How To Trust Your Gut in Business and Health with Claire and Ellen Rudolph of WellTheory

Headshot size for WP (11)

Growing up, sisters Ellen and Claire, started a childcare summer camp for neighborhood children. Eventually, they decided to take what they learned from that experience, along with their work backgrounds, and combine it with the knowledge they had learned while waiting for a diagnosis for Ellen’s autoimmune disease and Claire’s mold exposure to create a place for others who are struggling to get quality help without the gaslighting. 

Today, we sit down with Ellen and Claire Rudolph, sisters and co-founders of WellTheory, a health and wellness membership that caters to people who have autoimmune disease. They share about their first business, how their wellness journeys led to starting WellTheory, how going viral has helped their marketing, and so much more.

“​​I have a really distinct memory of getting my lab results while I was on the subway––I was living in New York at the time––and just breaking down in tears, because I didn’t know what that meant for me and my future. And I vowed at that moment that once I got better, this was the area that I needed to dedicate my life to. And from there, I started to educate myself on what I was putting in and all my body started to embrace using food as medicine and really transformed my entire lifestyle.” – Ellen Rudolph

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

This week’s takeaways from Entreprenista:

  • Claire and Ellen talk about their childhood business (1:58)
  • Ellen and Claire share about their backgrounds (5:00)
  • Ellen gives us details about her health journey and how it caused her to start WellTheory (9:47)
  • Ellen discusses the differences between what WellTheory is now versus what she thought it would be in the beginning (21:01)
  • Claire shares what a member of WellTheory can expect in their membership (25:16)
  • Ellen talks about marketing and how sharing her story went viral (29:08)
  • Claire and Ellen share the learning lessons of starting a membership business model (32:48)
  • Ellen gives advice about fundraising (35:49)
  • Rapid fire questions (39:57)
  • Managing a public persona as a private person (44:11)
  • How Claire and Ellen balance their relationship as sisters and co-founders (46:22)
  • What being an Entreprenista means to Claire and Ellen (49:25)

Resources Mentioned:

Our Favorite Quotes:

  • “I went to doctor after doctor and got no answers. My symptoms were continually dismissed. And I was made to believe that it was all in my head. And I had many physicians that referred me out to therapists who could help me with my ‘psychological issues.’” – Ellen Rudolph
  • “I was lucky, you know, it only took me a year to a year and a half to get a diagnosis. For most folks, it takes four and a half years on average to get a diagnosis. And that’s just not okay. It’s a really long time to be living in uncertainty, and to just not be feeling like yourself.” – Claire Rudoplh
  • “One thing I remember watching Ellen in her health journey was she always had this intuition that I might have gotten 20 people to tell me that there’s nothing wrong, but I know that something’s wrong. And I think you need that same intuition and to listen to that, as an entrepreneur, when you’re building something.” – Claire Rudolph

Connect with Ellen and Claire Rudolph :

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level:

Join our Entreprenista League community of women founders! You’ll have access to a private community of like-minded Entreprenistas who are making an impact in business every day, special discounts on business products and solutions, exclusive content, private events, the opportunity to have your story featured on our website and social channels, and MORE!

Whether you’re looking to scale your existing business and want to make the right connections, or you’re thinking about finally taking the leap to launch your business, we’re here to give you access to a community of women who will celebrate your every step, and with whom you can share the candid reality of building a business from scratch.

Join the Entreprenista League today at entreprenista.com/join. We can’t wait to welcome you, support you, and be part of your business journey!

Become An Entreprenista!

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast – the most fun business meeting for female founders, by female founders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Radio | GooglePlay

Be sure to share your favorite episodes across social media to help us reach more amazing female founders, like you.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and for more exclusive content, tips, and insight, join the Entreprenistas Facebook group and visit the SocialFly website.

Share it!

Posted in
Tags

Leave a Comment





Leaving the White House with Ronica Cleary of Cleary Strategies

Ronica had made it to the mecca of her industry––becoming a White House correspondent. But during her second pregnancy, she realized she wanted to prioritize her family, so she decided to start her own PR business.  In today’s episode, we sit down with Ronica Cleary, founder and CEO of Cleary Strategies, an agency that provides…

It Didn’t Go Wrong, It’s An Opportunity with Kayleigh Christina of CLEARSTEM

  After trying virtually everything on the market for her cystic acne, Kayleigh found herself at an acne clinic. A few hours into the visit Kayleigh had learned so much about the causes of acne. Soon, she struck up a partnership with the clinic’s owner and her now business partner, Danielle, to market their skincare…

From Bank VP to Podcast Manager with Jess Milanes of Smart Podcast Solutions

After struggling with infertility for three years, all Jess Milanes wanted was to create a space to discuss openly and honestly about women’s health issues, so she started a podcast. Little did she know that that would lead to her discovering a newfound love for the podcasting medium. Then she decided to help others with…

Meet Our Entreprenista of the Year: Arion Long, Founder of Femly

Join us in congratulating the founder of Femly and our Entreprenista of the Year Arion Long. Changing the way women take care of “the flow,” Entreprenista Arion Long, launched her company Femly after being diagnosed with a tumor linked directly to chemicals in popular pads and tampons. When she started Femly, she was living at…

Meet Our Career Pivot of the Year:  Janvi Shah, CEO of Hue

It takes guts, a healthy dose of passion and self-assurance to pivot. It’s not always easy to make the active choice to start anew after investing so much time and energy towards a different path. However, the decision to redirect can often result in a rewarding outcome.  Our Entreprenista Pivot of the Year Award goes…

Meet Our Mamaprenista of the Year: Sharise Johnson, Founder of SMJ Communications

Building a business can feel like birthing a baby. There are so many new challenges to figure out at each milestone. Coupled with raising actual humans, the constant problem solving and figuring each stage out as we go along can become the everyday norm for us.   There is a striking similarity between successful leaders and…

It’s Never Too Late to Just Get Started with Dr. Vivian Valenty of Dazzle Dry

Vivian Valenty has known since she was young that her purpose on earth was to help people. Originally, she wanted to be a doctor, but she went into chemistry instead. After meeting with a man whose wife had a problem with the drying time of nail polish, she worked to fix it. When Covid hit,…

Redefining What It Means To Be A Working Mom with Pamela Pekerman of Hustle Like a Mom

Like many Entreprenistas, motherhood changed the course of Pam’s life in a way she didn’t expect. She was happy living out her 20s dreams of being a TV correspondent until she became a mom of two, then she realized her priorities had shifted, so she started Hustle Like A Mom. In today’s episode, we sit…

From Entreprenista to Corporate and Back Again: Insights from Sandra Campos of Latina Disruptors

Coming from an Entreprenista family, Sandra knew she had the spirit to run her own company. But her path of entrepreneurship has been a winding road back and forth from corporate America. She views it as a way to always be adding to her skill set, and she has certainly acquired many skills.   Today, we…

Nikki Irizarry on Launching Zimmi Fit: Offering Nothing but Best Quality and Top Comfort

Hi Nikki! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: Zimmi Fit is a female-owned activewear shop that gets satisfaction from supporting women to feel their most confident in comfortable quality fitness wear. Zimmi Fit wants to be a supportive resource on every women’s fitness journey, no matter the stage of the journey.…

How Chase Ink Helped These Entreprenistas Expand Their Business Amid Ongoing Supply Chain Challenges

The inspiration for a business often originates from an entrepreneur aiming to solve a problem. Houston-based co-founders Maggie Segrich (CFO) and Meredith Wheeler (CCO) saw a need for safe and inclusive workspaces for creative women and genderqueer entrepreneurs in their city and knew they needed to bring their vision to life.  Sesh Coworking offers a…

How Chase Ink Helped One Company Not Only Survive — But Thrive in an Uncertain Market

BrandVerge founders Mollie Kehoe and Lynn Browne figured out how to grow their business by using cash back rewards and ultimately turn a profit even amid a volatile economy during an unprecedented time. From its creation in 2017, the tech-enabled marketing and advertising agency used its banking relationship with Chase to build a supportive foundation…

Creative CEO Founder Vanessa Farino on the Intersection of Business Mentorship and Her Life Passion

Hi Vanessa! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: My name is Vanessa Farino and I am a Business & Energy Mentor and Founder of Creative CEO. Our mission is to Ignite and empower female founders to transform their businesses to create generational wealth and impact their communities. We offer business mentorship…

How to Start a Podcast with Ginni Saraswati of Ginni Media

Sri-Lanka born, Australia raised Ginni has had quite the diverse career path. She had a broadcast radio show in Australia for years, she worked on airplanes, she started her own podcast, and currently she owns a podcast producing company that produces nearly 100 shows each year. And now, she’s here to help.  In today’s episode,…

Two Time Entrepreneur and Beauty Booze Founder, Amanda Moran, on Her Lessons of Entrepreneurship

Hi Amanda! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business: My name is Amanda, and I am Co-Founder & CMO of a “better-for-you” alcohol company called Beauty Booze. I am a second-time Entrepreneur & a first-generation immigrant from Brazil. My Co-Founder studied Nutrition and I studied Herbalism but we still love to enjoy…