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find your village before the baby arrives · From 9 to Mom

• Catie: Welcome back to From Nine to Mom. Danielle: Where we discuss balancing the nine to five hustle with the beautiful chaos that we call motherhood. And today we're gonna talk about motherhood and what it feels like to be expecting together and to grow community. We are very excited. We have Georgia Costares and Monica Oslander here with us. They are the partners behind Expecting Together, a prenatal education and social club, bringing the European model. Prenatal community to the US. So, Georgia, you're the company's founder. You've driven vision and growth. And Monica brings experience to life for families inside the program. Together, they're matching, and correct me if I'm wrong, about eight to twelve nearby couples within weeks of each other in terms of due dates into small groups where they learn from experienced nurses and nurse practitioners and build a real village before the babies ever arrive, which I think is so important and beautiful because it's usually after. That we do that when we already have so many questions. And currently they're in Chicago and Miami, but they have big plans to grow. Georgia and Monica have built Expecting Together to be a clinical led partner inclusive and centered on a simple idea. The village should not be circumstantial. and friendships prove it with groups still going to brunch together with their seven month olds. And I think this is amazing. We can't wait to talk to you guys more. So, Monica, Georgia, thank you so much for being here with us today. Georgia Kastaris: Thanks for having us. We're excited to be here and chat with you guys. Catie: Yeah, I feel like when we first heard this concept from you guys in Georgia, especially hearing your story, it was just so cool to think about how something that's so normal other places is just something that we're like, wow, like we're all wowed by that idea. and I'd love for you to kind of give us the background of your experiences and why it drove to where you guys are now. Georgia Kastaris: Yeah, absolutely. So I'm American. I call Chicago home. I very much, you know, grew up here. I know this medical system. This is all I knew, right? But about six years ago for a job and a little bit for love, my boyfriend at the time was living in the UK. I moved to London and I started my life there. So got married and engaged and have had two children there. And I say all the time that, you know, I'm starting a business in the US. I will probably be back here very soon full-time, but It's really will always be seen as a blessing of having my kids on that side of the pond because I got a really different experience, really different social structures and support, got to see a different system that worked really well for me. So one of the concepts that I was exposed to that we are bringing back to the US is this idea of a prenatal social club that is very standard in the UK, Scandinavian countries, basically all over Europe, which you guys did a great job of explaining what it is, but matching couples before they have their babies. So Based on due date and zip code, we are forming these groups. So get to know your neighbors and have a peer group that's going through this wild transition together. Catie: Yeah, it's truly amazing to think about. And one of the things I think with that, can you talk a little bit more about your experience that you had in the UK and how you got matched and you kind of going through a similar program? Georgia Kastaris: Yeah, absolutely. So in the UK, it's just as soon as I told friends, colleagues, anyone that I was expecting, they're like, well, of course you're gonna do NCT is the model that's like the most well known. It's been around for 75 years. So that's kind of like the standard one. But now some other more like modern versions of this prenatal social club are popping up. But more or less, like there was no marketing done to me. No one was like, you know, you don't get sold on this. People are like, well, this is just a rite of passage. You get pregnant and you find your local club and you these are the families you'll be with. so my husband and I joined just because we knew it was like a part of the process. I wanna be clear that in the UK, it's not a part of the healthcare system. In some countries, you get a letter in the mail and it's like, these are the people that you will be pregnant with and it's built in and kind of like even free, you know, like it's just built into your care and this some of the socialized models. In the UK, we joined. But there was a different group starting like at many stages throughout our pregnancy that were walking distance from our house. And the thing that's so cool about that is that I didn't know any of these families ahead of time. Maybe we had passed Danielle: No. Georgia Kastaris: each other at the grocery store or something before, but we don't think that the bonds and like it shouldn't be circumstantial. It shouldn't be like, did I happen to bump into you or have a conversation? Like there's no reason that that formation can't be a little bit more authentic and deliberate. So that was our experience. We met nine other couples that were incredible. All of our babies were due within about six weeks of each other. And my oldest that I went through that with is two and a half. And one of the moms contacted me yesterday to ask a question about starting preschool and what we're thinking about that and that transition. So it really is a group that we were, you know, all had our bumps together showing up on that first day, but we all do keep in touch and still ask questions because that proximity, we have a lot of the same questions at the same time, you know. Catie: And you create that core bond so like early on that then you all kind of build some trust around each other, I'm sure, is like super important. So how did you get to the point where you're like, this needs to come to the US? And then how did you bring Monica into the equation here? Georgia Kastaris: Yeah, absolutely. Fun, fun, fun story there. So I just so many of my friends were worried about me, right? Like I had moved to the UK and then I got pregnant three, three, like two or three years later. My husband's lived in the UK for 15 years, but you know, you don't have your mom, you don't have your sister, you don't have like that, you know, your high school friends or whoever it is that might be on that same path with you. So a lot of my friends were calling and checking in on me and being like, Are you okay? Are you lonely? Are you how are you feeling mentally? And I was like, I actually feel okay. I've got this group of families that I'm talking to. Like a lot of the experiences that I was feeling, one, we got high quality education. So I did feel pretty prepared for like, you know, the normal physical changes for me and taking care of a baby. But I also had a peer group that I could be like, hey, is anyone else's kid doing this weird, making this weird noise? And they'd be like, Yes, ours are doing the same thing. So my family and friends were worried about me, but I felt Like I I did have support. And then when I talked about my experience, my friends in the US really felt like they they did not have that. I think I'll I wanna be really clear that like a lot of people go back to work very quickly in the Danielle: Yeah. Georgia Kastaris: US. So a lot of them felt like finding someone perfectly match up before they went back to work was hard. And like I would have loved something ahead of time to get to know people. Danielle: Yeah. Georgia Kastaris: but it just seemed like such Danielle: Yeah. Georgia Kastaris: a gap. And at the exact same time. That I was thinking about this in 2023, Danielle: Yeah. Georgia Kastaris: the US Surgeon General came out with a report saying that we have an epidemic of loneliness in the US, that technology makes us really connected to information and digitally connected to each other, but we do not have the relationships, the peer groups, the friendships, knowing our neighbors the way we used to. And one group that is at huge risk for this like health impacts because of the isolation and loneliness is new parents. So they put out this massive report and I was like, wow, I have something that I think might be a solution for for this issue. So it felt serendipitous that kind of all these issues were getting brought to the surface at the same time I was talking to my friends and hearing first person accounts of how helpful this would have been. so that's really like the impetus for saying, I think there's something here. Let's go try to launch it in the Danielle: Although it's Georgia Kastaris: US. Now, Monica, how did I get connected with Monica? I'll let her introduce herself. But Monica is a registered dietitian. And one thing that we feel extremely passionately about it expecting together is that people are here for the community and the connection, but we want extremely high-quality education with that too. We want people to come in and not say, you know, Dr. TikTok told me this. We want them to walk into Danielle: Yeah. Georgia Kastaris: our experience and be able to say, We were able to ask professionals. We got the best guidance from the best, like evidence-backed places. So Monica's background, I reached out to her to be kind of our new write a nutrition guide for us, be our voice of that, like expert voice when it comes to what should I be eating at the end of pregnancy and postpartum for recovery. and she loved the concept. I'll hand it over to her to kind of explain like her excitement about it and like why she wanted to get involved. But she started really just as an expert on our team before. Helping me kind of be our expansion manager to launch Miami. Monica: Yeah, so in all of the 900 degrees of separation that we're all connected in somehow, Danielle: So true. Catie: Yeah. Monica: Georgia went to business Danielle: Yeah. Monica: school like zero in here, it's a it's a long, it's it's a roller coaster with a woman who went to undergrad with one of my best friends from growing up in Miami. I guess it's not that complicated, but it's it's pretty, it's pretty lily padded. And I guess when Georgia was saying, okay, I'm gonna take this incredibly necessary program from the UK to Chicago, where her sister was like on the ground pregnant and so that was a a natural fit and she's from the Midwest as well. and it's the I guess one of the biggest cities in her like, you know, Midwestern region. you know. what you know, who who can I stack to that like went through the experience that knows about pediatrics but also antenatal care. And I guess this the woman she went to business school with was like, I have a good friend who's a dietitian and she's loud and she writes and she speaks and like you might want to talk to her. She also has two under like two and a babies under three and like she's got thoughts. So Georgia and I just essentially yapping at each other for a good few months turned into what this is now. And and like she said, you know, initially I was just tapped to write a nutrition guide, which I've done before. You know, it's I'm a a c I have a consulting arm of my business where it's great, write this menu, look at this. Okay, door closed. But I looked at this and I was like, I don't think I want to close the door on this because I'm living this door and I have lived this door and I have a lot of things to say about this door. I will not be silenced. Danielle: Let's keep this one open. Monica: I will not be silenced. So Catie: Ha ha ha. Monica: I was virtually involved in the the pilots in Chicago and then brought in person to you know one of the the more I guess established like in person groups in Chicago. and I s and you know Georgia being, you know, a bit having having the MBA always is dreaming, you know, for Mars to establish this, you know, next. Like everyone's like, what city next? And I'm like, Georgia's gonna say like Neptune because that's her dr that's her dream. Not just city, what planet. But You know, naturally most people starting small businesses think New York, LA, we are to Chicago. but Miami, where I happen to be from and live, much to the shock of many people who are like, You live there? I'm like, Yeah, we don't it we don't just like go to the beach all day. Catie: Okay. Monica: was you know, thinking there's been a mass migration of young families, particularly from Chicago and New York in the Northeast. many of these women and men and partners and families I've been introduced to because they're at school with my children or friends of friends. And so many of them are struggling to find community and struggling to find antenatal healthcare for their first, second, third child. It doesn't even matter. And I thought, Miami deserves this. Like, you know, New York has New York has everything. Like this, you know, like this like Miami deserves this. So that's how it came to be. Catie: Yeah, it's cool to think about where like Miami is a little bit different than the traditional roots. But when Monica: Lot of difference. Catie: we always say like and Danielle and I have done like a whole episode saying it takes a village and we talk about like our moms and family and that. And you know, I was actually someone that moved away from home and then even thinking about having kids and not being close to my families, I was like, I can't even that wouldn't be something I could do because I wouldn't have known of resources or doctors or, you know, all those things. It can seem super overwhelming. So what when Georgia, you started kind of developing this plan, what question did you keep hearing from people or like what were families telling you that they were like missing or or what has seemed to be the most successful so far? Georgia Kastaris: Yeah. So, you know, I had this idea. I talked to a couple of people who said this would have been great, but I my background's in consumer technology. I was a product manager. And in that world, it's like, you gotta go talk to everyone who's a prospective customer. So I probably interviewed and surveyed like three hundred and fifty, maybe four hundred new and expecting families to say, if we build this as a true program, like a curriculum or you know, something structured, what what do you wish you would have known? How could we have supported you? And the Big, big things that jumped out were community, having people that they could rely on. Of course, that's like the bedrock of the program. But there was really a feeling of overwhelm from families that they were not prepared for the realities of parenthood. Like things felt a little sugarcoated. If you see someone go through the process, it's like. all just like the Instagram beautiful things like, and then the baby announcement and it's just beautiful. And it is. I don't want to discredit like my kids are the best thing in my life and it's been the most beautiful thing. But I definitely can agree that when you get home with that baby and you know your healing and the dynamic the dynamic changes between you and your partner and the loneliness you can feel even though you Danielle: Mm-hmm. Georgia Kastaris: have a child stuck to you all day. Like you've never been less lonely in terms of having someone with you. But just People to talk to and being able to relate to people, those trends came up over and over and over again. And so when building the program, the super high quality education, but I will be honest, we do not sugarcoat things here. Like we talk about complications that can happen in labor and delivery and postpartum because our families, and we're seeing this come to fruition now that we're live, they are so happy that they've at least heard some of these terms before and they are, you know, they understand things can happen. So that God forbid you do have something happen, you have a tough labor or delivery or postpartum, something happens to you. At least you've heard of it before. At least you understand what the action plan might be to handle it. You don't have to go and start doing research about something you've never heard of before. And so that kind of balance of people to be able to talk to about it, that community, but also very high quality education that allows families to say, the good, the bad, the beautiful, the chaotic, the ugly, we've heard of it and we feel prepared to know that like some of those things might happen, health and mental health, like across the spectrum. Catie: Yeah, I think the coolest part about this is the education piece. And I think I heard both of you talk about the fact that it's clinician led. Can you talk about why that was so important to you too? Georgia Kastaris: Yeah, that was one thing that like through experimentation, we actually found out more. I think when I started this, I was like, you know, maybe just parents could lead the group or doulas. And I we love doulas. We have a partnership with a doula group here in Chicago. I think they're fantastic. But what we heard from the parents is they actually did want people with that clinical training. They they really love our labor and delivery nurses, like the people who have really been their bedside, seen deliveries, they just As time went on, it became clear that the questions they ask are actually kind of medically complex a lot of the time. So, like someone who can really answer that's important. And you know, leading, we we want to be a premium product. Like we we also learned your your prenatal appointments are like 10 minutes. They check on mom, they check on heart rate, they check on baby, and then you're rushed out and the gap of families. Dads included, partners included, like we come in and we think we're gonna get a lot of time with our doctor, our nurse. And evidently, you know, those appointments are quick, they're scooting you through. So what our families love is I have a nurse or nurse practitioner who's there all day, but I get 10 hours of her time. And that has been like a huge differentiator in why parents say they choose us over some other like prenatal education options. Danielle: And when I think of prenatal education in the US, I'm not gonna lie, I think of the one birthing class that I went to, which was people who were found out they were pregnant two minutes ago. And then people like me who at 34 and a half weeks pregnant decided it was time to go to a birthing class with my husband. We had the bag packed in the car, like, but this is way too late for us. And nobody here is like as far along as we are. And it just felt so it was a few hours, but it was rushed and it was big and I think that what you guys working moms, it doesn't matter what kind of mom you are, but thinking my our brains, Katie and I's brains, the clinician piece of it, like being able to have community and people to ask that have experienced it, but then being also able to have the facts and the honesty, so many times people don't share, Katie and I about this all the time, you don't share your story until it happens to you, right? Or somebody else. Or it happens to somebody else, like, that happened to me. Like, how great would it be to have been prepared, Katie, for your emergency like C-section, or for me to Monica: Well Danielle: be prepared for what RH negative really meant outside of just a marking, like, and how maybe like things could have gone differently for me if I had known that in previous pregnancies and people actually were there to Catie: Yeah. Danielle: walk me. Monica: I did not know that. That is that is something. Danielle: Through it. Yeah. I mean and it's crazy. Catie: We actually both we both had R H negative. I we b it they so we didn't Monica: Me too, but like they told me. Like Danielle: They told me that I bled at eight weeks and I ended up having a miscarriage at twelve and the baby never grew after eight and they told I didn't need a shot. Like you don't need a shot and I knew I needed it and I fought like fought with the doctor like no, you're you're totally fine. But if you were in a program with other moms at your stage of the game and clinicians and you had that additional resource, like things could go differently for you. Monica: Yeah, no Georgia Kastaris: We Monica: one really talks about food ever, do they? So like, you know, and like other things, like we bring a l it's Catie: Yes, them. Monica: not just CPR and feeding. Like there it is Danielle: Yeah. Monica: a I Catie: Yeah. Monica: have read the curriculum meticulously. And I, a person who worked in a women and children's hospital, I'm like, hot darn, I didn't even think of, you know, XYZ like it is so comprehensive. Like Georgia Kastaris: And I think the biggest thing, Danielle, to your point, is that we really want to empower people to ask the questions. So you can ask our nurses and our nurses are part of the village. We have one group chat that the nurses actually sit in and they cannot ask diagnostic questions. But if you're like, I need a clarification, you can text that nurse with the whole group to ask the questions. Monica: Mm. Georgia Kastaris: But one thing we totally believe and we're starting to see the data come through is that when you have a peer group to ask questions and the empowerment of other people being like, no, that's weird. push back on that, like just having kind of a a force of people with you so that if your doctor says like, no, it's okay, if you talk to our nurses, or if you talk to five other couples that are going through the same thing at the same time, who everyone's kind of agreeing, like that doesn't feel like what my doctor might have said. You might feel more empowered to push back a little bit harder. And we are just hearing more and more that like our couples feel less anxious, they feel less overwhelmed because a peer group to just say it's weird, but it's like normal or it's not normal. So go escalate that with your doctor. That that's the goal for me, you know, when we talk about building the community. Catie: Yeah. And I think it's so important that this period of time, like from pregnancy building this community, because I like this was like typical. You have all of your friends, right? And you're all usually the same age from high school, college. And, you know, me in my like adult years, like I have a lot of friends that are younger than me, or like my sister's part of our friend group. I was the first one within two years that got pregnant. And then as soon as all of them started having babies, they're like, Man, Katie, I wish we knew. what you were going through. When you did, we could have been there for you in different ways or or that and you don't really know who to connect to. But can you talk a little bit more about how the program program works? Cause I know you mentioned like some virtual meetups. Like how do how does that Georgia Kastaris: Yep. So our model today is we're really dense in Chicago and we are launching right now in Miami. So let's talk about Chicago, which is a pretty standard city and like the model we plan to replicate across every city we go to. So couples will come in and we do have clinical partnerships. So you might hear about us from a friend or your doctor or, you know, marketing that we might do. But around the 20 week point is when we say would be like the ideal time to start thinking about it and registering. We want families done with our experience by 37 weeks. So like we're capturing kind of this 17 week glorious area. Danielle: Nice. Georgia Kastaris: To your point, Danielle, like if you're less than 20 weeks, we're like just wait for the right group for you. And if you're further along, like we we encourage people to sign up early because we don't want them to miss the end of the program because they go into labor, right? So all of the couples, we are when we match them, our goal is to have them within six weeks, do within six weeks of each other to really capture that like. uniformity of delivery dates. And here in Chicago, we have enough density. We have so many families signing up that I'm so proud to say that we are doing neighborhood based groups too now. So we are running Danielle: Wow. Georgia Kastaris: this month, we have three running in tandem, like one a bit further north, one right down here in the city, and then one on like the northwest side of the city. So families also are able to meet their neighbors. they they they sign up like we said, seven to twelve couples is the is the ideal group that we have. And they come and fill out a profile. So they tell us about themselves. so they're matched just on due date and zip code, but when they get to class on day one, we actually they introduce themselves, but we love technology, we love AI. So they also get an email. And the goal of that email is to say, we hope you bond with everyone in this group. You might have a million things in common, but here are two to three couples that you have very tangible things in common with. Danielle: that's cool. Georgia Kastaris: You work in the same industry. You have a dog at home that is your first baby. So you're, you know, worried about introducing your second human baby. Monica: A huge thing, guys. Georgia Kastaris: yeah, it is Danielle: It is. I had to bring a rag in everything, you know. Catie: Yes. Georgia Kastaris: right. There's a lot, you know, there's a lot to bond over that. so we what we say is like we are putting people in the rooms and we pray that they just like take off and everything works great, but we do a lot to what we say, like lubricate the social wheels, right? We do icebreakers in class, we do introductions. We have a social event. So they're there, they do four in-person classes with the clinicians. And then we send them off on their own for one night. Like it's subsidized with what they pay for the program, but they go to a place that will have cocktails and mocktails for our pregnant family members, just to go out and get to know each other and chat and like form deeper relationships. So everything that we're doing is both education and that, you know, we're not gonna be successful if they don't walk away and feel like they made a friend. in this situation. Danielle: And one thing I want to ask is you guys keep mentioning partners. Like they're partners. You're matching couples up with other couples. And so often I feel like in the motherhood journey or pregnancy journey, it's moms with moms, but that partner inclusion, why is it so important to you? And what do you think is the biggest like impact of doing it together? Georgia Kastaris: Yeah. So I love, I think maybe Katie we talked about like the mom groups that a lot of them happen postpartum. And I think those are fantastic. And I don't want to diminish those, but there's something extremely special about being in adulthood and finding a new group of friends with your partner. I think we see like mom will go to work or dad will go to work. You go and you like meet a new person, and then that's kind of like a mystery to your partner. So we first off just love that it's like a chance in adulthood to be entering a very threshold moment and meet. new couple friends together. We think that that's great. The second thing that's just quite close to my heart is we talk a lot about like maternal mental health and maternal health in general. And we put a lot of that onus on mom, like join the group or go out and find your friends or go out and find the resources that you need. But if we're not empowering a partner to recognize, you know, how to help mom or if she might be struggling, then she doesn't have the resources she needs around her. So so much of our curriculum is very pointed guidance for dad and partner to say, here are hands-on things you can do to help. Even if she's exclusively breastfeeding, here are 10 things you can do this week to give a hand. And we empower partners big time to be a part of like even the medical journey. Like is it, is it baby blues or is it something more? If you see your partner recoiling, call her provider. You have the right to do that too. Like be an active participant. And we think that like it's very important to have the whole family along on the ride. This isn't just like a mom only issue. Danielle: I love that. Catie: So I wanna switch gears a little bit too because we're you know, Danielle and I are always interested in the business aspect of things. And so you're obviously launching a new location for this and the business is growing. How are you managing that and family life? And you d we need to go through how old your guys' kids are too. Monica: Georgia has two cats by the way, you should know. That's a big thing for you know, for a lot for Georgia Kastaris: Okay. Monica: they're like also they're like fancy cats. It I'll let her explain. Danielle: Fancy cats. I need to know. Catie: Let's hear about it. Georgia Kastaris: There are a Bengal and a Russian blue, but they're the le they're like the easiest thing of of Catie: Yeah. Georgia Kastaris: all at this time. so my kids Monica: The fancy cast. Georgia Kastaris: are two and a half and one. My kids are only 17 months apart. So like it's it's chaotic. It's that stage of motherhood. Catie: Yes. Georgia Kastaris: and we're launching so Chicago operations are up and running, but then the expansion to Miami is, you know, a new market is always a huge deal, like a cold start, you know, just introducing yourself anywhere is. this is a new concept too. So educating people about what we are and who we are is is a huge deal. I'm very fortunate. Like I have a very supportive partner who's hands-on, you know, very hands-on with our kids. We've got you know, the grandparents, we live in London still by by ourselves. So like family isn't around, but a lot of people will fly in and support us. so that's good. I mean, I think it might at this point sound cliche, but I worked in big tech and like very high pressure jobs, but you know, you have children, your priorities shift. I'm not working any less hard than I was in those jobs. I'm just so unbelievably passionate about what I'm doing right now that I'm like, if I'm gonna have to bust my ass for lack of a better word, I'd rather Catie: Yeah. Georgia Kastaris: do it, you know, for something that I think is gonna make a huge difference. And if if something's gonna pull me away from my kids, you know, to be working, at least it's something that I feel so strongly about. And that's been like the huge motivator since. Having my kids and launching Catie: Yeah. Georgia Kastaris: the business. Catie: Yeah. And Monica, what about you? How old are your kids? Monica: six and a half and then one turned four last week. I am a divorced mom so it's a really in an interesting experience here. I think you know just like that's something that Georgia and I like we like locked eyes when we first met proverbially we're like I get you where it's like what like it's hard like you know like running a hundred businesses and parenting and like dealing with our family of origin demands and are, Danielle: Mm-hmm. Monica: you know, like so like, yeah, we can do it. Like, whatever. I I think if you're there's just a type of woman, mom, person who like subscribes to the model of my children are the most sacred and important things in my life. I live for them. I die for them. I would give them both of my kidneys and steal yours to give to them. But Danielle: She was she was about to say something cool too. Monica: my work Georgia Kastaris: Yeah. Monica: and my passion for what I do Number one is as important and number two, it's it's all related in that I want my sons, there's there's two boys and then of course a hundred boy dogs and cats because this is how my life ended up. You know, I want them to see mom as incredibly well-rounded and balanced, and that she put as much effort and life into her professional pursuits, her friendships, her family, her social pursuits, her hobbies, as she did with us. And of course I'm not succeeding in a hundred percent of the ways, but you know, I think for me, just as a as a mother, I I pride myself in being incredibly diverse and well rounded and I know Georgia does too. So that's it's the it's not really a choice or even yes, it's an effort and it's hard and it's like, my God, where do I have to be today? Am I am I in professional like corporate lady clothes or am I like getting splattered with preschool paint? Danielle: Yeah. Catie: Right. Monica: it's just it is what it is. And what I know and Georgia feels this way too and I've told her before, there will be a day when the house is silent And I won't hear from these boys because they're gonna be God knows where and I'm gonna have to be begging them to call me and I'm gonna be bored. And to me, that will be more hellish than I have five jobs and I'm too busy. And then I will have five jobs. Danielle: I hundred percent agree with that. Like that's my yeah, you'll just get keep getting Catie: And you'll have all the dogs. Danielle: more pets. I'm already like I have seven and a half and three and a half. I'm like, we need more dogs. Like we need more. Like what happens when they go to when Daisy goes to school? That's what I was doing. My mom's dog it's I have two dogs. They're blind. Monica: I think I heard one knocking on your door and you had to let it in and I'm like, I've been there. Yeah. Yeah. One of yeah. I was like, that that's a yeah, that's a that's an attachment anxiety dog. We have a couple of those. Yep. Danielle: So thank you for understanding. Yeah. I think that that's like for Katie and I too, as you guys are talking through this. And I came from corporate America too, where I loved my job, but then having kids and I didn't mind the work. Everyone's like, weren't exhaust? Like, I didn't mind, I don't mind working, but it what changes is your passion. And like you, Monica: Okay. Danielle: it has to be something really special to pull you away that much from. your family and I think when you align yourself with something you're super passionate about, like you guys just I you're venture backed now too, right? Like you guys are growing so rapidly and it's clearly because of the passion that you have for what you're doing and how you're changing you're changing a system that's I don't want to say it's broken in America, but it's not as evolved as other countries. Monica: Yeah. Danielle: You know, we we aren't we don't have the same level of su there we go. Support Monica: Yeah. Danielle: and you know, in that way. And I just think that as you guys are explaining it, like it's okay to love your career and what you do and to love your kids and to love your animals and to love your life and not be perfect at all of them. But if you love all of them, then you're doing great. I'm, you know, like you're doing a great thing. Monica: Yeah. All the things can be true. And I know Georgia feels the same way where it almost doesn't feel like a choice. It's a it's a not to be trite, but it's a calling. And when Georgia told me about this and she's so sensitive about protecting my time and my other facets of my career, I was like, Stop apologizing. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to, 'cause I would literally be like, Go away, I don't have time for this. I have a hundred jobs. Like I can't not be involved with this. Like I want to do this, like I will do this Like you're not keeping me from this. Like there's no way I'm not getting involved with this. Catie: Yeah. Monica: So it's fun and exciting and thrilling. It's not, you know, trust me, I have some other side gigs which are not as exciting and thrilling, but you know, balance Danielle: Well well with Catie: Balance, right? Danielle: all the things going on, Catie: That's the important. Danielle: getting personal, like what was the hardest thing for both of you? Like you're doing this with little kids, becoming new moms, becoming parents, like what's been the hardest, if you don't mind us asking, the hardest thing for both of you as you've navigated motherhood and life? Georgia Kastaris: I think for me it is the days like you you are gonna drop the ball on something on some days, you know? And you are gonna have this moment of like, shoot, I didn't either for your kids, like, you know, I forgot to drop that thing at school or on the professional side, like I didn't respond to that thing and we missed an opportunity because of some meeting that didn't, you know, I wasn't there for. Those days are hard. Like I tried to minimize them, but I do beat myself up about those things, whether it's personal or not. And I think To the point that you all just made. It's like, I do want to be doing a million things. I do want to be a great mom and a great friend and a great business person, but I'm trying to learn that, like, yes, let's minimize dropping the ball. But when it does happen, like I I cannot beat myself up. It's just it is gonna happen. And I think that's been the hardest thing as the business has grown, my kids have grown. It's you know, I hope it happens less. It probably is a sign it's time to hire more people. We just need more hands on deck. but yeah, those are hard. It's hard not to beat yourself. Monica: Yeah, I mean, we're also in a different era. Like our kids are well, George's has has a baby, but minor kids are older, right? Like, so if you would have asked me a year ago, two years ago, my answer would have changed. I think there are two things that are hard for me now. Number one, just the sheer physicality of of two boys. And, you know, I s I I I know this has probably been talked about exhaustively on your podcast, but My 3 to 7 p.m. is very different. There are no arts and crafts and sitting. It is full force carnage, chaos, like blood, sweat, and tears. And physically, yes, I have a lot of energy. Everyone always remarks about that, but I am I am lay tired. And like I yearn for like sl like and it's not even like they're not keeping me up. It's just motherhood and adulthood and my like dog. Like I just don't s I want to sleep. like so badly and I want to feel like normal again, like physically, but so many things are antithetical to that. And then I wouldn't be able to work like I do, which ties into my second struggle, I think, which we all go through, which is I want the freedom to be able to work whenever I want and, you know, but also I want to go to the two PM come hug your kid for cupcake time dressed as a Catie: Yeah. Monica: pirate. And it's like, well if I do that, then I can't take that meeting and then I lost this much dollars. But then again, they're only gonna be in preschool for so long and I'm gonna like be upset if I took this client and got the money so I could pay for them to go to di like everything comes back to money but also passion but like and I guess that is a complicated answer. But I am Danielle: No, that's the most that's not a complicated answer because I know exactly what you're saying. Catie: I think everyone related a hundred percent. Yeah. Monica: Okay. I I th I know it's not just me, but it's and again, it's not just like I'm not thinking in term like I used to literally think in billable hours before I had kids. It was, okay, I'm starting my business, I can see this many clients per day, I can make this much per whatever. And now all of my like billable hours I think in terms of like then if I have the monies, I can relax more and have more quality time and fun and help with my kids so I can spend more time with them. So I don't work as much, but I love working as much. But I like I said, I also want to be at the Pirate cupcake experience. Who am I? What do I wanna do? So Danielle: That's so that that is a th a feeling and I think too, but having it goes back to like having people kind of like your matchmaking people, you know, in your program, who are similar and having like Katie and I naturally match made each other because we were working in the same company and we had the same values and drive and kids similar ages, but Katie was after me. So it's like but being able to go through what you're talking about, like I know it's our kids are almost the same age, Monica. So like going through like the hug a pirate at noon or like two fifteen. Like Monica: Exactly. Danielle: that's a real thing. Like it it sounds insane, but it's real. And you're going Monica: Even school school supply drop off is one PM on August tenth. I'm like Danielle: I showed up to a volunteer event once five minutes late coming from a meeting and they were like, We don't need you. And you're like, I blocked my calendar to be like Monica: Yeah. Danielle: it's just it it's difficult. And I think having people in that same stage as you, with the same we all on this call understand exactly what you're saying because we've all felt Monica: Who else? Danielle: it, and that's probably the biggest push and pull of working motherhood, especially entrepreneurial working motherhood, is this desire to be who you are. And were and the drive and passion that's always pushed you forward. But then this weird pull to like slow down that's not natural to us at all, but like you're pulled to it because you you crave it with your yes, and you want Monica: Because I am lay tired, yes. Georgia Kastaris: Yeah. Danielle: to be there in these moments because we know how finite they are. And we appreciate Monica: I know. Yeah. Danielle: them in a different way, I think, because of that. And it's just that is like something that is so Lacking in our structure and in our organization. Cause if you say the things we say to certain people in business, you're weak. You're clearly not driven enough. You're not like that could be an answer you get that I have gotten. Or you say that to another person and like you're you need to just be there for your kids. Like work needs to come Georgia Kastaris: Yeah. Danielle: second. Like you get it on both sides. Monica: I get that the Miami, there's a Miami culture of that also and it's really disheartening. Yeah, it's hard. Yeah. Correct. Danielle: And that's hard because you're you're assessing yourself according to everyone who's around you and your only viewpoint is that if you can't expand your horizons or meet the right people. So that's why I think like, yes, the educational piece of this and having true experts who know what they're talking about to answer your questions is important. But like that partnering up and being able Yes, that person. Monica: In your pop heart, you're gonna find your soulmates, sister, brothers, Georgia Kastaris: Yeah. Catie: Right. Monica: that this is gonna be you're gonna be complaining about babyhood, wanting to escape it, and then two years later lamenting that you didn't enjoy it enough and you wanna have another baby just that's like you're gonna find your tribe at expecting. You're gonna f and then Danielle: Yes. Monica: you're gonna have, you know, the partners who, okay, I was corporate and now I'm in my craft era and I'm over here like, god, I can't imagine a worse fate, you know, in Greek mythology. But you're gonna find your people and your village with us. No matter who they are. Catie: So can you guys tell us a little bit about what's next for Expecting Together? What what's on the horizon? Georgia Kastaris: Yes. So we are a venture-backed company. We and we're proud of that. Like we are building an in Catie: Yeah. Georgia Kastaris: real life community company. Monica: Georgia, big girl, my god, boss lady. Georgia Kastaris: Yeah. So, you know, that's it's a you know, bootstrapping is cool too, but it it was really nice to get that like seal of approval that there are other people in the world and investors that believe in what we're doing. And in the age of AI and all of like the crazy tech boom that we're going through right now. There are still people that recognize that like the more tech technologically advanced we get, like the more we need people. And Chat GPT, we actually love it. It can answer a lot of questions for you, but it's Monica: Mm-hmm. Georgia Kastaris: not gonna validate a lot of the feelings you have. So like we we it was really reassuring to find investors that were interested in what we were doing. So we're in Chicago. We are kicking off Miami literally like 25 days from now. So we've actually already got families registered with us. Yeah, Monica: Who's counting? Georgia Kastaris: exactly. Yeah, counting down the days. Danielle: Mike has a like Christmas ring in the back where you take the the lights off. Monica: Yeah, it's Catie: Yeah. Monica: it's a it's a vente cinco out here in Spanish. Yeah, uhhuh. Georgia Kastaris: So Miami is next. We have virtual cohorts launching this fall. And the virtual ones really are like we we are our core as a company is always gonna be this in real life model, but we also understand that like things happen and people travel for work. And so we're piloting a virtual option that we are trying to actually get New York to be like where the couples physically are, even if they can't meet physically because of like work and things like that. So they still will have each other close by. and then really. Data collection, right? Chicago's a very different city from Miami than is New York. And so once we once all these concepts are launched out in the wild, taking a step back and saying, what works? What city do we go to next? And like demand informs that too. So if your listeners love the idea, come to our website, fill out information because like we'll go where we feel the demand is and where the market dynamics are gonna work. Danielle: I'm having no more kids, but I'm putting it plug in for Charlotte because it's the fastest growing city in America and everyone's having babies. Georgia Kastaris: Yeah. Monica: here for it. We're here for the market for the market research Intel. Thank you. Georgia Kastaris: Yeah. And and truthfully, Catie: Yeah. Georgia Kastaris: like here in Chicago, now we service everyone. There are local Chicagoans who've grown up in the city who come to us, but our very first early adopters, every single first paying customer was I moved to Chicago from Austin, from St. Louis, from wherever. I got pregnant within six months of moving here and I need to meet people. And so that dynamic is very compelling. Like the new growing city, people moving for jobs, school, whatever, like that's a huge drive of where we'll go next for sure. Catie: It's amazing. So we will have all of your guys' info linked here. So if anyone that's listening or if you guys have questions for Georgia or Monica and want to learn more about the program, we'll have everything linked for you here. They can be found at expectingtogether.com. They have all of their upcoming classes. So if you are in Chicago or Miami and you're looking to join, feel free to check them out. Anything else, guys, that I missed? Georgia Kastaris: I love chatting with you guys today. I think just if I'm leaving with any last thing, it's just that families think so much about like health and preparing the nursery and buying the clothes. And I think the push towards thinking about your social infrastructure before you have a baby, like I if I can leave with anything today, it's like that's a priority too. And having your people's a priority too. And thinking about that on the checklist of preparing for a baby, I I want that to be something that people add to the preparation list too. And like, Obviously expecting together is a solution for that, but in general I think more people need to be thinking. Danielle: Migrant. Monica: That makes yeah, that I mean I when I reflect and I'm sure Georgia and all of both of you can say on like who what got you through the first three, six, nine months, you're not gonna think, you know, that that blood work analysis, like, Danielle: Yeah. Monica: you know, you're gonna think you like my mind goes to the person my friend who is a doctor who I think like on day two week of life or day ten came over on her way home from work, like or no, out of her way home from work and taught me how to use my breast pump because she was like a super pumper. Danielle: like how like it sounds funny but like the friend that will hold you like here you hold with this give me like I'll do it but like that is such like a gift Monica: Like the the people who like it's it's the people who drop the girl who dropped off pure vita, it's like a fast casual restaurant for me on the doorstep and then left and was like, I'm not coming inside. I just wanted to bring you a sandwich. I was like, I will never forget this sandwich. So yes, what our clinical things are really important and they they may or may not, you know, save your life, but the social aspect of being human is what uniquely makes us human and helps us create. Tinier, healthier, happier humans. Catie: So amazing. Well, thank you guys both for being on here. This was such a good combo, and we can't wait to see what Expecting Together does in the future here. Georgia Kastaris: Thank you guys so much for having on. Monica: Thank you guys for having us. Catie: Thanks. Danielle: You're amazing. We're just gonna stop.