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The Truth About Baby Products: What Most Parents Don't Know Ft. Coterie CEO Jess Jacobs
00:52:20
#885: Join us as we sit down with Jess Jacobs – CEO of Coterie, a brand on a mission to make parents’ lives easier with high-quality, safe products that truly perform – from The Diaper that started it all to their wipes, & new skincare line....
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- [00:00]
Lauren Everts
The following podcast is a Dear Media Production. She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire.
- [00:08]
Michael Bostic
Fantastic.
- [00:09]
Lauren Everts
And he's a serial entrepreneur, a very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic are bringing you along for the ride.
- [00:16]
Michael Bostic
Get ready for some major realness.
- [00:18]
Lauren Everts
Welcome to the Skinny Confidential. Him and her.
- [00:25]
Michael Bostic
Do you know how. How many times a day that we use your products? All day long.
- [00:32]
Lauren Everts
Pretty much all day.
- [00:34]
Michael Bostic
My daughter has now resorted to wipe. And I have to say, what's the magic word? So now it's wipe, please.
- [00:41]
Lauren Everts
They don't even use, like, napkins anymore. Like, they'll make a huge mess when they're eating. They'll just be like, wipe. And I'm like. And then they get blocked.
- [00:47]
Jess (Coterie representative)
But, you know, it's gonna be safe and clean and cleansing and do what it's supposed to do and not break. And that's the trust that you should have in all the products that you're using.
- [00:56]
Lauren Everts
It's actually way easier from my perspective than what I know, than the paper towel, because you can reuse it over. That paper towel is flimsy. It gives up on me after one wife, you know.
- [01:04]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Right.
- [01:05]
Lauren Everts
So these kids, they can just have the wipe the whole time when they're eating.
- [01:07]
Jess (Coterie representative)
100%.
- [01:08]
Michael Bostic
Well, I have a story about why we switch to your wipes. So I went and got my blood tested, and it came back super high in Triclosan. And the doctor was like, what are you using that has this much triclosan? And so my soap's non toxic. My body wash is non toxic. The toothpaste I use is nontoxic. And that's where Triclosan is normally found.
- [01:30]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yep.
- [01:31]
Michael Bostic
So I went on this whole exploration to figure out where I was getting this Triclosan from. Turns out one of the most popular white brands has a derivative of Triclosan in it that they don't disclose on the label.
- [01:43]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Very common in wipes and diapers.
- [01:45]
Lauren Everts
We couldn't figure it out. Like, and, you know, like, if you're familiar, if the audience is familiar with the show, but if you're familiar with us, like, we try to live as clean as possible. And so we couldn't. We're like, where could this be coming from?
- [01:57]
Michael Bostic
So after I went on a deep dive and found that this brand had Triclosan and I was using it every day, all day long to wipe my babies on their most intimate areas, I was like, I need to find a brand that is what they say they are. So that's when I was introduced to your brand. We switched to your diapers and we're big fans. I'm so happy to hear that and.
- [02:18]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I'm so happy you did. And I wish there was a greater industry standard, honestly, across the board for safety and clean ingredients and also publishing those testing results as well. There isn't. And that's kind of where Coterie came from, honestly. Coterie started because we believed that the status quo in the diapering industry wasn't good enough. The diaper industry is not closely regulated, which is really scary and really surprising. It was for me because when you become a mom, you realize firsthand that diaper is touching your baby's skin 24 7, morning, noon and night, that diaper's on their skin. What's in led us all as a team to really dig into that and think about that and understand also that parents shouldn't need to compromise between potentially harmful ingredients and a high performing diaper. Why do they have to make that choice? So that led to Coterie and all of our products are hypoallergenic. They are dermatologist tested, they are free from fragrances, parabens, phthalates, triclosan, chlorine, bleaching, VOCs, dioxins, BPA. I could go on and on. There's over a thousand plus harmful chemicals that we're free from because we think parents deserve to not have that mental burden.
- [03:59]
Michael Bostic
Is that's what is that what is in the other brands? Because sometimes my kids, like, if it's a long night, will wear one of these other brands.
- [04:09]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yeah.
- [04:10]
Michael Bostic
So can a coterie go all night?
- [04:13]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yes, a coterie absolutely can go all night.
- [04:15]
Michael Bostic
No problem.
- [04:16]
Jess (Coterie representative)
No problem.
- [04:17]
Michael Bostic
The regular one.
- [04:18]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yes, we. So that's also kind of a misnomer in the industry.
- [04:21]
Michael Bostic
I didn't know that. That's what I was going to ask you. Live on air.
- [04:24]
Jess (Coterie representative)
If you think about diapers, they've been around for decades. There's been such a lack of innovation at the core of it. But actually more and more diapers come out all the time. Different skus, different sort of this shield protection and that shield. What is it actually? What is the differentiation between. This is a morning diaper, this is a daytime diaper, this is a nighttime diaper, this diaper's for travel, this diaper's for this, this diaper's for walking this diaper at the end of the day, the cynic in me looks at it and says this feels like skew proliferation to take up the shelf space.
- [04:57]
Lauren Everts
They all do the same thing.
- [04:58]
Jess (Coterie representative)
They all do the same thing.
- [04:59]
Lauren Everts
Except for maybe the swim diaper, right?
- [05:01]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Correct. Correct, Correct. But what's going on? Why are all these. Why are there all these different types of diapers and we just have one. We wanted to keep it simple. It's the diaper. That's it. Morning and night.
- [05:12]
Lauren Everts
You're not wearing, like, different underwear in the day, you're not, like, it's my morning pair, it's my night pair, it's my evening pair.
- [05:17]
Jess (Coterie representative)
And why is there a nighttime diaper that. Essentially, you know, the crux of a nighttime diaper would be that it absorbs more liquid. Right. Why isn't that good enough for the daytime, too?
- [05:31]
Michael Bostic
So I can rip the band aid off tonight and throw away all the nighttime diapers and switch to coterie at night.
- [05:38]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Tonight is the night, Lauren.
- [05:40]
Michael Bostic
Tonight's the night. Well, you know what's gonna happen soon? I hate to break it to you. Yes, the diaper gnomes are coming. Do you know what the diaper gnomes are? No. The diaper gnomes are coming to take my son's diaper. They come at night, but they're not taking the nighttime diapers. So now I can give him.
- [05:56]
Lauren Everts
But don't worry, she's got a fresh one on the way, so we're just gonna go right back.
- [06:00]
Jess (Coterie representative)
But I want to be clear, like, we're a team of parents, and our favorite thing is when kids truly become independent and graduate out of diapers, like, that's what it's all about. We don't want to keep kids in diapers. We want them to gain their independence.
- [06:14]
Michael Bostic
Don't worry. I'm having another one, though, so that'll be right. But the diaper gnomes aren't taking the nighttime diapers, just the daytime.
- [06:20]
Lauren Everts
I was doing the math, though. Like, with this other one, it's, like, pretty much, like, pretty much like a decade. It's going to be like a decade of me doing diaper changing.
- [06:28]
Jess (Coterie representative)
You are power users.
- [06:30]
Michael Bostic
I don't think it's that big of a deal when people are like, I. They're in diapers, and I have to change diapers. I don't find it that.
- [06:35]
Lauren Everts
Well, now. I don't know any different because it's, you know, going on.
- [06:38]
Michael Bostic
Do you really find it that overwhelming?
- [06:39]
Lauren Everts
No. No, I don't. I mean, now it's normal.
- [06:41]
Jess (Coterie representative)
You just get your. It would be weird for you not to do it at this point.
- [06:44]
Lauren Everts
Yeah, it would be strange.
- [06:45]
Jess (Coterie representative)
And I think it also. I hate to do this, but it Depends on the products, too. Like, our wipes, for instance, are really sturdy, really thick. They don't break through. Like other wipes are also 30% larger than other leading wipes on the market. So if you're using like a flimsy wipe and your hand is breaking through and you're getting in that mess, I don't care how much you love your baby. Gross. Gross.
- [07:08]
Michael Bostic
Yeah, it's gross, Jess. I don't like flimsy anything. I'm not a flimsy kind of gal. I can tell. No, I can tell you, Lauren.
- [07:16]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I can tell.
- [07:17]
Lauren Everts
Hence our third child.
- [07:18]
Michael Bostic
Yeah, I'm not. I'm not a flimsy kind of gal. What would people be shocked to hear about the baby and newborn industry that you've found since working with coterie?
- [07:30]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Great question. I think the biggest shock has to be the lack of regulation and standards. And it's something that I'm passionate about. We're passionate about. We want the. A rising tide lifts all boats. We want all brands to start to really take this more seriously because health is at stake at this point. It's pretty alarming. We were the first brand to publish our third party testing safety reports that we did with independent labs. Others have followed suit. And that's great. That's what we want. But it was important for us not to just be saying, oh, we use incredibly clean materials and nothing is harmful. We wanted to put our money where our mouth is there. So those safety reports are again, independent labs. We wanted to show every single ingredient, every single component, test what it is, why we show why we tested it, show the results, put it all out there.
- [08:36]
Michael Bostic
I think too, what I've realized, and this is my own thought, all of these daily habits that we all had when we were little, from the Windex to the Tide to the. All these endocrine disruptors, there's got to be something there that adds up. Like an Allison from Branch Basics was just on and she. She just said on our show, she. All of the things that her mother did that she didn't know were toxic added up. And by the time she was 22, she had hives all over her body. And she said, lauren, it wasn't like one thing. It was. It was like the accumulation of all these tiny little things that my mom didn't know about that added up.
- [09:18]
Lauren Everts
Well, we were. There was a friend of mine and I'm not going to put him on blast. He's in the medical space and he was. We were talking about, like, how someone like my dad Or I'll use a strange Donald Trump or Warren Buffett. They can drink these Coca Colas and Diet Cokes all day long and eat McDonald's and all this and not be affected and still actually perform and have high energy and like get their work done and, you know, live really long time. Right. And he was basically saying there's like this generational overload that exists where that generation and their parents weren't exposed to as many of the harmful chemicals and ingredients that we're exposed to. So when they were born, they don't have that. But then our generation gets exposed to more, so then we can't handle as much load. And now our children get exposed to even more because it's now multiple generations being exposed to these poor ingredients that were largely created after World War II. Right. And then definitely in the 80s and 90s when, you know, when we were all kids, all the stuff and all the ingredients that they're now removing in many cases from our supplies.
- [10:19]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yeah.
- [10:20]
Lauren Everts
So essentially what they're saying is like, our children will have weaker resilience than we had and we have weaker resilience than our parents had to some of these ingredients because we haven't had this like quote unquote generational overload of this stuff in this toxicity being in our systems.
- [10:33]
Michael Bostic
Right.
- [10:33]
Jess (Coterie representative)
And it's just a lot as a parent to be thinking about. Right. It's like there's so much on our shoulders today to be making those right decisions for our families, for our babies, for ourselves. I think Coterie is a good example of being a goal oriented brand in the sense that we just want to make parents lives easier. We don't want them to have to stress about is this clean, is this going to be effective, is this going to be high performing? The more of the mental load we can take off of our customers, the better so that they can focus on other things. Like, it's just, it can be too much. It can be so overwhelming to get mired with all of it. And I think parents just do the best they can and that's exactly what they should be doing. And everyone, each individual parent, I think does know best for themselves.
- [11:23]
Lauren Everts
I don't think you start caring about it nearly as much until you have children of your own.
- [11:27]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I think that's right.
- [11:28]
Lauren Everts
Right. Like I, you know, I paid attention to some of this stuff, but when I was younger, I'm like, okay, I feel pretty good.
- [11:33]
Jess (Coterie representative)
That was it for me too. That was it for me too. That changed everything.
- [11:36]
Lauren Everts
With kids, with everything, you start to Think. And I see some of. Listen, I know what people, some of the critics of this show say they're skeptical. But if you look at just the data of what's going on, like, kids are getting sicker than ever, cancer's rising, obesity's out of control. We have issues with illnesses that we've never had to deal with. All of this stuff is on the rise. And so you don't have to be a genius to say, okay, something we're doing or something we're consuming or something that is in our environment is causing some kind of issue. You don't have to have the tin hat and go down the woo, woo. But you start to think about that as a parent, you're like, okay, well, then what are the things that I should avoid so that I don't potentially put my kid at risk?
- [12:17]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Right.
- [12:17]
Lauren Everts
You know, it's not even really about me anymore.
- [12:19]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Right, Exactly. You frame everything with your kids. So that's exactly what happened to me. I was using one of the other giant diaper brands with my first child. So I have two girls. Quinn is two, almost two. Penelope is almost five. So with Penelope, I was using another brand, but I was so careful about everything else. I was thinking about everything around her being so hyper clean. Her clothes, her nursery furniture, everything she was eating. Obviously, a pacifier would drop on the floor. I would sterilize it before it would go back in her mouth. I went, like, into overload for sure. But I never thought about the importance of a diaper. It just. I don't know why it truly didn't cross my mind. I look back and I'm like, how bizarre.
- [13:03]
Michael Bostic
But nostalgia, yes, yes. It's the Pampers and something. I don't know, characters.
- [13:09]
Jess (Coterie representative)
There's nostalgia, something. And that was before joining Coterie. When I switched to Coterie and joined the team, I first was using the diaper and trying it out to get that firsthand experience. And I was blown away by the difference it made in my life. Not just for my baby's life, my life as the parent. I was not having to worry about, is she gonna get diaper rash? Her diaper rash went away. It didn't come back. I wasn't waking up in the morning and having to change her crib sheets that were typically soaking wet from her peeing in the night. I just thought that was standard. I was like, that's just part of being a mom. You gotta wash the sheets every day. Most of all, though, she was finally sleeping through the night. And then, guess what? I was Sleeping through the night. And my whole family was sleeping through the night.
- [13:57]
Michael Bostic
Why was she sleeping through the night? Cause she wasn't peeing in the middle of the night.
- [14:01]
Jess (Coterie representative)
So a lot of people think and believe that when a baby wakes up at night, oh, they're hungry. That's what it is. It's not always the case, especially as they get a little bit older. What's often happening is a baby is peeing in the night and they're getting freezing cold. Because if you've ever dropped water, when the water hits your skin, your skin's like 98 degrees. When water hits your skin, it's cold. It's a shot of cold. That's what wakes them up. Our diaper wicks away that liquid from the skin in seconds, Mere seconds. It's doing it four times faster than leading brands. That's allowing them to sleep through the night. It's not disrupting their cycle.
- [14:43]
Michael Bostic
Interesting, huh?
- [14:45]
Lauren Everts
Which is gonna create a happier, healthier baby. And to your point, family.
- [14:48]
Jess (Coterie representative)
And family. And family.
- [14:51]
Michael Bostic
What you said off air was so interesting. Why I have such admiration for your brand is you called it. You called it a niche. What did you call it? A niche. Yeah.
- [15:01]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Like, we. We've connected with this niche audience, this parent. It's essentially myself. Like, that's, I think about what I would want, what would be important for me to see and feel connected to. And. And that was a large way that we developed this brand. We did it all internally, from scratch. But we were so tired of the sea of sameness, like the goo goga marketing. Like, who are they talking to? They're talking to babies. Like, what's going on here? And it was just very cliched versions of parenthood. Everything is perfect and joyous, and there are extreme highs, but there are also lows. And we wanted a brand that was parent centric in the way that it touched on the realities too. Not everything is perfect. Let's talk about mom guilt. Let's talk about all of the things that parents and moms really deal with day to day and do it on an honest level.
- [16:00]
Michael Bostic
But why you guys? The brand, to me, like, from a branding perspective, is so genius. Is it? Is it's a niche? Is it a niche or a niche? I don't feel like getting yelled at. Okay.
- [16:10]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I think it's bold. I think it's a niche.
- [16:13]
Michael Bostic
You know what? I switch it up today. I'm going to say niche. I think it's so genius that it's a niche brand, but it's daily habits that you do all day long, and it's on subscription. This is from a business perspective. I just think it's a smart, savvy situation. I think that you guys have created something that people want, which is a clean brand that you use all day that's on subscription. How do you guys think about that from a business perspective?
- [16:44]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Well, I'll go back for a second and just talk about my background related to this, because I've always been an innovator. I've always been thinking about how things could be better. And I've been obsessed with brands and brand building. My first job was as a copywriter. I'm essentially a glorified copywriter. My team hates it when I say that, but it's true, and I'm so proud of that.
- [17:07]
Michael Bostic
It's a great skill.
- [17:08]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I was like Peggy from Mad Men. That was me. And I worked my way up. I became a creative director and spent a decade plus on the agency side working with these epic, epic brands embedded in their systems, places like Apple and Nike, helping them to craft their most inspiring stories and connect with the finest, finest points of their audiences. And that's really where the magic was unlocked for them and for me. From there, I switched to a personal care brand called Lola. It's feminine care. That's where I start to really understand the importance of ingredients. But then becoming a mom is what transformed my thinking about products. And that was the unlock and then coming to coterie. And it's been just the greatest, greatest joy of my life since, except for being a mom and marrying my husband.
- [18:00]
Michael Bostic
I know we always forget the husband. It's like you have to check the box and say the husband. Who else? My sister, everybody.
- [18:08]
Lauren Everts
Let's not forget the husband is the one that makes it possible for you to become a mom.
- [18:12]
Jess (Coterie representative)
So essentially, he played a very important role. And he still does. He, like. The truth is, I say this, like, with all sincerity. He does more than I do. It's the truth.
- [18:26]
Michael Bostic
It's the truth. I would say that you do equal to me. You think you do more.
- [18:31]
Lauren Everts
No, I didn't say no.
- [18:32]
Michael Bostic
Call it out if you think you do more. There was a look. You help me. My husband helps me as much as being married to a woman would help me. Yeah, he helps. Like, I know that sounds in the way that he gets it, but he's never said, like, I'm not gonna change that diaper. I'm not gonna take them to school. Or like, he's. He's very, very hands on. And I would say, and I'm gonna.
- [18:53]
Lauren Everts
Really do an honest percentage.
- [18:55]
Michael Bostic
Oh, so you think. You think it's more. No.
- [18:57]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Do an honest percentage.
- [18:58]
Lauren Everts
No, I'm not. It's a question for you.
- [18:59]
Michael Bostic
I'm asking right now at the minute where I'm literally crowning, you're doing a little more. Like, I hate to break it to you when you're not crowning, but physically.
- [19:08]
Jess (Coterie representative)
What are you doing right now?
- [19:09]
Michael Bostic
I'm trying everything. I'm taking life. Yeah, I'm busy.
- [19:14]
Lauren Everts
I'm not saying I literally was just asking the question, but jokes aside. No, I've always thought.
- [19:18]
Michael Bostic
Do you think it's 50? 50?
- [19:19]
Lauren Everts
I think it's at least 50. 50 for sure.
- [19:21]
Michael Bostic
Okay. All right. I do want to say, though, your dad, Gare Bear, I think, showed you a really good example and role model. He always took you guys to school. He always showed up for all your stuff. He was very hands on. He cooked you dinner. Like, he was very comfortable.
- [19:37]
Lauren Everts
Listen, like, I always. That entrepreneurs in general, business people, men, women, sometimes ambitious people, they lose sight of what the whole reason for doing the whole thing is in the first place. For me, it's very. My priorities are straight. My wife and my family above everything else, and then everything else to support my wife and my family. Listen, I love what I do from a career perspective. I'm. I like making income, I like making a living. I like creating big things.
- [20:09]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Sure.
- [20:09]
Lauren Everts
But, like, if those ever become the thing that's taken away from the other thing, then, like, I'll throw the. I'll throw the business thing away.
- [20:15]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Right. What's the why it's them?
- [20:17]
Lauren Everts
Because people sometimes especially, I think this is why you see a lot of successful people end up in a miserable way because they lose sight of that and they just like. It's just more and more. You can always build another business. You can always make more money.
- [20:30]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yeah.
- [20:30]
Lauren Everts
To be honest, this is going to sound. This clip will get pulled out of context. Once you kind of figure out that skill set, it's. It's not the hardest thing to figure out. I find trying to be a good dad and a good husband and all that is actually much harder to stay good and consistent at. So anyways, I think, like, I've always had the perspective of that. And so I want to be involved with my children, my wife. I don't want them to be like, oh, this guy was always gone and working all the time.
- [20:54]
Michael Bostic
I would say, though, your mistress is.
- [20:57]
Lauren Everts
We don't talk about her on the show.
- [20:59]
Michael Bostic
Your mistress is crafting business deals and Putting business deals together.
- [21:03]
Lauren Everts
I don't know what you're talking about.
- [21:04]
Michael Bostic
Like, if you had a mistress. Your mistress is being creative with deals.
- [21:10]
Lauren Everts
Oh, like, if. Oh, like, I know. I like my thing that I like to do. Yeah, obviously. Like, I'm an entrepreneur. I like. I. Of course I have. I have a mechanism cheating on me.
- [21:17]
Michael Bostic
With, like, the business deal.
- [21:19]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Fair.
- [21:20]
Michael Bostic
Yeah.
- [21:21]
Jess (Coterie representative)
And I think for every parent, it's like, whatever that time is that you're with your kid, it's like you're showing up and you're being present. And I don't care. For me, it's not always a very long time. And I'm sure that, you know, you all can relate to that and feel that way, too.
- [21:39]
Michael Bostic
How do you deal with that?
- [21:40]
Jess (Coterie representative)
When I'm there, I'm really trying to be off my phone and be with them. It's hard and it is.
- [21:46]
Lauren Everts
I mean, listen, sometimes some of my friends will be like, wouldn't it be nice if one day you, like, we go and we live on a ranch somewhere in the middle of nowhere. I'm like, listen, nobody. I gotta get back to the office and be part of the action.
- [21:55]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Right.
- [21:56]
Lauren Everts
Like, some people, like, they like that.
- [21:57]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Exactly. You have to know yourself. You have to know what feeds you. And if you're not, you know, it's the oxygen mask thing. If you're not putting on your oxygen mask. And for you, it's like doing deals and getting stuff done.
- [22:07]
Lauren Everts
It's the sport that I think I've personally chosen to play. And imagine if you were into, like, tennis or golf or whatever the hell thing, and you're like. Someone would say, exactly, I have to be able to do the thing.
- [22:16]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Exactly.
- [22:17]
Lauren Everts
But I can't be at the expense of losing the most important thing, if that makes sense.
- [22:20]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Right. But they sort of interlock with each other, in a sense.
- [22:25]
Michael Bostic
It's not fun for you when your wife's in a bad mood. I think you've realized that it's fun.
- [22:29]
Lauren Everts
For any man when their wife's in a bad mood. Right.
- [22:31]
Michael Bostic
Or mad.
- [22:32]
Lauren Everts
Nobody's like, wow, this is gonna be great.
- [22:34]
Michael Bostic
Emma Greed said something on our podcast.
- [22:36]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I love her.
- [22:37]
Michael Bostic
It was so good. She said, fabulous. I was like, I tell my kids, like, I'm sorry, I have to go to work. Like, I'll be back. You know, mom has to work. I don't want to go to work today. Like, but I have to go to work. And she said, no, you should go to your kids and be like, I love my work. My work lights me up. I love going to work. It makes me happy.
- [22:56]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yeah, I. I love that. I think that's what's right.
- [22:59]
Michael Bostic
Amazing.
- [22:59]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I think that's right, because you're showing them that you enjoy everything you do, day to night. Yes. I think putting that positive spin on everything is always the answer truly, to the best that you can for your kids. Internally. You could think whatever you want about it, but I. I always try to sort of make light of things and make the most of things and not let it all get so heavy. For them at least. Anytime I'm hopping on a flight, it's like, it's gonna be so quick. Mommy's gonna have fun. You're gonna have fun. I'm gonna be back so soon. And guess what? I'm bringing a present when you come back. And then, like, that's what. Oh, yeah. That's what it's all about.
- [23:39]
Lauren Everts
No, but she said that before, essentially, like, her kids would view it as something she did not like doing or she was unhappy doing, and so they didn't want her to go beyond unhappy. Right. So as soon as it switched and was like, hey, I'm actually gonna go enjoy this, because, like, have fun. They like it.
- [23:52]
Michael Bostic
You know, what are some micro things you do as a mom to balance out the business and being a mom?
- [24:01]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Such a good question. I will say we as a team, as a coterie team, we're fully remote, so we work from home, so it blends in a way, and I love that. And we have a team of a lot of parents. And I'm working in my office. My kids are in the back of the zoom, and everyone else's kids are in the back of the zoom. It's not a big deal. Everyone's used to it. We just sort of, like, roll with it again. It's like a team of all parents.
- [24:28]
Michael Bostic
But I also think you guys are like, you have diapers and you have wipes. So the kids in the back, it's like, the essence.
- [24:35]
Jess (Coterie representative)
It's the essence. It's part of it. And if we weren't a company and a business that put our employees first and really prioritized them as parents, how would we be able to show up for our community in a real way? So it's really about making it feel like a cohesive and conducive environment where you can be your most productive self. And also, like, I think parents are unbelievable. I've become so much more productive as a parent, truly, because maybe it's because I only have such a short amount of Time. It's like, in this hour, I need to get what I would do previously, get done in two weeks, and it's gonna happen, and I'm so focused, and I'm gonna nail it.
- [25:15]
Lauren Everts
I talk about this all the time. We have some women in this company that are pregnant and expecting, and I've talked to them, and they're nervous, like, oh. Like, I feel like I'm gonna be so wrong. Like, no, you're. You're gonna be more productive.
- [25:25]
Jess (Coterie representative)
You're absolutely right. Something skyrockets, and it's the. The motivation. Right.
- [25:31]
Lauren Everts
I look back before we had children, we were lollygagging all over the place. But how much time did we waste? Like, there was so much. Like, now. Like, think about it.
- [25:39]
Michael Bostic
Well, we were, like, traveling, and we.
- [25:41]
Lauren Everts
Were saying, like, we'd go to New York and, like, we'd do a couple meetings, but then we'd just be fucking around the whole time.
- [25:45]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Traveling, eating and drinking, having a lot of fun. Yes.
- [25:47]
Michael Bostic
A lot of martinis.
- [25:49]
Jess (Coterie representative)
My husband and I traveled everywhere, and it was like, me and my best friend, tv, like, we are just this. And that was it. And how much time I spent. I look back, I'm like, wow, I didn't even. You didn't even realize it. Like, where did the hours go? And now. Right. Every hour is regimented.
- [26:04]
Michael Bostic
But.
- [26:04]
Jess (Coterie representative)
But I'm far more productive now. I'm far more motivated now. Becoming a mom skyrocketed my career.
- [26:12]
Lauren Everts
Yeah, that doesn't surprise me at all. And I also. You have a greater reason now to be more successful because you have more than yourself to consider.
- [26:18]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Exactly.
- [26:19]
Michael Bostic
What do you think makes a successful team member or employee? You manage a team. Like, what. What are the traits that you look for?
- [26:30]
Jess (Coterie representative)
So that's a great question. I think there's a lot of things. I honestly think that EQ piece is so important, that emotional intelligence. Great one. You know why you can't teach it? You can teach everything else on the technical side, truly. But if someone doesn't have that emotional intelligence and that willingness and that curiosity to learn and take it on and step outside of their comfort zone, then you're not gonna get very far, truly. And that's just something you have or you don't.
- [27:06]
Michael Bostic
So when you're interviewing someone, how do you get that piece out of them? Cause if you ask someone if they have eq, everyone's gonna say yes.
- [27:14]
Jess (Coterie representative)
No, no, no, no, no. It comes through, I think, in the way somebody is talking about the things they enjoy doing. My favorite interview question actually has Nothing to do with the day to day work or the job or their background. It's like, what do you do for fun? I want to see somebody get really passionate. I want to see their eyes light up. I want to see how they pour themselves into something that they care about and what their curiosity looks like. And to me, like, that's it. That's it.
- [27:47]
Michael Bostic
How have you guys built your team? Like, what does the team look like behind the scenes?
- [27:52]
Jess (Coterie representative)
It's a lot of parents. It's an incredible team. I'm so proud of them. It's, you know, it's diaper scientists, it's true experts, it's brand builders, it's creatives, it's everyone that you could imagine just coming together. All across the country, everybody's remote.
- [28:08]
Michael Bostic
How big is the team?
- [28:10]
Jess (Coterie representative)
It's about 70 people now.
- [28:12]
Michael Bostic
That's amazing. And how long have you guys been around?
- [28:15]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Like five and a half years.
- [28:16]
Michael Bostic
That's really, really cool. So you have a team of 70. So you have all different kinds of facets.
- [28:21]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Correct, Correct. But it's still a lean team given what we're doing and what we're producing. And we like it that way too. There's a closeness, there's a real culture that we've cultivated. We stay very true to our values. One of our values is change together. I love that one because it's kind of like the nod to changing and baby changing tables and changing your baby on the changing table. But also this idea that as a startup and you guys know this well, there's gonna be pivots, there's gonna be like shifts, like the bus is gonna change directions. And as long as we all know where we're going and we're all on the same page and we all have the same North Star in mind, that's great. And we can handle that.
- [29:06]
Lauren Everts
Yeah. There's also, like, what's interesting about running a business is like there's phases in the business as well.
- [29:12]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Totally.
- [29:12]
Lauren Everts
It's like different seasons.
- [29:13]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Totally things.
- [29:14]
Lauren Everts
And I think a real struggle for a lot of startups is when people that are maybe early in the company or even founders, like, try to hang on to the first phase of the business because they don't want it to feel. You gotta change, you gotta change.
- [29:26]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Everything changes. You gotta change, you gotta grow.
- [29:28]
Lauren Everts
Yeah, we talk about it all the time here. I was just like constantly trying to stay ahead of and just put it on people's radar that, like, it's gonna feel different, it's gonna look different.
- [29:35]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Exactly.
- [29:35]
Lauren Everts
Everything.
- [29:36]
Jess (Coterie representative)
And I think Reiterating that point and really leaning on the team to help navigate it together. You know, if you're all moving in the same direction, holding hands like that's all. That's what it is. That's scaling, that's growing.
- [29:51]
Michael Bostic
I am doing a nursery at the moment and I'm trying to make it as non toxic as possible. I'm currently off gassing the eco friendly paint as we speak.
- [30:02]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Good, great.
- [30:04]
Michael Bostic
Yeah. I'm leaving. Do you know what that means, Michael?
- [30:07]
Lauren Everts
I'm assuming you just, you're letting it sit with the windows open. Yeah.
- [30:09]
Michael Bostic
Because you don't want to paint the room or do the wallpaper too close to when the baby's here. Because then the baby will breathe it in. Right. Okay. This is what I've heard.
- [30:18]
Jess (Coterie representative)
That sounds right.
- [30:19]
Michael Bostic
There's a paint brand test. My home told me to get it. It's called eco something. It's a great paint brand. Anyways, how can someone who wants a cleaner nursery use coterie in the nursery?
- [30:32]
Jess (Coterie representative)
So all of our products are hypoallergenic. Dermatologist tested, which is so important. So important from a rash standpoint.
- [30:39]
Michael Bostic
Yes.
- [30:40]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Free from fragrances, parabens, phthalates, dioxins, triclosan, chlorine bleaching. You want to look for totally chlorine free products. The list goes on and on. We're free from over a thousand plus chemicals. But what I'm really excited about is we are launching skincare. So that little sweet bun bomb sitting in front of you that is coming to market quite soon. The bun bomb. We spent years and years developing the skincare. We only create things that are going to be demonstrably better than what is already out there. And raised.
- [31:15]
Michael Bostic
Five years you said. Right.
- [31:16]
Lauren Everts
So quickly on the stuff that's already out there.
- [31:19]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yes.
- [31:19]
Lauren Everts
What are some of the ingredients that you guys wanted to stay away from that are typical in most of those products?
- [31:23]
Jess (Coterie representative)
So with this bun bomb, first and foremost, when you think about baby skin care that's out there right now, the majority of it is about treating issues once they arise. Right. Like we've got diaper rash, let's put on the diaper rash cream. We've got this problem. Let's, we got eczema, let's put on this cream.
- [31:41]
Michael Bostic
Yeah.
- [31:42]
Jess (Coterie representative)
No one is thinking about it. Nobody is thinking about it. From a preventative lens. Right. And the way that like adult skincare, like our regimens, it's all about prevention. So we spent years developing this line that we are so incredibly proud of the highest safety standards that our customers trust us for already to put out products that are about preventing those issues. And skin health has always been a brand promise for us. That's what our diapers do. They protect that most sensitive skin from diaper rash and from that excess moisture. So the balm works in harmony with the diaper to do just that. So this balm, it is a beautiful multi use ointment for preventing diaper rash that is plant based and petrolum free.
- [32:36]
Michael Bostic
Which is really important.
- [32:37]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Petroleum free.
- [32:39]
Michael Bostic
Explain it.
- [32:40]
Jess (Coterie representative)
That was the hard nut to crack.
- [32:42]
Michael Bostic
And that is in a huge brand that everyone uses.
- [32:46]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I used it all over the list.
- [32:48]
Michael Bostic
People are so slugging with it. Do you know what slugging is?
- [32:51]
Lauren Everts
What the hell is slugging?
- [32:52]
Michael Bostic
Slugging is when you put it all over your face everywhere. People are putting this, this chemical all over everything and they're putting it in their most intimate areas and it's a huge brand. So that's why I think this is so innovative.
- [33:07]
Lauren Everts
Yes.
- [33:08]
Jess (Coterie representative)
So it's serving that same purpose with even cleaner ingredients. And it is so gorgeous. It's such a gorgeous emollient. You can build it up, you can just do one lather on the bum and it really locks away that moisture from the skin barrier and protects babies. It can also be used, it's a multi use. You can use it on dry patches, you can use it on eczema, you can use it anywhere on your baby, all over. And I use it everywhere on myself. It's like it's my lip balm right now. Like I truly it's. It is so clean and special. I'm so excited for this.
- [33:44]
Michael Bostic
To meet the world truly petroleum. You said it a different way. Am I saying it wrong?
- [33:49]
Jess (Coterie representative)
No, it's all connected.
- [33:51]
Michael Bostic
What is in petroleum that would gross us out?
- [33:53]
Jess (Coterie representative)
It's an oil and it needs to be refined. And when you're refining something, you're introducing chemicals and those chemicals can carry on with it or not. But I'll put it this way. This is all EWG verified and safe. Petroleum and petroleum based is marked by the EWG as fair risk. That wasn't good enough for us. That wasn't good enough for us.
- [34:19]
Lauren Everts
Fair risk meaning like they'll give it a pass, but there's still an assessment.
- [34:23]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Meaning question mark. I would say meaning question mark. And everything that we created in our skincare line is risk free.
- [34:33]
Michael Bostic
Isn't petroleum also in tires or something? Am I wrong about that?
- [34:37]
Jess (Coterie representative)
It's petroleum. It's petroleum. It's everywhere. It's an oil that is. It's in a lot of things and it's refined and treated differently depending on where it shows up. But it comes from the same source and it's just not something that was tolerable for us.
- [34:55]
Lauren Everts
Here's my thought process on that. Like you said, it's in everything. And some of those things are probably suitable and necessary in certain categories. But if something like this gets the exact same job done.
- [35:06]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Exactly.
- [35:07]
Lauren Everts
That's the same way I think about branch basics or other. It's like if it does the exact same thing and has the same effect that I'm looking for, which is basically in this case, healthy skin. In order to clear up an issue or to prevent an issue, like why would you not use something that doesn't have a risk profile?
- [35:21]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Exactly.
- [35:21]
Lauren Everts
That's how I think about like everything.
- [35:23]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Exactly. And I think you guys would agree that what we're really finding is that when you're using these cleaner ingredients, you're getting something that is actually more effective. Right. It's able to actually do the job better. So we're really excited about that one. There's also a cleansing wash that we're launching called first wash. It is extremely gentle for the most sensitive newborn skin. It's tear free cleansing. It leaves the skin so soft and it's so safe and, and it's just this magical, magical formulation that we are so excited about.
- [35:57]
Lauren Everts
Maybe I'll use it for my own skin.
- [35:59]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yes.
- [36:00]
Lauren Everts
Send me a big jug.
- [36:01]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yes. It's coming.
- [36:02]
Michael Bostic
I think people too don't realize that like a lot of the cleansers and the shower gels are causing the rashes.
- [36:10]
Jess (Coterie representative)
They can be stripping. That's the issue.
- [36:12]
Michael Bostic
Yeah.
- [36:13]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Because when you're cleansing, if you're not protecting that microbiome on our skin and you. Everybody's talking about microbiome in the gut and it's also our skin. So we did ext microbiome testing. Again, none of this is required, none of this is regulated. It should be. We did extensive microbiome testing on all of our skincare products to ensure they were microbiome friendly. Meaning that the same healthy, good bacteria still remains on the baby's skin after you're using it. We're not stripping. It's.
- [36:45]
Michael Bostic
It makes so much sense. It's wild that there's any pushback on it.
- [36:50]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I know, I know. And then the third product and the final product in this lineup is our soft cream. It's a beautiful, hydrating, nourishing lotion, perfect for after the bath to replenish that skin hydration for up to 24 hours. Lightweight, gorgeous. I think there's going to be a lot of parents using these products, too. Honestly, I already am, but we're just incredibly excited about it.
- [37:17]
Michael Bostic
What should parents immediately look out for and avoid when they're shopping for baby products? What are the red flags or even orange flags or, like, pale pink flags?
- [37:27]
Jess (Coterie representative)
There's a lot of great resources out there now to equip parents. I can speak to what I do, and it's. I personally, as a mom, use really specific brands that I trust, and I let them do the heavy lifting. Brands like Branch, basic brands like Bobby, you know. You know.
- [37:47]
Michael Bostic
Yes. She's been on.
- [37:48]
Jess (Coterie representative)
She's fabulous. I look for the brands doing the right thing and stick with them.
- [37:54]
Michael Bostic
Boy, though, do you have to go through a lot of different hoops to find the right brands? That's what I was talking about with Allison is it's like I'm.
- [38:03]
Jess (Coterie representative)
It shouldn't be so hard. I know.
- [38:05]
Michael Bostic
She's like, I don't want to overwhelm everyone with all these different things. But. But the thing is, is what's overwhelming is that there's no brand integrity for newborns and babies. That's what's overwhelming to me. It's like, how can you put all these products on the market that have all these things that are endocrine disruptors and hormone disruptors? That's what's overwhelming.
- [38:25]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yep.
- [38:26]
Michael Bostic
Once you find the brand that you know that has the integrity, it's actually really simple. And there's clarity, by the way.
- [38:32]
Lauren Everts
It's not just for kids brands and parenting brands. It's like, everything. Our food.
- [38:35]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Exactly.
- [38:36]
Lauren Everts
Everything.
- [38:37]
Jess (Coterie representative)
But I think it's on us. It's on the people that care about and prioritize those things. Like, once you find those brands, those brands are coming up and they're fighting giants. They are fighting giants out there. And the more that we can rally behind them and support them and make it so they become the giants, then we see change. Truly.
- [38:59]
Michael Bostic
Yeah. It's a whole. There's a whole thing that goes on behind the scenes with a lot of these brands, and you just really have to do your own research.
- [39:09]
Jess (Coterie representative)
You do.
- [39:09]
Lauren Everts
But what it is is, like, the reason I like doing this show is it's an information portal. Right. Like, you will come on and you'll tell. Like, I. I tell the audience all the time. Like, I get the information the day we record, but it's. I'm learning at the same time.
- [39:21]
Michael Bostic
Yes.
- [39:22]
Lauren Everts
And whenever I go and meet people that are maybe not as switched on. It's like, it's typically. It's not cause they're dumb, it's not because they're stupid, it's not because they're not well intentioned.
- [39:30]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Right.
- [39:30]
Lauren Everts
It's cause they just don't have access to the information.
- [39:32]
Michael Bostic
Correct.
- [39:33]
Jess (Coterie representative)
But you also, you two are, you have such a curiosity, which is so like magical, honestly, to converse with you guys, because you're so.
- [39:42]
Michael Bostic
Thank you.
- [39:42]
Jess (Coterie representative)
You're truly interested and you're open and you bring your own opinions, but you, you're willing to have your mind changed if the right information comes across your desk. And I think that that's a beautiful way to live. And I want to be more like that. I also think parents, parents are really smart and they know. And for instance, with a diaper, I was using one of those giant diaper brands. I didn't like it.
- [40:13]
Michael Bostic
It felt synthetic.
- [40:16]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Synthetic. It felt like harsh textures. It just didn't feel good. And my baby couldn't communicate to me that they weren't comfortable. But I wasn't.
- [40:25]
Michael Bostic
Yeah.
- [40:25]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Honestly, I was so overwhelmed at the time with being a new mom that I was like, this is the least of my problems. Right. But then you come across something better. You look back and you're like, I knew that that didn't feel as soft and glorious as it should feel. Like our diaper is so soft, so comfortable. Like, it's really what a newborn baby deserves, Truly. And when you're using that product, you're feeling the difference yourself as a parent. And it's, it's an aha moment. Truly.
- [40:57]
Lauren Everts
You know what, though? Speaking to some of that curiosity, what happens, and I'm sure you've gone through this in your own life, is you discover one thing like, okay, there's a cleaning supply issue. Okay, there's a diaper issue. There's a skin like you go through. And then basically what happens is everything you buy in your life now, like, what happens for me now is I just think, okay, I want a product that does this certain thing or delivers this certain thing to me. And then immediately my brain goes like, okay, where is the healthiest, best version of that brand? And what I think, where I think there's such an opportunity for young entrepreneurs or people that want this is like, if you're, you know, you were feeling a need for yourself, we feel a need for ourselves. Like, there's, there's an opportunity now to, quote, unquote, fight these giants with better for you products that the audience is very open to.
- [41:44]
Jess (Coterie representative)
You got it? There Is so much opportunity to do that. Truly.
- [41:47]
Lauren Everts
And once you start looking at like, once you start changing like two or three or four things, then you're like, okay, well I'm going to do this for every category. So it's actually kind of freeing in a way.
- [41:55]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Yes.
- [41:55]
Lauren Everts
Because you start to get rid of like a lot of the stuff.
- [41:57]
Jess (Coterie representative)
You're absolutely right. And if you're sitting there looking around saying, it's really hard for me to find a better, cleaner version of this, maybe it doesn't exist and maybe you should go make it.
- [42:08]
Lauren Everts
It's like stupid examples like, what are you drinking for your morning coffee? Once you start realizing, okay, like what are they doing in that industry? Then you want the cleanest mold free. And you realize that like the coffee jitters actually aren't a real thing. It's just moldy coffee beans.
- [42:22]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Wow.
- [42:22]
Lauren Everts
Right? There's just weird things like that. You go down the rabbit hole. So people talk all the time like, you won't have the coffee jitters.
- [42:28]
Michael Bostic
The best coffee.
- [42:28]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Okay.
- [42:29]
Lauren Everts
Giving you a stupid example, but the reason you have the coffee jitters is likely because there's mold on your coffee beans. You have mold free coffee beans. You don't have the jitters.
- [42:35]
Jess (Coterie representative)
That's.
- [42:36]
Lauren Everts
You drink five cups, you'll be fine.
- [42:38]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I do drink five cups. Yeah, but I get the jitters.
- [42:41]
Michael Bostic
Five cups.
- [42:42]
Lauren Everts
But, but, but you do that with like, you know, you start doing that.
- [42:44]
Michael Bostic
With like every category cups. What did you do when you were pregnant? Be honest.
- [42:48]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I didn't.
- [42:48]
Michael Bostic
You didn't drink any? I.
- [42:51]
Jess (Coterie representative)
No, I drink a cup a day.
- [42:53]
Michael Bostic
With all three of my kids.
- [42:54]
Jess (Coterie representative)
For me, it was like, if I'm gonna drink a cup, it's gonna be 3, 4, 5. So it was easier for me to just be like, cut it.
- [43:01]
Michael Bostic
Were you exhausted? Yes. Yes. What does it mean to be a flushable wipe? I don't understand that.
- [43:10]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Okay, so that is a great question. We have our wipes. They're incredible. We have the wipe, 99% water, purified water, five clean, safe ingredients. That's it. It's the wipe we have. The soft wipe has a few more ingredients because it is emollient and hydrating. So it's really replenishing that skin barrier. Barrier. It's very nourishing. Both substrates are both of the wipes themselves 30% larger than leading brands out there. 100% plant based, plastic free entirely. The flushables are similar, but they are made to be flushed. Those other wipes are not. They really should be thrown in the trash. They should not be flushed because they are so thick, so sturdy. So we developed. This took a long time. We developed a version just like those two to be flush. So it's perfect for that potty training toddler to help themselves get clean. And it dissolves entirely in 30 minutes. So it is sewer and septic safe. It could be. I mean, the whole family can use it. It's really for everybody.
- [44:23]
Michael Bostic
I'd like a friend. I'm not gonna call him out, who, like, loves using wipes after he goes to the bathroom and he makes this huge to do where, like, we have to, like, go through it. But the ones that he's using, I think are toxic.
- [44:39]
Jess (Coterie representative)
It's possible. I will also say, like, people that use adults that use flush wipes when they go to the bathroom judge adults that don't. So, like, that's a real thing.
- [44:48]
Michael Bostic
It's not the most sexy thing in the world.
- [44:50]
Jess (Coterie representative)
No. But when you think about it and when you start using them, you're like, yeah, this is better.
- [44:56]
Michael Bostic
This is. Do we need to have flushable wipes in our bathroom?
- [44:59]
Jess (Coterie representative)
You do. I have them here.
- [45:00]
Michael Bostic
Well, it's. It will be next to the skinny confidential toilet paper. Because you know that I love your toilet paper. Formaldehyde free. Yep.
- [45:08]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Bamboo. Beautiful.
- [45:09]
Michael Bostic
It's the same kind of, like, essence, though.
- [45:12]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Exactly.
- [45:13]
Michael Bostic
I don't want to wipe my own butthole with endocrine disruptors and hormone disruptors, and I also don't want it on my kids. Yep. My biggest revelation out of this whole episode so far has been that you can wear your diaper at night. Because that's a shift for my whole family.
- [45:31]
Jess (Coterie representative)
No, of course.
- [45:32]
Michael Bostic
I really wish I knew that a long time ago. Me too.
- [45:35]
Jess (Coterie representative)
This is upsetting to me.
- [45:37]
Michael Bostic
Like, this.
- [45:38]
Jess (Coterie representative)
We should have figured this out sooner.
- [45:40]
Michael Bostic
I think that, like, you guys, can. You guys, I don't know, do like, a whole campaign around how you can wear it at night, too?
- [45:47]
Jess (Coterie representative)
We definitely can, but I think there's something, like, off with the idea that, again, like, we've been so, like, brainwashed in a sense to think, like, we need these different diapers for these different situations. And it's. No. If it's an incredible diaper, it should serve all purposes except swim.
- [46:06]
Michael Bostic
I think that's why it's confusing, though, is that we've been fed the nostalgia, the. The hug a bear, whatever.
- [46:14]
Lauren Everts
But, like, you could price gouge, and I'm not saying that you would, but you could price gouge your customer if you just literally labeled the same thing as nighttime.
- [46:21]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Because it does 100%. We could also take up more room on the shelf.
- [46:24]
Michael Bostic
We could.
- [46:25]
Jess (Coterie representative)
There's all of those strategies. Like that is also the antithesis of what we do and what we're about. And I think parents recognize that and appreciate that.
- [46:33]
Lauren Everts
Well, I say it as a compliment to you guys because you could do that, right? Totally. And I guarantee you probably at some point, someone in the company suggested it. Not because they're bad people, because they're doing it because they're like, it'll drive more revenue. Right.
- [46:44]
Jess (Coterie representative)
It's been. I will say this team is incredible and so expert and we are all so clear eyed on what we're doing here and what this about. The focus is so intense and I think that's also a big difference between us and other baby care brands. We don't have tons of skus all over the place. We're not going into tons of territories. We would only make something truly if our customers are asking for it over and over and over again and we feel like we can do it better than anyone else is doing it right now. That's it. And if not, I don't want to do it.
- [47:17]
Michael Bostic
We. I mean, I'm a huge fan of your brand. I wanted to pick your brain always. I've always been a fan of this brand. We have a bunch of questions from the audience. They're rapid fire questions.
- [47:28]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Let's do it.
- [47:28]
Michael Bostic
Okay. What's your go to mantra on parenting?
- [47:32]
Jess (Coterie representative)
So my mom has all of these good little sayings and I pull them out of the hat whenever I need them. The one I've been using this week has been let go or be dragged. Let go or be dragged. Your choice.
- [47:54]
Michael Bostic
I love that because it's so true. Like, just let it go or you're right, be dragged. I love that. And your mom obviously raised two amazing daughters. You've got a lawyer here, my sister, and a CEO of an incredible company.
- [48:12]
Lauren Everts
Whenever you're. I'm gonna say this saying to you, Lauren, I'm gonna say let it go or be dragged.
- [48:15]
Michael Bostic
Be dragged. I'm gonna actually say it to you, but that's great.
- [48:20]
Jess (Coterie representative)
We all should say it to each other.
- [48:21]
Michael Bostic
Where do you hope that coterie is in 10 years from now?
- [48:27]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I could get teary eyed thinking about it. It's like a movement. Oh, I'm so proud of the team. I'm so proud of what we do. It's been a dream, truly. I want in 10 years to see the whole industry getting cleaner, getting better, pushing to the same standards. And I want to see coterie decades and decades and decades to come, just being that amazing legacy brand that endures and continues to connect with parents. As you know, the generations of parents continue to change and, you know, want and need and deserve different things.
- [49:13]
Michael Bostic
Love midnight diaper change or 3am bottle feed with coterie.
- [49:18]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I'm not doing the midnight diaper changes.
- [49:21]
Michael Bostic
Ah, there you go.
- [49:22]
Jess (Coterie representative)
So it's the. It's the feed.
- [49:25]
Michael Bostic
And the last question. What is your favorite thing about being a mom?
- [49:31]
Jess (Coterie representative)
The cuddles.
- [49:32]
Michael Bostic
Yeah.
- [49:32]
Jess (Coterie representative)
The snuggles.
- [49:33]
Michael Bostic
Yeah.
- [49:34]
Jess (Coterie representative)
It's just the most delicious thing, and I crave it all the time.
- [49:38]
Michael Bostic
It's a recharge.
- [49:39]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Oh, that is. That is like my battery's recharging. It's a recharge. It used to be a nap and now it's like I need a squeeze.
- [49:46]
Michael Bostic
I know. Sometimes I'm like, oh, they're sick. Well, come. Come into mom's bosom.
- [49:52]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Those are the cuddliest days. I know, I know.
- [49:55]
Michael Bostic
It's so true. Okay, we have a code for our audience. These are the wipes and diapers Michael and I use. We were not using them at night, but we are tonight, and I'm getting rid of the rest. I can't wait to hear you just.
- [50:07]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Text me and tell me.
- [50:08]
Michael Bostic
I am very into this brand. It's clean, it's safe, it's high performing. You can visit coterie.com and use code skinny20. You get 20% off your first order. I'm just on the subscription situation where it just comes to my house. This is the diaper I'll be using for my newborn. The diaper gnomes will be taking the coterie away from my son soon as they should. Yeah. They're coming as they do. We've been talking about those gnomes.
- [50:33]
Lauren Everts
Terrified.
- [50:34]
Michael Bostic
Do you guys remember the book gnomes from the 80s? Does anyone remember this book?
- [50:39]
Jess (Coterie representative)
No. Oh, my gosh.
- [50:40]
Michael Bostic
Are you sure?
- [50:41]
Lauren Everts
It was called Gnomes?
- [50:42]
Michael Bostic
It was like a. It was the most famous book in the 80s. I can't believe none of you guys know this.
- [50:47]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I do remember gnomes being a thing. In a moment, Gnomes was like.
- [50:50]
Michael Bostic
It became like this huge. Go Google it. It was this. The best selling book for 10 years.
- [50:56]
Jess (Coterie representative)
You don't mean trolls?
- [50:57]
Michael Bostic
No, gnomes in the 80s. Carson, Google it. It's. I'm right. And Carson, Google how long it was a best selling book on the New York Times bestseller. I think it was the longest.
- [51:09]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Do you recognize it?
- [51:10]
Lauren Everts
Let's see.
- [51:10]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Okay, okay.
- [51:11]
Michael Bostic
It was the book. That's this book was on the New York Times longer than any other book I think ever. I can't believe you guys don't know about the.
- [51:19]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Where the Wild Things Are.
- [51:20]
Michael Bostic
Okay, so this is what the hot tip is for the parents.
- [51:22]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Goodnight Moon.
- [51:23]
Lauren Everts
That's a classic.
- [51:24]
Michael Bostic
When. When the diaper gnomes have to come, you buy the book. Yes. How do you not know about gnomes? Look, you guys. Yes, see, everyone knows gnomes. Yes. Wait, but there's a brown one.
- [51:37]
Jess (Coterie representative)
I remember the.
- [51:38]
Lauren Everts
I saw the brown one.
- [51:39]
Michael Bostic
Yeah, the brown ones that this is. Come on, go and buy gnomes. This is gnomes.
- [51:45]
Jess (Coterie representative)
Okay, no, that's not ringing a bell.
- [51:47]
Michael Bostic
I'm disappointed in everyone.
- [51:48]
Lauren Everts
It was like she had like the special edition leather bag.
- [51:52]
Michael Bostic
Christ, I did. I remember the pages, everything. So what I'm doing to my kids. You don' even know. This is. I'm reading the book. Gnomes to them. And that's the gnome that's coming to take charge.
- [52:01]
Lauren Everts
Like I had the leather bound first edition.
- [52:03]
Michael Bostic
You should read it tonight. Brush up. It was literally the. It's like the most famous book in the 80s. Well, coterie.com use code skinny20 just aged ourselves. Where can everyone find the brand? On Instagram at codery. Thank you.