In Sickness and in Health & in Business
In sickness and in health & in business
By Tara Langdale-Schmidt
Many people know they want to follow an entrepreneur path. I was not one of them
In fact, I never gave a thought to being a startup business entrepreneur. But after suffering from unbearable pain, numerous medical misdiagnoses, and ineffective surgeries I decided I had no choice.
Today, I’m the founder and president of VuVatech a medical device company that helps women worldwide who suffer from pelvic pain. But it was my own physical, mental and emotional pain that led me to be a startup health entrepreneur and put me on my unexpected career path.
Here’s how I got there: For four long years, I experienced sharp, stabbing, burning pain in my pelvic area, making it impossible to enjoy sexual intimacy with my boyfriend, Jason, who would become my husband. The pain, both physical and mental, was agonizing and impacted my quality of life.
For the first two years that I dealt with pain during intercourse, my OB/GYN told me to drink wine and take some Advil before sex. Some advice!
Searching for another answer, I went to a pelvic pain specialist who did not even examine me. Instead, he wanted to put me on an antidepressant for the pain. I told him that I did not want to be on medication for this issue and alter who I am as a person. He actually snapped at me and told me that he was just giving me options. He did not even give me a name for my condition. I never went back to him.
Finally, I had enough. I took my medical condition into my own hands. Searching for an answer went on for years until I ran across an article on vulvodynia and I realized that is what I had.
From my previous positive experience using magnets to reduce back and neck nerve pain after a car accident, I had a “lightbulb moment” to add neodymium magnets into a vaginal dilator. With the help of medical experts and advisers, I turned my idea into a nonprescription medical device and startup business
– VuVatech www.vuvatech.com – to relieve the pain and sexual discomfort experienced by so many women today. The dilator device has allowed me and over 7,000 women all over the world to live a more normal life and finally enjoying sex without pain. This device as has also improved relationships, marriages and even helped couples expand their families.
I love being an entrepreneur because it allows me to explore and pursue all of my ideas and goals. When you work a 9-5 job for another person or corporation, it sometimes can be hard to voice your opinion for the fear of rejection. When you are an entrepreneur, you can entertain and pursue all your ideas and learn, first hand, if they were good or bad. Another plus is you can create your own destiny with no cap on how successful you can become, or how much money you can make. It is all up to you, and that is what’s so special about being an entrepreneur.
I have seen many entrepreneurs that define success by how much money they have in the bank, the car they drive and the house they own. I think differently. I define success by how many women I can help. My main goal is to help women overcome pain and resume normal, healthy lives; anything monetary will only be a bonus.
The favorite part of my business is the reaction I get from the women who use my medical device. They thank me for helping them with emails daily. Women should not suffer the physical, mental and emotional trauma from pelvic pain. There are answers, there are solutions and there is the help. It’s my mission to help these women live a normal, fulfilling life, and the very favorite thing I love about running my business.
My passion is spreading pelvic pain awareness to women who are not receiving a correct diagnosis from their doctors. Women need to know they do not have to live with painful intercourse and pelvic pain. There are safe alternative treatments other than surgeries. There is hope and there are answers.
Tara Langdale-Schmidt, 33, is the founder of VuVa Tech in Sarasota, FL. http://www.vuvatech.com, a medical device company that helps women suffering from pelvic pain.
