Black Entrepreneur Experience – Episode 526

Prenatal & Postnatal Fitness with Expect's Founder Dara Cook
Host: Dr. Frances Richards
Guest: Dara Cook, Founder of Expect
Date: November 12, 2025

Episode Overview

In this insightful episode, Dr. Frances Richards sits down with Dara Cook, founder of the OB GYN-approved prenatal and postnatal fitness app, Expect. The conversation centers on maternal health disparities—especially for Black women in the United States—and the preventive power of fitness during and after pregnancy. Dara shares her entrepreneurial journey, the evidence-based mission behind Expect, and actionable advice for both expectant moms and aspiring Black entrepreneurs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mission: Improving Maternal Health Through Fitness

• Dara outlines Expect’s core goal: "Our mission is to help women have healthier pregnancies and babies through something that has been supported and recommended by all the world's leading health organizations and OB GYNs...which is maternal fitness." (Dara Cook, 01:53)

2. Why Maternal Health, and Why Now?

• The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries, a statistic that’s worsening—and disproportionately affects Black women.
• “Women in America today are more likely to die from pregnancy complications than our grandmothers were.” (Dara Cook, 02:37)
• “Black women are three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than white women.” (Dara Cook, 06:54)

3. Physical Fitness as Prevention

• Dara reveals data supporting the importance of exercise for pregnant women:
  • Pregnancy physically taxes the body like running a marathon; the heart pumps up to 50% more blood.
  • Fitness helps prevent complications like high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and even deaths.
  • “What happens when you’re pregnant is that your heart is working pretty much harder than ever…prime grounds for high blood pressure, strokes, death even. But one great way to counterbalance that is through exercise.” (Dara Cook, 09:09)

4. Advice for Expectant Moms (First, Second, Third Trimesters)

• Dara references The American College of OB GYN’s recommendations:
  • “Exercise at least 150 minutes a week…Even if you haven’t exercised before, now is a good time to start.” (Dara Cook, 12:50)
  • Start slowly, especially if new to exercise; second trimester is often considered the “Goldilocks” period for activity.

5. Personal Stories & Real-World Impact

• Dara credits a positive family experience for igniting her commitment: her sister exercised during a high-risk pregnancy (on doctor’s orders) and saw a fast, complication-free labor. (Dara Cook, 14:31)
• City of Boston contracts Expect to train doulas/community health workers; tangible stories of transformed births as a result. (Dara Cook, 17:41)

6. Vision for Expect and Broader Change

• Dara hopes fitness becomes as foundational in pregnancy care as healthy eating and avoiding alcohol.
  • “Physical activity joins the pantheon of eating well, getting a good night’s sleep, avoiding alcohol and drugs as a hallmark of a healthy pregnancy.” (Dara Cook, 18:51)

7. Actionable Takeaways for Listeners

• Health: “Physical activity is one of the highest returns on investment you can make…Exercise is actually like fishing, but you don’t just get that 20 minutes back, you make it back 21 minutes [in lifespan]” (Dara Cook, 20:19)
• Entrepreneurship: Solve problems you know. “If you have an idea for a solution, pursue it. Believe in your solutions.” Cites Toni Morrison’s advice: “If there’s a book you want to read, write it.” (Dara Cook, 22:19)

8. Entrepreneurial Journey – From MTV to Maternal Health

• Dara shares her background as a senior MTV executive and traces how content creation and high-level execution in live TV directly shaped Expect’s product and operational focus. (Dara Cook, 23:19)

9. Early Entrepreneurship Spark

• Dara’s first business: selling stopwatches as a child, which taught her product-market fit before she knew the term. “I love the idea of creating something that was legitimately obsessive to customers.” (Dara Cook, 25:54)

10. "Aha" Moment—Validating Expect

• Won grant funding from Wharton and Harvard Business School competitions: “If it can pass muster here, I think might have something…that was the aha moment.” (Dara Cook, 29:19)

11. Hard Lessons and Advice to Founders

• Prioritize selling over building: “You want to prioritize selling over building…maybe you build from A to B…then you take it to your customer and be like, what do you think?” (Dara Cook, 31:29)

12. Capital-Raising Journey

• Raised capital through grants (Wharton, Tiger Global, MedTech Color), angels, and a venture fund focused on healthcare impact.
• “When you’re raising money, investors are investing in you and your whole life. Everything you do is a prerequisite for that.” (Dara Cook, 33:37)

13. Resilience in Entrepreneurship, Especially for Black Founders

• On being a Black woman founder: “Whenever you see anyone talk about the traits of a successful entrepreneur…they always talk about resilience. And when you think about who is the most resilient demographic, it’s us…So go for it.” (Dara Cook, 36:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The United States is by far the most dangerous country to have a child in. We have the highest maternal mortality rate of any industrialized nation.” — Dara Cook (02:37)
• “Pregnancy has a similar impact on the body as running a marathon.” — Dara Cook (07:48)
• “Pregnancy, labor, and delivery—it’s a marathon…It’s something you need to physically train for.” — Dara Cook (15:31)
• “Exercise is one of the few things you can do that’s free. You can run in place, you can walk around the block.” — Dara Cook (21:54)
• “Believe in your solutions…Some of the best businesses and solutions come out of people who are trying to solve a problem they’ve had personally.” — Dara Cook (22:24)
• “If you haven’t exercised before, now is a good time to start.” — Dara Cook (12:54)
• “I love the idea of creating something that was legitimately obsessive to customers.” — Dara Cook (25:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:53] – Dara shares Expect's mission and intent
• [02:37] – Deep dive into U.S. maternal health crisis
• [06:54] – Health disparities, impact on Black women, and cardiovascular disease
• [09:09] – Pregnancy as a marathon; physical demands on the heart
• [12:50] – Fitness recommendations for pregnant women
• [14:31] – Personal story: Exercise and smooth labor
• [17:41] – Impact story from City of Boston collaboration
• [20:19] – Major takeaways: Benefits of exercise and entrepreneurial advice
• [22:19] – Toni Morrison’s inspiration: solving problems you know
• [23:19] – Dara's journey from MTV to Expect
• [25:54] – Early entrepreneurship: The stopwatch venture
• [29:19] – The moment Expect “passed muster”
• [31:29] – Lessons learned: sell, then build
• [33:37] – Detailed funding journey and advice on raising capital
• [36:55] – Resilience in Black entrepreneurship

Rapid Round Fun – Getting to Know Dara ([38:30])

• Comfort Food: “Fried shrimp from City Island, Johnny’s on the end.”
• Relaxation: “Yoga.”
• Favorite Singer/Rapper: “Michael Jackson.”
• Favorite Dance Song: “Rock with You” by Michael Jackson.
• Food Always Eats: “Skipjack tuna.”
• Workout or Couch: “Oh, definitely work out.”

Connect with Dara & Expect

• Email: Dara@expect.fit
• Website: www.expect.fit
• Instagram: @expectfit
• App available via website and social

Closing

This episode highlights the urgent need for better maternal care in the U.S., and how Black women are both disproportionately affected and uniquely equipped—with exceptional resilience—to lead innovative solutions. Expect is at the forefront, using evidence-based fitness as prevention and empowerment. For both prospective mothers and entrepreneurs, Dara’s journey is a source of practical wisdom, inspiration, and community.