How This Sales Executive’s First Miscarriage Led Her to Launch Her Own Startup
Now Her Mission is to Change Lives One Birth at a Time
Simmone Taitt, the founder and CEO of Poppy Seed Health, spent 15 years driving early-stage revenue for tech companies like Gilt Groupe, SpaFinder, and KidPass before deciding to launch her own startup dedicated to helping support pregnant and postpartum people with affordable, accessible, and equitable access to doulas, midwives, and nurses.
It was the first of what would become multiple miscarriages that pushed her to pivot her career. During that painful time, she did what so many people do and turned to “Dr. Google” to find — of all things — comfort. The irony is that she found exactly what she was looking for and it came in the form of an online doula board.
That night she made two decisions. To become a birth doula, which she did in 2019, and to leverage the power of technology to bring together birthing people and doulas, midwives, and nurses into a trusted and safe digital space. That was the birth of Poppy Seed Health, a telehealth platform that connects expecting families and women with medical advocates (doulas, midwives, and nurses) with 24/7 support via text, phone, and video, robust content, and matchmaking.
Although it took a few years to finally get answers as to why she was having trouble carrying pregnancies to term, it was such a relief to know what was actually going on with her reproductive health.
Simmone has made it her mission to change lives one birth at a time with her doula work and Poppy Seed Health community. In addition to connecting members both on and off the app to navigate pregnancy and postpartum together, the company gives back to communities that need it the most. Initiatives like the “Poppy Promise’’ allow for a portion of every monthly membership to be donated directly to an organization working to solve the maternal healthcare crisis for black and brown womxn.
Here, Taitt shares her advice for staying motivated, building cultures that help people thrive, and how her twice-daily showers help her get her best thinking done.
Editors note: Since we interviewed Simmone her company announced $1.6 million in pre-seed funding led by Alexis Ohanian’s venture firm Seven Seven Six.
The Q& A
What was the biggest challenge in starting your business? How did you manage it?
The biggest challenge was pulling myself out of an administrative mindset and into big milestone planning. In the beginning of building you need to do a time assessment and be bullish about priorities. Our biggest priority was talking to as many people as possible before building the first iteration of our product.
I created separate KPI’s for my priorities and put time estimations next to them. If I felt like I was going over or under or if something just wasn’t getting done at all it was a real-time indicator of what truly mattered at the start of the business.
What kept you motivated to keep at it?
We provide on-demand emotional and mental health support to pre- and post-natal populations. What keeps me going is seeing improved health outcomes in real-time for our members and also knowing that our advocates are doing the work they love.
Studies show startup founders/employees experience more stress than other professional fields. What does anxiety look like for you?
I experience anxiety in spurts but in general, I’m not an anxious person by nature. I think that’s why I love being a doula because while the birth journey can be unpredictable, it’s incredibly empowering to have a grounded advocate by your side. When I am anxious, however, I do 4-point breathing that is both a breathing and visual exercise that I learned from my therapist a few years ago.
Who do you turn to for advice?
I turn to our investors for business advice. We are very lucky that over 50% of our investors are also operators. If you can’t turn to them, then you haven’t chosen wisely. I also have founder buddies who I can compare notes with or send a quick text as a gut check. It’s essential to build strong relationships with other founders because community and trust are everything.
For personal life advice, I have a tight circle of people that are the most vibrant and honest council. They are the kind of people that cheer me on in my wins and failures and I can do the same with them.
What is the best piece of advice you got from an advisor?
If your intuition says no, it’s a no, don’t try to talk yourself into it.
How do you build a culture at work that helps people thrive?
We are a small team of women-identifying people and we have always worked remotely — together. I believe that the company’s health is intrinsically connected to the people building it, so building culture for me is about personal and professional support. Everyone on the team is a builder. They have families, are pregnant, or are hopeful parents. We know the value of time and productivity, but also the value of self-awareness and when to take care of ourselves. That makes it easier to take care of each other. Culture starts on day one and in the early days of Poppy we make it an equal priority with all the other things we have going on.
How do you stay productive without burning out?
I’m a great delegator. Being productive also means moving things off of my plate to the brilliant brains that are more than capable on my team.
Even before Covid-19 hit, people were beginning to rethink the VC-driven growth at all costs mindset (and founders productivity at all costs mindset as a result). Do you think there is a need for a shift in this mindset and how we approach financing?
Even the most thoughtful founders and leaders understand that in the early days capital is the lifeline for survival. The pressure to grow at all costs to prove that you need the capital or deserve capital can be crippling to the mission and the progress of the company. However, stay steadfast and grounded in the “why” and that will lead you down the path of what you need to do every day to get to that mission.
I’ll also add that not all founder journeys are created equal with equal access to capital. Only .27% of venture funding went to Black women founders in 2019 and the needle hardly moved coming into 2021. Let’s shift the approach in financing Black and Latinx founders at the same rate and then let’s open the conversation on growth and productivity as it relates to equitable funding.
How has the startup journey affected your personal life? Any tips?
I spend more time missing things than I expected because time is finite and priorities have shifted to the business. I’ve found that having the right love partner, being surrounded by long-time friends and being selective about the new energy I accept into my life has positively impacted my journey as a founder. My tips are to accept that you are growing and evolving too, and to be kind to yourself.
What does mindfulness mean to you?
Mindfulness means self-awareness.
Do you have any mindfulness tools/practices?
I listen to an embarrassingly high number of podcasts that cover a large spectrum of topics. There are some mindfulness podcasts that I can’t miss an episode of like Unlocking Us with Brene Brown and The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos.
To me, mindfulness is awareness in practice, so I also listen to podcasts that give me a different perspective on the world and human experiences. I’m a marketer’s dream because there’s a high probability that when I hear an ad for another podcast in the one I’m listening to, I will listen to that podcast.
Any other rituals, routines, mindful moments?
Since quarantine started I added a new routine. I set my timer for 30 minutes on my phone and for ten minutes I walk away from my laptop, phone and desk and make myself the most delicious and beautiful lunch. I never had time to have a proper lunch before quarantine and would be huddled over my desk so I take the breather, make something that looks like art (not kidding!) and then enjoy every single morsel. It’s quite a luxury.
Any essential oils in your life? How do you use them?
Because I’m also a doula, I use essential oils and aromatherapy with my clients a lot. Each oil does a different thing and elicits an effect that is needed in the moment. I am personally a huge fan of lavender. I have lavender bushes on my balcony, lavender packets in my dryer and strewn across my closet.
Does the way your morning goes, impact your day? How so?
I wasn’t always a morning person but back in 2016, I split a skirt running out of my front door from waking up too late and rushing to an important meeting. I made a decision to become a morning goddess and turned to my friends to be my accountability buddies. In 30 days I completely changed my habits by waking up to meet friends for 7:00 am workouts and going to sleep earlier each night. By the end of the month, I was 13 pounds lighter, better rested and had naturally reset my body to wake without an alarm clock — which can grind my nerves first thing in the morning. I fall out of rhythm when my morning is off the rails and it’s hard to reclaim the day.
Even with the best of plans, mornings can get messy…that is life! How do you manage when things veer off plan?
Matcha. Seriously. It’s life’s best elixir.
Morning Inspo
Morning firsts: I wake up at 6:00 am every morning, even on the weekends, and the first thing I do is roll over and give my partner a squeeze.
Rise and shine ritual: Then I get up and I do a 20-minute coconut oil pull while I listen to “The Daily” podcast.
Breakfast: If I have breakfast, it’s a half of a grapefruit during the week and eggs on the weekend.
Morning Beverage: Matcha. Not that pre-mixed sh*t. Pure ceremonial grade Matcha from Kyoto with my ritual of boiling water and hand mixing it with my bamboo tools.
Exercise: I like to work out first thing in the morning and I’m done by 7:30am. This wasn’t the case in 2020 but I’m getting back in the routine.
Go-to selfcare products: Skinceuticals, everything. I take two showers a day — one to wake and one to sleep — so I have an array of amazing bath products.
Favorite essential oil: Lavender
A good morning: Not feeling rushed.
A bad morning: Feeling rushed.
Happy time: I take a very long shower every night. I swear it is the happiest time of every day. I can’t sleep without hydrotherapy and that’s where I get the best thinking done.
Chill Time: I go straight to warmth and water. I grew up in New England so I appreciate the four seasons, but I’m a Cancer and need water and sun to keep me alive!
