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

Episode Description

Join host Aransas Savas as she reconnects with Alex Stried, former Chief Product Officer at Cerebral who left her executive role to co-found Poppins, a revolutionary 24/7 pediatric care and parent coaching platform. In this candid conversation, Alex shares how the Surgeon General's declaration of parent stress as a public health crisis became her wake-up call to build the company she wished existed as a working mother. From managing teams of hundreds to starting from scratch, Alex reveals the data-driven approach that helped her raise courage capital and turn overwhelming parenthood into a scalable solution.

What You'll Learn

• How to transition from corporate executive to entrepreneur without losing momentum in your career
• Parent stress management strategies that address both behavioral and medical needs
• Fundraising tips for female founders pitching to investors who may not understand your market
• Work-life balance techniques for high-achieving parents juggling career pivots
• Building courage capital through evidence-based decision making and strategic risk-taking
• Startup validation methods using personal pain points to identify market opportunities
• Leadership strategies for downsizing teams and making difficult business decisions with empathy
• Career change advice for professionals feeling called to solve problems they've experienced firsthand

Time Stamps

00:00 - Introduction and reconnecting after years at Weight Watchers

03:15 - The Surgeon General's parent stress crisis declaration as a catalyst

06:30 - What Poppins offers: 24/7 pediatric care and parent coaching

09:45 - Making the leap from CPO to founder: financial and personal considerations

14:30 - Overcoming intimidation through "listening tours" and data collection

18:15 - Pitching investors who don't understand the parenting market

22:45 - Building courage through preparation and power posing

25:30 - Advice for managing fear of failure and career setbacks

28:15 - Self-care strategies for high-achieving working parents

32:45 - Guest nominations: Hillary Manger, Haley Barna, Emily Green

35:00 - How listeners can support Poppins and connect with Alex

Key Takeaways

✅ Turn frustration into fuel: Your biggest parenting challenges might be pointing toward your next business opportunity

✅ Build evidence-based courage: Create compelling data to support both investor pitches and major life decisions

✅ Practice the "listening tour" approach: Gather perspectives from multiple stakeholders before making intimidating moves

✅ Reframe failure as temporary: Remember that careers are resilient and setbacks are learning opportunities

✅ Prepare to be spontaneous: Practice presentations until you can deliver them authentically and confidently

Resource Links

• Poppins - Alex's 24/7 pediatric care and parent coaching platform
• Amy Cuddy's research on power posing
• BJ Fogg's behavior change work from Stanford

Guest Bio

Alex Stried is the co-founder of Poppins, a comprehensive parenting platform offering 24/7 pediatric care via text and parent coaching services. Previously, she served as Chief Product Officer at

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