Why Halle Berry's 'Sex Symbol' Image Makes Her A Perfect Advocate For Women's Health

Halle Berry remains the only Black woman in history to win an Academy Award for Best Actress, but these days, she is laser-focused on her second act in women’s health. It’s a mission of both advocacy and entrepreneurship that began when her own perimenopause was misdiagnosed as herpes and she realized just how much more awareness both doctors and patients needed about this crucial (and, for those who live long enough, universal) life stage. Berry’s vehicle is Respin, originally a wellness and exercise website she founded in 2020 but which relaunched this February as a menopause-focused healthcare company. With less than $5 million in funding from investors including Khosla Ventures, Respin is still in its earliest days—telehealth visits just launched in July and revenue is still mostly non-existent—but Berry is feeling invigorated by the task of growing and scaling her startup. “This is my greatest act. And I couldn't have imagined that this would be my greatest act because I think as women, we've been afraid to age,” says Berry.

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