Know Your Why: Health Entrepreneur Strategist On Thriving in Midlife and Beyond
Emily Serebryanny, co-founder of Institute FLE, speaking recently at the We Mean Business Summit with her presentation, Leadership and Hormones.
Healthcare entrepreneur and serial enterprise founder Emily Serebryanny says her superpower is her curiosity.
Born in the USSR (the former Soviet Union, now Ukraine) Serebryanny, 58, says at 10 years old she knew she wanted to leave her native country when her best friend moved to the U.S. with her family.
“I knew I wanted to leave, but my parents said no. I did not know how it was going to happen,” but she had made a promise to herself to try and wanted to explore all possibilities.
Read more in Take The Lead on power of immigrant women’s stories
In 1988, at 21 years old, the young mother left the Soviet Union with her husband, $200, and their small child, emigrating first to Vienna, then to Italy and finally landing in the U.S. in Los Angeles because her husband had a cousin who lived there.
“We came as refugees, barely spoke English, but it did not scare me,” says Serebryanny, who is speaking at Take The Lead’s Power Up Conference on the panel, ”The Audacity to Thrive: Women Claiming Midlife Health & Power.”
As a panelist, she says she will offer these strategies: ”First, you're not alone. Second, your brain isn't failing—it's adapting to profound biological changes. Third, midlife isn't the beginning of decline. It can be the beginning of a new chapter of wisdom, resilience, and leadership.”
“We came as refugees, barely spoke English, but it did not scare me,” says Emily Serebryanny, a speaker @takeleadwomen’s #PowerUpConference on the panel on #Midlife #Health & #Power.”
Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead says the wisdom of the speakers and panelists addressing midlife issues for women leaders including physical and mental health is urgently necessary to hear.
“Because of the value placed on youthful pulchritude for women, we are more likely to be given less credence and fewer opportunities once the physical aging process takes us past the age of 50,” Feldt says.
“Because of the value placed on youthful pulchritude for women, we are more likely to be given less credence and fewer opportunities once the physical aging process takes us past the age of 50,” says Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president @takeleadwomen ”
Feldt continues, “With the number of Americans age 65 and older expected to double by 2060 and being both healthier than previous generations and less likely to have adequate retirement funds to last, there is no question that there will be increasing numbers of people staying in the workforce past what used to be retirement age. And since women live longer than men, they will be more affected by ageism as they try to remain employed commensurate with their expertise. “
So more women need to learn strategies to thrive in these workplace cultures. Serebryanny is eager to address these issues as her origin story reflects not only her ability to tackle obstacles, but to remain ambitious and pursue her goals.
Living in the U.S. without her parents, and knowing very few people, she says they were stripped of USSR citizenship for leaving. “For one year, we were not citizens of any country and there was no Plan B,” Serebryanny says. “It was a blessing in disguise. I knew I wanted to be in the U.S.,” she says.
“Speaking @takeleadwomen’s #PowerUp2026, Emily Serebryanny will share: “First, you’re not alone. Second, your brain isn’t failing—it’s adapting to profound biological changes. Third, #midlife isn’t the beginning of decline. It can be the beginning of a new chapter of #wisdom, #resilience, and #leadership.”
“Everything here was so new and so different; it was incredibly challenging, but I was so curious about how things are and why, and what people are interested in.” So she says she asked herself, “What do I need to do to survive?”
Read more in Take The Lead from Padma Lakshmi on the power of a diverse America
Taking any job they could—she was babysitting, her husband was a taxi driver—they did anything and everything to pay the bills.
“When you have this internal drive, and you see no other option, this is what you do. It does not feel like hardship,” Serebryanny says.
“When you have this internal drive, and you see no other option, this is what you do. It does not feel like hardship,” Emily Serebryanny says. @CSUNorthridge”
Having done three years of college in the Ukraine before leaving the country, she had promised her father she would finish her education and earn a degree. At $400 a semester, it seemed so high, but with loans and grants, she managed to attend California State University at Northridge, and graduated from there in 1994. She has since established a Leadership Fund at the school in her name, to support student entrepreneurship.
Read more in Take The Lead about the power of immigrant stories
“It was the best decision I made because it gave me a perspective on how American systems work and how businesses and economics work.
After graduating, with her daughter in kindergarten, she went into commercial real estate, where there were very few women. She says she learned a great deal, and after two years, due to the economic downturn, she went to work for an ultrasound company, and it gave her and her husband the idea to start their own company.
Starting Mediscan in 1995, they grew the company to 2,000 employees in 15 states, with $15 million in annual revenue. They sold the company where she served as president the entire duration of 20 years in 2015.
Read more in Take The Lead on telehealth entrepreneur
“I was in my 40s, had a second child, was traveling, and felt like I was sleep deprived, had brain fog and got no clear answers from my doctors” as to why she felt this way. “I had difficulty focusing, concentrating and this added to my stress.”
So Serebryanny decided to research and investigate these peri-menopausal symptoms, so often dismissed medically as just something to endure.
“I was angry and wanted to understand more, learn more and that it was not just hormonal, it was brain-involved.”
As a result, in 2025, she co-founded Institute FLE, (Feminine Leadership Evolution) dedicated to personal coaching, science-backed strategies and energy leadership training for women to be able to thrive in both their careers and personal lives from mid-life and beyond.
“I was angry and wanted to understand more, learn more and that it was not just hormonal, it was brain-involved,” says Emily Serebryanny who in 2025, co-founded Institute FLE, (Feminine Leadership Evolution) dedicated to #leadership #training for women to thrive from #mid-life and beyond.”
A 2023 study from Sun Life Canada says that “60 per cent of working women said that issues around reproductive health, menstruation, and menopause could affect their career advancement abilities. Some of the respondents even say that without the proper health support, they have to ‘step back, step down, and step away’ from their careers.”
The study also revealed that four out of 10 (40 per cent) of working women have already made some career-limiting decisions due to health issues or to take care of their families. Meanwhile, 10 per cent of working women have left or are planning to leave their jobs because of menopausal symptoms.
Read more in Take The Lead on thriving in menopause.
“The brain is the biological organ of our leadership,” says Serebryanny. “The goal is to bring this conversation to the forefront.”
Speaking at the Power Up Conference on Women’s Equality Day August 26, Serebryanny says she intends for the takeaway to spread awareness about “the knowledge about the brain and it’s role in the transition for women so it replaces knowledge with fear.”
“At #PowerUp2026 on #WomensEqualityDay 8/26, Emily Serebryanny says she will speak on “the knowledge about the brain and it’s role in the transition for #women so it replaces #knowledge with fear.” #leadership”
Read more from Gloria Feldt on Eva Goicochea, speaking at Power Up Conference
She adds that she intends for participants in the conference to face menopause by adapting, and “to know, understand and accept.”
With what she calls the LEAD framework, Serebryanny explains the steps are: Learning what is happening to the brain; then Evaluating what tools are available to support the brain; then Adapt to work with the brain, not against it; and then to Design a life that supports the brain.
“This transition takes up one-third of our lives. The goal is to continue to thrive for decades. So how do I create daily routines, social connection and purpose?”
Serebryanny says, “We need to ask what is our why.” And then to follow through and create a meaningful life.
Take The Lead’s Power Up Conference 2026, Audacity: Leadership In Action, features a diverse group of speakers and experts speaking on the importance of inclusive leadership and strategies to solve systemic and historical barriers across all sectors. Emily Serebryanny speaks on the panel, “
The Audacity to Thrive: Women Claiming Midlife Health & Power, along with Jennifer Weiss-Wolf,
Executive Director, NYU Law; Dr. Rachel Rubin, Urologist & Sexual Medicine Specialist; Dr. Joanna Strober, Founder & CEO, Midi Health; and Davina Lyons, Resilience Strategist, Creator of the RISE Framework. Additionally, following keynote speaker Margaret Atwood, there are panels on the power of storytelling, AI, women’s health and more. Learn more about other speakers and panels and register here.
