Honolulu-based OB/GYNs Teresa Walsh and Diana Kumar, the physician team behind Gliss Wellness, will for the first time bring together women of all ages who are navigating perimenopause and menopause, along with local experts who can help provide the answers and resources they may be searching for.
Walsh told Aloha State Daily in a recent interview that the inaugural Second Summer event — which will be held from 2:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, at SAVON in Hawai’i Kai — is about a year in the making and designed to be educational, inclusive and fun.
“Perimenopause is sort of like this gray area,” she explained, noting that menopause tends to be in the spotlight on social media. “So, we were on this hunt [for a local event] to have this conversation with women in a very intimate setting and realized there wasn’t one. And so, we created it.”
Second Summer aims to address any questions about perimenopause, or the transition leading up to menopause that can occur as early as mid-30s, among other related topics such as sex, skin care and style tips from women specialists including Dr. Julie Enomoto, Dr. Rebecca Luria and Liv Turner, respectively.
Attendees should plan to dress comfortably and can decompress with journaling, food and matcha, live music and more.
“Everyone talks about menopause like it’s an illness or a bad thing, but it’s supposed to be a celebration. So, that’s why we called it ‘Second Summer’ because it’s a celebration of the second best part of your life,” said Kumar, who will be speaking about hormones, peptides and GLP-1s, or medicine that regulates gut function.
Cultivating community is also built into the event.
“I think community is really important for perimenopause. Most of the time, we tend to suffer silently or alone, and it makes it so much worse,” Kumar said. “I hope they will see this event as steps toward taking care of their health and taking time for themselves.”
"We picked topics on what we suffer from, what we're passionate about," adds Walsh, who will cover hormone replacement therapy and why the right timing matters.
She notes that the barriers for local women journeying through perimenopause can be cost, transportation, and access to information and physicians, especially in rural areas across the Islands.
Born out of a desire to help make health care accessible, Gliss Wellness launched in 2024 as a telehealth company serving patients in all 50 states and Guam.
“I’d say hormones is our specialty," Kumar noted. "We basically do all things that are women’s health. ... We treat some of the complex menopausal patients, too.”
She adds that the virtual model benefits people who are traveling, including Hawaiʻi residents, flight attendants and college students, which “gives them the continuous care that they really need.”
Gliss Wellness recently expanded its urgent care offerings for those experiencing urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted infections, among other matters.
The pair is hopeful to replicate this in-person event on the Neighbor Islands, as well as on the Mainland.
“It’s finally here, and we’re just really excited to show everyone what we’ve been developing,” Walsh said.
Tickets for Second Summer range from $75 to $200, with sponsorships available.
“Cost should never keep you away. Please feel free to book a sliding scale ticket. We mean it when we say everyone is welcome!” the pair said.
Kumar and Walsh told ASD that they first met at previous jobs, while they were both going through perimenopause themselves.
When asked whatʻs been the most rewarding part of doing this work, Kumar replied, "making women happy."
"I have a lot of women who come in crying for many other reasons and leave crying for good reasons," she said.
Walsh said she loves when women say they should have called earlier because it wasn't that bad.
"That is the most gratifying thing for me."
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
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