Anastasia Bonaccorso is an entrepreneur, mom, storyteller and due to an embarrassing and painful health journey, now an unlikely anorectal health evangelist. Equal parts left and right brain, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Haas School of Business and has a Masters in Fine Arts from UCLA. Her career has been a blend of marketing, events and business ops and the pursuit of various creative endeavors including acting for the theatre (proud member of Actor’s Equity) and more recently screenwriting. The common thread in all of her work is a passion for elevating women’s voices and health.
Q: When did you know you wanted to start Betty Health?
February 2024 in a bathtub. No joke. We were spending a long weekend with my parents and I was in so much pain from my chronic anal fissure that I spent most of the day in a warm bath trying to get relief. I may have been a little loopy (as chronic pain is want to do) and exhausted because I couldn’t sleep and the idea simply came to me. I had to start a company that would create the products and relief I needed. And more importantly I didn’t want to feel alone anymore. And I knew others were likely out there feeling alone. And I literally, there in the bath water, got a little evangelical about it. I HAD to do something. Founding Betty never felt like an intellectual decision. It sounds frankly weird but it was a calling.
The following week I was in such excruciating pain I practically begged the doctor to operate on me and thankfully, on Valentine’s Day, he received a cancellation for two days later and I got my surgery. I’m completely healed and while anorectal health is an ongoing journey, I’m pain free about 99% of the time. And this Valentine’s Day we are launching Betty’s social media presence. Okay now I’m about to cry!
Q: Tell us about your surgery.
I had a lateral anal sphincterotomy by an amazing surgeon who I credit with saving my life – Dr. Carlos San Mateo – thank you!
It sounds scary, and there are potential risks, but if you can find a great surgeon like I did the entire thing was seamless. The pain post-surgery was far less than I was experiencing before surgery. And I don’t have any side effects. For some people, their anorectal troubles can ONLY be solved by a skilled physician. And at Betty we want first and foremost for people to go to a health care professional to get evaluated. But there is also a lot we can do at home to maintain optimal anorectal health and to treat more moderate anorectal conditions, starting with accurate and accessible health education. Betty aims to fill that void.
Q: What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Everything Everywhere All At Once. That’s the life of a start-up founder. My co-founder and I are both chronic over-achievers and our ambitions are lofty. I can see with total clarity what our company looks like in a few years – the full product line, the robust community, the ability to help and empower women and to alleviate their discomfort. The problem is there are only so many hours in the day. And as a bootstrap start-up resources are limited. Every day is a lesson in trying to be content with the work we are able to do and practice patience.
Related to that, I need to learn to turn off work at night. This week for instance I worked late every night, because I felt compelled to, and my sleep immediately took a hit.
Q: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Getting to collaborate with Sarah and my rockstar group of advisors. All women. All moms. All complete and total badasses.
Secondly, getting to use both sides of my brain. It’s been a challenge at times finding jobs that allow me to both write and produce creative work AND use my analytics and organizational skills. Betty needs all parts of me and I love that ;).
And lastly, anticipating how we can help other women. Reaching that woman who is alone, in pain in the bathtub like I was, and if nothing else, telling her she’s normal, she is still beautiful and whole, she need not feel embarrassed or ashamed, and we are sorry she’s there. And if there is anything we can do to help, we are there for it.
Q: When you aren’t at work, where might we find you?
When I’m not working on Betty (which is all the time let’s be honest) I’m working on writing a new screenplay. It draws on many of the same themes Betty does – medical gaslighting, new motherhood, the changes of a woman’s body, and postpartum anxiety. It’s a comedy! No. It’s a modern gothic thriller and I’m obsessed with it. Progress is slow obviously given the demands of Betty, but I try to write a few hours a week.
Q: Favorite guilty pleasure.
I don’t feel guilty about it anymore, but margaritas with chips and guacamole especially with girlfriends. At a pool. It only happens every few years but that’s my happy place.
Q: What is your most marked physical characteristic?
I have nice, thick Greek eyebrows which plagued me as a young girl in the 80s and 90s but at least the last few years have been on trend.
Q: What is your most marked characteristic?
Enthusiasm. I can be intense. It’s a strength and an area for improvement but I do things with all of my heart and soul or I don’t do it at all.
Q: What quality do you most value in your friends?
Showing up. I have a friend who now lives in Colorado and even with four kids and being an ultra-marathoner and multiple professional endeavors she still finds a way to show up, whether it be flying in to surprise people on special occasions or by leaving a message. She’s amazing.
Q: What’s the most common misperception about anorectal health?
That conditions such as hemorrhoids or fissures or itching only happen to old men. Or that they somehow mean you are gross or dirty. 90% of women we surveyed (and we surveyed more than 240) have had issues with their anorectal or perineal area. 90%.
Q: Do you get embarrassed talking about anorectal health?
I used to. But now it’s my day to day. It’s my job to get over my own shame and discomfort. By doing that, I create space for others to eradicate their own.
And EVERY TIME I share my story, I swear every damn time I learn that the person I’m speaking to has had a related issue or has a close friend or family member who has. It just happened last night at a wine bar with a school mom acquaintance. We’re sipping wine and talking about third degree perineal lacerations and my fissure.
Q: Last song played on your Spotify playlist?
Unfortunately, “Let It Go” from Frozen. My daughter has a rotating list of only about three songs and will not entertain any other options on the drive to school. You can’t negotiate with a four year old terrorist.
Q: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Laying out on a warm pool deck, palm trees swaying, my kids happily (and independently which btw does not happen yet) playing in the water, with a cold margarita in hand. But more importantly, what I feel in that moment is warm, peaceful contentment. So in the absence of that pool deck and children who can actually take care of their own basic needs, I’m trying to find that warmth and peace in the normal day to day. Trying. Often failing. But never giving up.