[Power K-Women] "Even Points That Seem Unrelated Become the Path You Want to Take When Connected"

Doctor → Consultant → Entrepreneur, Moon Woo-ri, CEO of Fortify
"Three transitions are a process of realizing and accepting limits"
Emphasizing 'Being Myself' by managing and understanding the inner rebel
Ambition to lead people-tech with psychological care 'Mindling'

"I have always been curious about the world outside the system. I became a doctor because I wanted to help people, but I realized that efforts within the hospital alone could hardly solve even 1% of the problems. I wanted to find a way to make a more impactful difference."

Moon Woori, a psychiatrist turned consultant turned entrepreneur and CEO of Fortify, described her life motto as pursuing 'being oneself.' Looking at her impressive resume, she might seem like an '엄친딸' (a perfect daughter), but she is actually a 'hagojebi'?a person with many things she wants to do, in the Gyeongsang-do dialect. Her belief is that seemingly unrelated points connect to become the path she wants to take.

Moonuri, CEO of Fortify. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Moon was a medical student deeply interested in people and society. Curious about the world outside school, she experienced part-time jobs, travel, volunteer work, club activities, and internships, witnessing patients whose problems could not be solved by medical technology alone, which naturally led her to take an interest in health policy. After graduation, she majored in public health and business administration at Johns Hopkins University before joining McKinsey as a consultant.

Why did McKinsey hire a medical student with no work experience as a consultant? Moon said, "Usually, there are 4 to 6 interviews, but I had 7. After the interviews, I asked how I was evaluated." She added, "I told them it was okay if I failed, but please tell me why I was evaluated that way. Surprisingly, the interviewers praised my grit." At that time, she was the youngest person to join at that level. The interviewers reportedly regarded her as 'minister material.'

Her first job in the consulting industry, known for its strict evaluations, was harsh.

"I joined with the same level of experience as people with over five years at companies like Samsung or Google and was evaluated by the same standards. Having never worked before, I didn’t even know business manners like how to dress or conduct work conversations. The first year as a consultant was really tough. I even cried my eyes out in the middle of Gangnam Station. Fortunately, I met many good people while working as a consultant, which helped me turn things around."

Moonuri, CEO of Fortify. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The consulting experience was an important 'dot' that led to entrepreneurship. Moon explained, "I believe that who you work with and how you work is more important than what you do. Since I think 'personnel is everything,' understanding people well is where the answer lies. I experienced the world as much as possible in my 20s and saw my 30s as a time to build expertise, so I chose psychiatry to develop expertise in the field I wanted to solve."

Through three career transitions, Moon clearly realized that the qualities required of a doctor, consultant, and CEO differ. Doctors need expertise, consultants must deliver the results the company wants, but startup CEOs must manage comprehensively across sales, PR, HR, finance, and more. She said, "The transition process was about realizing and accepting limits. Especially leaders must grow in many directions as if being pulled from all sides." She added, "My husband says I worry about my career path for life, but ultimately, there is no right answer to what you want to become. If you follow the path given at each moment, you will arrive somewhere. All those experiences help."

Throughout the interview, Moon emphasized 'being oneself.' She said it is necessary to manage the inner rebel and go through a process of understanding and accepting oneself. Moon stressed, "Both myself and others must acknowledge each person's differences for everyone to express their true selves." Fortify provides services that help people realize and accept their 'being oneself.' In May, Moon won first place in the East Asia category at the Cartier Women’s Initiative, a female entrepreneurship initiative hosted by the jewelry company Cartier. Her service was highly evaluated for its scientific basis, social impact, and scalability.

'Mindling' is a psychological care service that diagnoses and advises by categorizing the inner rebel into types. It diagnoses individual psychology and provides step-by-step coping methods. It offers a third option beyond psychological counseling or hospitals. When users check their tendencies in Mindling, they are classified into four types: 'Strict' who pursue perfection, 'Soft' who dislike being disliked, 'Explosive' who cannot control anger, and 'Anxious' who have many worries. Moon herself is close to the 'Strict' type. The psychological career diagnostic test 'MOCA,' used in organizations, informs individuals of suitable roles or organizational cultures based on their tendencies and vision, and scores whether they prioritize relationships or performance.

Women in their 20s and 30s primarily use Mindling. Moon explained, "Women in their 20s and 30s experience many hormonal changes and are in socially stressful positions. It is a transitional period where they have many goals to achieve and must stand on their own. They have many concerns about themselves and a strong will to share psychological difficulties or actively resolve them."

Moonuri, CEO of Fortify. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Moon spent her 30s going through multiple career transitions. Although the number of female entrepreneurs is increasing, many diverse prejudices still exist. Moon lamented, "When talking with female CEOs, I feel prejudice still exists, such as attempts to undervalue their worth or impose conditions when seeking investment, or reactions like 'Was she a woman?' when communication happens without meeting in person."

As a mother of a 7-year-old son, she also feels regret. Although she receives family support, there are times when she cannot fulfill the role she wants as a mother. Moon said, "I tell my child that mom works, is the boss at the company, and is busy doing great things, so please help out. Without family support, it would have been difficult to manage both." She added, "A world where the roles of mom and dad are equal and this becomes more natural must come."

Moon has ambitions to grow Fortify into a leading 'people tech' company in 10 years. "Now is an era where individual originality must shine, and I want to use technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and big data in places where people can live healthily," she said. "I want to pioneer the people tech market and provide technologies or services that help people worldwide express their true selves."

▶About CEO Moon Woori

Born in Cheongdo, Gyeongbuk, she graduated from Daegu Science High School. After graduating from Seoul National University College of Medicine, she earned master's degrees in business administration and public health from Johns Hopkins University and a doctorate from Seoul National University College of Medicine. In 2011, she joined McKinsey as a consultant, gaining experience in marketing, strategy, finance, and various businesses for about three years. In 2015, she worked as a resident in the Department of Neuropsychiatry at Seoul National University Hospital and has been a specialist since 2019. In July 2020, she founded Fortify and provides the mind care solution 'Mindling.' In May this year, she was selected first place in East Asia at the 16th Cartier Women’s Initiative held in Paris, France.