Episode
Ep 69. From Dermatologist to Disruptor with Dr. Manju Dawkins on Building Thimble Health
- Published
- Jun 14, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2271
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- https://share.transistor.fm/s/de1bec4a
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Summary
What if the fear you've always been told to "get over" is actually a signal worth listening to? Dr. Manju Dawkins is a board-certified dermatologist, founder and CEO of Thimble Health, the first over-the-counter needle care platform designed to take the pain and fear out of needles. When her newborn daughter looked up at her during a vaccine appointment, something shifted. That one moment became the seed of an entire company. In this conversation, Dr. Dawkins shares her journey from full-time dermatologist to healthcare disruptor, what it costs to self-censor as a woman of color entrepreneur, and why perfectionism nearly kept her playing it safe. She also opens up about motherhood, the NBA Foundation All-Star Pitch Competition, and the quiet hug from her daughter that meant more than any prize. Episode Takeaways: Why 63% of adults experience needle fear and why we rarely talk about it The moment that sparked the creation of Thimble Health How the Prepare Patch and Recover Patch work and why post-procedure pain matters Why medical training can work against the entrepreneurial mindset The real cost of perfectionism in medicine and beyond What self-censoring looks like for women of color in leadership Why dreaming matters more than mapping out five-year plans How collaboration beats competition every time One piece of advice for anyone sitting on an idea: write it down and take one step Referenced: Jill Bolte Taylor’s TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyyjU8fzEYU About the guest: Dr. Manju Chacko Dawkins is a board-certified dermatologist, founder and CEO of Thimble, keynote speaker, and mother of two. After watching her young daughter's reaction during her first vaccinations, she turned a deeply human moment into a mission — creating Thimble, the first over-the-c…