What if the key to building your midlife business isn't having all the answers but knowing how to ask the right questions? In this episode, we meet Gita Vellanki, founder of Neeshi, who left a successful career in high tech to create functional foods for women navigating menstruation, perimenopause, and menopause. After watching her daughter struggle with debilitating periods and experiencing her own perimenopausal chaos, Gita drew on her grandmother's wisdom about food as medicine and created a line of chocolate spreads designed to help women feel better without sacrificing pleasure.
But Gita's journey from corporate executive to midlife founder wasn't about having the perfect credentials. With zero background in CPG or marketing, she had to learn how to leverage the resources she did have, get specific about her gaps, and become her own loudest advocate. This is a masterclass in starting over at 40, asking for help without apologizing, and building courage capital one brave choice at a time.
Whether you're considering a perimenopause career change, wondering about starting a business during menopause, or simply trying to figure out how to take the leap when you don't feel ready, Gita's story offers practical wisdom for women over 40 starting businesses and reclaiming their power in the midlife transition women experience.
What You'll Learn:
How to start a business after 40 without feeling ready - Gita shares how she began Neeshi with zero CPG experience, learning to leverage what she had rather than waiting for perfect credentials
Perimenopause business strategies for women entrepreneurs - How to identify and fill skill gaps like marketing while building a mission-driven company
Starting over at 40 with limited resources - Practical advice on using your existing network, even when it feels irrelevant to your new venture
Women over 40 overcoming self-doubt as founders - Why following up doesn't mean being pushy, and how to stop interpreting silence as rejection
Midlife career change through purpose-driven work - How personal pain can become the foundation for meaningful business that helps others
Building confidence after 40 as a female founder - The courage practice of asking for help without apology, and trading stress for realistic timelines
Menopause wellness business success stories - From frozen products to hero spreads: how to pivot without judgment when your first idea doesn't work
Key Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:15 - How Neeshi was born from watching her daughter suffer
6:30 - Gita's own perimenopause journey and discovering the power of functional food
10:00 - The pivot from frozen products to chocolate spreads
13:15 - Leveraging your existing resources even when they feel irrelevant
16:45 - The marketing challenge and learning new skills at 40+
20:00 - Why asking for help became her superpower
23:00 - Trading stress for timeline: letting go of artificial urgency
26:45 - Supporting Neeshi and connecting with Gita
Key Takeaways:
For midlife career changers: You don't need to wait until you have all the credentials. Start with what you have and get specific about the gaps you need to fill.
For women over 40 seeking purpose: Your accumulated experience, even from unrelated fields, is more valuable than you think. Network, work ethic, and systems-building all transfer.
For perimenopause entrepreneurs: Passion alone won't build a business, but passion plus resourcefulness, asking for help, and strategic pivots will get you there.
Featured Quote:
"Don't assume something's a no because you haven't heard back. People are just busy. Reaching out again isn't being pushy. It's being persistent about a mission that matters." - Gita Vellanki
Resources & Links:
Discount Code: UPLIFTERS (20% off)
Neeshi on Amazon
Related Uplifters Episodes:
About Gita Vellanki:
Gita Vellanki is the founder of Neeshi, a company creating functional foods designed to support women through menstruation, perimenopause, and menopause. Before launching Neeshi, Gita spent years in high tech working in M&A and global sales operations. Drawing on her grandmother's wisdom about food as medicine and her own experiences navigating perimenopause while helping her daughter manage painful periods, Gita created a line of products that combines pleasure with purpose, proving that taking care of our hormonal health doesn't have to feel like punishment. As a midlife entrepreneur, she's passionate about helping women understand that it's never too late to build something meaningful, even when you're learning an entirely new industry from scratch.
About Your Host:
Aransas Savas is a wellbeing and leadership coach specializing in helping women over 40 navigate midlife transitions, career changes, and second-act reinvention. With 20+ years of behavioral research experience partnering with companies like Disney, Weight Watchers, and Best Buy, she hosts The Uplifters Podcast, featuring women doing transformative work in the second half of their lives. Aransas brings both research rigor and personal experience to conversations about courage capital, midlife transformation, and building meaningful second acts.
Connect with Aransas:
Instagram: @aransas_savas
Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast
TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast
Facebook: Aransas Savas
Website: theuplifterspodcast.com
YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast
LinkedIn: Aransas Savas
Keywords:
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