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Emma Heming Willis knows what it’s like to be gaslit. A decade ago, when the former model began experiencing what she calls “brain fog,” her doctor dismissed her symptoms and told her they would eventually go away.
The experience led her to seek out not only a second opinion, but a greater understanding of women’s brain health. “I feel like I’m pretty up to speed on wellness and what’s new and cool,” Heming Willis says. “But when it came to brain health, I was like, ‘What’s that?’”
Last June, in partnership with her good friend, marketing executive Helen Cristoni, Heming Willis launched Make Time Wellness, a line of brain health supplements. The entrepreneurs spent two years working on the ingredient formulation, which they say can, among other benefits, help boost mood and concentration. (These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.)
But the vision for their business — which includes a podcast and a charitable arm — goes far beyond the product line. “Our goal is to really drill down on this ‘make time’ message for women,” Christoni said. “We need to take time for our brain health, our mental health, our spiritual health. Whether it’s taking 10 minutes at lunch to go for a quick walk or prioritizing sleep. It doesn’t have to be complicated.”
Certainly, life for Heming Willis, 45, is already complicated enough: She is caring not only for her husband, actor Bruce Willis, 69, who suffers from frontotemporal dementia, but also their two young daughters, Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10. But in this interview with Flow Space (which has been edited and condensed for clarity), both she and Christoni were feeling optimistic about the progress being made in the fight against neurological diseases — and the role they hope to play in it.
Flow Space: This story is part of a special content package we’re doing on “the female brain.” When you hear that phrase, what comes to mind?
Emma Heming Willis: When I think of the female brain right now, it feels very unsupported. I just feel like it’s a complete afterthought. I don’t know if you know this, but by the age of 30, your brain is already in decline. Women make up two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients. No one’s talking to women about their brain, so that’s why we started [our company].
Helen Christoni: I have a similar take to Emma. Like, first of all, when was the last time anyone’s spoken to most women about their brain? And the answer, typically, is never. It blows my mind when you compare [for example] brain awareness to breast health. One out of eight women will get a breast cancer diagnosis. One in five women will get an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. And I just think it’s really important people understand that statistic, and that women really start having this conversation.
Flow Space: Emma, you’ve talked about how you came into the [brain health] space when brain fog started being an issue for you. How did it manifest?
Emma: You know, it was forgetfulness. Fogginess — just not being sharp. It really sort of came into play after the birth of our second child, Evelyn, so that would have been, like, 2014, 2015, when I really started to experience it. And I kept visiting my doctor and just saying like, “Something’s not right. Like, I feel sometimes like, words aren’t coming properly. I just feel very slow, sluggish.” And he just kept dismissing it and saying, “You know what? You’re tired. You’re stressed, you know, don’t worry about it, you’ll feel better.” But I just never did. And I knew that’s not how I was functioning prior and that something was not right. So I sought out a doctor who specialized in the brain and introduced me to the term “brain health,” which I had never heard before.
Flow Space: Helen, I know you’ve come to this work — at least in part — from a personal place: You’ve lost folks close to you from dementia. Can you talk about what your experience with brain health has been like?
Helen Christoni: I lost my grandmother to dementia. And the last time I saw her she couldn’t speak to me — but she did know to brush my hair, and it was the most beautiful, heartfelt moment. And I remember leaving the place she was at in Connecticut and one of the caregivers there — I was just so broken up, you know — she just wrapped her arms around me and gave me this hug and this care that I’ll never forget. And then we also lost my mother-in-law [to the disease] last year. And as someone who’s been just trying to figure out what’s been going on with people in my own family . . . and not being able to help them before, you know, something horrible happens has had a big impact on me.
Flow Space: What led the two of you to take your experiences and turn them into action?
Emma Heming Willis: The specialist [I saw] introduced me to a brain-healthy lifestyle, and had me take an incredible amount of supplements multiple times a day. I did start to see a difference, but this is my question: Why are vitamins so big? Like, why?
Helen Christoni: She was like, “Can we put this in a drink?” She likes to have a smoothie! So I went and looked at the space, and I was like, wow, there’s no one really [doing this] for women, at least not in a powder/drink format, something that could be really easy and meet a woman’s needs. We wanted a woman to easily get everything she needs in one drink in the morning.
Flow Space: There have been countless stories written about the emotional labor women do, which often makes it hard to get women to put themselves first and prioritize their own health. How can we shift this?
Emma Heming Willis: When it comes to making time [for myself], I had to do a lot of soul-searching, because I didn’t even know what I wanted to make time for! I mean, I’m being pulled in like a million directions. So I needed to really hone in and take some time for myself to be able to focus on my mental health, which also helps my brain health overall. The few things that I like to do [for that] are I either go hiking or I make sure that I’m working out. I’ve really gotten back into reading — hadn’t picked up a book in so long! Reading has been really great for me. It’s all very dementia-based — any time my daughter comes in, she’s like, God, can you read something else?
Flow Space: I’ve been struck recently by all the research showing how strength training is just as good for your brain as for your muscles. Is that something you incorporate into your workouts?
Emma Heming Willis: I’ve always actually enjoyed strength training. I do a little bit of cardio – it’s not my favorite, but I do it. It’s my upper body that I actually really love to work out. I can’t stand to squat, or do a lunge. But yeah, I do it.
Helen Christoni: And I am an avid Pilates enthusiast. I try and do daily Pilates practice and it really helps me center literally from my core. I’m also an avid runner, so I do both, but I think [the key] is just fitness as a non-negotiable. We have get out and move, whatever that means to you.
Flow Space: What are some things each of you has learned about brain health that you want to pass on to other people?
Emma Heming Willis: I think what’s exciting right now is that what science has told me is that we can delay or maybe even prevent up to 40 percent of dementia cases just by implementing good brain healthy habits. You’re never too young to start thinking about your brain — Alzheimer’s can develop in your brain up to 20 to 30 years prior — so it’s really important from a young age that we are trying to put our brains first. One thing that I really try and be mindful about and work on is my sleep. I used to be a great sleeper until I had children. And now, you know, I’m lucky if I get six hours!
Flow Space: There’s still such a gender gap in health research. If money was no object, what would you like for science to solve around the female brain?
Emma Heming Willis: I’ll go big and say a cure. My whole goal and motivation is to find a cure for all types of dementia. I mean, that would be game-changing.
Helen Christoni: I also think [researching] hormonal health, starting when girls get their period and all the changes that go on with them and their brains. Really studying what’s happening to women along their journey of life is so important.