From Chief Product Officer to Founder: How Alex Stried Built the Parenting Support Platform Every Family Needs

TUP EP 122

Aransas SAvas: [: 00:00:00

My dear friend Alex Street went off to [00:00:30] work on Ellevest building this amazing company from the ground up, becoming their chief product officer. Then went on to an incredible mental health company called Cerebral, and now has started the company. [00:00:45] I longed for so deeply right around the time I met her.

fe was that time of becoming [: 00:01:00

And raise children and not feel bad about myself all [00:01:15] the time for the choices I was making. As I read what Alex was doing, I was like, that was the uplifter I needed in my life. And so I'm really, really excited to bring her on to share the work she's doing, but also the journey there. [00:01:30] So Alex, thank you so much for being here.

It's just such a joy to see your face on the other side of the screen.

re to see you as well. After [: 00:01:45

Aransas SAvas: At the time you and I sat across from each other [00:02:00] was right as I was leaving for maternity leave for my first baby. I remember working through my first contractions and I literally walked off with a post-it with my timed contractions, sitting on my [00:02:15] desk, walked downstairs at 11 Madison and tried to hail a cab.

Alex Stried: And uh, I was like, yeah, I think you literally started having a baby right in front of me. That's basically what happened. Yeah, basically. Yeah.

l. And now here you are also [: 00:02:30

Alex Stried: I am a mom of a 7-year-old Juliet and a 5-year-old Isla who's starting kindergarten this year.

Aransas SAvas: Oh my gosh, it's so wild.

out to go into her sophomore [: 00:02:45

I would say catch me up, but we probably don't have time for the full details as much as I wanna hear them all, that'll be on the two hour special. But let's start with [00:03:15] Poppins actually. What led you to wanna start this? Company at this time in your life.

cer and it was an incredibly [: 00:03:30

And so both my partner, Scott, and myself were working, you know, around the clock hours and I was just like, there has to be a better way. And we were lucky enough to have, you know, full-time [00:03:45] nanny support, but it still was a lot. I had this idea brewing for a couple months and I was like, gosh, if I just had this service in my life, my life would be so much better.[00:04:00]

n the former surgeon General [: 00:04:15

Which [00:04:30] stated that 48% of parents say that their stress is completely overwhelming compared to 26% of other adults. And he was basically saying, wake up people, [00:04:45] we have to do something about this. And I was like, okay, this is my wake up call. It's time to leave. And I was very, very fortunate because. My co-founder Jen Shane, also was an executive at [00:05:00] Cerebral, and I was telling her about this idea and she's like, I love it.

ted. And so in uh, January of: 2025

Aransas SAvas: Wow. And it's clear you saw a big problem to solve. And, and like I said, I, I feel so deeply that need and that stress was just so overwhelming. Which service did you believe [00:05:30] you were going to provide based on your own experience?

Instagram and find a ton of [: 00:05:45

So you can submit photos, videos, audio recordings, and a nurse practitioner will diagnose, treat, and prescribe accordingly. But we also have the parent coaching side, which really helps with [00:06:15] behavioral issues, routines, you know, making sure everyone is sleeping well. Behavioral medical are actually so related and everything I, that I was finding out there was like, well, if you have this problem, you have to go over [00:06:30] here and if you have that problem you have to go over here.

And it really forced parents to have to cobble together their own solutions. And I was just like, there has to be a better, easier, faster way to service parents.

Aransas SAvas: Yeah, [: 00:06:45

Alex Stried: And that's actually something that we're able to help with at Poppins.

So [: 00:07:00

So it was just really nice to see [00:07:45] all of that come together.

parent or the stress on the [: 00:08:00

And so to approach it in this methodical, holistic way where it's like, let's talk about the coaching and the behavioral and the routine side of it, and then let's talk about [00:08:15] the medical side of it and let's just look at it at a way to collect learning and get a bunch of data and then make a. Data led decision takes a lot of the judgment off of it, which I think is probably the most exhausting part of being a new parent.

In my experience, [: 00:08:30

Alex Stried: That's exactly right. I mean, everything is so focused on the kid, but it's actually the parents. We are the ones that need to change our [00:09:00] behavior for the better, so that we can better ourselves, but then also help our families. My entire career has really been focused on helping people change their behavior for the better.

tarting at our early days at [: 00:09:15

And so like we get that parents are so busy. Out there that says parents today are spending more time with their kids than stay at home moms did in the.[00:09:45]

ve the time. And so they can [: 00:10:00

We know you're busy. We don't wanna create [00:10:15] more work for you. We just wanna help you solve these micro problems so that you can go back to loving being a parent and, and, you know, spending time with your kids on the things that you all really like doing, and not spending the times on the things [00:10:30] that you don't like doing.

Aransas SAvas: Yeah. Or that you are spinning your wheels on Yes. Because you don't know what to do.

o much advice out there, and [: 00:10:45

Will someone judge me for breastfeeding or not breastfeeding? It's just, it's a lot and parents today have to deal with that, where. [00:11:00] Previous generations did not. And so hopin really is a place that you can come. There's no judgment. We help all kinds of parents. We have parents who wanna co-sleep with their kids, and then we have parents who are like, I've never so [00:11:15] sleeping with my kid.

I don't wanna even breastfeed them. And it's all okay. It's all okay because everyone is different and we're all doing the best that we can.

And if I think back to what [: 00:11:30

Because I was so focused on following the rules and doing what was right that I. I basically starved myself and made [00:11:45] myself crazy to breastfeed for the full year mark without ever giving a drop of formula, which was looking back, I'm like, oh, you poor baby. I am sorry for you, and I'm sorry if I said anything mean to you during those years because I was destroying myself physically [00:12:00] trying to follow the rules of being a new mom, and I have no idea how I even did it.

upid cubicle pump while on a [: 00:12:15

Alex Stried: You're not alone in that alone. That's what we hear from like thousands of parents. That's the world we live in too. It's the world that we live in and it has to change. It really does.

as been a big shift for you, [: 00:12:45

I can't imagine that slows down when you go from CPO to founder.

s not, my days look a little [: 00:13:00

We decided that we were no longer gonna have a nanny full-time. And now that it's summer, the kids are in camp, but I'm in an office today, I have to leave and make sure I pick them up one time. [00:13:30] So there's definitely choices that we had to make. My partner, he's gotta do a little bit more around the house too, 'cause we just don't have that paid help that we, you know, had when we were both working full-time executive jobs.

But that's [: 00:13:45

Aransas SAvas: Take me back to the early days of that decision. So you're talking to your colleague, you're like, this is not where I wanna be right now. I have [00:14:00] this vision, I wanna build something.

So then as you and your partner thought about this, what were some of the conversations you were having that helped you decide to take that leap?

So Cerebral is a telehealth [: 00:14:15

We are doing something very similar at pop-ins where we have to go state by state as well. [00:14:30] And so I feel like we were able to take a lot of like the learnings of like what worked from cerebral and what didn't work. Because I actually felt really confident in leaving it with the decision because I'm like, oh my gosh, we learned so much here.

I can now [: 00:14:45

And you know, something we're both really, really proud of. And then we were able to find a team that was truly amazing and we knew exactly what we were looking [00:15:15] for because we've worked with a ton of nurse practitioners at Cerebral. And so a lot of that I think was just like. I learned in my past that I was able to say like, okay, now I'm just gonna like make this my own in a space where I see a [00:15:30] major gap.

Aransas SAvas: I love that. What was the most intimidating factor for you in making this change?

and it's just sort of like, [: 00:15:45

There's just, we're building a business for the long term. I one day could see Poppins having physical locations. [00:16:00] We have a big, big plan, and so I can't let like a couple bad days in a row impact where we wanna take this business. And so that's just always good to remember is [00:16:15] it's a challenge. Like it's never like a, ugh, this is a bad day.

It's just like, yeah, this is the situation. Here are the ways that we can get through it. Like let's make a list on how we can solve the problem and then go from there.

What's coming through for me [: 00:16:30

We get so focused on the what if this doesn't, [00:16:45] doesn't work. Question that we limit our ability to use the challenges as steps toward growth.

Jen and I have been pitching [: 00:17:00

I used to think you like go on maternity leave, have a baby and come back and you're like exactly the same as you were and you just like hop back into work. No problem. [00:17:30] Like getting a puppy or something and it's just not. And so sometimes when we go in and you have VCs say, oh, this isn't a great idea, or I just dunno how big of a problem it [00:17:45] is, it can be.

h, you're talking to people. [: 00:18:00

I.

I think the takeaway for us [: 00:18:30

But the first person you need [00:18:45] convinced. Either find a different problem to solve or work on that body of evidence for yourself.

ust like afraid to fail. Mm. [: 00:19:00

Is it because my friends are gonna like think poorly of me or like my past coworkers are, I'm gonna have to like update my LinkedIn with, sorry, we went outta business message. All of those things are [00:19:15] very possible, but what's the worst that's gonna happen? They think of that for one second and then they continue on in their feed.

like, okay, if I fail. I, my [: 00:19:30

Aransas SAvas: I think it makes a huge difference. Our thoughts become our realities, and if we are pouring all of our energy into the things that slow us [00:20:00] down, then the fear wins. Instead of acknowledging the fear and saying, yeah, it's understandable, and then have those worries, and what do I really wanna put my energy into?

into building this solution, [: 00:20:15

Alex Stried: A hundred percent.

he best advice you've gotten [: 00:20:30

Alex Stried: Well, in terms of taking care of yourself along the way, I mean, there's a saying that you hear on, you know, pretty much every flight, put [00:20:45] your own oxygen mask on before assisting others. And so I think it's really finding that space to do it. And so whether that's going to yoga a couple times a week or taking a longer walk home from the train, [00:21:00] or whatever those things are, that's incredibly important.

I think it's giving you that [: 00:21:15

So. I didn't go to an Ivy League school. I, you know, [00:21:30] didn't work at McKinsey or Bain or any of those places, but I've always had really great work ethic and have been able to, to see things through, and I think that that is important. Like Aran. I remember when you and I were working on. The Weight [00:21:45] Watchers Innovations every year and Points Plus was the year that, like we went international, we changed everything around the Weight Watchers stock went up to like 80 something and like, oh,

Aransas SAvas: the glory days.

s. And I was, you know, I, I [: 00:22:00

Aransas SAvas: A lot of us think, oh, well, I don't have all the right credentials, and [00:22:15] so what you're saying is maybe that matters less than investment of your energy and engaging in solving the problem, but it also means.

e of yourself along the way. [: 00:22:30

Alex Stried: It has [00:22:45] to be a balance.

Aransas SAvas: What's one of the hardest things you've ever had to do in your career?

years. I loved what we were [: 00:23:00

And I was like, what? I was like, finance, I don't have any experience in finance. Like, are you sure you wrote the right [00:23:15] person? But he's like, no, but you have women in behavior change experience. And so I was like, okay, I'm gonna go work in the finance industry now with zero experience working for, he described it as two very high up people in finance.

So [: 00:23:30

Cerebral really became, I think like a household name during the pandemic when mental health was just, [00:24:00] everyone's just skyrocketed. And they were one of the first to bring it into people's homes with telehealth. But it was one of those startups that grew too quickly and then they really needed a team to come in and like help make the unit economics [00:24:15] right.

eel like I, I knew everybody [: 00:24:30

But I'm so glad I did it because I think it's really like what ended up leading me to pop-ins and, you know, I worked with some of the smartest people I've [00:24:45] ever worked with at Cerebral.

into intimidating situations.[: 00:25:00

Instead of retreating, you go further in and somehow you manage to, despite I'm sure with worries and fears, you might feel you don't walk away from the problem or [00:25:15] quietly fade into the background. You step forward and really engage. And so I'm curious what you say to yourself when you feel intimidated or scared to get yourself to go deeper.

Alex Stried: So [: 00:25:30

I feel like I did that with like other leaders and other team members, and so I [00:26:00] think that's really important. Leaders who come in and they're, you know, just like make decisions without mm-hmm. Talking to anyone, like, I don't, I don't see how that can be successful because you don't have the full picture and.

So the reason why I think I [: 00:26:15

Aransas SAvas: Yeah. So it, [00:26:30] it really is this theme of collecting data in order to confidently move forward.

Alex Stried: That's a beautiful way of saying it. Yes.

sculine model of leadership, [: 00:26:45

Gender,

Alex Stried: yeah. Yeah. There's

nd ask a bunch of questions, [: 00:27:15

And really allowing the insights, the collective wisdom in, but then not letting it get in the way of our own intuition either, right? To say, okay, I'm gonna take it all in, and then I'm gonna [00:27:45] sort it and synthesize it, and then I'll feel confident making decisions about decisive and confident action.

Alex Stried: Yeah, a hundred percent.

changes really quickly, and [: 00:28:00

Aransas SAvas: You talked about raising financial capital to fund Poppins. I talk a lot about how we all understand that we [00:28:15] have to raise financial capital to fund our dreams, whatever they may be, whether it's a company mm-hmm.

Or anything else. And at the same time, I believe that underpinning that is what I call courage capital.

Alex Stried: I like that.

t is sort of the self-belief [: 00:28:30

To grow on its own and, and cultivate within your practices. And so [00:28:45] what helps you build courage capital when you've had those rough days?

as, I only had three minutes [: 00:29:00

I wanted to stay in that amount of time and I practiced like crazy and I didn't wanna read off of, you know, anything. I wanted to really know it [00:29:15] because then I also wanted to have the energy and be lively and be able to use hand motions and do all these things. I did spend a lot of time on that. Like that was important to me.

he bathroom power pose, like [: 00:29:30

Aransas SAvas: Yeah. Well, and you actually speak to a few different things in there, right? Again, it's being really prepared so that you can go off the cuff. Uh, in theater we used to talk about that is [00:30:00] learn your lines so you can forget them. So that, right, you're not regurgitating, but you can be fully alive and know that you are.

nd, spirit to feel confident [: 00:30:15

So who would you like to nominate out of your amazing circle of inspiring women in your life to join us on the Uplifters?

So my friend Hillary Manger, [: 00:30:45

She's in a breakfast group that I'm part of, and I just thought it was amazing [00:31:00] how she just decided to go out and start something on her own. And like that kind of gave me a little bit of courage too, to, to go out and, and start something. So I think she's, she's great. She's a force. Haley Barna, who's a partner at First Round Capital, but [00:31:15] also like co-founder of Birchbox.

y Green over at Ellevest who [: 00:31:30

And the private wealth business stayed intact and is, is growing like crazy and [00:31:45] they just invest in like some really awesome things. Like the alternatives will be focused with, uh, diaper company in Peru. You know, like, like they just like find these like really interesting, you know, businesses to, [00:32:00] to support.

And so I think, I think that's good. Like they're doing a ton of great stuff for women.

ow we have to have a network [: 00:32:15

So this is the Uplifters podcast. We are people who love to lift up other uplifters. Mm-hmm. So how can we as a community [00:32:45] support you with your goals right now?

what topics are interesting [: 00:33:00

We're an evidence based, data-driven company, and so the more families we have coming to our site and going through our experience is really great and helpful because we're gonna be able to [00:33:15] then, you know, multiply it and, and really help as a lot more families out there. That's

Aransas SAvas: awesome. Even if you're not a parent, you can send this to Yeah.

Yeah.

Alex Stried: Even if you're not the parents, you now send it to,

ng her shit right now. Yeah. [: 00:33:30

Alex Stried: Thank you. It's so great seeing you, Aransas. This was awesome.

episodes, please share them [: 00:34:00

Wherever you get your podcast and like follow and [00:34:15] rate our show, it'll really help us connect with more uplifters and it'll ensure you never miss one of these beautiful stories.

love painted water, sunshine [: 00:34:30

With that all hindsight, bring the sun to twilight. Lift you up. Whoa. Lift you up.[00:35:00]

Lift you up. Whoa. Lift you up.

Lift you up.[: 00:35:15

Lift you up.

Lift you up.[: 00:35:30

Beautiful. I cried. That little thing you did with your voice, right? In the pre-course, right? Uhhuh. I was like, mommy, [00:35:45] mommy, stop crying. You're

Alex Stried: serving the peace.