My relationship with strength began at 15, after a spinal fusion surgery. My doctors told me something that would shape the rest of my life: “If you want a healthy spine as you age, you have to build muscle and keep it.” From that moment, strength training became my foundation. Around the same time, I watched my mother move through early menopause with almost no guidance. She lost muscle, bone density, and confidence—not because she did anything wrong, but because no one told her how to prepare. Seeing her struggle showed me how women are left out of the conversation around aging.

Decades later, I realized nothing had changed. Most women still weren’t being taught how to protect the systems that matter most for long-term health: muscle, bone, brain, and energy. And the supplements out there? Overwhelming. Under-dosed. Generic. Not designed for women’s physiology, especially not for women entering midlife.

So I created ByEla™: a brand grounded in strength, clarity, and science. A brand that gives women the tools to stay strong instead of playing catch-up. My first product, Creatine+, is the ritual I wish my mother had, and the one I now use every day. It’s about preparation, not panic. Agency, not confusion. It’s about entering midlife as your strongest, sharpest, most capable self.

Strength changed my life at 15. Prevention is changing it now.

— Estela Nascimento, Founder