A double board-certified physician in internal medicine and sleep medicine, Dr. Andrea Matsumura refuses to accept that exhausted women are simply part of the deal.
Dr. Andrea Matsumura has spent her career at the intersection of women’s health, midlife, and sleep, and most of that time refusing a story women are told too often, that exhaustion is simply the price of getting older. She is a double board-certified physician in internal medicine and sleep medicine, based in Portland. Where medicine has long treated women’s sleep as an afterthought, she treats it as the thread running through their health.
What makes her story land is not only the science but the way she chose to share it. For the past two years she has shown up for other women almost daily, often just her and her phone camera, sharing what she knew even when only a handful of women were watching. She stuck with it, and by finding collaborators who amplified the same message, she grew her audience organically from a few hundred followers to more than 35,000. That visibility opened doors: a book deal, a co-branded supplement with Dr. Mary Claire Haver, television segments, and guest spots on the biggest menopause podcasts.
Tell us about yourself and what you’re building.
I am a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Sleep Medicine, and my work sits across women’s health, midlife, and sleep. For too long, women have been told that poor sleep during perimenopause and menopause is simply part of the deal. I do not accept that.
I am building a body of work that helps women understand what is actually happening in their bodies, identify when sleep changes need medical attention, and feel empowered to take action. That includes my clinical work, education for other clinicians, my D.R.E.A.M. Sleep Method™, and a broader platform focused on changing the conversation around women’s sleep from menarche through menopause and beyond.
What’s a belief about success, work, or how women should be treated that you live by?
I used to believe that being competent, helpful, and willing to work harder would naturally create opportunity. I thought that if I kept my head down, did excellent work, and made myself indispensable, people would recognize my value.
Now I believe that women need to be visible about their expertise, clear about their boundaries, and intentional about where they put their energy. Hard work matters, but it is not enough on its own. You also have to decide what you want to be known for, say it plainly, and stop building everyone else’s vision at the expense of your own.
What’s one small thing you did in your business to bring more meaning or light into the work you do?
I started with my mission: I no longer accept the normalization of the suffering of women in our society due to lack of sleep and putting others before themselves. I speak directly to women in the language they use when they are exhausted, not in medical jargon, not in a way that makes them feel broken, and not with one more impossible wellness checklist. I literally walk into each room with a box of tissues. Women have been dismissed, not diagnosed, and undertreated, resigned to living a life that is smaller than it should be.
Sometimes that looks as simple as saying: “You are not failing at sleep. Your sleep system may need support.” That shift has changed the tone of my work. It gives women permission to seek answers without shame, and it reminds me that education can be deeply personal when it helps someone finally feel seen.
Another small thing that turned out to be not small at all: I started picking up my phone and getting on camera, almost daily, just to share what I knew. At first only a handful of women were watching, and I did it anyway. That consistency, plus finding collaborative partners who wanted to amplify the same message, grew my audience from a few hundred to tens of thousands. It reminded me that showing up imperfectly and often does more good than waiting to show up perfectly.
What would you tell the woman reading this who sees herself in your story but hasn’t started yet?
Start before you feel fully ready. You do not need a perfect plan, more credentials, universal approval, or proof that no one has done it before.
You need one honest next step. Name the idea. Have the conversation. Create the first offer. Write the first page. Ask for the meeting. Let the first version be imperfect, because clarity comes through experience, and growth is a process driven by trial and error.
The world does not need another woman waiting until she feels qualified enough to take up space. It needs the work only you can do.
Follow Dr. Andrea Matsumura on Instagram
Andrea’s LIFT Index Stage Is: Significance (Leopard)
This is the stage where you are living and working in full alignment with your purpose, leading in ways that are both impactful and energizing. You focus on expanding your influence, guiding others, and leaving a meaningful legacy. You carry responsibility with intention, mentoring the next generation and creating structures that allow your contributions to endure. Your goal is to elevate your impact while staying replenished, ensuring your unique gifts continue to inspire without draining your energy.
This is also an opportunity to step away from the path you’ve forged for others and into a new path for yourself.
Women of Élanoura features women who are leading with purpose, and finding ways to LIFT other women as they go.
Find Dr. Andrea Matsumura’s work at andreamatsumuramd.com, on Instagram, and on LinkedIn.
