Melinda is founder and CEO of Baby2Body the award winning, wellness company for women. She is a Sports and Exercise Psychologist, author and innovator, passionate about wellness, and optimising both health and performance through technology. She started a fitness business in 1994, wrote a bestselling book on wellness for DK publishers and has contributed to numerous magazines and publications about both physical and mental health. Melinda is a serial entrepreneur having founded and then sold her first business before the age of 25. A Tech London Advocate, Melinda founded a competition for Health Tech Start-ups, and is an Innovation Tutor for executive education at London Business School. Melinda has led numerous digital projects as a consultant: developed a coaching platform for a wearable fitness device; developed a platform of products and services for people living with chronic diseases; designed the business cases for software programme for electronic health management and technology to detect heart and breathing rates.
1. Best piece of advice you’ve been given
Do what you love. If you’re passionate about what you do everyday, then you’ll never feel as if you are working- but just pursuing your purpose. Finding and fulfilling your purpose is one of life’s great rewards- it takes time and work to discover it, but its possible. And that’s the advice I’d pass on to anyone else – become great at the thing you enjoy most, and you will find success in many different forms.
2. Worst piece of advice you’ve been given
In a conversation with a potential investor a number of years ago- I was advised to change/ rethink my vision for Baby2Body- and thankfully I didn’t listen. Its so important to stay with what you believe in- listen, analyse, check and recheck yourself and be open to what the data is telling you, but ultimately your are building something that you believe in, and if you don’t – then you shouldn’t waste your time.
3. What would you tell your younger self?
Take that risk, take that investment. Being an entrepreneur and pouring everything you have into this one idea can be very scary; but looking back, I only wish I had taken that leap sooner, because I love what I am doing now, and I love where Baby2Body is going. And there is nothing that feels better than seeing how many women all over the world are using and loving our product.
4. What excites you most about the future of your industry?
Personalised medicine will become much more ubiquitous – and that’s due to the control people will need to have over their own personal health. Through the use of new technologies and devices, people will be able to access care in a very different way, and there will be a paradigm shift that will lead to individuals focusing on their own prevention strategy. This trend will not only be driven by the convenience and empowerment that technology provides, but will also be necessitated as the State will not be able to provide the same level of assistance – people will need to take health into their own hands — and that’s exactly where we operate. There’s so much power we can give back to people when it comes to their own health.
5. Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
My life has been the inspiration for Baby2Body – this company is the culmination of everything I am passionate about: staying fit, eating healthy, feeling happy, being a mother, and ultimately being my best self. I have been able to create a company that provides the inspiration women need to be their healthiest and happiest self at every stage of their life- and that inspires me every single day through the rough times and the wins. I know that I am fulfilling my purpose and I’m so grateful for that.
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