Mother of Fact: the podcast

Emily Sylvester
  • 5.0 (3)
  • NUTRITION

Conversations with the clinicians, directors, and changemakers shaping the future of maternal and reproductive health and wellness. Hosted by Emily Sylvester, Founder & CEO of Mother of Fact, this podcast dives into the real-world strategies, challenges, and breakthroughs transforming care for moms and babies. From front-line clinical insights to system-level solutions, each episode offers practical takeaways and fresh ideas for improving outcomes, streamlining operations, and advancing health equity.

Episodes

  1. FEB 10

    From Screening to Showing Up: A Better Model for Women's Mental Health Care

    In this episode, Emily sits down with Kristin McGregor, PhD — clinical psychologist and National Clinical Director of Integrated Behavioral Health at LifeStance Health — to unpack what integrated care really looks like when it centers women and families. From fertility to postpartum to menopause, they explore what happens when we stop treating mental health as separate and start embedding it where it belongs. You’ll hear: Why behavioral health must be embedded in OB/GYN and pediatric settingsHow screening can fail patients if systems aren’t ready to act on the resultsReal-world stories about missed flags, maternal mental health, and provider gapsWhat Kristin means by “meeting people where they are, especially when they’re not doing great”How stigma still shows up in healthcare systems (and how to dismantle it)What integrated models like LifeStance are doing to intervene earlier and fasterThe challenge of supporting moms who are expected to lead the conversation while strugglingStrategies for providers to talk about behavioral health without losing trust This episode is for OB/GYNs, pediatricians, care teams, maternal health leaders and advocates who want to create care pathways that actually serve birthing people, especially when they’re most vulnerable. It’s also for anyone building systems that treat mental health as health, not a referral out. Show Resources: Learn more about LifeStance HealthConnect with Kristin on LinkedIn.Postpartum Support InternationalRESOLVE: The National Infertility AssociationMGH Center for Women’s Mental HealthFollow Mother of Fact for more episodes, tools, and updates. ✅ New episodes of the Mother of Fact Podcast drop on the second Tuesday of every month. Follow, subscribe, and share with a colleague who’s ready to help transform care at work and beyond.

    44 min

  2. JAN 13

    Smart Leaders Know: Women’s Health Isn’t Optional Anymore

    When is the right time for employers to take women’s health seriously? According to Jim Hettenbach, VP and Head of Business Ventures at Unum, that time was yesterday — and the smartest companies are already catching up. In this energizing and insight-packed episode, Emily sits down with Jim to explore how employer benefits are evolving beyond check-the-box wellness to whole-person care — including nutrition care, lactation support, postpartum recovery, and pelvic floor rehab (yes, even that!). With humor and honesty, Jim shares what it was like to be one of the only men talking about maternal health in corporate rooms — and why that’s exactly what needs to happen if we want to scale meaningful change. You’ll hear: How Unum Ventures is bridging the gap between clinical care and employer supportWhy outdated benefit models are breaking under the weight of real-world care needsThe shift from point solutions to platforms — and what that means for maternal care innovatorsHow employers can support health journeys before employees even ask for helpWhat employers are learning about AI, privacy, and trust in the digital health eraThe growing role of employers in the care economy — and why it affects us all Whether you’re a healthcare leader, policy advocate, HR decision-maker, or women’s health entrepreneur, this episode will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the real conversations happening around maternal health, innovation, and what it takes to build a better, more human-centered future of work. Show Resources: Learn more about Unum. Connect with Jim Hettenbach on LinkedIn. Follow Mother of Fact for more episodes, tools, and updates. ✅ New episodes of the Mother of Fact Podcast drop on the second Tuesday of every month. Follow, subscribe, and share with a colleague who’s ready to help transform care at work and beyond.

    47 min

  3. 12/09/2025

    Designing Care That Works: How AI & Motivational Interviewing Strengthens Families and Frontline Teams

    AI is changing healthcare — but Modality is proving that the most powerful innovations start with people. Emily Sylvester sits down with Laura Vitale, Founder & CEO of Modality, for an honest conversation about how we train, support, and retain the frontline workers who form the backbone of our care systems. Laura shares how Modality uses AI-powered “practice conversations” to help staff build real motivational interviewing and trauma-informed skills—skills that can be measured with nuance, tracked over time, and seamlessly brought into supervision to strengthen teams from the inside out. Together, they explore how Modality is transforming clinical environments by reducing training time, supporting compliance, improving fidelity to evidence-based practices, and reducing burnout by giving staff renewed confidence and support. They also dig into the realities of workforce turnover, Medicaid-centered care settings, and what it truly takes to design innovation with overstretched teams instead of adding to their burden. From replacing day-long trainings with six-minute challenges to embedding skill-building directly into workflows, Laura explains why Modality’s flexible, human-centered design resonates so powerfully on the front lines. This episode is a thoughtful look at the future of training, the emotional weight of clinical work, the cost of burnout, and the creativity required to build products that genuinely support people doing incredibly hard jobs. To learn more about Laura and Modality visit findmodality.com. Follow Laura's journey on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-vitale-87980916/

    42 min

  4. 11/11/2025

    Between a Birth and a Board Meeting: The Untold Story of Postpartum Leadership

    What does real postpartum support look like when you’re running a startup, healing from birth, and parenting a NICU baby — all at once? In this powerful, raw, and heart-hitting episode, Emily sits down with Sam Gardner, founder of Continuity Co. and Happy Pillar), to talk about building mental health infrastructure for working moms — while barely surviving her own postpartum experience. This conversation is a must-listen for women’s health providers, maternal care innovators, clinical champions, entrepreneurs and investors who want to learn how the system is broken — and want to be part of reshaping it. You’ll hear: Why supporting women at work is essential to improving outcomes in pregnancy and postpartum How capacity ≠ capability, and why we need to stop glorifying over-functioning mothers The medical realities of postpartum recovery — and the gaps in continuity of care even for health-literate moms The real mental load of being a CEO and a mom, and what it looks like to actually put care infrastructure in place Why working through postpartum can tank both business and wellbeing — and what resilient, long-game leadership really looks like This is the real talk no one gives you in a training. If you’re advising patients returning to work, leading teams of mothers, or building maternal health programs — you need to hear this. Plus: Learn how Continuity KoE is flipping the script for founders, building embedded leadership so mothers can take real leave without blowing up their businesses. Resources + Links: Learn more about Sam’s work: https://thecontinuity.coFollow Sam on Instagram: @saltgardnerConnect on LinkedIn: Sam Gardner Don’t miss upcoming episodes! Follow @motheroffact for new drops, tools, and stories at the intersection of clinical care, equity, and maternal health innovation.

    48 min

  5. 10/08/2025

    Power in Connection: Amy VanHaren on Storytelling, Tech, and Maternal Health

    In this episode of Mother of Fact: the podcast—conversations with leaders transforming women’s health—host Emily Sylvester, Founder & CEO of Mother of Fact, sits down with Amy VanHaren, founder of Pumpspotting. Amy has spent the past decade redefining how mothers connect and find support through technology, storytelling, and community. From her journey across the country in the Breast Express bus—a roving space for breastfeeding awareness and connection—to scaling digital platforms that reach hundreds of thousands of parents, Amy has built a movement centered on belonging and care. Together, Emily and Amy explore the power of storytelling in maternal health, how digital tools can strengthen—not replace—human connection, and what it takes to build systems that truly support parents and families. If you’ve ever wondered how technology can make maternal care more human, this episode offers both inspiration and practical insight. Key Topics DiscussedAmy’s journey from startup founder to national maternal health advocateThe origins and impact of the Breast Express busWhy storytelling is essential to changing the maternal health narrativeThe role of technology in building real connection and communityLessons learned from scaling Pumpspotting and empowering parentsWhat the future of maternal health innovation could look like Guest Links & MentionsFollow Amy VanHaren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyvanharen/https://www.amyvanharen.com/Mother of Fact: https://motheroffact.com

    42 min
  • 5 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Conversations with the clinicians, directors, and changemakers shaping the future of maternal and reproductive health and wellness. Hosted by Emily Sylvester, Founder & CEO of Mother of Fact, this podcast dives into the real-world strategies, challenges, and breakthroughs transforming care for moms and babies. From front-line clinical insights to system-level solutions, each episode offers practical takeaways and fresh ideas for improving outcomes, streamlining operations, and advancing health equity.

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