Episode 16

On The Spot Featuring Ciara Donlon, founder and CEO of Theya Healthcare

00:00:00
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00:30:52

November 29th, 2018

30 mins 52 secs

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About this Episode

From corporate online marketing to post-op lingerie, we sat down with our first international guest, the founder and CEO of Theya Healthcare, Ciara Donlon.
The idea for Theya Healthcare came about in 2012, when Ciara was running her own successful lingerie shop in Dublin. Breast-cancer survivors regularly came in looking for post-surgery bras but she was unable to find a product that really met their needs. Seeing the amount of distress this caused these women, who were already going through such a difficult time, Ciara decided to see if she could create a post-breast-surgery bra that put their needs first. With the input of 80 breast-cancer survivors in Ireland and the U.K., as well as advice from health-care professionals, Ciara developed an innovative range of post-surgery lingerie.

"That's what makes me get out of bed every morning, is 93% of our customers highly rate our bras. They love them because we just listened."

The bras and briefs are ideal for women who have undergone any type of breast, thoracic, pelvic or abdominal surgery. They are also a perfect choice for women who are receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The range, which is made from a unique bamboo mix fabric, promotes healing, offers exceptional comfort and functionality, and looks beautiful. Ciara chose Theya, the name of a Hindu goddess of power, to honor the strength of the women who inspired the brand. The plight of these women is one particularly close to Ciara’s heart, as her grandmother, Rose, the inspiration for the company’s logo, underwent a double mastectomy during her breast-cancer treatment. Today, Theya Healthcare recognizes that its unique fabric and design process has potential to help many more people. As well as extending its post-surgery range of lingerie, it plans to develop further ranges that will have a positive impact on health and well-being throughout the world.

"You hear that too much - that something that a woman needs or wants is just overlooked, it's just not taken seriously. So that's what we've done. We've taken her seriously and that's the whole ethos of our company. The company is called Theya because Theya is a goddess and I wanted to represent female strength. It's all about women, our company."

Key takeaways:

"If there are any budding entrepreneurs out there, talk to whoever your target market is first and you just have to suck it up if your idea is not really an idea."

ICYMI: Make sure to check out Ciara's On The Dot #WomanToWatch feature on our website OnTheDotWoman.com and on our daily newsletter and podcast Four Minutes With On The Dot!

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