Helen Denise left the Soviet Union with nothing but a suitcase and a knack for sales, and built a company that changed how women understand their own bodies. On this episode of Founders' Forum, Marc Bernstein sits down with the CEO and Founder of Hilin Life Products, Inc. and inventor of KNOWHEN, to talk about ambivalence, risk, and the traumatic health event that launched a movement.

After surviving an ectopic pregnancy in 1999, Helen turned personal crisis into purpose, developing KNOWHEN, the first-ever saliva-based ovulation test kit with a fertility app, and launching one of the world's first fertility tracking apps in 2013. She shares the hard lessons that came with entrepreneurship, from financial missteps to the importance of protecting your ideas early, and opens up about the vision driving her next chapter: a full line of devices designed to transform reproductive medicine for men and women alike.

Key Takeaways:

Ambivalence isn't apathy. It's the discomfort of being pulled in two directions at once, and learning to recognize it can improve how you communicate and lead.
Big transformation often follows crisis. Helen's health scare became the spark for a 27-year mission in women's fertility health.
Protect your ideas immediately. Helen's biggest early mistake was delaying a patent on her first device.
Have capital and financial guidance in place before you launch. Passion alone won't cover a hungry business.
Legacy matters. Helen is building toward a full portfolio of fertility devices and a platform to educate women on reproductive health.

Helen's story is proof that setbacks can become the foundation for a life's work. Tune in for a conversation full of resilience, hard-won wisdom, and a founder who refuses to slow down.

About Helen Denise:

Helen Denise is the Founder and CEO of HiLin Life Products, Inc. and inventor of KNOWHEN®, the FDA-cleared advanced saliva ovulation test and fertility monitor app that originated the saliva ovulation category in the U.S. and remains the leading saliva ovulation test worldwide. Her passion for women's fertility health was born from a near-death experience with an ectopic pregnancy, which led her to develop a saliva-based test with 98.9% accuracy in identifying a woman's five most fertile days. Before founding HiLin, Denise built a successful career at Zepter International, growing a North American sales territory from zero to $20 million, and her work has been featured in TIME, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and NBC News, among others.

Connect:

Wesbite knowhen.com ; knowhenovulationtest.com ; https://knowhenovulationtest.org/
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/helen-denise-1273377/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Knowhen
Instagram instagram.com/knowhen/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE8oP9U2QXTcAMBMQ2VAl_A

Marc Bernstein's Founders' Forum is brought to you by March Forward, LLC, and this episode is sponsored by The Satell Institute; the leading CEO organization dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility. Go to satellinstitute.org to learn more.

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