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EP 67: Decoding Safer Products For Moms with Lanning Ardente, Co-founder and CEO of Sorette
1.7k Plays1 year ago
In this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome a very special guest, Lanning Ardente, the Co-Founder and CEO of Sorette—the new gold standard for motherhood products. Sorette not only offers a one-stop shop for safe and trusted products but also features their renowned Seal of Approval, developed by a team of leading toxicologists, thought partners, and their Scientific Advisory Board made up of OBGYNs, Dermatologists, Epidemiologists, Nutritionists, and experts in Women's Health.
Lanning shares her journey from being a mom to creating Sorette, what inspired her to start this revolutionary brand, and how they developed their high standards to ensure that moms and families are surrounded by trusted products. Their approach allows moms to focus less on scrutinizing ingredient labels and more on what really matters—bonding with baby and taking care of themselves during this precious, transitional time.
Shop now at https://shopsorette.com
⭐️ Sorette has given our listeners an exclusive discount code. Use code: MOMCHAT15 to get 15% off your order.
Make sure to also follow Sorette on Instagram: @shopsorette
Join the official Mom Group Chat Facebook group: Mom Group Chat | Facebook
Keep up with the Moms and join the conversation on our socials:
Instagram: @momgroupchat
TikTok: @momgroupchat
Questions/comments/need to vent? Email us at momgroupchat@gmail.com
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:00:07
Speaker
Like there's no right way to do it.
00:00:11
Speaker
Oh, we're going to get into it. What up moms? My name is Candace and I am here with my best friend Whitney and a very special guest. And this is the mom group chat podcast.
00:00:24
Speaker
hello Hello. So I'm so excited about today's episode. We are joined with the founder and CEO of Sorett. Sorett is pioneering a product standard for pregnancy and motherhood. And we are so excited to have landing on the show today. Welcome. Thank you so much for having me Candice. I'm so excited. I'm Whitney. So nice to meet you too. It's such a joy to be here.
Guest's Discovery of Sorett
00:00:51
Speaker
You know, I, um, I found your store before like we've even met and I was obsessed. It's honestly like such a beautiful website. Like yeah all your marketing is just very beautiful. Um, and I've, I'm in love. Oh yeah. Yeah. That's is so sweet and really means so much because it really has been such a passion, um, and like deep mission of mine to bring this to life and for up until this point, we've really been um a one woman show with the help of some great kind of contractors and friends
Family Life and Parenting Challenges
00:01:30
Speaker
and family. So everything that you see has been
00:01:34
Speaker
real work on our end to to bring to life. Oh my gosh. So tell us a little bit about you and, um, Soret and your family kind of give us the lowdown. Yeah. So I, I live in Boston. I've lived here for, um, a little over 10 years now. Um, I am married to my college sweetheart. Oh my gosh. You and Whitney. Yes. how We've put each other for a long time now.
00:02:03
Speaker
And we have two kids. I have a three and a half year old daughter and a one and a half year old son. And we are, and a Frenchie, a seven year old Frenchie. And we are very much in the thick of parenting. I know you both are kind of in the same boat. um literally every single person I tell my kids age two, they're like, Oh yeah, no, you're, yeah, you're in it. Yeah, you get that. Oh, and you're like, thank you for understanding. Yeah, exactly. And yeah. And pretty much everyone thinks I'm crazy for even thinking about entertaining a third child at some point. So, um, yeah, it's, um, it's so much fun though. And we really loved, um,
00:02:48
Speaker
you know, seeing them grow. And now my daughter is like a little person. Yeah, who actually, have like full on conversation. So it's been really fun. And something that I'm always telling my girlfriends who have um kids a littler than me is it just it really just gets better. It's it's, you know, you're kind of mourning each stage as they develop, but at the same time, it's just so much fun to see them grow up. Yeah, I agree. I think when they start talking and having conversations, they're so funny. It's my favorite stage. Like my my youngest has just turned one, but she's like all of a sudden the personality is developing, and she's like pointing at things, and she wants to talk so bad, but her brother talks enough for both of them. um So we'll see if she even gets a word in, but I totally agree. As they grow, they're just so fun. Yeah.
00:03:41
Speaker
I know like even sitting down with her and like coloring. I'm like, Oh my gosh, I've been like dreaming of this moment where you can just like sit with them. Yeah. Totally. Does she, she's the three and a half year old, right? She play pretend now. My son is just, he's turning three next week and all of a sudden he's like, I hear him talking to his stuffed animals. I'm like, this is new. It's hilarious. It's amazing. Yeah. plant to shelter wild Yeah. Yeah. It's truly amazing. It like gives you a moment to like empty the dishwasher. Oh.
00:04:18
Speaker
Yeah. Just the moment though, of course. Of course, yeah. and my top My son is like climbing in the dishwasher, like, yeah. Same, same. Um,
Inspiration Behind Sorett
00:04:30
Speaker
I love that. So did you start Sorett when you were pregnant with your daughter after? Tell us that little journey of how it began.
00:04:38
Speaker
Yeah. Um, so I spent my career in consumer product goods, but on the food and beverage side of CPG. So I've worked in house at a few different like big brands. Um, one being late July snacks, which is a tortilla chip company. They sold to Campbell's soup company. So it got a little exposure to you a massive kind of conglomerate CPG and then worked for a very small kind of startup direct to consumer almond milk company based in Boston.
00:05:07
Speaker
and then worked for a company where we helped kind founders basically commercialize their concepts. So someone would come to us with an idea. We would do all the R and&D and formulation, product development, setting up their supply chain and operational infrastructure and then wow with the go-to strategy. And so really was exposed to that like zero to one phase of these products and really fell in love with the the journey, honestly. just like I loved working alongside founders and helping them execute on their vision. um And so while I was there, I became pregnant with my daughter four years ago now um and was breaking out in hormonal acne and reached for a go-to cleanser that I would normally use to combat a breakout like that and was googling everything I was using at the time. It was also
00:05:59
Speaker
during COVID, so it was very kind of hypochondrial behavior. But stumbled upon this laundry list of chemicals commonly found in personal care products that you should avoid during pregnancy that I had no idea about. you know i was a clean I thought I was a clean consumer in personal care, but didn't realize that you had to further refine what you were using on your skin during pregnancy. like I just was not talked about, you know, I went to, call I was probably seven weeks pregnant this time, sixties pregnant. And I called my doctor telling her I was pregnant and you know, she was like, ah okay, great. Here's like the list of the protocols. Like don't drink alcohol, don't drink over 250 milligrams of caffeine, like avoid deli meats. But there was like zero mention on like, Hey, if you're using Tretino and stop using that, or if you know, your cleanser has like a high dose of
00:06:59
Speaker
a salicylic acid or a benzoyl peroxide, like, that's something you want to, you know, refine and edit out. So it felt like very anxiety inducing, because I just felt blindsided, like, why did I not know this going into this? um Of course, like dalates, parabens, all of those um kind of bigger compound groups fall into that category too, but I was aware of those at least, but there was a lot, you know, chemical sunscreens, like it just, it seemed to be a huge list of chemicals that are very commonly found. And I had no idea. So that's really when the light bulb went off is like, why is it so confusing for consumers to identify product products during this life stage? Whereas as compared to
00:07:48
Speaker
you you know, like the food and beverage category or even like sustainability. It's like very easy to identify which products you want to buy that would align with your personal values or like dietary restrictions. I'm also a celiac. So I'm like always looking out for gluten free products. And when you're growing a human inside of your body, there's like just no guidance out there. So literally it was mind blowing to me that no one had um created a solution for this consumer. and I basically sat on this idea for a few years, like thinking of like what would be the right solution and how to bring it to market. And then went through the same exact experience with my son. And then to all of my girlfriends going through the same kind of pain point and struggle. And, and that's really when I started to do something about it. So when I was on maternity leave with my son, I started kind of like piecing the puzzle together. And that was about
00:08:46
Speaker
a year or so ago, um, and trying to figure out, you know, who I would need to bring in to support like this greater vision. And that's really like a year ago. This month is when I started bringing together my scientific advisory boards. That was like the first thing I did because I'm not an expert by any means I've experienced this from a consumer
Product Safety Standards and Advisory Board
00:09:09
Speaker
standpoint. Like I know it's a problem on the consumer side.
00:09:13
Speaker
I've seen how the CPG space operates and works in terms of like these third party verifications, like the business structure, et cetera. But I don't have the medical background. I don't have the science background, not a toxicologist. So I basically pitched all of these incredible women who are experts in different verticals of women's health, as well as science and toxicology. And together we've thought through kind of this no-go list, this greater regulatory aggregation where we're looking at um human health, but most specifically to reproductive and developmental health down to certain concentrations. So, you know, on that list of chemicals that you should avoid is like anything above 2% for salicylic acid. But as a consumer, how are you supposed to know what percentage of the... Yeah. And it doesn't always clearly say. No. And like, it actually like likely doesn't clearly say that. Yeah.
00:10:10
Speaker
percentage. So we drill down with our brands and products and formulations to pH levels, concentration levels, so that when you shop a Surrender-approved product, you just don't have to have that take up your mind space. That is also your plate that you can just like focus on your growing family and other other things that might take up more time than like studying chemicals. Yeah. There's so many anxieties that go through your brain when you're pregnant and I feel exactly the same way that you did. like i
00:10:50
Speaker
remember being pregnant and Whitney knows, like I'm a beauty product girl. like i'm a I'm a personal care product junkie. So I started to like do research on some of these products that I would use. When you do a quick Google search, like it's not clear. like One thing says, one you know says, yes, it's safe. And then one thing says, no, it's not. And then it's like if you even go even deeper and look at who wrote that,
00:11:15
Speaker
you know, yes or no. It's like, is that, you know, what's, is there like big business behind that? Or, you know what I mean? So it's so nice. It's so nice to have a place that it's like, okay, I don't have to worry about this. A whole team of women like who have a scientific background or like doing this for me, because I already have so much to worry about when I am pregnant. Like,
00:11:40
Speaker
I just yeah don't have the mental space anymore to think about that. I was definitely your target audience because I'm not as much into like the routines of skincare and all that. but like Then this website telling me like this is all OK for you was like, thank you. I'm good. And that's why I was so drawn to it because I was like, and it's really cute. Like, yes, I'm going to be shopping here. um Yeah. So we found me. I'm here. I honestly agree at this point because we have you know at to this day, we have just been growing organically. So if we're finding you organically through a word of mouth or whatever, that that is a amazing news.
00:12:22
Speaker
um But yeah, I mean, both, I totally resonate with both of your um points of view on it. And that's really what we're hoping to do is just take that anxiety and mental weight back from you so that you can like really focus on what what you know everything else that you're doing in
Pregnancy Anxieties and Sorett's Reassurance
00:12:43
Speaker
your day.
00:12:43
Speaker
daily life. Totally. You know, it's funny, ah our show is called mom group chat and it was birthed from this idea of like all of the conversations we had in our mom group chat while we were pregnant. And I cannot tell you how many questions of is this safe where was asked in our group chat while we were both pregnant and are still being asked in like, I'm in a huge due date group that I've been with since I, it's crazy. I've like known these women now for three years and they've become my best friends and still even now people are like, does anyone know if this is safe? Like that, that question is being asked weekly at this point. and
00:13:26
Speaker
That is how I came across Sorette is through my group chat. like Someone sent it in there and was like, oh, this store, like everything here is safe to use. And even after pregnancy, like breastfeeding, and now I'm touching little ones all day. like My little ones are always touching my face, and they're all over me all the time like to know that the things I have on my body are safe for them to touch and put in their mouth. And you know, all of that is such a nice feeling. Like, yeah I totally agree with you. That's why when we honestly through this whole process, I really realized the, the issue with the claim of pregnancy safe and how
00:14:14
Speaker
it's actually just not the right terminology because it's not, unfortunately not black and white, it's not safe or unsafe because there's so much data gaps in personal care products, like upwards of 50% of chemicals in personal care products have never been studied. So we just don't know there's so much gray area and really that's kind of compounded with the fact that it's unethical to test products or chemicals or potentially hazardous anything on pregnant.
00:14:45
Speaker
women. So and that's really where we kind of shaped our standard is um around this NOGO list of 26,000 chemicals, including compound groups, where it's comprised of has known hazardous and suspected hazardous chemicals. So that we basically, you know, but any product that has RCL approval is a safer option for this this life stage.
00:15:15
Speaker
uh, knowing that it doesn't contain those chemicals on our restricted or prohibited list. Um, but we call it, you know, our seal of approval for motherhood, because it, to your point, it's such a longer journey than the nine months. Like, you know, the trying to conceive phase is between a month and like years, really through fertility journey, um, and then into pregnancy and through postpartum and breastfeeding, and then likely, you know, rinse and repeating that cycle. but It continues to, cause to your point, like I never wanted to put anything on my cheeks or my lips that was going right back on my kid's lips and cheeks. So I just never went back to what I was using and just kind of stuck on this path. And that's really what we aim to be is like a partner that you might find us during this, like trying to conceive our pregnancy period, but then we stick with you. And as we were growing, we just launched in May. So we're really, really new and young. Um,
00:16:13
Speaker
but we'll be adding more categories to support your product selection throughout multiple categories that you'd but be buying for your family. So like kids and baby products, um home and household, um you know, eventually like supplements like functional foods, and nutrient-dense foods, et cetera, really supporting this whole journey and and being that kind of guiding light. I'm so excited that we're in here on the on the early side because I'm so excited about what's to come. and That's definitely like and a later question in the episode to hear about what you guys have planned for the future. but
00:16:51
Speaker
As far as choosing the products and choosing the founders that you guys work with, like what's that process like? Have people found you and are like, my product fits your shop or how does that work? Yeah. so For our initial capsule collection, that was like a very curated assortment of brands. including like the outset, Lene Botanicals, Bathing Culture, Carrotay, Racine, Dr. Rogers.
Sorett's Launch and Product Offerings
00:17:20
Speaker
And I really wanted to have a assortment of brands that was um served as like known brands and also discovery brands. And also like on the spectrum of like clinical efficacious kind of like almost like leaning more conventional and then botanical plant-based like
00:17:40
Speaker
smaller indie beauty brands because I think this life stage is really unique in that it's kind of too different to consumers. You're either on this side of the spectrum where you're currently shopping non-toxic, you understand you need to kind of refine again and um figure out like which products you can use during this period or you're a conventional beauty buyer and you're like either going through a fertility struggle where you're looking to so make swaps across the board. yeah Or you now are like, oh my gosh, I just realized I can't use any of these products that I've been normally using you know shopping in the conventional category. So now I'm looking to find a replacement for La Mer or whatever. yeah And so you're you might not want to make the swap all the way to the botanical, like plant-based brand. You might want to lean more towards like a signed science-backed, rigorous testing, that kind of thing.
00:18:33
Speaker
um clinical. And so that was kind of like the mentality is and obviously all their formulations past our, our process, but, um, really providing kind of like a platform across multiple price points and multiple subcategories of yeah the skin care. So, um, but since launch, it's been so incredibly exciting to see the inbound interest because I think What I really knew deep down in my core was this was a problem for consumers. But yeah yeah what I've realized through the build is it's equally a problem for brands to address this question because it's so gray. Also, this consumer is a very motivated, eager, excited buyer that they're looking to target. um And so partnering with us is a very easy way to give them that credibility factor and then also the community that we're building.
00:19:31
Speaker
Oh my gosh. I love that you mentioned the outset because we talked to the founder there and their stuff is amazing. I am completely obsessed with the outset. Yeah. I use their serums and their moisturizer. I'm like, my husband even uses it. Like we ran out immediately because we we shared it and I'm like, you need to get your own. Um, but I just, I discovered the Dr. Rogers brand through Surrett and that, um,
00:20:02
Speaker
restore healing balm. I go walking and I must walk on like the windiest path in Nashville because my lips get chapped every single time. That is the only thing that helps me. It's like gone by the next day. It's crazy. Yeah, that's right amazing.
00:20:19
Speaker
But you need to try. I don't know if you got this in your Surret box, Whitney, but I got that Shea butter, um, like little bomb. Yes. And I put that on my lips yesterday and I was like, okay, ah this is going in my purse immediately. It was so good. Well, I mean, I don't even know like the restore healing bomb like could literally, I mean, it's for so many purposes, but I was like, I'm going to try it on my lips. Fabulous. I agree. I, I, she's really educated. Dr. Heather Rogers is also on our,
00:20:49
Speaker
ah board, but we were connected because of her brand and then hit it off. but um she's She created this because she's actually a dermatological surgeon and realized that in this in the healing process after her surgeries, Aquaphor wasn't wasn't um standing up to, I guess, like the clinical claims. Aquaphor can be ... It works pretty well, but this ...
00:21:18
Speaker
It's also a petroleum-based product. So petroleum is not allowed on Sarette. So this is an incredible so ah alternative to an aquifer and actually performs better. She's done clinical research and testing, et cetera. and I can see why. Yeah. So this is amazing. it's it's I use it on everything, like dry cuticles or chocolate. My friend put it on like an eczema patch and said it like worked overnight. So yeah. Crazy.
00:21:47
Speaker
That's about this business is like serving as that like discovery because it to your point on like the mom group chats or like friend chats Like there's nothing better when like you recommend a product to your friend and they're like, oh my god this You're like, yeah someone else totally something Something that we say
Community of Mom Founders
00:22:07
Speaker
a lot here is like, and you you kind of mentioned this about how like mom buyers specifically like pregnancy, I think and like we're very eager buyers. We're, we're seeking a solution and we're motivated to find that solution. And something we say here on mom group chat all the time is like, no one is more excited to buy something than a mom, yeah something that's going to fix a problem.
00:22:32
Speaker
And I kind of am curious about if there's a crossover of mom founders of these products that like, is that us something that you see that's common of like a mom that is actually the one who is like built their little brand or, you know,
00:22:50
Speaker
created a safe product. I feel like moms are so badass and like motivated to just take the reins. So I would probably bet that they've probably created some amazing products. Yes, definitely. So that's something that is amazing. And we kind of hang our hat on the fact that like pretty much everyone involved is either a woman or um and likely a mom too. so like everyone on our scientific advisory board is a woman and they're a mom. And similar, similar to our like founder network. um You know, that's definitely not a requirement by any means, but it's definitely a thread in the story of the, of why they, of the, their why. It's like, why did you create this? Or like, how is your motherhood journey or parenthood journey? We have,
00:23:44
Speaker
a brand called Bathing Culture. And um Tim is a dad of of two. So he's he shares a lot about bath time rituals or story. But you know the ritual around, or the thread of parenthood in general, but specifically motherhood and maybe fertility, definitely impacts what they've created and what they're solving for. And that's something really special. and And as I mentioned before we started, we have been having these incredible one-on-one founder story connections where we're hopefully going to be releasing some sort of platform, whether it's a podcast or being hosted on our site. Yeah. Where our community can learn like the why, because I think to your point, this consumer is definitely eager, motivated, excited, but they're also, they want to learn like, this is where you're like,
00:24:36
Speaker
you're open to educating yourself on a lot of things like parenting, eating, ah you know, feeding the baby, et cetera. But also like you want to know before you're making your, your consumer choice, like is, is it worth it? Why? Yeah.
00:24:55
Speaker
Yeah. Are you excited about the opportunity to kind of like, I feel like as a founder yourself, you're probably excited to be in these moms journeys of like building their brand. And I think probably the core of our show here is like mom community, like finding that mom community. And I feel like it's got to feel pretty good that you're like building this little mom community of amazing founders. And that's just such a cool.
00:25:26
Speaker
cool thing. Yeah, it's, it's, we are like, again, we're very young or a very young brand, but at the same time, it's, it's interesting to see like, how we've aggregated these great brands and like, they all have their communities. So yeah.
00:25:43
Speaker
kind of just the mom brand of all of these. things Like a family tree. A mom ah family tree. Yes. I love that so much. Okay. Tell us about some of your favorite products that is currently on the site or that you've been loving. and um I'd love to hear kind of your favorites or if there was one specific like founding product that you were like, this is the first thing I want to offer. Yeah. I think, you know, some of, some of the the best sellers on the site, like I, it's hard to, I don't necessarily have like a favorite product because I am constantly trying products. I'm kind of con I have like my ritual of products, but I'm always kind of adding things in just because that's the nature of my business. But, yeah you know, the outset prep serum is
00:26:42
Speaker
holy, one of the holy grail products. That's what ran out first. Yeah. That is so great. And it's also funny that you said your husband uses it because my husband's skincare regimen has like wanting weed since I started. like no I mean, I'm like, we look good. It would be hilarious to have like, a husband influencer. Oh my god, we should. Chris dropped the skincare routine. Literally. but They need they need support too. um And so yeah, that product is amazing. As you mentioned, Dr. Rogers healing balm, but also her face cream is
00:27:26
Speaker
is incredible. I mean, her whole line is amazing. She has a great ah night treatment too, so um core organics. One of the biggest things I think for women is that they're used to using like a retinol product yeah before this part of their life you know in your 20s or 30s. Most of my girlfriends were are using that type of product, cell turnover.
00:27:51
Speaker
And you want to, you still want to have like a workhorse product to make sure that your, your, your cells are um turning over, especially over the course of the night. And what I've found is the Dr. Rogers night treatment, the core organics, retinol, alternative serum and night cream. Um, the outset's nice and in my night cream. Um, they are all great.
00:28:17
Speaker
alternatives to, uh, vitamin A derivative product. So, um, all three of those are great. Uh, Kinfield, which is an incredible, like outdoor brand. I'm not sure if they have great, like, um, they have an incredible tinted sunscreen sun glow. Uh, that was like a big hit for us this summer as well as our bug spray. Um, Oh gosh, I need that. I live in Florida where it's miserable.
00:28:45
Speaker
Honestly, bless you for sending the bug by relief. Oh, yes. Those are great. I was so excited when I saw that in there. I was like, oh my gosh. Especially right now, my seven month old right now has bad mosquito bites all over her from us being outside earlier this week. So I was super excited. It's still really bad here. I'm jealous you're in Boston. I want to bring that back to that at the end. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whitney's going to want to talk about Boston at the end of this.
00:29:14
Speaker
um Anyway, yeah, so we have some great products. The Carrotay, if you like their lip balm, you would love their shea butter. It's so luxe and thick and moisturizing. I'm like a moisturized junkie. like i love I really lean like on the dryer side.
00:29:34
Speaker
And I love nothing more than like lathering myself in like oils and butters and just sitting and marinating, I call it. And I was going to say going to bed like a glazed donut, like they say on TikTok. Lene is a great product. Well, I think I dropped a few product, a few of her products in your box, but she has created, she's ah actually a botanist and has an amazing plant baseline. And um her repair face oil is,
00:30:02
Speaker
probably one of the best face oil oils I've used. um So yeah, I mean, there's so many great products. It's hard to like talk about one, but yeah what I'm really excited for coming in November is our first ever minis bag. So we will have a Surret branded pouch that we will be including um like six to eight mini products. So like travel size products from brands. um that will be like an incredible price point and perfect for gifting. like I always found it to be really difficult to gift your friend who's pregnant or postpartum. I wanted to do something for them, and I think this would be an incredible gift. Or if you just found out you're pregnant and you're like looking to make swaps but you don't want to purchase full size, this will be a great solution for you.
00:30:55
Speaker
Oh my gosh. I'm obsessed. Yeah, I love that. What a luck stocking stuffer as well. Yeah. Come on. um i'm a big I'm a big advocate of getting like for baby showers, getting a gift for the mom instead of for the baby. They get so much stuff for the baby. And I remember when I was pregnant during my shower, I got a gift that was like all just stuff for me. And it was my favorite thing I got. I don't know if that makes me super selfish or not. But it's just so nice to be like, oh my gosh, I am the one carrying this child. It's nice to like get a little bit of love. you know
00:31:33
Speaker
So, so sweet and such a good idea. I have a best friend that's pregnant. So Morgan, if you're listening, we might be getting that. yeah exactly And you can pair it with like one of our gift cards. So I think it's just like.
00:31:46
Speaker
you know It'll be hopefully a really nice way for people to discover what we have going for us. Yeah. I'm obsessed. I love that idea. OK. So with you starting this journey, how is it balancing being a mom and running your own company?
Balancing Motherhood and Business
00:32:06
Speaker
um I honestly, it's hard to even use the word balance. Yeah, true. Maybe that wasn't the right word. There is no such thing. i It's hard to, I think, I don't know, I feel like there's a lot um to be said about women who are a working and also like raising a family. and It's just balances are really hard works. I feel like it makes us, it makes you kind of feel guilty either way. Yeah.
00:32:35
Speaker
um So what I've kind of like reframed it in my mind is like how I set up like boundaries through my day so that I feel 100% committed to work and then 100% committed to my family. Um, because like, if you look at the hours, like it might not seem like a balanced day for any means, but you know, energy is,
00:33:03
Speaker
I think when I'm with my kids, I feel like my energy is like 200% and when I'm working, it's like 100. Working is easier for me at this point. than Yeah. I feel the exact same way. I always say stay at home moms have the hardest job on the planet. Oh yeah. 100%. My kids wake up really early. They're up at 5.30. Are we twins? Oh my gosh. yeah It's early. Yeah. my daughter he wakes up at the crack of dawn. So I'm with her from 5.30 to 7. So I get like a good chunk of time with her. And that's like just really one-on-one time. My son will sleep in a little bit later. um And then i my non-negotiable is I get out of the house from 7.15 to 8 and work out, whether it's like a walk or going to a class, I just have to get out of the house.
00:33:55
Speaker
Um, and make mental yeah, that's for me. like mentally get out yeah Um, and then, you know, I'm working between nine to five. We have a great nanny who's incredible. Um, and I can kind of fully trust that she's got it down and my daughter's going to school half the day. So, um, you know, it's taken care of there. I, if I need to like run home, it's really, it's like a two minute walk for me. So it's perfect. be And then when I get home, my boundary is that I really tried to put my phone in my bag, my computer away. Like when I walk in the door, I'm like fully present. Like there's no distractions from that. Like anywhere between like four 30 and seven 30, like four 30 and seven, then I hop back on the work once they're in bed. But that's, that's how I like mentally handle it. It's like, I really tried to structure. So I'm like fully engaged, fully present.
00:34:53
Speaker
And I don't know, that's that's what what's working for me. and yeah It's hard though, you know, and also notice the saying like, there's definitely days where someone's sick and they just need to be lying on top of you the whole day.
00:35:07
Speaker
yeah but So I feel like, um, I do the exact same thing. My kids wake up at the crack of dawn. I get to spend all morning with them because my husband leaves early for work, but that's like my little alone time. I take them to school. I pick them up early and we hang out in the afternoon, but yeah, you kind of have to be full on. There's no way I could work when they're home to be honest. Yeah. no And like when I, yeah, I think for me, starting a business.
00:35:38
Speaker
this was like burning in my gut for like years. Since I told you guys I thought this idea or experienced this problem four years ago, but I knew I had to do it. Like I just, I couldn't stop thanking you out. I couldn't stop talking about it to my husband. And we just, I just took the leap and and jumped, but because it's something that feels so ingrained in like my soul and like my purpose now, it doesn't feel, I don't feel as guilty Do totally yeah i can see that totally your husband work with you? No, no, no, no. so Bring him on board. come on wow If any tried to work with me, I'd be like, get out of here.
00:36:23
Speaker
And he's like, this is your thing. He's very supportive. And it's now maybe an influencer. and and yes Please do. No, actually, he is very passionate about like the gear side of like babies and kids. So maybe he'll have like a spotlight on our blog where it's like that gear.
00:36:43
Speaker
um But while I put on lip balm wearing the baby, I can see it. I want to go back to the ingredient list super quick, because I wanted to ask this question earlier, and
Chemical Safety and Regulation Discussion
00:37:02
Speaker
ah we never got to it. But that 26, you said it was 26 ingredients, right? that Yeah.
00:37:09
Speaker
um like what What technically are those negative like side effects? like is it Are they carcinogens? like what is that what What is the negativity of those ingredients? Yeah. so The NOGO list is comprised of 26,000 chemicals. Oh, 26,000. Oh my gosh. Wow. I feel stupid. Okay. It's essentially an aggregation of regulatory lists from around the globe. So we are looking at specific endpoints as it relates to human health. So that could be carcinogens, neurotoxins, genotoxins, chemicals that are suspected to be hazardous or known to be hazardous for reproductive health, developmental health, endocrine-destructing chemicals.
00:38:02
Speaker
And the the reason why this has to this ah exists in the first place is because the US bans 34 chemicals in personal care products. The EU bans over 2,000. So like we are out of deficit shopping in the US. Canada is like and aligned with the EU. Japan has their own regulatory. um So what we've done is basically pulled together what research is currently exists out there around compound groups and specific individual chemicals so that, you know, we're putting our community and consumers at more like even playing field with what you have going on and in Europe. um So they are all kind of different and in regards to the research against why you should avoid
00:38:58
Speaker
the vitamin A derivative, et cetera. But all of the Y is related through existing research and regulatory that we unfortunately don't have access to.
00:39:12
Speaker
I love that the US is like the testing ground for everything. like great yeah love that for i no i i mean I went to France and England back in May and I went to a French pharmacy and you know shopped all of those like French products that everyone talks about, but we even noticed, um, cause we had to buy like diapers and stuff while we were there. Like the products in France are just so much like simpler and like less chemically than what we have here in the US. s Like my husband who like is not someone who would normally like notice that kind of thing. he was like, oh wow, like the products here are better. Like they are so much less. They have so much less. Like even the, I mean the food and everything there too. It's like, we ate to our hearts content in England and France and like never felt terrible. And you know, not to say they don't have bad things too, but you know what I mean? It's just- Well, I think there's hell to a higher standard. I mean, and I can say like in the food and beverage,
00:40:22
Speaker
This is why all of these verifications like certifications came to light is I think to highlight brands that were formulating for like safer, better for you products, because we don't have the infrastructure in this country. Like even looking at like, uh, the same product by this manufactured by the same brand in Canada versus in the U S like their ingredients and formulation is totally different. Like our.
00:40:52
Speaker
And I'm specifically thinking of a cereal brand, like the Canada's version is like probably 10 or 12 ingredients. Ours is like 35 ingredients has like red dye and like all of these like artificial chemical excess sugar ingredients. And it's just, it is what it is. And it's, and it's really unfortunate where, where does the products just are not held to a standard. Yeah. After working in food and beverage like that, do you I mean, are you very particular, obviously, about like the food that you eat? I feel like it's probably given you like a crazy perspective of what we're feeding ourselves and our kids. Yeah, definitely. And I i mean, the brands I've worked with and for and are all in this kind of like natural foods. Yeah.
00:41:44
Speaker
so spectrum. But yes, knowing like what I know about like how other brands are formulating, it it's very easy for me to suss out products at this point. And you know I think that's why all of these incredible certifications like USD organic, non GMO project verified. They're making trying to make it easier for consumers to easily identify and choose a better option, like shorten that buying cycle and like make it really easy for them. So I'm really appreciative. Again, I'm a celiac, so I'm always kind of looking out for yeah free products, et cetera. but
00:42:20
Speaker
um Yeah, the also like the sugar epidemic that's going on in this country. So I'm definitely a hyper-aware consumer. um And I try to make the best choices for my family, but I'm also not 100% perfect. No one is. And I think that goes back to just our kind of ethos as being empathetic and non-judgmental. like Yeah, that's literally so overwhelming.
00:42:50
Speaker
Yeah, that's the core of our show too is like, this is a no judgment place where we can have these conversations and like learn a little bit, but also understand that like none of us are doing it perfectly. As a mom, it's impossible to like hold yourself to every standard and we're all just doing our best. I'm like a hundred percent. And that's, I just think the mental load on moms is just too,
00:43:18
Speaker
It's so much, and I was thinking today, actually, I did my workout. like that we I want to create some sort of like starter kit bundle like across product categories, so it feels so
Simplifying Choices for Moms
00:43:30
Speaker
overwhelmed. you're like I know I should switch out like my all-purpose cleaner and laundry detergent.
00:43:37
Speaker
get like non-toxic plates for my toddlers and sippy cups and maybe like bath soap and hand soap for our house like just here's a one-click button or you everything ships right to your house like that would be amazing yes that would be amazing because just it's overwhelming to even like select products I bet. Yeah. I mean, it is as a mom. I know it is. It's like, yeah, it's so hard. Um, Whitney is a former New Englander yeah and thank you for bringing up that back. Yeah. It was like, I know when he wants to talk about this. Yeah. So where, where are you from and, and why Boston?
00:44:24
Speaker
Um, well, I'm curious where you're from. or oh Okay. Well, I, I'm from like the Nashville area, but my husband and I, when he graduated grad school, we like fell in love with new England and we just lived there for three years. We were in Roda in Providence. Oh my gosh. Okay. So my husband is from Providence. Okay. We spend a lot of time there. His whole family lives there. Um, we,
00:44:50
Speaker
basically lived down there during the summer. Um, and love, love that area. I'm surprised we didn't run into each other. It's a small big and you just didn't even know. Yeah, we lived on like right by Browns football stadium. Okay. On the east side. Yeah. Yeah. Um, that's so great. Yeah. Um, very familiar with that whole area. Um, and love, love that.
00:45:17
Speaker
city I mean it feels like a town but it really is a city. I know I was whenever I first moved there like me being from Nashville where it's like just crowded all the time on Broadway the first night Chris and I like hit the town we had moved into our apartment at the time because we were living like in downtown no one was out walking. And we were like, I'm kind of scared. Where is everybody? Because we moved in the summer. And I was like, it's not like it's cold out. Like, no one was out walking around. I'm just like, oh, this is very different. It's like, it's just a small town feel. Yeah, it's a very small town. But I mean, in Austin.
00:45:55
Speaker
and Yeah. And we used to just take the train up to Boston, like that 30 minute train. It was fire obsessed. We used to go all the time and just go shopping. And I'm jealous that you live there. i I miss it. Well, I'm jealous. You live in Nashville. Oh, yeah. Girls trip. Yeah. Come on out. Um, so I grew up in Connecticut. Um, so the neighboring state and then after college,
00:46:25
Speaker
um My husband, as I mentioned, is from Providence, but I was living in a home in Connecticut and working in and out of the city. So he was living in Boston at the time. Most of his network either went to Boston or New York versus my whole network basically went to New York. um One of us had to make the jump, like he was coming to New York or I was going to go to Boston.
00:46:52
Speaker
I didn't love, you know, I just was looking for a change. And so I ended up making that move and I'm so happy I did because Boston is such an incredible city. I mean, the access to just the education and like the everything that's going on here from like a intellectual standpoint is so cool. I mean, you know, a lot of the doctors on our board are practitioners or ah teachers at Harvard. like It's just where we get access to some of the best um best you know research and yeah data, et cetera, that's coming out of these institutions.
00:47:35
Speaker
and It's a smaller city, so you don't, it's not as overwhelming as like Manhattan. yeah And it's just so clean. And the city that you grow into, I don't know, we've, we've loved it. We've lived all over the city and now are raising our family here. and So this might be touristy, but do you ever go to Lolita?
00:47:54
Speaker
In the seaport? yeah Yes. yeah like Or Lola, the the sushi fusion. ah yes My favorite frickin' restaurant. And then also, Neptune's has the best lobster roll. Oh my god, I just, so jealous. but we We had a, recently, we had a, how well do we know each other episode? And it was like, one of the questions was, what is like your favorite vacation spot? And I, didn't I say Boston?
00:48:23
Speaker
You said, yeah, you were like Rhode Island, Boston, and you were like gaming all around. I was like, it's Boston. I was wrong. It was Nantucket. I'm still not going to get it wrong, but. Yeah. Well, that's a great plot, too. and But she does love Boston. I knew i knew as soon as i you said you were from Boston, I was like, oh, yeah, yeah, Whitney's going to love this. I know. I mean, that's honestly, that's I think what's the best part about living here is like the proximity to Vermont or Maine or Cape Cod or Nantucket or Rhode Island. like It's all very drivable and you know somewhere so different in two hours. yeah which i think and you know Just the city in general is drivable. It's not New York City where no one has a car. or like You're just kind of
00:49:11
Speaker
you know, Boston, Europe, it's more of like a town. Totally. All right. Well, let's do some fun questions, some like rapid fire, fun
Fun Rapid-Fire Questions
00:49:20
Speaker
questions. And since we were just talking about this, about our favorite vacation spot, what's your favorite vacation spot? Oh my gosh. That's a great question. Um, my favorite vacation spot.
00:49:35
Speaker
Um, I mean, We're actually going out to Ntukkah next weekend. and I'm mad at you. That's a one. I'm mad at you. she europe That's a magical little island. um That was the first time I ever went was like in October. And it was my favorite time I ever went because it was like chilly and like the fog was rolling in. And I was like, this is spooky, ooky. I love it. And I just fell in love. And that's the way we moved up there. Like the next year, ah like I was like, I'm, I'm coming back. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. What is your go to like self care? Um, definitely. Uh, when my kids go to bed is.
00:50:24
Speaker
when I start to like wind down. I'm early to bed, early to rise. Um, so I am likely putting my kids down at around seven and finishing up work between like seven and eight 30. And then I go upstairs and do my self care. And I'm basically asleep between nine and nine 30.
00:50:41
Speaker
um Same. You and Whitney are the same person. like i Literally everything you've said, I'm like, this is Whitney. like Yeah. I have like no shame around it. I'm like, I'm tired. I'm going to bed. yeah Anyway, i so part of that is um either like I'll take a shower or I'll just wash my face. But I do put my headband on and I'm washing my face up very intentionally, putting my serum and thick moisturizer on, maybe I'm like bringing my gua sha tool into my bed and like watching a show and face rolling my my face, my bloated, uh, stress off. Um, and that's really kind of like the moment of self-care that I have throughout the day. And then as I mentioned, I also try to prioritize like some sort of daily movement and that's 100% like self-care oriented. It's has nothing to it.
00:51:40
Speaker
body or aesthetics yeah Okay. yemen scar okay Well, my next question was going to be, are you a night owl or an early riser? But you answered that, but you mentioned watching a show. So what is your, are you watching anything fun right now? Or do you have a favorite comfort show? Yeah. My, my, when I was, uh, I've never been someone who likes like drama or, um, thrillers or anything like that. Like,
00:52:09
Speaker
I don't, I lean way more towards like light comedy. And I always, if I was to watch something scary, I would always chase it with like an eye in a garden.
00:52:21
Speaker
oh my god i love that So I, my guilty pleasure is on HBO there, there's a few different series of, um, like home interior design or renovation shows that are 15 minute episodes. So it's.
00:52:37
Speaker
like perfect to watch before bed. and um like There's one called The Beach Cottage Chronicles, and it's all like these really cool projects around the country. and um I usually watch like one or two of those before I go to bed, because basically, when my head hits the pillow, I'm asleep. Oh my gosh. Okay, I'm going to have to check those out. I love stuff like that.
00:53:01
Speaker
amazing Well, this has been so fun. I'm so excited to use even more of Soretz products and to try some new things. Like I said, I'm like a product theme, so I love trying new things. and I can't wait to get my hands on the mini bundle that you were talking about for Christmas time. You have graciously given us a code for our listeners. It is momchat15. We will have all of the links and information in the show notes of this episode. um So definitely go check it out and go follow Sorette on Instagram. And thank you so much again for joining us. Thank you so much for having and having me. It's such a fun um
00:53:44
Speaker
fun show and and really makes you feel like you're chatting with friends. Oh, yay. Thank you so much. That's our goal. Yeah. All right, guys. Thank you so much for being a part of our mom group chat. New episodes drop every Tuesday. And don't forget, the group chat is blowing up on our Instagram page. So make sure you're following along over there. All right, gotta go. My toddler just put something in her mouth.