Building Psychological Safety for Better Women’s Health at Work with Veroniek Vermeulen

In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, I talk with Veroniek Vermeulen, founder of Silatha, about why women's health is still expected to be left at the office door. Veroniek trained as an engineer in a field where 80 percent of her peers were men, and spent years trying to fit into a workplace that wasn’t suited for women. She founded Silatha to replace that silence with psychological safety, backed by real numbers on engagement and retention. This episode is for female founders and health tech leaders building company culture, women in leadership deciding what to share about their own health at work, and anyone curious what changes once women's health is on the agenda. What you'll learn in this episode Why fitting in at work can mean adapting so well you lose track of what you would build differently How psychological safety becomes measurable: Silatha's programs report 93 percent higher engagement and 92 percent better psychological safety among participants Why cycle-related symptoms only seem unpredictable, and what changes once people track them What staying silent about women's health costs at work: stress, isolation, absenteeism, and disengagement Why policy should follow the 80 to 99 percent of people acting in good faith Her three-part advice for founders in perimenopause: learn your own patterns, find a qualified specialist, and be intentional about what you share with your team Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction: Women’s Health, Psychological Safety & Silatha 02:11 — Meet Veroniek Vermeulen and Silatha 02:42 — From Corporate Engineer to Founder 05:03 — Fitting In vs. Adapting at Work 06:41 — Burnout, Belonging & Being Valued 07:53 — Purpose, Viktor Frankl & Letting Go of Control 13:38 — How Silatha Evolved from Wellbeing to Women’s Health 17:41 — Why Psychological Safety Matters for Health at Work 19:59 — Breaking the Taboo Around Women’s Health 25:59 — How Organizations Build Lasting Support 27:02 — Nura: Private, Always-On Health Support 32:15 — Privacy, Trust & Responsible Health AI 38:10 — Men’s Mental Health and Inclusive Health Conversations 41:00 — The Cultural and Business Impact of Support 43:50 — Women’s Health at Work: Regional Perspectives 46:14 — How Founders Can Build Psychologically Safe Startups 55:15 — Advice for Founders Navigating Perimenopause 56:47 — Priorities, Pressure & Getting Important Work Done 1:01:26 — Finding Purpose Through the Work 1:01:58 — Designing Safer Founder Communities 1:04:06 — Where to Connect with Veroniek Vermeulen and Silatha 1:04:40 — Closing and Episode Outro Show notes:Blog: https://womendisruptingtech.blog/2026/10/08/episode-172/ Substack: https://womendisruptingtech.substack.com/p/episode-172?r=2v0lts&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true Books discussed in the episode Man’s Search for Meaning: https://amzn.eu/d/07Dj5X9M Four Thousand Weeks: https://amzn.eu/d/0fyR6E7E Connect with Veroniek Vermeulen and Silatha Veroniek on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veroniek/ Silatha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silatha/ Silatha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SilathaJourney/ Silatha Middle East website: https://silathajourney.com/ Silatha Europe website: https://silatha.com/ Silatha on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMEvuobvsmkMqGlv8ndZucQ Connect with host Dirkjan Hupkes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirkjan-hupkes/ Substack: https://womendisruptingtech.substack.com/ FundingCoach: https://fundingcoach.ai/ About Women Disrupting Tech Every week, Women Disrupting Tech covers the decisions, patterns, and structural realities that female founders and investors rarely discuss in public but run into every time they meet. Follow to get it in your feed. 🎧 Listen to Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. 👉 Subscribe for more conversations with founders building healthier, more honest workplaces.