by Shahnaz Mahmud

August 1, 2026

Melissa Waters | Photo illustration by Gautami Upadhyay

Melissa is the CMO at Midi Health, one of the nation’s fastest-growing virtual wellness platforms for women. In that capacity, she oversees brand, creative, communications, social and performance marketing. With 20 years of experience, Melissa has led marketing teams for Upwork, Lyft, Hims & Hers, Meta and Pandora. She is a longstanding volunteer with Monday Night Mentorship, a career accelerator for marketers of color, and a senior advisor at Sesame, a healthcare marketplace for uninsured Americans and those with high-deductible plans.

We spent a few minutes with Melissa to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired.

Melissa, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Texas and currently live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

How you first got interested in health.

After my time at Lyft, I joined Hims & Hers because I saw a massive opportunity to take that same frictionless, consumer-first approach and apply it to “shame-filled” categories to make life-changing care accessible. Now at Midi, I’m continuing that mission by building brands that don’t just sell a product, but fundamentally change how people advocate for their own well-being.

One of your favorite projects you’ve ever worked on.

“Midlife: Back in Session.” This wasn’t your typical healthcare rollout. We took it to national TV and social platforms to move the conversation around perimenopause into the mainstream. Humor had to be at the center. Midlife women are going through it. We might be sweating and crying, but we can still laugh. Partnering with Amy Schumer (a Midi patient success story) and creators like Melani Sanders and Caitlin Murray allowed us to give menopause a megaphone, and an industrial-sized fan.

A recent project you’re proud of.

In tandem with Midlife Back in Session, we launched a social media campaign featuring the icons who defined a generation: Alyssa Milano, Busy Philipps and Melissa Joan Hart. It was driven by social listening that signaled a deep, untapped affinity for ’90s nostalgia. By bridging the gap between fandom and modern midlife health, we met women exactly where they are. We utilized archival photos to stop the scroll, then pivoted the conversation to the raw realities of menopause. We weren’t just chasing a trend. We were leveraging a shared history to normalize a stigmatized transition, using the stars of our past to validate the health of our present.

One thing about how health is evolving that you’re excited about.

We’re finally moving toward an era where women’s health isn’t just a niche sub-category, but a mainstream priority. We are 50 percent of the population, after all! Opening up this dialogue means more than just awareness. It means better care, better research, better funding and women finally feeling seen and supported at every stage of their lives.

Someone else’s work, in health or beyond, that you admired lately.

Like many, I’ve been completely obsessed with Your Friends and Neighbors, especially Amanda Peet’s character putting perimenopause in the spotlight.

A book, movie, TV show, or podcast you recently found inspiring.

Having spent my career working on startups, I love listening to the Acquired and How I Built This podcasts.

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

Amy Sherald. She was in her 40s when Michelle Obama commissioned her to paint her official portrait. Proof that midlife can be our prime time.

Your favorite fictional character.

It has to be Margaret Simon from Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. She was the first character to tell us the truth about our bodies. And as I lead Midi marketing, I feel like we’re finally writing the sequel, because the woman navigating menopause needs that same radical honesty and “I get it” sisterhood more than ever.

Someone worth following on social media.

Melani Sanders (@justbeingmelani) and Caitlin Murray (@bigtimeadulting). They are doing the work when it comes to keeping it real about midlife and genuinely make me laugh out loud. Having them involved in our campaign was a no-brainer because they’re all about exactly what we’re doing at Midi Health: Bringing the messy, hilarious truth of being a woman into the light.

Your main strength as a marketer/creative.

I love to put myself in the shoes of my audience. At Midi, this came naturally. As a woman, I’m living it right along with them. You can’t create something that truly resonates unless you’re willing to be authentic. I try to lean into truth-telling energy and use humor to bridge the gap. If it doesn’t make me feel seen, I know it won’t work for our community.

Your biggest weakness.

Balancing a high-growth career with being present for my family.

Something people would find surprising about you.

People are always surprised to learn that I grew up in Texas because I don’t have a southern accent. But that’s really just because my mom is a speech therapist.