Latest / StartUp Health NOW Podcast / Pregnancy in the Time of COVID, With ROBYN Founder Alli Kasirer

Transcript

Pregnancy in the Time of COVID, With ROBYN Founder Alli Kasirer · StartUp Health NOW Podcast

• 0:00
  [gentle music] Yeah.
• 0:04
  So I think before the pandemic started, there was clearly a moment where people were realizing that, yes, like, a child is being born or has been born, and that child needs care and love and support and all the gear and everything.
• 0:19
  But, like, a parent has also been born, right? And how do we support that person? That's really what Robin is about.
• 0:27
  [upbeat music] Welcome to StartUp Health NOW, the podcast where we talk about the entrepreneurs shaping the future of health and the health moonshots they're working to achieve.
• 0:42
  I'm Logan Plaster, editor-in-chief at StartUp Health. Today's podcast is a throwback to one of my favorite interviews from 2020 thus far.
• 0:50
  Back in early May, I linked up with Allie Kasir, CEO of a company called Robin, for an interview on StartUp Health TV.
• 0:57
  Robin, which is online at wearerobin.co, is a digital health company that acts as a 21st century guide for aspiring, expecting, and new parents.
• 1:06
  They cover everything from fertility coaching to infant sleep training with a modern tech forward sensibility.
• 1:12
  When COVID hit, demand for virtual services for expectant and new parents skyrocketed, and Kasir and her team stepped up to the challenge. But we'll get to that in a moment.
• 1:21
  If you wanna watch the full conversation, you'll find it on StartUp Health's YouTube channel at youtube.com/startuphealth. But with that, let's jump into the interview. Enjoy.
• 1:30
  [upbeat music] Allie, thanks for taking the time to join me. Thanks for having me. I appreciate being here.
• 1:44
  So we're talking to entrepreneurs about how they have been refocusing, reframing around the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 1:51
  Uh, now, you run Robin, a platform that really acts as a guide for people walking through the, the parenting journey, right? Correct.
• 2:01
  And, um, and so I think it's a really fascinating case to talk about how the pandemic has really affected everything, right? Yeah.
• 2:09
  And, um, so, uh, t- start by just giving me a quick rundown of what the Robin platform is, and then we'll talk about kind of the, the reframing. Yeah, absolutely.
• 2:19
  So, um, we are a community driven platform that connects aspiring, expecting, and new parents with, uh, wellness tools, resources, and access to specialists.
• 2:32
  Um, so really from fertility all the way through early parenthood. Um, the cool thing about our wellness providers is they do in fact specialize in this, um, quote unquote, like, maternal period.
• 2:46
  Um, and we do all, uh, the vetting and curating and make sure that, um, all of the resources provided are specific to fertility to early parenthood. Yeah.
• 2:57
  So I know you have been, um, you've-- now you're acting as a guide for, for, for women who are thinking of giving birth or giving birth during the, um, pandemic.
• 3:08
  So becoming parents right now comes with its own set of challenges. So how have you, uh, how have you faced that in terms of offering knowledge and resources to your community?
• 3:21
  Yeah, so I think it became pretty obvious o- only after just a couple of days, um, into the pandemic that life for aspiring, expecting, and new parents was gonna be very different.
• 3:33
  So, um, if you're someone who's trying to conceive, um, using something like IVF, all of the IVF cycles were canceled.
• 3:41
  Um, if you're somebody who's pregnant and expecting, a lot of women at first were being encouraged to skip their regular OBGYN checkups. Mm-hmm. So they weren't even getting that one-on-one check-in with their doctor.
• 3:53
  Mm-hmm. Um, all the birthing classes at hospitals were canceled, um, so people weren't getting the educational resources that they were counting on. Um, people were going through traumatic births.
• 4:05
  So in many hospitals, you know, there were partner bans in the beginning of the pandemic where partners were actually not allowed into labor and delivery.
• 4:15
  Um, some hospitals still do have those bans in place, and some hospitals aren't allowing any postpartum support at all for, um, women who are recovering, um, in those first, you know, few days after giving birth.
• 4:29
  Um, so, you know, y- in the postpartum period and early parenthood, you know, you're now experience extreme isolation.
• 4:38
  You can't have, let's say, you know, a doula or a baby nurse or your mom or anyone come and visit the new baby. Mm-hmm.
• 4:47
  So, um, it, it's been quite a traumatic time, I think, and immediately we realized that, you know, things that we were planning on releasing, let's say, six months from now, a year from, needed to be released right now.
• 5:00
  So to give you an example, you know, we had been working on really a first class, like, birthing class, um, where, you know, we would really focus on not just the OBGYN perspective or the registered nurse perspective, but also the mental health perspective and the nutrition perspective and the doula perspective.
• 5:23
  Um, and we're here in LA. You know, we were planning on, you know, working with the best people in entertainment to do this and really putting something out that, that, um, you know, hasn't been done before.
• 5:34
  But, you know, we just got our experts and our providers on Zoom webinars, like, day one. And, you know, the first childbirth class we did had over 700 people sign up, um, just because there was- Wow...
• 5:49
  such a great need.Um, and now we have those recordings live, uh, we're recording, sorry, free, um, for anyone who wants to access them. It's a three-hour childbirth class.
• 6:01
  We have a one-and-a-half-hour feeding your baby class. We have a one-and-a-half-hour trying to conceive class. And I think what's unique about these is all address the elephant in the room, right?
• 6:11
  What does it mean to, you know, try to conceive, give birth, be a new parent in this COVID-19 world? Mm-hmm. Um, so that's one example of, of things that we've done.
• 6:24
  I think, you know, the other interesting thing is the other population that we serve are these wellness providers and small businesses who are also hurting right now, and who are figuring out, you know, how do I migrate my one-person fertility acupuncture physical shop- Mm-hmm...
• 6:41
  into a new virtual wellness business? So, um, we've also been providing, you know, free webinars for providers on, you know, HIPAA best practices, how to migrate, you know, to digital, um, you know, efficiently.
• 6:57
  So it's interesting, you know, on both- Yeah...
• 6:59
  sides of this marketplace, we have aspiring, expecting, and new parents, and we also have the small business and wellness providers, and we're really trying to do our best to, you know, help both. Yeah.
• 7:11
  So it sounds like you're really becoming... I mean, you used the word marketplace and ecosystem. Um, how are you seeing the, uh, uh, the broader trends within your market, within fertility and parenting, uh, as...
• 7:25
  you said aspiring, uh, [laughs] what was it again? Expecting and new parents. Yeah. Yeah.
• 7:31
  [laughs] With, within that market, do you see the broader market responding and moving online and making resources available, um, more broadly, or are you really, like, way out in front here?
• 7:45
  So, I mean, I think, um, you know, I think this trend toward virtual care and telemedicine, I mean, we're clearly at a moment here for it.
• 7:55
  Um, and I do think it will change, you know, the future of care, and I think that, um, you know, I, I, I do think in the maternal space, at least in the maternal wellness support space, we are kind of ahead of the game because we're aggregating these top-notch providers who provide virtual services already.
• 8:15
  Mm-hmm. Um, there really is no place right now where you can just go find a virtual doula, um, besides a place like Robin.
• 8:23
  Um, you can't yet book that doula or pay for that doula over Robin, but that's just a couple months away for us.
• 8:31
  Um, so I do think, you know, because our model was always digital from the beginning, um, this has just accelerated our timeline. Yeah. It hasn't necessarily been, like, a quote unquote "pivot."
• 8:42
  Um, we're just trying to do everything a lot faster and get this out to people who are really in need right now. Um,
• 8:50
  the, uh, you know, the other trend I think that we'll see is that, you know, in '08, '09, you saw a lot of people starting their own businesses.
• 8:59
  You saw a lot of people becoming independent wellness practitioners, dieticians, um, you know, counselors.
• 9:06
  And I think, you know, with 30 million people unemployed, uh, you know, that may be another trend that we see pop up again, and it'll be hard for those wellness providers to differentiate.
• 9:17
  And I think something like Robin that allows you to really showcase the fact that you specialize in this population of aspiring, expecting, and new parents, um, will also be really important and an important trend to follow.
• 9:33
  You know, I was looking at your social media, and I really appreciate your, um, uh, you know, your focus on aspiring parents.
• 9:40
  Uh, I saw a post about someone who, um, was struggling with isolation and actually desired to have, you know, children, you know, in the- Yeah... in the home, because a lot of parents- Uh-huh...
• 9:52
  m- myself included, I've got two, uh, six and four, uh, there's plenty of days when I bemoan, uh, having children sort of, uh, keep me from what I wanna do.
• 10:03
  Uh, and yet you've really sort of tapped into some of the pain there, uh, of, of desiring. Um, and I know that comes...
• 10:11
  You know, y- you've talked about your own personal experience, but, uh, not just focusing on, um, just the parenting side, but r- really what that expectant side looks like. Yeah.
• 10:24
  I mean, I think, you know, the path to parenthood is unique for everyone.
• 10:29
  Um, I have my own fertility journey, um, where I went through IVF to have my twins, and we then had a surprise natural pregnancy to have our third. Um, and for a while, I mean, these topics were very stigmatized.
• 10:42
  Um, and they still really are to some degree. Um, but the numbers are there. I mean, one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage. One in eight couples, you know, struggle to conceive.
• 10:53
  And we've always been really inclusive of this population, um, of people because I think it's really important that, you know, really people see the entire journey, right?
• 11:05
  It's not just important to care of yourself during pregnancy or after pregnancy, but it's also really important to make healthy choices and support yourself before pregnancy, especially if you're, you know, an aspiring parent who's, who's maybe having trouble conceiving.
• 11:20
  So, um, yeah, I mean, that is very much, like, at our, um, root, at our core, and I think it is really hard right now.
• 11:29
  I mean, I definitely have my days where I'm complaining where I had to work and have three kids at home, and when's school gonna start again, and, um, you know, we can get lost in this complaining, but it's so, um, easy to forget the perspective of, you know, somebody who is trying, actively trying to conceive, an aspiring parent who would, you know, kill to have a kid at home right now.
• 11:52
  So, um, yeah, we, we really do try and show a- um, a-And, and be inclusive of all of those different perspectives. How, how do you make it work?
• 12:01
  Not everyone has- [laughs] I mean, peop- people have kids at home, but you've got three under four you said? Yeah. We- we have three under four. How do you make it work?
• 12:09
  [laughs] Um, all boys, and they're, they're, you know, animals. They're probably like outside running around naked right now. Um, but, uh, how do we make it work?
• 12:19
  Um, my husband works for himself as well, um, so we both have flexibility.
• 12:26
  Uh, we work really hard, but it's very easy for either one of us to take two hours, you know, out of our day to do, you know, a walk around the block with them or, you know, a, a game or an activity.
• 12:40
  So the fact that we both have that flexibility is really helpful and, and we, um, you know, we're very grateful, um, to have that. Um, and, um, yeah, just like as much support as you can get.
• 12:55
  Um, it takes a village, and I think that's the hardest part right now is people in some respects have lost their village.
• 13:03
  Um, and, um, you know, that's, that's really, I would say, probably one of the most challenging things for parents about getting through this time is, you know- Yeah, I can- Yeah...
• 13:13
  yeah, I can, I can only imagine being in that, uh, immediate postpartum period and not having any support network, family to come, uh, make you meals, um, do all of that.
• 13:24
  What kind of advice do you give to, to new parents in that situation? So, I mean, in that situation, I think whether it's Robin or through other means, I think you can get, you know, virtual support and virtual help.
• 13:37
  Um, my, uh, one of my dear friends, one of my closest friends just had a baby. Um, and, um, luckily she was quarantining with her husband and her mom, um, so she does have two other people to help with the new baby.
• 13:55
  Um, but she was planning on having, you know, a baby nurse for a short amount of time, and instead of having that person come in person, she now has the ability to call her and video call anytime she has a question.
• 14:07
  Um, so I think really taking advantage of the virtual services if you can. Um, and, you know, with the person that you are with in your house, um,
• 14:18
  you know, taking the breaks when you can, um, you know, and really resting, um, when you have those breaks, um, because it's just such a challenging time. Yeah. Um, I think getting out of the house is, is a big thing.
• 14:31
  Like if you can, you know, take a walk around the block, you know, s- even sitting in a front yard, sitting on a stoop and just like breathing some fresh air and getting a break can just be really, really helpful, um, because, you know, I think we're all having cabin fever, right?
• 14:48
  But being, having cabin fever and that newborn, um, at home is, is, is really- That's a lot... really challenging. That's a lot. Yeah.
• 14:56
  I- in your webinars, um, in your material, how do you talk to, um, expectant mothers about the anxiety around going into the hospital right now? Yeah.
• 15:07
  So, um, our childbirth was, class was taught by a registered nurse who works at Weill Cornell in New York. Um, so out of any place to, you know, get advice from, that's been kind of the hotspot. Mm-hmm. Right?
• 15:21
  Um, so, you know, I think the advice that she had was really, um, that, you know, the hospitals are taking all of the measures possible to eliminate cross-contamination between, let's say, the labor and delivery and, you know, other areas of the hospital that may have, um, COVID, may be treating COVID patients.
• 15:43
  Mm-hmm.
• 15:43
  Um, so she really just like spoke to the hospital policies and procedures, and I think really put people at ease that all of these measures, um, were taking place to protect people, right, from, um, going into the hospital.
• 16:01
  Um, but listen, like a lot of expecting parents have also changed their plans. A lot of people have changed to, you know, giving birth at a birthing center rather than, uh, going into a big hospital.
• 16:13
  A lot have decided for, you know, home births. Um, and there are, are alternatives, and I think, um, there's always been something that's difficult about making a birth plan, right? Because- Right. [laughs]...
• 16:25
  you know, you don't wanna be stuck in your expectations. You wanna, you w- you wanna make God laugh, right? Make a plan. Exactly. That's a- Make a plan. Yeah.
• 16:33
  M- if you wanna make Go- God laugh, make a pregnancy playlist, I think my wife would say. Yeah.
• 16:39
  [laughs] And I think what this has, time has done is just everybody's birth plans are just up in the air, and that can be a real source of anxiety.
• 16:47
  Um, but again, there are a lot of like mental health virtual services right now through Robin specifically, where you can find maternal mental health professionals w- who you can talk to virtually. Yeah.
• 17:00
  Um, so I think, you know, finding what works for you.
• 17:04
  Um, I think what also helped a lot of people who are on our birthing class was, okay, maybe we don't have one birth plan, but right now we have a plan A, we have plan B, and we have a plan C, right?
• 17:15
  At the time that we filmed it, you know, we didn't even know if you could get in, in an Uber, let's say, to go to the hospital. Yeah.
• 17:22
  We didn't even know if the buses were gonna be running or, you know, what do you do if you don't have your own car to go to the hospital.
• 17:29
  So we were talking through with people really what is your plan A, what is your plan B, and what is your plan C, and I think that really put people at ease with their anxiety about what it's gonna be like to give birth right now.
• 17:42
  That's smart. Yeah. That's probably smart advice even when, when you're not in a pandemic, right? Yeah. It's, exactly.
• 17:48
  [laughs] I think we're all being forced to confront our, you know, our, our fears and our anxieties like we've never been before, and, and maybe we can come out the, the other side, um-You know, a little bit stronger and a little bit more aware Yeah.
• 18:03
  Yeah. I think, I think this is definitely creating opportunities, and if you're in digital health like you are, you recognize that this is a, a, a shot of adrenaline in the arm of adoption.
• 18:14
  Um, I think maybe a good note to end on is what are you excited about, about how this time of trial and crisis is going to, uh, ov- overall improve Robin specifically, uh, but more importantly this, this parenting journey that you, that you are helping with?
• 18:33
  Like, how are we gonna come out stronger? Yeah.
• 18:36
  So I think before the pandemic started, there was clearly a moment where people were realizing that, yes, like a child is being born or has been born, and that child needs care, and love, and support, and all the gear, and everything.
• 18:51
  But, like, a parent has also been born, right? Mm-hmm. And how do we support that person, and what does... That's really what Robin is about, right?
• 19:00
  I mean, if we were to rebrand our childbirth class, we would prob- probably call it Parent Birth, right? Mm-hmm. Like, what does the birth of a parent mean?
• 19:07
  And I think what this pandemic has done, it has very much, like, focused the attention, um, on these, um, you know, really important periods of your life, um, that, um, maybe were, were overlooked before.
• 19:24
  So what I'm really excited is I, I feel like that societal shift is happening, um, and that, you know, the support for parents, um, has never been, um, I don't know, in, in, um, magnified as it, as it is right now.
• 19:42
  Um, so that's something that I am really excited about. Um, the other thing I, I think from this time for, for myself as an entrepreneur and running a business is just radical prioritization. Mm-hmm. And you know what?
• 19:54
  The fancy production that was going into our childbirth class, like, maybe that wasn't necessary, you know? Right? Like, let's do everything we can to add real value to people's lives, um, and cut out the fluff.
• 20:09
  Um, and I think that radical prioritization is so valuable as a founder, um, and as any startup and, and new business, and that is what I'm really channeling right now, um, is how do we radically prioritize, you know, the value that we're creating for aspiring, expecting, and new parents.
• 20:29
  That's fantastic. Well, Allie, thanks for taking the time to really explain what you're working on and, uh, where you're going over the next year.
• 20:37
  Very excited to see you bring that kind of support to this community and during this time, so thank you so much.
• 20:43
  [upbeat music] StartUp Health invests in health transformers from around the world who are committed to achieving audacious health moonshots.
• 20:57
  If you wanna learn how you can join this community of entrepreneurs, or if you wanna connect with one of our 330 companies, go to startuphealth.com. Thanks for listening to StartUp Health NOW. We'll be back next week.
• 21:09
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