On the House

When something you’ve prepared for doesn’t go as planned, what happens to your entire belief system?

That’s a question BirthSmarter founder, Ashley Brichter, had to grapple with after the birth of her first child— when all of her careful preparation and planning went out the window. 

Instead of reevaluating her beliefs and core values, Brichter leaned into them and kept them at the core of her business.

Building a business with integrity requires a steadfast commitment to core values. Even so, many companies lose track of their values while chasing revenue, growth, or the hundreds of other distractions that come with running and growing a business. 

BirthSmarter prioritizes inclusivity, education, and empowerment in the birth and parenting space. 

BirthSmarter isn’t just a business— it’s a movement designed to reshape the way families prepare for childbirth and parenting. Their core values are the lifeblood of their entire mission, and the explanation behind their success. 

“Going back to the workplace is easy,” said no parent, ever. But, imagine a world where the return to work was not fraught with stress, confusion, and complete overwhelm.

That was Vanessa Jupe’s dream when she founded Leva— and this dream only grows stronger. 

Leva means “to lift,” which is so appropriate when exploring a return to work. Once a child arrives, there’s a perception that the “tough work” is mostly finished. For the parents hysterically laughing at the last sentence, take a moment to laugh it out. 

Like many female founders in fem tech, Sylvia Kang learned this ugly set of TTC truths firsthand. 

After witnessing her friends struggle with their fertility, Kang was inspired to leave her corporate job and apply her biomedical degree to create a product that would be a game-changer for her friends and, ultimately, herself. 

Before at-home tests and trackers like Mira’s fertility trackers, women looking for fertility help could navigate their health insurance resources, copays, and underwhelming input from doctors—only to end up feeling more lost than they started. Here are the marketing tactics that work to build audiences and keep them engaged.