Good Inside with Dr. BeckyMelinda French Gates on Women's Health and Learning to Trust Yourself | Dr. Becky
Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- October 6, 2026
- Duration
- 43m
- Channel
- Good Inside with Dr. Becky
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
At the top of her career, Melinda French Gates started doubting herself in meetings she'd run a hundred times before. The causes turned out to be chronic insomnia, undiagnosed perimenopause, and a habit she'd picked up years earlier of overriding her own signals. Dr. Becky sits down with Melinda, founder of Pivotal Ventures, to talk about how women learn to stop trusting themselves, and what it takes to rebuild that trust. They get into new Gallup research from Pivotal Ventures, where half of respondents who'd been pregnant said they struggled with their mental health during or after pregnancy. They also cover the "10,000 paper cuts" that teach girls and women to question their gut, and a simple phrase that helps kids trust what they notice. Plus: what Melinda's granddaughters are teaching her about "I'm not ready yet," and why perfect is creepy. Chapters 0:00 – Intro: how women learn to trust themselves (or don't) 2:21 – Meeting her daughter at the back door in yoga pants 7:41 – Half of women struggle with mental health during or after pregnancy 9:13 – Why we screen for gestational diabetes but not mental health 12:27 – Having to push to be taken seriously by doctors 14:07 – Perimenopause, insomnia, and doubting herself at work 15:23 – The "10,000 paper cuts" 17:58 – "You were right to notice that" 21:15 – Raising girls who trust themselves 23:10 – Paid family leave and what Nordic countries get right 26:32 – Empty nest and a new chapter of identity 29:15 – Learning to trust herself again 31:48 – A college relationship, Microsoft, and coming back to herself 34:00 – Her granddaughters and "I'm not ready yet" 39:35 – Good enough parenting and why perfect is creepy 41:19 – Three phrases that build self-trust in kids Thanks to Carter's, Good Inside's new Confidence Program is free for every family for the next six months. Click here to learn more. https://www.goodinside.com/program/raising-confident-capable-kids/?utm_source=podcast_gi&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=confidence_program&utm_content=shownotes_20260929 Thank you to our partners for making this episode possible: Frida: Shop Frida at Amazon, Target, and Walmart today Perelel: Use code GOODINSIDE for 20% off your first order at perelelhealth.com/GOODINSIDE Yoto: Get 15% off your order with the code DRBECKY15 at YotoPlay.com. New customers only, ends October 31, offer valid on select products only. Terms apply. Care.com: For a limited time, you can use the code BECKY35 to save 35% on a Care.com Premium Membership.**Offer applies to initial term of http://Care.com membership subscriptions. Not applicable to add-on features or non-renewing access fees or services. Expires 10/31/26. Care.com does not employ or place any caregiver. Background checks are an important start, but they have limits. Visit www.care.com/safety. #goodinside #drbecky #melindafrenchgates #womenshealth #perimenopause #maternalmentalhealth #parenting
SPEAKERS
Melinda French Gates
guestPhilanthropist and author; co-founder of the Gates Foundation focused on global health and gender equity.
Dr. Becky Kennedy
hostClinical psychologist and parenting expert, host of the podcast Good Inside with Dr. Becky.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Good Inside with Dr. Becky, featuring Melinda French Gates and Dr. Becky Kennedy, Melinda French Gates on Women's Health and Learning to Trust Yourself | Dr. Becky explores melinda French Gates on rebuilding women’s self-trust in health and life Dr. Becky and Melinda French Gates explore how girls and women lose self-trust through repeated invalidation and how that shows up later in healthcare, work, and parenting.
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