Next Chapter

Kathy Sacks
Aug 27, 2017 · 4 min read

Five years ago, Michael J. Fox could have come back from the future and told me I’d be in this business. I wouldn’t have believed him.

I’m going “all in” on a solution that the world needs. No B.S. The world requires this, by the millions and millions.

I discovered her invention through Twitter, randomly. Then sitting with her for coffee that fateful January morning and learning her story. How she was determined to find a solution to a big meaningful problem. And then how she and her cofounder Joerg Knyrim, who helped engineer the idea and give it life in the 3-dimensional, created Kegelbell vaginal training system.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Stephanie Schull — and her product.

And the market need.

For this.

Right now.

Taking over my brain like food coloring droplets in a bowl of water, every synapse of my brain affected.

That’s when you know.

This.

Is.

It.

Grown women shouldn’t be peeing their pants.

Here’s the story as told by Hayley Ringle tech reporter for the Phoenix Business Journal when she sat down with us to learn what we’re up to and why.

Former Infusionsoft exec teams with women’s health and wellness startup for rebrand, relaunch

Urinary incontinence is a problem a majority of women over 18 years old have, but it’s an embarrassing topic that many might not seek help for.

Stephanie Schull was so fed up trying to help her mother find relief after multiple surgeries for her pelvic floor disorders, she founded Phoenix-based Oojaah and helped develop a kegel exercise tool to help other women suffering from pelvic floor weaknesses.

“Most wait years before telling a doctor, and many women get pelvic mesh surgeries or hysterectomies, which causes more problems for some women,” said Schull, who has a doctorate in philosophy.

“Surgery addresses the symptoms, but not the root of the problem.
We’ve come up with a simple solution every woman can do: kegels.”

Childbirth, obesity, exercise or aging often causes weakened pelvic floor muscles that no longer can hold up the bladder, leading to uncontrollable bladder leakage after a sneeze, cough or jumping.

Incontinence pads and adult diapers are big business, with television commercials now geared toward younger women to try out their products.

Former Infusionsoft executive, startup advisor and angel investor Kathy Sacks could relate to these problems. She started experiencing bladder incontinence after the birth of her first daughter in her 30s. She was in denial and embarrassed.

“No one talks about it,” said Sacks, founder and CEO of CoLeap, a strategic marketing company which helps founders and CEOs. “We’re tough, and we just deal with it.”

At 39 years old, Sacks finally saw a urologist who suggested the pelvic sling with mesh surgery, which unfortunately for her, didn’t solve the problem.

Fortuitously, she met Schull at a local event, learned more about her kegel product online, and realized that’s what she needed.

After buying the exercise tool and realizing how much it helped her, Sacks met with Schull, they both hit it off and quickly realized they could help out each other.

With her growth strategy consulting, strategic coaching and years of experience working with startups, business and technology magazines and public relations, Sacks recently joined Oojaah as a full-time co-founder.

“We realized we could make a difference for millions of women,” said Sacks, who has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. “This will hit women at some point in their life.”

While attending a trade show in Germany, Schull met engineer Joerg Knyrimwho helped develop her patent-pending kegel exercise tool, which helps women correctly do kegels to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles.

“Life weakens these muscles, but the pelvic floor easily responds to kegel exercises in less than two weeks,” Schull said.

Oojaah’s Kegelbell product is a variation on vaginal weights, made with a smaller, more hygienic, medical-grade silicone vaginal insert. The device comes with four different sized metal weights that help women strengthen their pelvic muscles by correctly doing kegel exercises, essentially weight training for the vagina.

The metal weights were made locally at TechShop in Chandler for about 50 prototypes of the device.

Women work up to the largest one-pound weight, exercising about five minutes, three times a week.

“This is a DIY device that is natural, an alternative to surgery and treats and prevents pelvic floor weakness,” Schull said, who was part of the full-time Seed Spot program in the fall of 2016. “This also helps with
sexual dysfunction. The sexual health benefits are real.”

With a shared love and passion, Sacks is helping re-brand the startup, changed the device name to Kegelbell and the two are relaunching the product this fall.

The women also are meeting privately with investors, seeking the right partnerships, health and wellness advisors and team members, and re-designed the exercise tool to be able to mass manufacture.

“We plan to make this a movement until all women understand the benefits of kegels,” Sacks said. “We want every woman to put the power back in their hands. We want women to be ready and protected.”

WebPT co-founder and president Heidi Jannenga, who helps advise Oojaah, knows how kegels can help women through her years as a physical therapist.

“Women’s health issues are an unspoken epidemic that can be remedied with the proper attention and awareness,” Jannenga said.

“As someone close to these issues across my years as a physical therapist, I am proud to be an adviser for this budding company focused on improving health and wellness for millions of women. Pelvic health treatment is essential and the best line of defense against pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, sexual dysfunction and laxity concerns.”

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Kathy Sacks

Written by

Investing in the future I want to see. 3x entrepreneur. 1 exit. Former SaaS exec. I help people and companies unlock potential. Mother. Wife. Proud Hungarian.

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