it so openly.
I think that all women out there should be talking
(28:41):
about this little pink pill just as much, because we
deserve it. We deserve to have good sexual health, and
I think that we are so prettydispositioned to somehow forget
that or not allow ourselves. That's mindset I know. I
think it's rooted in pleasure. I think it's rooted in
like so much shame around sex for us, Like we
(29:04):
are told we are here for reproduction that has reinforced
our entire life. We are only sort of taken seriously
if pain is present, like we never enter into the
realm of the pleasure conversation so messed up.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
It's so messed up. I mean, I really do. Every
audience I get an opportunity to speak, this is my
first question. By a show of hands, how many of
you know that there's a little pink pill for women?
And you know, thankfully more hands are starting to raise,
but for years it's almost no hands in the room.
And then I say, well, then I have to ask
the obvious next question, how many of you know there's
a blue pill for men? And the entire audience raises
(29:42):
their hand, and I'm like, well, you couldn't have missed
it because it was the cover of Time magazine and
we have three times as many patients worth of data.
This women's product has more science. So how has it
not been the cover of every magazine.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
To get you? On the cover of Time, Let's do
you and this little pink pill? I am here are.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Little pink pills, right, yep, yep.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
When women think about lolbido, they kind of associate it
with aging, and that's just a natural thing that happens
and there's nothing you can do about it. Not true,
not true, not true. And also I think people think
of that for Addie, and you'd be surprised. This is
pretty indiscriminate across the age bands, so across all of
our clinical trials, not necessarily our indication, you know, as
(30:28):
FDA gives you a narrower band.
Speaker 1 (30:30):
We studied eighteen to eighty. Really, and you know, your
distress is high, Like I can get stopped outside of
the you know, when I'm going to some of my
team's like wedding showers or the bridal showers, and like
young women are stopping me, Like Sunday, Sindy. You know,
I was struggling, like with dating because I really have
(30:51):
such a low sex drive and I'm so like, you know,
it's making me not get out there socially, and I
mean I love that. So it's not like this is
one thing if I had one wish, We're going to
make so many things happen out of this podcast. Time
agg all it we have so many things. But let
(31:11):
me put this out there to everybody. If we could
change one word in women's health, we would quit telling
women things that they struggle with are normal, and we
would say they are common, because once we acknowledge it's common,
we continue to explore what we might do to solve it.
As soon as we tell her it's normal, Yeah, you
(31:34):
just walk away it's normal. Deal with it like it's
not normal. Like actually losing your sex trip is not normal.
It's common, common, and there are things you can do
for it, many things you can do for it. But
I think that's crucial, and so I give that even
to the audience as a watch out that if if
(31:54):
you're in a medical office and you're talking about something
you're really struggling with that maybe you even are embarrassed
to be discussing and they tell you it's normal, you
have to push through. You have to like you're your
own advocate.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
What happens? What should we say when the doctor says, oh,
that's normal.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
You should say. I think what you say to them
is is it normal or is it common? And what
are the biological issues that might be going on? Because
what they're doing is they're saying emotion normal, move on,
good luck, and you just have to say normal or common.
Because I've read there's a lot of women who struggle
(32:34):
with this, what are my options? Again? Nothing if it's
too complicated for them to figure out, you know what's
not complicated for them to tell you what solutions there
are for it. That's not complicated.
Speaker 2 (32:45):
It shouldn't be. Yeah, so interesting. Okay, where can women
go to get addie? Do they go to their grinecologist?
And is it covered by insurance?
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Great questions. So to get Addie. First, I'm going to say,
go to our site ADI dot com because we have
a list of doctors in your area, so you'll know
that you're going to somebody who is passionate about this,
because I feel like so many women run into their
doctor and run straight into a brick wall because they're
not trained.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
They don't know about it.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
And actually that's true of obgyn's too. So while we
have wonderful obgyn champions, of course of Addie, they're actually
trained in reproduction and fertility. We are reproductive beings for them.
So pleasure is often not asked like I ask, how
many of you have been asked by your OBGN how's
your sex life? They're at the front end. If they're
(33:38):
asking you that question, they're going above and beyond to
become educated. What I find fascinating is that so many
women walk into the environments in which like a medspolike
environment where they're talking about vulnerabilities. They're talking about maybe
it's the GLP ones, maybe it's hormone replacement therapy, maybe
it's just mike toxin or whatever that might be. You've
(34:00):
kind of let your guard down. So we're seeing a
lot of adoption of Addie in that space. But the
simple answer really for the audience is find somebody on
our website, because I will tell you for sure, doctors
are not educated on this, and I don't want you
to be met with resistance or a blank stare back
at you, because there are physicians that are really passionate
(34:22):
about this.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yeah. I think it was so interesting when I had
doctor harn and she said that she was a terrible
gynecologist for many years. Yeah, and that took so much courage,
I think for her to admit that I agree, and
then to sort of adjust course. I know.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
I mean, there are people. I think Mary Claire has
done so much to like just inspire other doctors to
go back and get educated, like you must be solving
these challenges. I will share a story. It's a wonderful woman.
Her name is doctor Julian Burt. She's an OBQ in
in Atlanta, Georgia. Shout out. And she told a similar
story to me where she said, you know, I had
(34:57):
this patient who would come in and ask me about
this issue about her libido. And I was always like, what, Like,
you're good, it's normal, Ada, and she said, And one
day she walked her out to the checkout and her
husband was sitting in the waiting room waiting for her,
and she said, this was the most beautiful man she'd
(35:18):
ever seen. And she's like, wait, what, Like, what's going on?
What's the problem that's going on? And she actually really
that patient inspired her. She's like, I cannot be doing this.
I can't be going to Google. I need to go
be educated. And she was so excited when Addie came out,
but she lost the patient. So she thought, I finally
have something I can I can help her with something.
(35:40):
She was textbook for this diagnosis, and she said she
ran into her at Costco and.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
She's like, I'm so excited, I'm so exacy.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
I have something for you. And she said, oh too late,
doctor Bert, we got divorced.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
Oh god, And she said that terrible story.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
It's with me every day and I'm like, that is Look,
not all stories are going that way. That maybe is
the most dramatic. However, when we don't help women with
the things they're asking for, like, what is our responsibility
in it? Here's what I love. This has been a
long road for me. Of course, it's my deep passion
(36:16):
to change this conversation. Today, you can't be board certified
if you're a family practice internal med OBIQI n or
urologist without answering a test question on addie. Great, we're
changing it. It takes decades to change medical establishment, but
I really do. My niece just had a baby, and
(36:37):
I said, I'm promising her that like the world in
which her daughter grows up, she'll think it's ridiculous. We
didn't talk about this.
Speaker 2 (36:43):
There's just so many, so many fascinating, interesting, important developments
in women's health is happening now many and it's exciting.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
It is exciting. I think it's exciting, and I think
the hero of the story are women who just took charge.
They don't just got up and said stop, give me
real solutions. I want things studied in my body, I
want things proven and I think that we're actually causing
the sea change.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
Definitely. Oh I love women so much.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Me too.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Okay, I asked you if it was covered by interro.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Oh, thank you. The answer is, I mean, obviously it
depends on your insur if you have a great employer,
the answer is yes. And it's actually a reasonable conversation
for you to have with your employer if it gets rejected,
because I promise you they covered the ed meds. I
tell a terrible story again. Oh my gosh, I'm Debbie
down around this one. But last year, I like, I
(37:42):
had to close the door of my office and just scream,
and my whole team was like, what's happening? And a
doctor had sent me a rejection notice from Blue Cross
Shield that said they would pay for the woman's addy,
but first she needed to try marriage counseling. What what
(38:02):
what the actual that is offensive? To which I would say,
I'll give them my full proceeds of selling sprout if
they can show me one time they did that for
an edy medication with the man. Oh my god, that
is the that's the trap, right, that is the trap.
And that's even the trap for you know doctors when
(38:24):
they patch you on the shoulder. They're reinforcing being able
to get away with that. So the answer is not always,
but it should. If it doesn't, ask your employer, and
you know, if you're too shy. At a minimum, we've
got cash coupons through you know, good RX and through
med spas and stuff that you can at least get it.
But you should fight like I. We fight it. We
(38:46):
fight it every day. We you know, I went berserk
when that happened on behalf of all women. I'd like
to think, and but I, you know, I need everybody
to kind of do their own fighting too if we
want to change it.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
Okay, so I heard that on your website. Yes you
can do telehealth. Yes appointments so you don't even have
to go to the doctor. Yes you can do this
from home.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Absolutely. So honestly, when we set this up, I thought,
I just want women to be talking to somebody who's
educated about this, an expert, so you can like it.
If there's a blush factor for this, just go to
addie dot com. You'll talk to a doctor license in
your state. You do it completely online. They check on
the medications you're on, if you're appropriate for it or not,
(39:32):
and it ships to your doorsteps. So don't let shyness
or a blush factor keep you from addressing this that
was important to us too. Every way we can lift
the stigma and increase access around this conversation.
Speaker 2 (39:46):
Yep, Okay, before I let you go, Cyndi Eker, what
was your last I choose me moment?
Speaker 1 (39:52):
Oh, I choose me having great sex last night.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Okay, yay, that's a choice because you chose to take
your health, your sexual health in your own hands. Yeah,
and do something about it.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
But I did when we started at the top and
I said how much it means to me to be here.
I think I Choose me has been this whole journey
for me, every step along the way, whether it was
being laughed at when I raised money for it, and
choosing me in that like, I can do this, I
will find the way, you know, choosing me fighting the FDA,
(40:29):
like all of it, every step of the way. And
I think you know today choosing me is continuing to
get out there and get loud about this until it
changes in the way that I think it deserves to.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
I love your passion, Thank you, I love your conviction.
Thank you. You are very strong and inspiring and I'm
so happy you were with us today.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Thank you,
Host
Jennie Garth
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