Navigating the Wild, Weird, and Wonderful Journey From Conception Through Birth and Beyond — Interview with Leslie Schrock
In our interview series with inspiring women, the GUILD interviewed a wide variety of women with remarkable stories, insights and points of view in order to bring their stories to you.
We are highlighting the tech investor, new mum and author of Bumpin’, The Modern Guide to Pregnancy — Leslie Schrock. As a first-time mother whose own struggles opened her eyes to this widespread problem she felt compelled to write a book with the frank, funny warmth of a trusted friend.
In this interview, Leslie talks about what inspired her to write this timely book, she shares advice for mums, entrepreneurs and what she learnt in the process of writing a book.
You can meet Leslie live and ask questions in our virtual happy hour / book club on 4/1 at 4 pm PST. RSVP here: https://quarantini-book-club-bumpin.eventbrite.com
My passion for women’s health and fertility began…
Nearly a decade ago when I was part of the founding team at Rock Health, a startup accelerator turned venture firm supporting companies at the intersection of health and technology.
At the time, there was almost zero attention in women’s health as a sector.
A few years later, I joined Maven, the first online clinic for families, as an advisor and have been active in this space ever since.
What inspired me to write the book Bumpin’…
My own challenging journey starting a family. After sixteen months, two failed pregnancies, and an unexpected C-section before my son entered the world, I realized starting a family is actually quite complex. And not for the reasons I expected. Also, if it was this confusing for someone with a decade of experience working in healthcare, what must it be like for everyone else?
Bumpin’ was written in real-time during and after my pregnancy and mixes the latest clinical research with practical advice sourced from doulas, ob-gyns, midwives, therapists, lactation advisors, acupuncturists, and pelvic floor therapists, with a dash of my experience to provide all the information you need without the detail you really don’t.
Best advice for women who are expecting or thinking about children …
Try not to compare your bump (or anything else) to celebrities, frenemies, coworkers, and cousins. The time it takes to conceive, the way you carry, what happens during childbirth, and the recovery process is unique to each individual pregnancy–just like your eventual child. Your experience may be unlike anyone you know or follow on Instagram, and completely different if you get pregnant again.
My hope for the book is …
That it helps families better communicate, plan, and as a result, enjoy this process.
Another goal is to leave readers empowered to build the care team and experience before, during, and after pregnancy that is right for them.
And to anyone that encounters challenges, I hope it helps you feel less alone.
What excites me the most …
There is more research happening in maternal and child health, and more interesting companies launching to address this market than ever before.
My journey as an entrepreneur covered many areas and here are my three lessons learnt …
Persistence is key. You’ll hear “no” a lot (I lost count in the early days of Rock Health!) but you have to listen to feedback and then keep going.
If you’re starting a company, really care about the problem you’re solving. You’ll pitch it over and over and over again and unless you are really passionate, it’s easy to lose steam.
Fresh air, walks, and mind shifts solve most problems. As a creative person, especially when you are on a deadline, it’s hard to feel free to take a beat and shift your focus. Earlier in my career, I spent a lot of time just trying to power through work rather than taking a break and returning to it later. Writing a book taught me that the muse isn’t always speaking, and when that happens, it’s best to take a quick break, or shift to a task that doesn’t require creativity, rather than banging your head against the wall repeatedly.
My advice for women who want to write a book …
Make sure you actually enjoy writing! Start with an outline, and then try writing the section of the book that you are most excited about. If it’s hard to get even that part down, you may want to rethink the format or medium (perhaps it should be a podcast or short story?) Books are a lot of work, and the journey doesn’t end when you turn in your manuscript. There are also multiple rounds of edits, and then you have to market it, which has its own challenges.
Here is how you can connect with me, support my cause and buy the book
Visit me on leslieschrock.com or bumpin.com. You can buy the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, IndieBound, or at a local bookstore near you.
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