
#823: Join us as we sit down with Laura Modi – Co-Founder & CEO of Bobbie, the mom-founded & led infant feeding company that has become the third-largest fully integrated infant formula manufacturer in the US! Designed to mirror breast milk,...
Loading summary
Lauren Everts
The following podcast is a Dear Media Production.
Michael Bostic
She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire.
Lauren Everts
Fantastic.
Laura Modi
And he's a serial entrepreneur, a very smart cookie.
Michael Bostic
And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic.
Laura Modi
Are bringing you along for the ride.
Guest
Get ready for some major realness.
Michael Bostic
Welcome to the Skinny Confidential.
Laura Modi
Him and her.
Guest
Join us today because we are sitting down with Laura Modi. She is the co founder and CEO of Bobby. You may have heard of it. It's the mom founded infant feeding company. It has become the third largest fully integrated infant formula manufacturer in the U.S. i have wanted to have a conversation about infant formula for as long as I can remember and this conversation does not disappoint. Laura is a mother of four, which is wild. And she created Bobby to Mere Breast Milk, which is really different. It's an organic baby formula. You guys are going to hear about how she crafted it. Everything is intentional and it's really cool to hear how she unpacks the truth about formula and how she thinks about high quality infant formula. We're going to break down the difference between US and EU standards and we're going to get really deep in to the specifics of this topic. Let's welcome the co founder and CEO.
Podcast Intro/Outro Voice
Of Bobby to the show.
Laura Modi
This is the Skinny Confidential. Him and her.
Guest
I figured I would start this episode with telling you what happened last night and getting your opinion because you have four kids. My husband, after I have struggled with heartburn like every single day of every single pregnancy because my kids decide to come out with hair. That's my theory. Came to me last night and as I'm like laying in bed with like a wedge and stuff under my, under my knees and like, you know, the.
Laura Modi
Whole setup, I don't even know what you're talking about.
Guest
Says to me, I have the worst heartburn. I looked at him.
Lauren Everts
You can't even.
Guest
I didn't even say anything. He doesn't even know I was mad. I did like, he's like, you know, I've never had it before. My heartburn is just so bad. Oh, anti. Like, I think digestive bitters. Like, can you even handle that?
Laura Modi
No, I overdid.
Lauren Everts
The psyllium pain is so annoying. It's annoying. Oh, my back. Oh, mine too. Mine too.
Guest
I honestly am like, should I become a lesbian? It's that annoying.
Lauren Everts
Oh, okay.
Guest
Yeah, that's where I'm at right now. I looked at him, I'm like, I thought he's joking.
Laura Modi
Like, no, I overdid the psyllium husk because we just had A.
Lauren Everts
Fuck.
Laura Modi
We had our friends on the show and they're like, listen, Michael, you should have psyllium husk before you go to bed at night. And I was taking the dose that it says on the bottle.
Michael Bostic
I didn't realize.
Laura Modi
And I. I went into AI today. I was like, what's going on? Like, why do I have this heartburn? And it says you have to work your way up one teaspoon at a time. And I was like, oh, I just.
Michael Bostic
Went the full bottle.
Lauren Everts
So you turned to your pregnant wife and complained about your heartburn?
Guest
My first pregnancy at. At 10 months pregnant. He told me his hair hurt. Swear. Anyway, what does your husband do on by your fourth baby? Does he finally get it?
Lauren Everts
He finally gets it. But I think I've also gotten it. I've come to the conclusion that there are certain things they will understand, they will support with, and there are certain things they won't.
Guest
I don't.
Lauren Everts
So I'm just resigned to it. I know, I know. But we are strong. We know. And I. I want an army of kids. So I've just. I've concluded that I am just superior.
Guest
How many is an army? Yeah, well, that's. I mean, that's obvious. No offense.
Lauren Everts
What's an army?
Guest
Yeah, what's an army?
Lauren Everts
I don't know. I would love another one. Or two.
Guest
I think it's six. You think I'm really intuitive right now because I'm pregnant. I think you're gonna have six kids now that we're.
Lauren Everts
Oh, this is on me.
Guest
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
You think I'm having sex. Okay.
Laura Modi
Now that we've talked a little bit before the show started, I was like, oh, man, Four. Like. But for sure, I think five and maybe even now six to her.
Guest
You think she's gonna have that?
Laura Modi
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
I am so happy that I will be at home by the time my husband gets to hear this, because if he hears that we are having any more than four children, it's over.
Guest
I don't know. Don't they start to take care of each other?
Lauren Everts
I mean, we were just talking about it. Yes, but they drown you or they drain your. Your bank account. I mean, the cost of them is just obscene.
Guest
Yeah, they do drain your bank account.
Laura Modi
Well, it's a good thing you're going to build a multibillion dollar phone.
Guest
Hey. Hey. Okay. You'll be okay, though. I think you'll be okay. I think you can have six. If I'm really being intuitive, I feel like you can have six.
Lauren Everts
I know, I know. I secretly really want A few more.
Guest
Welcome to the show.
Lauren Everts
Thank you.
Guest
Give us a little bit of background on you.
Podcast Intro/Outro Voice
Pre Bobby.
Guest
And I'm talking pre. Seven years ago, before any preparations, what were you like? What was your life like?
Lauren Everts
Okay. Originally from Ireland, so I grew up in the west coast of Ireland. Eldest of five from an entrepreneurial family. Always thought I would stay back home. And I got a job at Google out in America, and I thought, oh, that's so glamorous. Going to move to California and I'll be there for a year. And I did. And then I found myself there for four years. And then I moved to Airbnb, where I led host operations and hospitality. And six years into Airbnb, I met my husband. And I suppose now you could say I'm never leaving. So pre. Pre Bobby. I was consuming everything about being American. I was in the tech industry, and I never thought things would change, honestly.
Guest
So when did you see white space in this market? Why this market?
Lauren Everts
I always kick off by saying, like, I. I genuinely never got into thinking I would start a powdered milk business. Like, there's no. There's no attachment to wanting to get into this. But I had my first daughter, I had Mary, and as an Irish Catholic woman, My grandmother had 13 children and breastfed all of them. 13 kids. Wait for it. Here's the best part. At one point, she had six children under the age of four.
Guest
Do not tell me she was breastfeeding all of them.
Lauren Everts
She breastfed all of them?
Guest
No, like, all four of them. Or all four of them at once. I mean, all six of them at once.
Lauren Everts
I don't know if it was all at once.
Guest
She didn't even know what they did.
Lauren Everts
This is like, were there twins?
Laura Modi
There had to be.
Lauren Everts
Obviously.
Laura Modi
Twins.
Lauren Everts
Twins, Twins. Single. Single. And then after she had that six, she went on and had seven more. She's an idol in so many different ways.
Guest
She should be studied.
Lauren Everts
She should be studied in a museum. She's incredible. Sadly, she died at 44. Her teen children and died at 44. I mean, we could spend an entire podcast.
Guest
She died because her husband was complaining. Probably.
Lauren Everts
Probably. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Laura Modi
My heart hurts even more today, actually.
Guest
Can you imagine 13 with this?
Lauren Everts
13 children. 13 children. Okay, so imagine this. I grew up in a world where the idea of breastfeeding was just assumed, right? Part of my heritage. My blood was just, you should be able to do this. It's natural, it's beautiful. Women should be able to do it. So I didn't question it. I just went into motherhood. Just assuming, like, I love this child. I'll breastfeed. The skies would open up. It's going to be beautiful. All of that jazz. And then I had her. And five days into breastfeeding her, I got mastitis.
Guest
Oh, it hurts so bad. I hurt.
Lauren Everts
How bad?
Guest
Did you.
Lauren Everts
Did you hurt, too?
Laura Modi
Did you hurt a little.
Lauren Everts
Does.
Guest
Do your nipples feel like.
Lauren Everts
Do you feel a little tinge?
Guest
It's going to be okay.
Laura Modi
My head hurts when I hear about it.
Lauren Everts
Fuck you. Okay, so anyone listening? You know mastitis, it's an infection of the nipple. Blisters, blood, swelling. I had a fever, and I just felt like such a failure. And I was told by a lactation consultant. They were like, you have to feed your baby. It's not happening right now. You need to go get formula. And I actually vividly remember thinking, like, formula isn't a word or an idea I'd ever even considered leading up to having this baby. So it was around 11pm at night. I found myself in a pharmacy. Fever, crying baby. And I'm standing in the middle aisle of a pharmacy choosing a product that felt like the complete opposite to food. On one side, you've got diapers. On the other side, you've got cat food. And. And then I have to ring, you know, that little shame bell where you have to ring the bell and they have to come unlock it?
Guest
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
Everything about it felt wrong, from the experience to the guilt and the judgment. And then I turn around the back of the can, and I start reading the ingredients. And look, I was. I was into my health in some way, but when I started reading the ingredients, I was like, this is crazy. I've now spent, what, nine, ten months being extremely healthy to have this child. And the first food I am about to give her has ingredients like corn syrup in it and then other ingredients that I could barely articulate.
Guest
Oh, my God, there's corn syrup in some.
Lauren Everts
Well, there was back then, okay? And over the years, there's been a lot of evolution to change that. But I can't describe the, like, the visceral feeling of going, everything about this is wrong. We live in a world where every granola bar on the shelf has changed. Every other food that we are consuming as adults has changed because science has evolved. But the food I'm buying, my child, the most vulnerable, precious thing in my life, has ingredients like corn syrup in it. What are we doing? This is crazy. So that was the impetus, and the question I always get is, well, did you leave the pharmacy? And you thought, aha, I'M going to go start a formula company. Of course I didn't. I'm like, you know, 40 pounds overweight. I'm a shell of a human. I'm like, who am I? Identity crisis. But I found myself going into what they call the crazy researcher mom journey. And I became besotted with studying everything you could about infant formula. This was before AI. Like, I'm going deep on Google in the middle of the night. Why are they choosing certain ingredients? Why is it manufactured a certain way? Why does the US only have two companies, two formulas that feed over 90% of babies in this country? Why is it that the same formula I myself had as a child is the same formula I'm buying my baby almost 35 years later? It's crazy. So anyway, that research journey essentially led me to saying, I'm going to do something better.
Guest
So when you were standing in there and you had to ring the bell, did you get a formula or what did you do?
Lauren Everts
I did.
Guest
That would give me so much anxiety because it's like, you have to. Because you had mastitis.
Lauren Everts
Yes.
Guest
So you just had to just do what you had to do.
Lauren Everts
I had to. I had to feed my baby.
Guest
Yeah, of course.
Lauren Everts
And it was that feeling of, I have failed. I have failed. The first task I have been given as a mother to feed my child. I have failed. I have failed her. I had failed myself. And here I was being lied to by society because society had told me over and over and over again, maybe subliminally, that you should do this. Oh, and by the way, every woman can do this, and it's easy. And also, second best isn't even an option because breast is best. And if you can't do that, you should find another way to try and do it. Like, there wasn't the path for doing something else. Just wasn't available to me eight years ago.
Guest
This is my thing with breastfeeding. When people ask me if I'm breastfeeding at this moment in my pregnancy, I'm like, I don't know. I don't know. Maybe we'll have to see. What if I get mastitis? What if I can't? What if the big, like, there. I don't think it needs to be this, like, absolute thing. You. My answer is like, I'm gonna try, but, like, I'm not gonna put so much. It's so much pressure. I can't believe it. And it's like a. When I do a Q and A, that's like, the most question that I get.
Lauren Everts
Yeah.
Guest
And here's. Here's another thing after. And you described this. Your body has been essentially, like, trashed. If you've had a vaginal birth, like, you're, like, destroyed. You said you're 40 pounds, 60 pounds overweight. If you've had a C section, you have a huge scar, and then. Then you breastfeed, and that's another entity of your body that, like, gets destroyed. But if you add mastitis on it, I mean, it's just like your. Your body's done. Like, I hate to, like, your body's like. I think that's your body telling you, like, enough. So the theory that you, like, then have to breast. My friend breastfed through mastitis, which is like, I don't even know. I can't even imagine. It's just like, every facet of your body and whole is, like, it's, like, done.
Lauren Everts
Traumatized.
Guest
Yeah, it's traumatized.
Lauren Everts
Yeah. And that trauma also lives with people for a very long time. And we meet people who have teenagers and adults themselves, and they can recall their feeding journey 20 years earlier.
Guest
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
And the. The judgment that they felt. And sometimes that judgment is also, like. It's personal, it's internal. It's not like everyone around you is judging you, but you feel it. Like, that is. What you just said actually resonates so much. That question, how is breastfeeding going? Or are you breastfeeding? We are all just conditioned to ask that. Your friend goes and has a baby, and then you walk over your. You go visit the baby, and the first question you ask is, how is breastfeeding going?
Guest
It's kind of a lazy question.
Lauren Everts
Is a lazy question.
Guest
I gotta let. No, you gotta be a little more creative after the baby. It's kind of a. It's kind of like a question that you're just not thinking like it's leading. Yeah, it's. There's an undertone. I feel like we should just get rid of the question.
Lauren Everts
Like, how is feeding going? Gives you the option, gives you choice.
Guest
Yes. How is feeding going?
Lauren Everts
We just got to change the question.
Guest
Yeah. Yeah. Especially when it comes from a guy. You don't even know this.
Laura Modi
What kind of guy's asking that?
Guest
Guy's asked that.
Laura Modi
No.
Guest
You know what one guy said to me today? I was like, working out, and he goes almost to the home stretch. And I turn to him, I go, if you had £40 in your balls and you had to hold it for another three months, would you feel like you were in the home stretch?
Lauren Everts
And he's like, oh, My God, Michael, I can't wait to hear you.
Laura Modi
I didn't say this.
Guest
He couldn't even put the fake pregnancy suit on for two hours.
Michael Bostic
I don't.
Laura Modi
As a rule, I don't ask any woman at all when they're pregnant about anything like that. I don't ask times, dates.
Guest
Well, you did ask me the other day what was wrong with me.
Laura Modi
Well, that I ask you even when you're not pregnant.
Guest
That's true.
Laura Modi
But. Yeah, I don't think you can win as a man asking those questions.
Lauren Everts
I think you can't win. You better just keep it silent.
Guest
Yeah.
Laura Modi
I know someone in my personal life, a man that said congratulations to a woman.
Guest
That was my dad.
Laura Modi
I didn't want to throw him under the bus. And the woman was not pregnant.
Guest
Daddy, you can't ask that.
Laura Modi
I didn't want to throw him under the bus, but I was like, oh, see, you just.
Michael Bostic
Better to just.
Lauren Everts
All of these. No nos. Men. I hope you're consuming all of this, taking notes.
Guest
So when you decide to do this brand, this is not just a brand. It's a brand that's being fed to newborns and babies. And Todd, like, it's. It's. It's a big endeavor. How do you even start? And for someone who is. Is listening, that wants to start a brand, where would you recommend that they start?
Lauren Everts
Mm. Okay, so let's dig into the product. Actually, you. You mentioned the brand. So start with the brand. This isn't just about the product. The physical product itself. It has to be a high quality product. When you talk about the ingredients and the choice of what goes in here. But the brand has to stand for something so much bigger, and that was so important for me. I wanted to get to a place where people were proud of the formula they were feeding their babies, that if they had it out in their counter and people were coming over, they didn't feel like they had to go hide it, that it was a brand, that when they looked at it, they could say, you know what? I am happy to buy swag. We don't see people walking around wearing Similac sweaters. But to be able to get to a place where people are proud about the product, they're feeding their baby seven times a day, that they can want to wear that proudly on their chest. Like, that's the goal. Was it last year? Two years ago, I got a phone call from my chief brand officer, and she said, hey, just want to check in on this. We got a phone call from someone, a customer, and they want to get our logo tattooed on them.
Guest
That's cool.
Lauren Everts
I was floored.
Guest
That's cool.
Lauren Everts
That is the aspiration to build something that speaks to someone so much that they want to memorialize that, memorialize that on their arm. It was huge. So, of course we said yes.
Guest
So they did it.
Laura Modi
They did it on my bicep right now.
Lauren Everts
Ooh, I love that.
Laura Modi
Just gotta keep it.
Guest
So when you sought out to create this, what was like, the 1, 2, 3 steps that you did? Are you, like, looking for manufacturer? Are you, like, give us the micro level?
Lauren Everts
So I turned my, like, crazy researcher mom journey into essentially, the formulation. What is the list of ingredients and the recipe that we want to be able to create? And I wasn't a scientist, but the first thing I had to do was go find the two or three scientists to help make this vision come to life. And it started by putting together what we believed was the global standard recipe out there. Now, to take you back to, like, the controversy here in the US the last time the FDA meaningfully updated its nutritional standards for infant formula was in the 1980s, compared to the updates that happen in Europe that happen every three to four years. So I'm sitting here, well, first as a European mother, but I'm raising American kids, and I'm looking at this going, why is it that everyone is turning around to a black market and shipping in powdered milk across the ocean? Because they're not loving what they're finding on shelf here in the U.S. it's like, this is crazy. We should be able to create the global standard of infant formula here in the US Source locally in our backyard, and be able to produce really high quality infant formula here in the US and it's. You know what the hard thing about all of this is? It's actually not rocket science. It's not rocket science at all. I mean, this is food science, if you really think about it. So we set out to say, what is the global standard? And then we sourced for almost two years the highest quality ingredients that we could find.
Guest
Do you, like, have 10 babies lined up and you do a taste test to make sure they like it? What's the. How do you. How do you study this?
Lauren Everts
Absolutely.
Guest
Okay.
Lauren Everts
Okay. So they call it sensory analysis. And the sensory analysis is making sure that they could, when they taste it, they can keep it down, that the smell doesn't have them gag, essentially, that the texture of it looks good. So you start with just a group of scientists and you do a sensory analysis, and then you do small Taste testing.
Guest
And this one, the baby was loving.
Lauren Everts
Yeah. Now, to be fair, infant formula has to mimic breast milk and all. Infant formula in many ways has very, very similar outcomes. But certain ingredients can have different textures to it, different smells to it. Does it taste metallicy because there's too much iron? Does it taste too fishy because there's too much dha? So, yeah, you're basically testing all these different ingredients to make sure it goes down. I have to admit, later, you guys are going to taste some. I think she tastes pretty freaking fabulous.
Guest
Oh, my God. Like, are you drinking it in your cereal?
Lauren Everts
No.
Guest
Okay.
Lauren Everts
No, I'm not. I'm not going that far. But as far as chocolate, actually, yes. Hot chocolate.
Guest
Oh, yeah, hot chocolate.
Lauren Everts
I mean, it is full of vitamins and minerals. It's pretty. It's pretty great.
Guest
So here, which kids out of your four got to test the. This out?
Lauren Everts
Okay, so I say my first child really inspired the idea of doing it, but she was raised on formula I was importing. She was raised on Similac. She was raised on all different types of formulas that while I was going on that journey, I was trying to find which one I really loved. The next kid motivated it, Colin. And he got to do all of the taste testing. And then my third kid was fully on it because it already had gotten the FDA approval.
Guest
What would you want to tell a mother who's listening about Similac and Enfamil? What's.
Lauren Everts
Tell us like, topic? I don't. Okay, so, and I really mean this. This might sound controversial as the CEO of a particular formula company, but this is a really, really important point.
Guest
Put your mom hat on. Forget about that, you know, because I know you've. I know you've studied it.
Lauren Everts
Yeah. I don't believe any formula is bad, okay? And I really, really mean that. I don't think every formula is treated equal. But we cannot, and I really fundamentally believe this, when it comes to how you feed your baby, you are going to have certain access and affordability. And at the end of the day, every formula is designed to be able to mimic breast milk. Now, that doesn't make them all equal. But there is no such thing as a bad formula.
Guest
Okay, let's say that there's a mom, though, that wants to maybe like, wake up to the ingredients of these. What are the. Besides corn syrup? What are the things they need to look at?
Lauren Everts
Let's get into a heated ingredient. Seed oils. I feel like seed oils is one of the most controversial things right now. Seed oils and this is like busting the myth on seed oils for a second. Seed oils was partly one of the reasons that I started digging into this, going like, why does every infant formula have seed oils? And not just every infant formula here in the US every infant formula globally, even all of the EU formulas, and sometimes there's belief that actually there is some without it, all of them have seed oils. Okay. So it's really important to understand why. Why are we choosing to put seed oils in? Seed oils actually provide the same fatty acid profile that matches that of breast milk.
Laura Modi
And.
Lauren Everts
And it's very hard to find and be able to mimic that fatty acid profile with a mix of anything else.
Guest
Olive oil wouldn't work.
Lauren Everts
No. I've looked at avocado oil, coconut, coconut oil, olive oil. Mixing them all doesn't work. The fatty acid profile that you need to get to mimic breast milk has to come from a mix of seed oils. Now, do I think that there's going to be future science and innovation and an ability to be able to put different oils together, get them approved, do stability tests? Yes, but today we haven't gotten there yet. But the reason why I wanted to highlight this and how important it is is because there is a lot of controversy around seed oils. But yet a baby's caloric intake. 50% of a baby's caloric intake has to come from fat that is double the amount of caloric intake that has to come from an adult's fat. Double. And not just because we love chunky babies. I mean, people often go, okay, it's just for chunky. It's not just for chunky babies. It's for their cognitive development, it's for their visual foundation. It's for overall health. It is essentially the foundation of a child. So I'm underscoring this actually pretty heavily, because without having that fatty acid profile, you are not giving your baby what's.
Laura Modi
Needed unless they're getting breast milk. So you're saying this is the only from a formula perspective, this is the only way to mimic that profile, is with these ingredients, at least for now.
Lauren Everts
Yeah. But you ask the question, what do they need to know about Similac versus other formulas? So this is the interesting part of this. Not every formula is treated equal. So I went on this rabbit hole journey to go, just because seed oils are needed, how do we make sure that we're getting the best seed oils? And did you know that most seed oils are extracted using bleaching agents, solvents, hexane extraction. And hexane extraction is essentially it's like a clear liquid and it's a very efficient way to extract the oil directly from the seed. It's used in gasoline. It's used. I know, I know. I'm watching the facial expressions. But there's another way to do it. There is a way to extract it in an expeller pressed way. And that expeller pressed way doesn't use bleaching agents or solvents. But it is more expensive and it takes a longer time. So because it's more inefficient, most companies are not turning to finding the efficient oil to use in their processed foods. When it comes to baby food, when it comes to making infant formula, it wasn't even a question for me. So we get expeller pressed seed oils.
Guest
So you can't get around the seed oil if you're gonna do a formula. Exactly at this moment.
Lauren Everts
Today.
Michael Bostic
Let'S talk about how to plan one of the best trips of your life. How to make every travel occasion something you remember and look forward to as opposed to the headache that is travel planning, commuting, all of that. With for travel, we're going to absolute change your life and make travel something that you look forward to every single time. Picture this. You and your friend, your family, your husband, your bestie, whatever it may be, are going on your dream trip. Whether it's that wellness retreat, that ski trip, the sailing adventure, whatever it may be, the thing that you've been talking about since college, since you got married. But now what? You're drowning in information in browser tabs, feeling paralyzed and not sure how to pick the best one, not sure how to pick the right options, or as your research been done for months and you're all ready to click book. Whichever of these is you for travel will help you make it even better than you've dreamed. I get asked all the time how I plan trips. Using a travel agent is absolutely key. When you book with an advisor from Fora, you can cut through all of the noise of endless research and browser tabs, making planning stress free. There's nothing worse than planning a trip, having it fall short, being stressed about the plan. With Fora, you don't have to worry about any of that. You can unlock handpicked recommendations and VIP perks like room upgrades, late checkouts and resort credits, all tailored to you. Also, if you're somebody who's already the travel planner of the group, stop giving out your travel wrecks for free and turn your travel passion into a business as a Fora advisor. For unlocks access to the training, community, tech and hotel partners you need to succeed as a travel entrepreneur. So not only could you use this platform to book your own trips, but you could also take your planning and turn it into a business or a side hustle for other people in your group, your friends, your family, whoever it may be. I love platforms like this because they're not only useful for you individually, you can also turn it into a little bit of side hustle or even a main business. So whether you're looking to plan a trip or build a business planning trips, Visit for a travel.com skinny and let them know you came from Skinny to learn what it means to travel upgraded. That's F O R A travel.com skinny and let them know you came from Skinny Skinny because great travel doesn't just happen, it's planned. Are you someone that wants to have more focus, more energy, avoid that midday slump, not get headaches any longer, sleep better, operate better, and just feel better every single day? Well, with Element you can Element helps anyone stay hydrated without the sugar and other dodgy ingredients found in popular electrolyte sports drinks. Element is also a zero sugar electrolyte drink mix in sparkling electrolyte water. Born from the growing body of research revealing that optimal health outcomes occur at sodium levels 2 to 3 times government recommendations Lauren and I have been longtime Element partners and fans because every time we take it, we feel better. The way that we use it is every time before we go to a workout, we put a little bit in our water and we drink it throughout the workout so that when we're sweating and losing our sodium levels and losing our electrolytes, we're replenishing them with Element. They come in all of these different flavors, so that never gets old and it always tastes great. I used to be somebody who would get all sorts of migraines and headaches throughout the day. Ever since I got the proper electrolyte ratio in my system, those have completely gone away. Also, I used to get tired in the middle of the day and have to take a midday nap. Now that I'm properly hydrated, I don't need to to do that either. Element is going to help you accomplish all of these issues. Whether you're trying to avoid headaches, get more energy, have a better workout, or just feel more hydrated. Element has you covered. What we love about sharing Element with this audience is you can try Element totally risk free. If you don't like it, they'll refund your order, no questions asked. Don't just take it from me. It's taken by US Olympic athletes, professional athletes, special forces teams, health experts, business leaders and everyday health enthusiasts. And of course right now Element is offering a free sample pack with any purchase. That's eight single serving packets free with any Element order. This is a great way to try all eight flavors or share Element with a friend. Get yours@drinkelement.com Skinny this deal is only available through our link. You must go tO-R-I-N-K l M-N-T.com skinny let's talk about Symbiotica, one of our favorite supplement companies. One of our favorite companies in general. Lauren and I have been taking Symbiotica products for years now. We've had the founders of Symbiotica on this show multiple times because everything they're doing over there is top notch. They use the highest quality ingredients and they have such a well rounded assortment of products that you can really just go to their company and basically get everything all in one place. One thing that I've been talking about for years is there's liposomal vitamin C. It comes in a thousand milligram delivery single packets that you can take to the office, you can take them to travel, you can take them to workouts. I have one every single day. What I love about liposomal vitamin C is it helps support collagen production which is essential for skin, hair, nails and joint health. And it enhances antioxidant protection which is going to help combat oxidative stress and inflammation. What I also love about Symbiotica's vitamin C in particular is it's a liposomal delivery which which accounts for higher absorption. Liposomal vitamin C is absorbed 80 to 90 more effectively compared to standard vitamin C products. This is going to mean less stomach irritation and longer lasting effects in the body. The reason we've been talking about Symbiotica for so long and love their products so much is Symbiotica is as clean as it gets. There's no seed oils, preservatives or artificial junk. Just high quality real ingredients that actually do something. I'm telling you guys, when you take this stuff consist you will see and feel the difference.
Laura Modi
So check it out.
Michael Bostic
I've been focused on the vitamin C but they have so many products. Like I said, you can really shop all in one place. For all of your supplement needs all you have to do is go to symbiotica.com TSC for 20% off plus free shipping. That's symbiotica.com TSC For 20% off plus free shipping. Symbiotica Wellness made simple.
Guest
Out of all your research, what's the craziest thing that you have discovered?
Lauren Everts
I think the craziest thing is, is the fact that when you turn around the back of the can and most formulas, they look like they have all of the same ingredients. But what I'm realizing is how they are processed, extracted, even down to organic farming practices or the different levels they used. Every single infant formula is different that way. I'll use like DHA as a great example. Infant formula companies will have that. They have DHA on it. There's a big difference between having 2 milligrams of DHA versus the EU minimum levels of 20. Very different.
Michael Bostic
But you're able to put label that.
Laura Modi
You have it on there if you have. If you have 2 versus 20. So you can.
Lauren Everts
There's no labeling requirements. So because there is no labeling requirements to the exact levels of certain things and even down to the production of them. And we put a lot of work into the sourcing of ingredients, how they are produced, extracted, visiting each of the suppliers, and even down to owning every part of the supply chain and manufacturing piece of it. The thing that I've now gotten to understand is not every company's doing that. They're looking at the can going. It's the same thing to every other person who's reading this. Why would we take 10 extra steps when you don't even need to label it?
Guest
Are people nervous that you're disrupting this industry?
Lauren Everts
I hope so.
Guest
Do you feel it? Can you feel it yet? Because you will. I feel like.
Lauren Everts
Well, you know, I think competition overall and you see it everywhere. What we have noticed is in the last eight years. I picked up a can of formula to feed my daughter eight years ago. And the first ingredient was corn syrup. It's actually very hard to find an infant formula today on shelf that actually uses corn syrup. So you introduce a disruptive brand or you see competition entering. And what we're noticing is those big players today are now realizing that the competition will overtake them if they also don't catch up. So, yeah, I sort of hope there's a little bit of competition.
Guest
Well, what's interesting is we're seeing like big brands like Kraft or General Mills buy smaller brands that have great ingredients. And I notice whenever these brands sell, everyone online's like, oh, they're gonna sell out. They sold out. But actually, what I found off air is that the General Mills and the Craft are keeping the ingredients and the integrity of the Ingredients.
Michael Bostic
They want to reach a new customer.
Guest
Yeah, they want to reach the new customer, which I think is great.
Lauren Everts
Yes.
Guest
Thank God.
Lauren Everts
And then fast forward when our kids are sitting here. Hopefully, we've seen an entire industry evolve. And to be fair, the things that we believe are good today are going to be controversial in the future. And you see that kind of like, history repeating itself. Something that maybe was seen as a gold standard for something. Science evolves to a place where people begin to question it.
Guest
As you've launched this brand, what have been some pain points for you? Because I know it's not easy, what you're doing. It's not easy to scale. What are some challenges that you've had?
Lauren Everts
Ooh. Where do we want to go with this? I feel like we have lived a heroin journey every year.
Guest
What's a heroin journey?
Lauren Everts
A heroin journey. Not the hero journey. We are a group of women and moms. I mean, the fight is always on. Okay, do you remember when was it? 2022. The infant formula shortage? The infant formula shortage. I mean, it was a national shortage.
Guest
Oh, yeah, I do remember that. Michael bought so much formula.
Laura Modi
No, don't throw me out there. They're gonna be like, this guy had it. No, no, no.
Guest
I'm like, what is going on?
Laura Modi
Listen, I was a headache.
Lauren Everts
Did you have a baby then?
Laura Modi
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
Okay.
Laura Modi
No, no, I just bought it for myself.
Guest
I remember, like, 55 cans showed up.
Laura Modi
Okay, don't exactly. They're going to be people that are.
Guest
A little, like, panicky. Susan.
Lauren Everts
No, no, no.
Laura Modi
Listen, I'm on. I'm on top of current events. We had a kid at the time, a young, young kid, and so I got what was needed.
Guest
You killed the tiger.
Laura Modi
I got, like, a. Basically, like, a few months supply worth.
Guest
Of the few years.
Lauren Everts
Yes. We still have years. Okay. Michael contributed to the shortage.
Michael Bostic
I use it now as weight.
Guest
Michael was the shortage.
Lauren Everts
Okay? The shortage. I get into an industry that is heavily controversial. It's owned by conglomerates. When I say controversial, I mean, I used to tell people I started an infant formula company, and they were looking for the exit. They were like, I don't want to talk to someone who's starting infant formula. Like, it had that kind of dirty, controversial nature to it.
Guest
Huh?
Lauren Everts
I know. Oh, my God. I feel like we should even, like, dig into that. Like, it. It's a very stigmatized and controversial product.
Guest
Why?
Lauren Everts
Why? Oh, my God. Why? Why? Because there are some very strong opinions that if you are not breastfeeding, you are doing what's second best for your Child, I'll bring you back to that.
Guest
That's kind of a projection.
Lauren Everts
It is, but the projection's pretty. It's pretty intense.
Guest
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
I'll never forget pitching a few investors early on with Bobby. You know, you're walking into one investor pitch after another. You're getting a mix of opinions. Most of the reactions are related to the business model or opinions that they had on how they would build the company or the brand. All very fair. One of the reactions I got that really built my thick skin was after the end of what felt like a very long pitch. I could tell there was a bit of a disgust. He kind of is shrugging. He had that facial expression over, I'm not going to be investing. This isn't for me. But what I hadn't fully realized was, like, why? What was the reason that he didn't want to get behind this? And at the end of the pitch, he turns and he goes, honestly, I think what you're doing is terrible. Women should be breastfeeding.
Guest
Oof.
Lauren Everts
My entire motherly fury. And like, I was born an activist in that moment. That feeling of, is that really how people believe we need to be feeding our baby? Or that that is the. That is the stigma that is being put on women parents, that there is only one way to do it, and that you're not facing the reality, which is the reality of modern parenthood and the society that we're living in. Or the fact that the same government who tells you you should be breastfeeding exclusively for six months is the same government who's not giving you the paid leave to be able to stay at home and do it. I mean, Lauren, the amount of thoughts that were going through my mind in this moment, and it was in that that I thought, okay, I am entering a space that is controversial. There's a lot of opinions on how one should feed their baby. And I need to have thick skin to do this. But more than that, I need to stand up for the silent majority. Because the silent majority were like I was a few years before that. I was a shell of a human. I felt embarrassed and guilty, and I was hiding my infant formula. So in my mind, I was like, what are we going to do as a brand and as a company to stand for the silent majority who are feeling that. There has been, over the years, a lot of haters, and a lot of those. A lot of that hate has even turned into things like cyberbullying, like the.
Guest
To the brand or to you?
Lauren Everts
To the brand. To me, personally. Me, I have gotten many DMs and direct comments basically saying that the existence of Bobby, the existence of formula shouldn't be here. What you're doing again is terrible.
Guest
Why does anyone care how anyone feeds their baby?
Laura Modi
Oh, I think it's worth clarifying though. In this case we are talking about a man. But I've seen, because I see the messages to her. Plenty of women.
Guest
No, it's more women.
Lauren Everts
More women.
Laura Modi
Bash. Yeah, bash other women for not feeding this way.
Lauren Everts
I actually think that's the thing that breaks my heart the most. This is, this is women attacking women. And we're pointing to maybe a checkered past of predatory infant formula companies. And we're saying because of that predatory past we're going to judge what you're doing. And you can't judge what I'm doing based on company's actions before I was even born. But there is a lot of judgment for just formula existing at all. And my tolerance for it has like hit rock bottom. I don't have tolerance for it anymore.
Guest
Well, it's like Chinese. It's. I mean you just get to the point where it's like it's, you've experienced stretch it so much you don't even care anymore.
Lauren Everts
I don't even care.
Guest
Yeah, I don't care.
Lauren Everts
And also let parents choose how they want to feed their baby in the way that makes sense for them. Yeah, it's not an attack on me or Bobby. Our formula. You are attacking parents choices. So we have to put an end to it. The feeding wars have to stop. And I actually, I very strongly believe that if we were able to find more of a bridge because to speak kindly of those that are frustrated the formulas exist, I believe it's coming from a place of wanting more lactation support, more government support. What are we doing to support parents in general? I also agree with that. There should be more of that. But we can't be so reductionist to assume that just because we need more lactation support means the formula shouldn't exist. They have to coexist.
Guest
I also think if a mother has a baby and she just decides she doesn't want to breastfeed, that's her prerogative. Maybe there's no reason, like maybe she just doesn't want to.
Laura Modi
There's also just assholes that like to stand on a perch and be self righteous and act like they're doing something better because they don't feel as great about their life as they should.
Lauren Everts
Mic drop.
Laura Modi
Well, I'm just being, I mean it's like, you know people. You know what, it drives me nuts when people use a way of their living or their life to shame somebody else's way of life. It's like people are doing the best. And especially when it comes to the health conversation, because it's top topic comes up on the show all the time. The reason we do the show is, I mean, you wouldn't be surprised. This is your world. A lot of people just don't have this information. I'll take my parents, for example. Like, they're from a different generation. They grew up in. In a time when a lot of these foods and ingredients presented themselves for the first time. They didn't know that it was even wrong for you. And so now I'll still have to sit with them and say, like, hey, you should maybe switch these ingredients or these cleaning supplies or look at these options. They're not trying to live in an unhealthy way.
Michael Bostic
It's just what they.
Laura Modi
It's just what they know. And you were talking about economic circumstances earlier. Like a lot of people in certain economic environments just don't even have access to certain kinds of food or ingredients. And so when people are on their high perch screaming about seed oils or organic, like a lot of people don't even have that option around them. And so I just think like people should be more compassionate. And if you're doing something right, the responsibility is to maybe help people discover those. But not to use it to say like, I'm doing this, therefore I'm better than you.
Lauren Everts
Lauren, that was a great response. Look at that.
Guest
Oh, it might have made up for the heartburn.
Laura Modi
I win one once in a while.
Lauren Everts
There you go.
Guest
The heartburn comment all deducts. But you're probably gonna say something again tonight.
Laura Modi
No, but I do listen. I'm on the side of. And we have these kinds of individuals on the show a lot that I think they have the right intention. They're educating people on these kind of healthier alternatives. But there's a fine line because between educating and becoming self righteous and preachy and making people feel bad about decisions that they're making, especially if those people are just ignorant. I use the word ignorant. Not stupid, but ignorant to what else is is an option for them.
Lauren Everts
And there's also assumptions. I mean like, just even the value of like, don't assume there is an assumption that I myself didn't breastfeed my four kids. I need to turn to infant formula. But how I fed my own children was all very different. 70% of parents will combo feed, but yet we have this belief in this like feeding wars that it's one or the other and many people are actually doing both.
Michael Bostic
Combo feed.
Lauren Everts
When you it's breast and formula and you find yourself, you know, beginning to wean off or you spend six months doing breastfeeding and then you transition to formula. So it's not an all or nothing. And everyone's situation is different. Every child you have is very, very different. So just even on a personal level, coming in and just making an assumption that everyone should or can feed a certain way is putting a label on someone. And I mean it really is unfair. Anyway, my tolerance for it is done and I really think we need to put an end to judging how people choose to feed their baby.
Laura Modi
And also that investor is probably kicking himself now.
Lauren Everts
Well, I'll let him come forward on that.
Guest
Yeah, you talked a little bit about the difference between Europe and America with formula. Talk more about that. What is the protocol in Europe? Because you guys follow the European standards.
Lauren Everts
Yeah, great question. I also believe this is a little bit of a disbelief. So why is there this perception that European formulas are better? There is this perception that's out there and a lot of it's down to the fact that they have more stringent requirements. So the FDA equivalent being the EC has basically come in and put in stricter requirements. But putting in stricter requirements does not mean that then all formulas are meeting those requirements or that the US isn't. So when I came in, I said the EU has stricter requirements. We are going to hold ourselves not just to that bar, but we're going to raise it. So here we are able to make an infant formula here in the US using local ingredients from small batch American farms, from expeller pressed oil suppliers. And we are able to make a European style infant formula, raising the bar, but made here in America and pushing kind of like the hope and dreams in the next 10 years. I want to get to the place where the same question that we asked ourselves a few years ago going, oh, we need to be importing formula because they have better formulas. I want other countries to look at America as the gold standard of making infant formula.
Guest
That would be great. That's the revolution.
Lauren Everts
That is the revolution.
Guest
Ugh, please.
Lauren Everts
I mean we prioritize having prioritize cars and steel. Shouldn't we be proud of the food we're able to make our babies? Other countries should look at us as the gold standard and it's actually not that far off. So anyway, that's the Hope and dream.
Guest
I love that. Why did you decide to call it Bobby?
Lauren Everts
My baby girl, Mary Grace called her bottle a Bobby.
Guest
So cute.
Lauren Everts
I know. I mean, you kind of squint. It sort of looks like booby.
Guest
This is a weird. It does look like booby. This is a weird question, but you're the perfect person to ask. When you buy a bottle, what do you look for? And my requirement is I look for glass and I look for the bottle top to not have BPA in it. But I'm sure there's more things to look for because you're heating it up. And so you don't want that to like, melt into the formula.
Lauren Everts
Well, you don't always have to heat it up either.
Laura Modi
I don't heat it up.
Michael Bostic
Oh, am I supposed to be heating it up?
Guest
You didn't heat it up?
Laura Modi
No, I just.
Guest
Wait, hold on. You didn't heat it up for my kids?
Laura Modi
No, I just shook it around for my kids.
Lauren Everts
Not our kids.
Laura Modi
I did room temperature water.
Michael Bostic
No good water.
Guest
I know, because you don't want them to get used to having to spoil your kids.
Lauren Everts
They're getting used to hot water. It needs to be filtered.
Guest
Huh.
Laura Modi
Also, I don't like personally hot or cold water.
Guest
Oh, here we go. This is a whole tangent.
Laura Modi
Listen, I mentioned.
Lauren Everts
I was so excited.
Guest
I had a Korean doctor tell me that like the. It's better for your digestive system to just.
Laura Modi
It's not good for you to have cold, cold water.
Guest
He's so. You're kind of self righteous about this.
Laura Modi
Telling you everybody has access to water.
Guest
So. So tell us what bottle that you recommend and what water you recommend.
Lauren Everts
Filtered water. I mean, it needs to be clean water.
Guest
Okay.
Lauren Everts
And everyone has different preferences whether it's hot or cold. I actually had a hot bottle for one of my kids and I couldn't get off it. Then every time he wanted a bottle, it was a hot bottle. He wouldn't take the cold one. He wouldn't take room temperature.
Guest
I was like, you know why?
Laura Modi
Because a lot with our children now we don't have to do it as much, but in the beginning, we were moving back and forth between here and California a lot. And if they needed to eat and then they wouldn't eat the hot one, we were dropping her.
Guest
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
What are you gonna do?
Guest
So what bottle do you like?
Lauren Everts
I. In full transparency. I used to use plastic bottles, and this was before all of the question marks and controversy around microplastics. And now I only use glass bottles.
Guest
Is there a brand that you like?
Lauren Everts
Good question. I have no idea what the brand is.
Guest
You should start.
Lauren Everts
Oh, you know, one.
Guest
No, you should.
Lauren Everts
We should start a bottle. Are we gonna say that here first?
Guest
Yeah, Start a bottle.
Lauren Everts
Ooh, kind of. I want like a Stanley cup of baby bottles.
Guest
Yeah, it's a good idea. I know. I really think with the formula, because then I could just buy the pack.
Lauren Everts
Okay.
Guest
You know what I mean?
Lauren Everts
Yeah. Set here first.
Guest
Not to add to that.
Laura Modi
We take 12% on everything.
Guest
I'm sure you have a big list, Carson.
Laura Modi
Mine are legal team.
Lauren Everts
True, though. Having a really good bottle that you can trust is important and one that doesn't leak.
Guest
Could you design it, like, really esthetically pleasing, too?
Lauren Everts
I mean, of course.
Guest
Something like, really, I don't know, cute.
Lauren Everts
I mean, it has to be cute.
Guest
Yeah. Also, like, this is really weird, but I am reading a lot about the shape of the nipple on the bottle. Has affects the jawline.
Lauren Everts
Oh, interesting.
Guest
And I don't mean just like the jawline. I mean mouth breathing versus nose breathing. Because I'm a big mouth taping person. I've really dove into the benefits of nasal breathing, and I heard that the bottle top affects if they're nose breathers or mouth breathers. Like, it contributes to it.
Lauren Everts
Okay. In the same way that we pull in a load of babies and parents to be part of that, like, sensory analysis. I think this future baby of yours needs to be part of our bottle testing.
Guest
My baby's gonna be so specific.
Lauren Everts
It'll have such a point of view done. It'll help you, the first kid in the focus group. But it's true. I mean, the nipple sizes and then there's also, you know, people who are combo feeding that are moving between breastfeeding and bottle feeding. They also don't want to have a harsh switch between the nipples. And then sometimes the baby doesn't take the bottle. So we often hear from people that, like, I tried to transition, but the baby was so used to the breast that they won't transition to the bottle.
Guest
So what do they do?
Lauren Everts
I don't know.
Guest
Yeah. What. What are you supposed to do if they don't?
Lauren Everts
You just got to keep trying different nipple sizes and just keep trying different bottles.
Guest
Do you have, after all your experience with four children, tips for moms besides Hang on tight.
Lauren Everts
I was going to say just take a deep breath and get through it again. I know this sounds like just very basic advice, but it is all so different. It is all so over overwhelming. I would say, like, women truly can do anything, but when you Have a lot of kids. You realize you can't do everything. And you just have to accept that like every day will come one by one, and that's okay. And it is chaos. It's a zoo. I've embraced it. I freaking love it. I love all of it. But trying to create an infrastructure and a routine and hold yourself to it all the time is, is. It's just a false narrative.
Guest
How do you do it with. You said you have a one year.
Lauren Everts
Old, I have a one year old.
Guest
How do you. What is your. You have like your calls on one day. I'm just wondering from what. What do you do?
Lauren Everts
No, I got a joke. What you're building, I know I'm in deep. I sort of see that this season of life that I'm in right now is like full building. I'm building my company, I'm building my family. I'm going all in. My bank account is drained because my social life doesn't exist. All of these things I've just kind of put down, as in, I am in a season of life, in a decade of life, that it's about my company and making babies.
Guest
How do your friends. Are your friends happy with that?
Laura Modi
The real ones?
Lauren Everts
I love my friends. I love my friends. And I'm sorry, I'm here to say I am sorry. I'm sorry for not responding to that text, for not being on that last trip. It's hard. It's really hard.
Guest
Yeah.
Laura Modi
You know, though, I think that's the healthiest way, at least personal opinion to look at it. Because I think the ones that get in the most trouble is when they don't recognize that seasonality and they think they can still do all. Like they have the social life and be the mom and be the company. I look at it the same way. It's like we're similar stages. Like we have young kids, we're building these companies. My social life is absolutely. Right now. I apologize to my friends. I'm not getting the invite to certain.
Michael Bostic
Things, but I think you're in bed.
Guest
At 7:30 telling you about your heart.
Laura Modi
Because I can only do. I think if I was trying to hang on to all those things, I think that's where you get in trouble.
Lauren Everts
You do. I had a. I had a beautiful. I have a beautiful group of girlfriends. And there was a trip planned. This was last year sometime. And I kept getting the messages and the calls being like, you really need this trip, like you really need to go on this. And I called two or three days before and I had planned to go and it took a lot of work to plan to go. And then on that Friday, after a long week of work, not having really seen my kids at all during the week, I called them, I said, you know what I really need? I just need to be on the couch with my kids this weekend.
Guest
Did they understand?
Lauren Everts
They totally understood. But in that moment I realized I'm not being honest with myself, I'm not being honest with them. I can't do it all. And I've just come to the conclusion I'm building my company and I'm building my family and that's my priority.
Guest
Your friends that will understand, understand those low maintenance friends, those are the ones, they're the best.
Lauren Everts
Yes. And I'll have them for life. And when we hang out, you know, once a year or every few years, it will just be like it always was. So I, yeah, I agree with you. I think like accepting the season of life that you're in and just going on and not trying to do everything now, that doesn't take away the guilt and the pressure and the trade offs that are given to you.
Podcast Intro/Outro Voice
GLP1s, you have seen it all over social media. We've talked about it a lot on the show. We've had doctors, experts, scientists dissect it and it seems to be that the best way to do it is to make sure you're doing it strategically. So that's where Noom comes in. The Noom app comes with a number of features like protein tracking so you can ensure that you're getting the right nutrients and fitness classes while you're on the GLP1. So this is going to make sure that you keep the muscle while it's losing the fat. Noom doesn't just give access to meds.
Guest
It helps you build healthy habits so.
Podcast Intro/Outro Voice
You can lose the weight and keep it off. Their Noom GLP1 is available and ships to your door in seven days. It's affordable. It starts at $149. Essentially what the app does is it combines their proven weight loss program with GLP1 so you can lose the weight and keep it off. You should also know they have a care team so you can ask their care team anything and get support with medication and side effect management. If you want to actually have behavioral change weight loss, this is a good way to do it. I've heard a lot of people have success with the Noom app and I think it's awesome that you get access to a clinician, a coach and even a supportive community all from within the app on your phone. Noom GLP1 starts at $149 and is delivered to your door in seven days. Start your GLP1 journey today at Noom.com that's n o o m dot com Noom the smart way to Lose Weight Disclaimer not all customers will medically qualify for prescription medications. Compounded medications are not reviewed by FDA for safety, efficacy or quality.
Guest
One product that has transformed not only my sleep, but my jawline is mouth tape. I mouth tape every single night. There is not a night that goes by that I miss mouth taping. And the first thing that I notice is I wake up with way more energy. When your nose breathing all night, you get so much more oxygen. It's incredible. And also it supports your tongue posture while you sleep, which sculpts your jawline and makes it stronger. So what I've noticed is better tongue posture, better sleep, more energy in the morning. I cannot live without it. The other night I actually fell asleep for like two hours without my mouth take and I woke up with a dry mouth. I felt like I was almost like hungover. I can't explain it. I have to have this as my nightly routine. So what I do is after my skincare, I put the Skinny Confidential mouth tape on. It has a tiny little slit so you can use a straw if you get thirsty in the middle of the night to drink. And then I sleep with it all night. And then in the morning I mist my face, I remove it and it is the sleep hack of a lifetime. I know anyone who is looking for a better sleep, more energy in the morning, and more sculpted jawline will love it. You can shop it now@shopskinnyconfidential.com that's shopskinnyconfidential.com how do you deal with the guilt of having four kids and running a company like this? It's not easy.
Lauren Everts
It's not easy. I was at a board meeting in San Francisco a few months ago and I was FaceTiming my daughter via our nanny's phone and my daughter was like, where are you, Mom? You haven't been here in a few days. I was like, mary, you know, I'm at work, I'm traveling right now, and you know what I do? I feed babies. And she took a big sigh and she goes, but mom, we're your babies. Come home and feed us.
Guest
Oh, it's so.
Laura Modi
That's a punch in the.
Guest
Oh, I feel like they like went to manipulation school or something.
Lauren Everts
Oh, she's so smart.
Guest
That is so good.
Lauren Everts
So good. And I'm, like, on my way to a board meeting, trying to prep, get in the mode, listening to Irish punk music, getting ready. And now I'm, like, riddled with this guilt that I should be home cooking a warm meal for my dinner. Children going, I can't do this. I can't do it all. But now I'm walking into this with such guilt because we're all human. We're all parents. We're all trying to figure it out and do what's best. But here's what's so beautiful, you guys. I go home, I have all the guilt, and I was quite late at night, and I walk into my daughter who's already asleep. I go in, and I said to her, I was like, I'm so sorry I wasn't here. I will cook for you this weekend. And she turns, she goes, mom, all of those babies are so lucky to have you. It's okay. And that acceptance and that maturity and that. I mean, truly, all I needed was that acknowledgement. 8. The acknowledgement that she knew what I was doing was important and that I know one day, even though in this moment, all of the guilt is there.
Guest
So hard.
Lauren Everts
I know.
Guest
It is so hard. I had Bethenny Frankel tell me the best advice on this podcast. She said she is really, really present when she's in her business.
Lauren Everts
Yeah.
Guest
And then she's really, really present as a parent. And that sounds so easy. But sometimes you aren't present as a parent. Sometimes, you know, you're on your phone or. The other day, I was on a conference call, and my kids wanted to play like you're not in it. And she said she picks and chooses. She doesn't try to do both. And I thought that was pretty good advice.
Lauren Everts
Compartmentalizing is one of the most important things you can do.
Guest
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
And I grew up recognizing my dad come back from a very long day of work, and his ability to switch off and leave work in the office and be fully present with us as kids. Like, I remember that to this day.
Guest
It's a real sign of maturity to be able to leave it. Ed Mylett told us that, too, when he came on the podcast. Ed Mylett is. He's like, such a successful business person. And he said when he walks through that door, he takes a breath and he puts his phone down, and he's engaged.
Lauren Everts
Hear, hear.
Guest
He didn't always used to do that, though. I think he did it, like, before his kids were, like, 11. And he said his kids noticed he was distracted.
Laura Modi
Well, it's funny. Like, I'm a big history buff, and I told this to Bethany Frankel, too, but I'll tell it to you as well, just because you brought up compartmentalizing. They say the reason Napoleon was so successful and so powerful is he had the ability to. He described it as putting things away in a drawer in his head, and he could basically take things out and put them away so he could be on a battlefield and fully focus on that and then go back and govern and then go back and be, you know, in social life. And, like, he. He was not. He didn't.
Michael Bostic
There was no crossover.
Laura Modi
That's how he was able to get so much done in such a short period of time.
Lauren Everts
I. Fun. Fun fact. I actually play Battle Hymn of the Republic trying to switch from one thing that is so different to the next thing. And I use that song as a way to just. Like I'm clear in the air. I'm walking through a different battle. I'm putting whatever, you know, just happened 10 minutes ago from, like, that FDA phone call related to our product. And I'm walking into a parenting. And I'm gonna listen to Battle Hymn of the Republic, and I'm gonna walk in fully ready for what's ahead.
Guest
You prime yourself. You change. Yeah, Tony Robbins does that. He'll, like, change his energy. Like, you just. You gotta get yourself out of what came before.
Lauren Everts
Yes.
Guest
It is a really good thing to be able to compartmentalize. Sometimes I think.
Laura Modi
What's this game you wanna play with us?
Guest
Yeah, tell us a little bit.
Laura Modi
We don't really play so many games on the show.
Lauren Everts
I love this. Okay, we're gonna play truth or dairy.
Laura Modi
Truth or dairy?
Lauren Everts
Truth or dairy? So we're gonna pull out the milk.
Guest
You mean? I thought we're playing true or false.
Lauren Everts
True or false. But we call it truth or dairy. But all of it are.
Guest
All of it. Oh, my God.
Laura Modi
Wow.
Guest
Okay. I know we have formula.
Podcast Intro/Outro Voice
Bobby.
Guest
Formula.
Lauren Everts
Okay. You got your shot glasses, Michael.
Laura Modi
It's a full shot.
Lauren Everts
I think a full shot's a bit aggressive.
Laura Modi
Okay.
Lauren Everts
Okay, so let's. Let's pour a little bit.
Laura Modi
We're talking about.
Lauren Everts
Oh, oh, bananas. She's a leaker. So you know what we need to do? We need to create pictures as well.
Laura Modi
Carson, do we have a towel over there?
Lauren Everts
Oh, that was a great catch.
Laura Modi
I got it. See? Okay.
Lauren Everts
Okay, I'm gonna pull this.
Laura Modi
I had to catch this pitch that Lauren threw at a baseball game, and she was so nervous about the pitch. I was more nervous about catching as I'm like, if. If she throws the pitch and gets it there, like, everyone's gonna give her. If I, as a man, do not.
Michael Bostic
Catch the pitch, I'm done.
Guest
And what would you rate?
Michael Bostic
My.
Guest
What would you rate the pitch?
Laura Modi
Honestly? Like, it was like, an eight out of ten.
Guest
Oh, I know.
Lauren Everts
That's pretty solid.
Guest
I know.
Laura Modi
She got it to the home place.
Lauren Everts
I'm not surprised.
Guest
An 8 out of 10.
Lauren Everts
Okay, so some of these questions, you can take a sip as we go through them. Some of these questions, this is a test of your listening through this podcast, because some of them I've already mentioned. We're gonna start with the first one. True or false? European formulas are seed oil free.
Michael Bostic
False.
Guest
False.
Lauren Everts
Good. You don't need to drink. There you go. There are no infant formulas that use high fructose corn syrup here in America.
Guest
False.
Laura Modi
True.
Lauren Everts
It is true.
Guest
Oh, okay, Lauren, I'm gonna take a sip of formula. It's not bad at all.
Laura Modi
I've had breast milk before.
Lauren Everts
See? How does she smell? Give her a sniff.
Laura Modi
I don't know why I threw that fact in there.
Guest
It does. It kind of tastes like breast milk.
Lauren Everts
Hear, hear. Yeah, a lot of work went into that. Okay.
Laura Modi
But it was weird because my friend gave me his wife's breast milk, which then we got caught later on, and I feel. I felt like that was inappropriate. Like, drink your friend's wife.
Guest
Even though the husband. It's not. The confession.
Lauren Everts
Wow, that is definitely a confession. That just went down there.
Guest
Yeah, well, he.
Laura Modi
But I felt like it was okay because he. The husband gave us. It was three of us.
Michael Bostic
We tried it, and we were like.
Lauren Everts
Okay, this is pre K. Did you know this?
Guest
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
Oh, wow.
Guest
I don't care. Drink. You want to drink breast milk? You go. You do you.
Laura Modi
It was a day.
Guest
I'm too tired.
Lauren Everts
Too tired. Okay, here we go. One of the biggest reasons babies can't tolerate infant formula is because they're lactose intolerant.
Laura Modi
Oh, I don't know about that. Oh, my God.
Guest
I'm gonna say false.
Laura Modi
True.
Lauren Everts
False. You're up, Michael.
Guest
Don't get a milk mustache. Not that bad.
Laura Modi
It's not that bad. It's pretty good. Oh, kind of sweet.
Lauren Everts
You guys, you can put this in your coffee later. So actually, the answer to this is one of the biggest reasons the babies can't tolerate infant formula is because of the. The protein. The cow's milk protein. It's not because of.
Laura Modi
It's too much protein or it's just the animal protein.
Lauren Everts
It's Just as hard to digest the animal protein. This is why a good infant formula will hydrolyze their protein.
Guest
And you're supposed to switch off formula a year after?
Lauren Everts
Yes. When the baby's 12 months, you can move to full milk. Cow's milk.
Guest
Okay.
Lauren Everts
Yep.
Laura Modi
Carson, have a picture.
Michael Bostic
Fill your glasses, Carson.
Guest
I saved you some.
Lauren Everts
Okay, this is a good one. There has never been a breastfeeding woman on a billboard in Times Square.
Guest
I'm gonna say false because you guys did it.
Lauren Everts
Yes.
Guest
I knew that. See, I knew that.
Lauren Everts
You did know that.
Laura Modi
But were you the first to do that?
Lauren Everts
We were the first to do that.
Laura Modi
That's cool.
Lauren Everts
Fun story was Molly Baz, who is a combo feeder, using Bobby. We were going to go put her on a billboard, and when we realized she was combo feeding, we're like, well, she should be breastfeeding her child as well.
Guest
Do you want me to breastfeed Michael on a billboard for you guys?
Lauren Everts
Sold. Look at all these things. We're getting done. We're making boxes.
Guest
So many ideas.
Laura Modi
My rate for that is astronomical.
Lauren Everts
Okay, we're gonna do one more. Here we go. Which one? Oh. True or false? Hailey Bieber uses Bobby.
Laura Modi
I'm gonna say that's true because I don't feel like you would say that if it wasn't true.
Guest
True.
Lauren Everts
I have no idea. But if she's listening to this, well.
Guest
Then we can't drink or nothing. That's. We don't know.
Lauren Everts
Oh, you want one to drink more?
Guest
I mean, formula, pregnant, it's a little. I have a lot of adversion.
Lauren Everts
I love this. Okay, we're gonna give you one to see if you can drink one more.
Laura Modi
Well, when Haley tunes in, we'll get to.
Guest
What if Hayley does lobby?
Lauren Everts
Well, maybe she can give us a.
Guest
Call on Times Square.
Lauren Everts
Hey, we're now just planning the billboards together.
Guest
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
Yeah, we could do that.
Laura Modi
And if she doesn't work out, then I'll be on the board. You know, if you say you have her, or if not, then I'm available.
Lauren Everts
Lauren, do you approve to this?
Guest
I think that you're gonna be in a heartburn commercial. That's your next endeavor.
Laura Modi
I mean, like, I'm a close. Like, if. Like, if you were gonna, like. Like, if you were gonna, like, weigh which campaign. Like, I'm. You know, maybe it's close. You know, it doesn't work.
Lauren Everts
Yeah, it is close. Okay, last one, guys. Half of moms have lied to their pediatrician about how they're feeding their baby.
Michael Bostic
I bet that's true.
Lauren Everts
That is true.
Guest
That is fucked. They have to lie.
Lauren Everts
Lied.
Guest
I know, but that's because I think my opinion that there is an undertone sometimes in the medical industry. Even when I had my first baby, there's a. When you have the baby, there's even like this, like, energy at the hospital. I don't even know what it is. It's an energy.
Lauren Everts
It is an energy. We need to change energy. I mean, we talked about this. At the top, that question, how is breastfeeding going? Most pediatricians, you know, when you go in for that, like, checkup, it's like every month or every three months or whatever it is. It's all the time. Basically, when you have a baby and they walk in and they go through your questions, how are you feeling? Are you sleeping? And one of the questions is, how is breastfeeding going?
Guest
I know that question. Yeah.
Lauren Everts
You're about to go through it again.
Guest
Yeah.
Lauren Everts
So we need to. I actually think we need to have a bigger push to say, how do we get all pediatricians to change the question from how is breastfeeding going? To how is feeding going?
Guest
I hope that we've changed the energy of the pediatrician. We have for this baby, though. That's. There's different kinds of pediatricians.
Laura Modi
Second, third, fourth. The appointments get.
Guest
You know what I mean?
Laura Modi
The appointments get a little bit less. I'm like, oh, he's fine, you know.
Lauren Everts
Do you still go to all the pediatricians?
Guest
No, absolutely no. No. Oh. Like, he'll go with me if we have an appointment.
Laura Modi
Oh, do I go with her?
Lauren Everts
You do.
Laura Modi
Honestly, I just don't go to a.
Michael Bostic
Lot of the appointments, like, at all.
Guest
Every single appointment that I have ever had with the children, I've never missed an appointment. Very hands on. I do want to say that. And no one knows that about you. He's very hands on as a father. He gets at every single appointment I've ever had. That's not.
Laura Modi
Well, I mean, listen, my partners may not like to hear this, but, like, to me, like, my family is my number one priority. The business can wait. And I figured, like, I'll figure this stuff out.
Guest
I'm like, amazing at that. But how often do we go to a pediatrician?
Laura Modi
Not that I thought you were asking, do I show up to the pediatrician? I'm like, no. Well, we, you know, because you said every three months, and I said, well, after the second or third, you're like, why don't. She's probably. Or he's probably fine. Like, we wait six months for the Next one, you know.
Lauren Everts
But if there is an appointment, you're there. Yes, yes.
Laura Modi
But the first one, you're like rigid on.
Guest
They all are.
Lauren Everts
You can always tell the energy of new parents with their first kid at the pediatrician.
Guest
Let me tell you about this guy's energy. With the first, I was like, it was saber tooth tiger. That's what I call it. It's called mus made up stress. But I think, okay, there was a saber tooth tiger.
Laura Modi
I will say before you go, I've said a lot in the beginning and I think this is especially important for new parents. You're so nervous and scared in the beginning that you're susceptible to. So like, you don't know what to do. And so you feel even worse. Like, should I be breastfeeding? Should I be that? Should I take this medicine? Should I? And like, like you're able to be persuaded more. And also some of that outside pressure gets you more this time. Like when in the beginning when parents would tell me or Lauren what to do, you're. Now I'm like, okay, you can block it out a little bit.
Guest
You don't care. By the third, you're like, you know what I'm gonna do. What works for.
Lauren Everts
I guess, like, yeah, you're smiling.
Laura Modi
The shaming or the pressure just doesn't get to you the same way the second, third time around because you've experienced. But in the beginning, you're so susceptible to that pressure from pediatricians or from outside people or social media.
Guest
You know, I also think there's a little bit of a takey advantage vibe of moms when they're postpartum.
Lauren Everts
Yeah.
Guest
And bring the baby in sometimes to certain pediatricians. Like not all of them. I'm just talking about my one experience that I had where like I was really postpartum depression and anxiety. And I feel like that was used to get done what he needed to get done. Like whether his motive was like for me to breastfeed or like there was like, if I was clear headed without postpartum depression and anxiety, I feel like he would have got different answers. Do you know what I'm saying?
Lauren Everts
100. And also that, I mean that's another entire podcast conversation. But like, that is a huge reality that we're all not talking about enough.
Guest
Yeah. And I think that you. It's like you have to be careful because everyone's obviously had different experiences here. But in my certain circumstance with my firstborn, there was an energy of like, the pediatrician's gonna steer the car where it shouldn't be like that. It should be like the mother steering the car. You know what I'm talking about? I'm trying to kind of give everyone.
Lauren Everts
Something without saying, my baby, my choice.
Guest
Yeah. Like, I'm like, nope, I'm gonna do this the way that I feel like we should do it for my child. And that's that.
Lauren Everts
Oh, I'm so excited for you guys.
Guest
We're so excited to test out Bobby.
Lauren Everts
Yes.
Guest
On the baby. Where can everyone shop Bobby baby?
Lauren Everts
Great question. So you can subscribe online. We have a program where basically we promise that if, God forbid, there's ever another infant formula shortage and you sign up, we will guarantee that you never run out. Wow. It was something we did during the formula shortage and we actually turned off all of our growth to stop accepting new customers so we could ensure that we had enough supply for all of our existing subscribers.
Guest
That's amazing.
Lauren Everts
But you can also find us in Whole Foods, our target.
Laura Modi
I can get rid of my baby formula bomb shelter that I've had.
Lauren Everts
There you go. You do not need to store all of that baby formula. Yes. The stockpiling was. Michael, out of control.
Guest
Out of control. This conversation so needed. I feel like you just broke so many stigmas around formula. You guys.
Podcast Intro/Outro Voice
We also have a code for you.
Guest
You can use code skinny@hibobby.com skinny. You get 20 off the first three months of Bobby infant formula subscription. That is a very generous discount. Thank you for coming on the show. Everyone say hi to you.
Lauren Everts
You can check out Laura Claire Modi.
Guest
Okay.
Lauren Everts
Is my Instagram account okay?
Guest
And.
Lauren Everts
And let's keep the bullying. Let's keep bullying away. No haters.
Laura Modi
We don't have a bully.
Guest
Our community is actually incredible.
Lauren Everts
They are.
Guest
They're open minded. They want to be the highest version of themselves. It's a really great community. Yeah.
Laura Modi
When you were talking about bullying online, it's like I have. We have no idea what you're talking about because we only have nice people to us.
Guest
I'm not outside of our community.
Laura Modi
We've never had anything bad or mean said to us ever on the Internet. Like, it's only.
Guest
I've heard it all.
Laura Modi
It's only good things.
Guest
I've heard it all.
Laura Modi
Thank you.
Lauren Everts
Oh, guys, thank.
Podcast Summary: The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast
Episode: Laura Modi Founder Of Bobbie Breaks Down European vs. American Standards & Why Parents NEED To Know What's In Their Baby Formula
Release Date: March 28, 2025
Hosts: Lauryn Evarts Bosstick & Michael Bosstick
Guest: Laura Modi, Co-Founder and CEO of Bobbie
In this episode of The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast, hosts Lauryn Evarts Bosstick and Michael Bosstick welcome Laura Modi, the co-founder and CEO of Bobbie, a prominent infant formula company. The conversation delves deep into the world of infant formula, comparing European and American standards, and emphasizing the importance for parents to understand what goes into their baby's food.
Laura Modi shares her journey from Ireland to the United States, detailing her career at Google and Airbnb before founding Bobbie. As a mother of four, her personal experiences with infant feeding inspired her to create a healthier, more transparent formula option for parents.
[05:30] Laura Modi: "I always thought I would stay back home in Ireland, but moving to California changed everything for me."
Laura recounts her struggles with breastfeeding during her first pregnancy, notably dealing with mastitis—a painful infection of the breast tissue. This challenging experience was a catalyst for her exploration into infant formula.
[07:00] Laura Modi: "When I had mastitis, I felt like a failure as a mother. Choosing to use formula was the last thing I ever considered, but I had to make that choice."
She describes the emotional turmoil of feeling judged for needing to use formula and the guilt associated with deviating from the societal expectation of breastfeeding.
A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the differences between American and European infant formula standards. Laura highlights that while the EU updates its nutritional standards every three to four years, the US hasn't seen meaningful updates since the 1980s.
[41:53] Laura Modi: "The EU has stricter requirements for infant formula compared to the US. Our goal with Bobbie is not only to meet but exceed these standards right here in America."
She emphasizes Bobbie's commitment to using high-quality, locally sourced ingredients, including expeller-pressed seed oils without harmful solvents, to better mimic the fatty acid profile of breast milk.
Laura discusses the hurdles of entering a controversial and dominated market by conglomerates. She shares anecdotes about investor skepticism and societal stigma towards formula companies.
[33:49] Laura Modi: "Starting an infant formula company was seen as controversial. Many investors questioned why anyone would want to be in this space."
Despite these challenges, Laura remained steadfast, driven by the desire to provide a better alternative for parents and their babies.
The conversation touches on the prevalent "feeding wars" and the judgment parents face based on their feeding choices. Laura advocates for compassion and understanding, urging the community to support rather than shame parents for their decisions.
[37:31] Laura Modi: "It's heartbreaking to see women attacking other women over feeding choices. We need to end the feeding wars and support each other."
She stresses the importance of acknowledging that every family's situation is unique and that formula should coexist with breastfeeding as a valid option.
Laura provides an in-depth analysis of infant formula ingredients, debunking myths about seed oils and explaining their essential role in a baby's development. She clarifies that seed oils are necessary to replicate the fatty acid profile of breast milk, crucial for cognitive and physical growth.
[21:35] Laura Modi: "Seed oils provide the essential fatty acids that are hard to replicate with other oils. They are crucial for a baby's cognitive and visual development."
She also discusses Bobbie's meticulous sourcing practices, ensuring that all ingredients are free from harmful extraction methods like hexane processing, further elevating the quality of their formula.
Beyond formula, Laura shares her strategies for managing a busy life as a mother and entrepreneur. She emphasizes the importance of compartmentalizing work and family time to minimize guilt and maintain presence in both spheres.
[56:11] Laura Modi: "Compartmentalizing is key. When I'm with my kids, I leave work behind, and vice versa. It's about being fully present in the moment."
She recounts personal stories of navigating social expectations, prioritizing her family's wellbeing, and building a supportive community around her brand.
The episode concludes with Laura encouraging parents to be informed and proactive about their infant feeding choices. She invites listeners to explore Bobbie's offerings, which are available online and in Whole Foods, highlighting a subscription model that ensures stability even during shortages.
[67:53] Laura Modi: "You don't need to stockpile formula. With our subscription, you can ensure a steady supply without the stress."
Laura's passionate advocacy for better infant formula standards and her resilience in the face of industry challenges provide valuable insights for parents navigating their feeding choices.
Notable Quotes:
This episode offers a comprehensive look into the complexities of infant feeding, the importance of high-quality formula, and the societal pressures parents face. Laura Modi's candid discussions and expert insights provide listeners with a deeper understanding of what goes into their baby's nutrition and the efforts to improve industry standards.