Beyond Access: Reimagining Women’s Healthcare with Courtney Sherbal

#37. What happens when getting access to great healthcare still isn’t enough? And for women navigating complex chronic conditions, what would care look like if someone was actually in your corner—connecting the dots, coordinating providers, and helping you be heard? This week, Kate Yarbrough sits down with Courtney Sherbal, Co-Founder and CEO of LIORA Health and MBA Candidate at HBS. After beginning her career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley and investing in consumer health and wellness at L Catterton, Courtney’s path to entrepreneurship became deeply personal when her own health experience exposed just how fragmented the healthcare system can be. That experience became the foundation for LIORA Health, which is reimagining care for women with complex chronic conditions through dedicated care advocacy and coordination. In this conversation, Courtney shares why access alone doesn’t guarantee great care, where human support still matters in an increasingly AI-driven healthcare landscape, and what she’s learned about moving from investor to founder, raising capital in women’s health, managing her own health while building a company, and redefining ambition and wellness along the way. In this episode, we discuss: Courtney’s path from Morgan Stanley and L Catterton to founding LIORA Health How her own health experience exposed gaps in the healthcare system Why access to great doctors doesn’t always translate into coordinated care How LIORA helps women navigate complex chronic conditions Where AI can improve healthcare—and where human support still matters Building a profitable, mission-driven business in women’s health What Courtney has learned about raising capital and choosing the right investors Building alongside a co-founder with complementary strengths How managing chronic illness has shaped Courtney’s approach to ambition, boundaries, and wellness Why taking the risk to build something you believe in can be transformative