Next Generation Infant Nutrition with Mia Funt, Co-Founder & President of ByHeart

Jacqueline is joined by Mia Funt, the co-founder and president of ByHeart - a next gen infant nutrition company. Mia is a powerhouse and entirely dedicated to shaking up the formula industry through owned manufacturing and Clean Label Certified ingredients, providing a healthier foundation for growing babies. While building the business with her Co-Founder (and brother) Ron, Mia was also building her family. Her mission has always gone beyond the business to ensure all parents can feel confident in their feeding decisions.

In this episode...

• Pop the champagne, it's the 50th episode of Motherhood Intended!
• Mia's formula feeding journey
• The why behind ByHeart and it's whole nutrition formula
• What sets ByHeart apart from other infant formulas
• Breastmilk science and clinical trials
• How ByHeart is helping all parents feel amazing about feeding their baby - no matter how they do it

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Chapters

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• 17:58 (Cont.) Next Generation Infant Nutrition with Mia Funt, Co-Founder & President of ByHeart

Transcript

Hey guys, welcome to the 50th episode of motherhood intended. I know you're just as excited as me. Go ahead, pop the champagne, put it in a coffee mug. If you have to, I won't tell. I'm just so proud of this podcast and can't believe we're wrapping up season two today. I feel like I say this all the time, but I literally can't wait for you to hear my conversation with today's guest.

If you're a mom of an infant, plan to be a mom one day or plan to grow your family. This episode is important because I'm interviewing the co founder and president of by heart, the next gen baby nutrition company. But before we dive into that, I did want to put a few things on your radar. So if you're multitasking, listen up.

If you're driving, maybe circle back and revisit what I'm about to say. Okay, so for starters, the podcast will be going on a hiatus. I know, I know, but don't worry, it's only for a little over a month, and I know you'll all be busy enjoying the holidays anyway.

And if you miss me that much, you can always join the motherhood intended community group on Facebook or follow me on Instagram at motherhood underscore intended,  but mark your calendars. Season 3 will premiere on January 11th, and I already have episodes stacked with the most interesting and brave guests ready to share their stories.

In the meantime, when you finish this episode, check out the show notes. I always link all sorts of goodies in there, including my free roadmap to your most fertile future and a growing list of discounts, exclusive to motherhood intended podcast listeners. You have to check it out. These are some of my favorite brands and they're offering special discounts just for you. Plus there's a link to support the podcast. If you feel like skipping your Starbucks run today and donating to the production of this show instead, just saying,  um, and there's a link to learn more about being a surrogate where you can earn up to 650 just for taking the first few simple steps.

So check it out. Everything is conveniently linked for you each week in the show notes. Okay, so as I mentioned, today's guest is Mia Funt, who is the co founder and president of ByHeart. Mia is a powerhouse and entirely dedicated to shaking up the formula industry through owned manufacturing and clean label certified ingredients, providing a healthier foundation for growing babies.

While building the business with her co founder and brother, Ron, Mia was also building her own family. Her mission has always gone beyond the business to ensure all parents can feel confident in their feeding decisions. Mia shares her own formula feeding journey and the story behind ByHeart. 

Take a listen.

Hi, Mia. Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. I'm really happy to have you here. 

Hi, Jacqueline. I'm so excited to be here. Thanks for including me. 

Yeah, of course.  So as we were just talking about before I hit record, feeding has been very top of mind for me as I look forward in our own surrogacy journey. You know, we're about halfway to meeting, our baby and I just know it's going to look very different for us this time around.

That being said, like even you mentioned, even within,  every sibling, every feeding journey has been different, even with my two boys. So I am so interested to learn about  your story and the why behind why you started by heart and just everything it stands for. But first I, I want to get to know you personally a little bit better. So tell me a little bit about yourself. I know you are a mom of three. 

Yes, absolutely. Well, first of all, congratulations. 

Thank you 

on your baby.  Yes, I'm a mom of three.  We actually started by heart when,  my oldest, Nev, who's eight years old today, When she was just one and I was starting out my family and,  really figuring out how to deal with the pressures and insecurities of, of growing and nurturing my new family.

And I've been growing. Both our company by heart and my family over the last seven years. And something really exciting is that by the time I had Simone, my third, she was actually a by heart customer,  which really came full circle, which was a lot of fun. 

Oh my goodness. Yeah. That is full circle. That's amazing. So how did you even decide, I'm just hearing you share that and like you have a one year old and you're starting this journey to create by heart. What was the driving force behind that? What's your background, I guess, professionally and  personally, obviously as a mom, I know why that would be motivating for you to. Create  this product, but tell me a little bit more professionally, what that looked like for you, the steps leading up to starting this company. 

Yeah, absolutely. So you're right. It was absolutely both, personal and professional. You know, by hearts in the baby feeding and nutrition space and feeding is so personal for everyone.

And it certainly was for me,  but also, , was a passion of mine professionally as well. So as you say, when We started by heart. My daughter was one and I had. Started off with nev breastfeeding. You know, the doctors, everybody tells you how breastfeeding is such a natural and nutritious choice.

And so I started breastfeeding.  But, you know, I found it really hard and, I was figuring out how to feed my baby and I felt so insecure and I, I was struggling. And when I reflect back, it was such a crazy time. I mean, I felt my baby was really frantic. I was,  I was learning how to be a new mom, how to breastfeed.

Like no one tells you how hard it is. Yeah. But I felt good about the decision to try and breastfeed,  but then a combination of struggling with that, going back to work, trying to balance, wanting to be a great mom, wanting to be a great friend, wife, all the, you know, trying to balance all the different sides of me,  I seeked a formula that I'd really feel confident with and I really struggled to and that made me feel like so insecure about this new role as a mom, just that I couldn't find this other option that I could feel proud of.

And so I was really frustrated that formulas just didn't provide an option. I could feel proud of. And so from a personal standpoint, I was really interested in this category. I was also in tech and digital media. And I dedicated my whole life to really seeing, categories and spaces where people needed more information.

They needed more support. And I was just so struck by when it came to baby feeding, I had no information. It was a total black box, in feel empowered, like understanding the nutrition or feeding options or the journey. And so I became interested in it from a perspective of like, not just how do I find a better formula, but how do I actually find information? 

That's such a mystery when it's so important to me and it's so intimate for me. So I was in tech and consumer, at half post and AOL. Before that, I had also been in consulting and I had helped brands look at areas, categories where there was a lot of opportunity and where  people had such need.

That was being unmet. And that was formula. The  category left parents so frustrated.  And there was so much need to disrupt and reinvent this category. So for all these reasons, it seemed so obvious. 

Absolutely. Like what a perfect match. All of those like  ran in parallel to what you're doing today and so relatable about  the lack of information out there.

I mean, I know everyone has a different feeding journey. I feel like with your first, you just kind of, you don't know how it's going to go. So you're just like, okay, I'm going to, I'm going to give it a try or I'm not. For me, I was, yeah. I didn't really have time to dive into it. My oldest was born super premature at 24 weeks.

So just, you know, didn't get to any of the baby classes was just in the NICU. And, um, at that point, pumping was all I could do for him for months and months and months.  , and then.  We tried in the NICU to breastfeed,  but it just wasn't, it just wasn't working for me and he even needed formula mixed in with breast milk to supplement for calories and it's just, I didn't know anything about any of it other than like you said, feeding is  so important.

It's the first thing you can do for your child and then when my second came along, you know, I gave it a good old college try to try and breastfeed just because I felt like that was what was best. You know, they just talk about the importance of breastfeeding.  And on the formula side of things, I just didn't know anything.

I was like, I don't even know how to compare this to real breast milk and like what's out there. And it's wild and amazing to me that it is. It's not talked about more. It's such an important thing, and I feel like moms are not educated. On the facts of formula and breast milk and what it's made up of and all of these things. It's crazy 

Yeah, it's so interesting how so many parents think oh, this was my feeding experience with my first It's gonna be similar with my second but yeah  that Every baby's different. You're different at different stages of your life, your work situation, your health situation, everything is different.

So as a result, your feeding situation is different. And I was so frustrated that I felt like there weren't options  to help me navigate it. You know, with Neve, I just remember like, She was frantically screaming. I was uncomfortable. And then three years later, when I had Raphael,  I somehow found it easier.

Like suddenly I was trying to breastfeed and I felt like, okay, this feels more comfortable. And I was starting to get the hang of it. And then actually my appendix ruptured. Just my gosh.  And suddenly I had to be on medication where I didn't have a choice. I couldn't breastfeed. And so all of a sudden I had to find a formula and that's stress of urgently finding an alternative, and not feeling prepared. 

just awful. And so what I always think about is like, why don't we have the luxury of going into new parenthood, feeling more prepared, saying, we don't know what's gonna happen. We don't know what lies ahead. So let's just be prepared for whatever feeding journey we may embark on and know that we don't know.

What's going to happen. And so whether you can breastfeed or you choose to formula feed or any combination, um, heart, we always talk about like, how do we help parents just feel prepared and calm that no matter what happens, they have tools to navigate feeding and new parenthood confidently.  I love that.

That's my experience. Yeah, I mean, I was the same way. I just,  I didn't know what to expect. And like you said, with the second child compared to the first, you know, I appreciate you saying that it's a lot of it's based on you too.  It's a very different life  now a mom of two, you know, my work situation had changed and that plays a lot into it.

It's not as simple as like, okay, here's baby let's feed. Do what I did last time. There are so many factors that that can switch things up. And like you said, being prepared is just really all you can do is it's because you don't know what to expect. And just being prepared with  the knowledge  is the most helpful thing.

I always think about that in terms of, like infertility and women who are on that journey. And I just think knowledge is power, but I think we need to talk more about it when it comes to being a new mom, you know, it's not cookie cutter and it's not so black and white. So I love that. By heart stands for all of that.

Yeah, we really want to help empower parents to  feel amazing and confident about feeding no matter how they feed. And the whole reason we started by heart is that If that was like the world that we envision that truly all parents can feel really confident and how they're nourishing their newborns, that we had to fix the formula product, like, until you could really feel proud of your formula. 

That feeling of kind of guilt or insecurity about that choice could never, we could never fix that. And so that's why we really embarked on this five year journey to completely overhaul formula and build a whole new formula from scratch and make it something that got so much closer to breast milk, that delivered the benefits to support your baby's health and did it through clean ingredients so that you could actually, Feed your baby formula and say, I am doing great things for my baby's health, and I understand,  everything about this product and how great it is for my baby, and that required creating a new recipe from scratch, you know, we did a clinical trial, we sourced every ingredient ourselves, we built the whole supply chain, and really worked with experts in breast milk research to get closer than ever before to breast milk.

Thank you. Because that was possible to do and parents deserved it. And then not just to do that, but then to educate parents,  all of the product, because without education, we can't feel empowered, you know, and, and there's so much to feel proud of no matter how you feed. So yeah. 

I agree. And  in the formula space, I, you guys are the first that I think are taking that education piece to the next level because,  there was always this  little bit of guilt as a mom,  when I decided to feed or supplement, and  there's like a couple of brands out there that stick out.

And I was just like, okay. I didn't really feel like I had control or, like, really great options, I was just like, oh, well, either I need to,  suck it up and make breastfeeding work for us, or I have to buy this formula. Like, it was, like, such a big swing, and you're right, it doesn't have to be that way.

So how  as one, even get started with creating a new formula, and, you know, you said you had clinical trials and everything, I mean, That's a lot of work. How did you even know where to get started with that? I mean, it's just mind blowing. 

Yeah, so I started by heart with my brother, Ron, and I was telling you how I felt so frustrated as a mom by the lack of options.

He felt also very frustrated about this category, but from a whole different perspective. He was actually in the health and nutrition space and he had been studying, uh, this infant formula category for a really long time. And he, knew all of these researchers and scientists who dedicated their life to studying breast milk.

And he saw that they understood more about breast milk than ever before. There was so much research about what are the ingredients in breast milk, what makes breast milk, breast milk. And yet their research and their breakthroughs weren't being translated into better formulas. Like the tools were there, the science was there. 

And the ingredients were there to create a formula that got closer to breast milk, but no one was kind of really translating that into better formulas. And he was so frustrated by the lack of innovation in this category. So we got together and we said, what would it take to truly create a better formula?

And we kind of started on this.  journey of discovery ourselves. Why is this category the way it is? Why hasn't it changed in so long? Why are the same three big companies owning like 90 percent of the category? And what we learned was, thankfully, this is the most highly regulated category. regulated food in the world.

I mean, that's really good to know. Right. Makes sense. That's so good.  Creatures. But if you're truly going to innovate and create a better formula, you need to run a clinical trial. You need to Get FDA registration. And that takes years and a huge investment. And along the way, every time we tried to take the harder, longer path to truly innovate because we were committed to creating a better formula, there were always times where it was like, Oh, or you could go that way and do it.

Do it easier or take a shortcut. Um, and yeah, I think starting it with my brother was so great because not only were we,  both so committed, but we could keep ourselves really, focused on that goal and that mission. Like we are here to create the best formula in the world and we're gonna have to make hard decisions and it's gonna take us five years to get to market, but this is what it's gonna take to, to really transform the feeding experience for parents.

Yeah. Well, and you know, I'm sure there's ups and downs with like working with family, but it seems like your skill sets are  the perfect match for what you're trying to do. And of course,  there's like that level of trust because it's family that you can make these hard decisions and keep each other on track.

So that makes total sense. And,  you know, everyone is happy that you took the harder route because it has obviously produced the product that everyone's been waiting for. I'm interested, how many years has it been since, a new formula like, like yours has been introduced? 

Well, when we launched, we, became only one of five manufacturers of infant formula in this country.

And when we finally got FDA registered, That was the first new manufacturer to be registered in 15 years. Like there hasn't been a new manufacturer formula in 15 years. It just shows you that our babies have been drinking the same formulas for so long. And we need an innovation.

Like so much has happened in those 15 years. Yeah. We,  are able to take the latest breast milk research and breast milk science translated into a formula that, delivers benefits that are so important for your baby's health benefits closer to breast milk and do it through clean ingredients.

You know, when I was, choosing my formula, my daughter, Neve was having trouble, transitioning. And she was spitting up and she was constipated and my pediatrician said, okay, you need an easy to digest formula, like try Enfamil Gentiles. And so it was the digestion benefit, but the first ingredient was corn syrup and there was so much, and there was palm.

And I was like,  I mean, I guess I have to choose what's most important. Yeah. And so we said, Every baby deserves an easy to digest formula.  And we were able to clinically prove those benefits of our formula, like less spit up, softer poops and easier digestion, but do it without corn syrup and soil  with clean label projects, certification and clean ingredients. 

It felt so obvious to us, like, of course we want easy digestion, of course we want clean ingredients, but  it unfortunately required a very long path that, you know,  anyone trying to create a new formula has to commit to if they're really going to make a difference. 

Yeah, but oh my gosh, it seems like it was definitely time.

I can't believe it had been 15 years and it's funny because  there's just such a lack of knowledge like we said before around,  the ingredients of formula. I knew like there's always different kinds and I've heard plenty of friends being like, oh, we switched, had to switch to this one because of X, Y, and Z.

And we tried this one and everyone's just like all over like the different formulas and It makes you think like, yeah, does it have to be that way? Why do we have to choose what the best scenario is? Why can't we have it all for our babies? And it's crazy that you said like the science and the research was there. It just needed to be  put into action, right? It's wild. 

I mean, it's such a complicated product. I mean, imagine this one food has to support all of baby's systems in the most critical time in their development when their immune system is developing their gut, their digestive system. And so this.

Food has to work really hard for your baby. It has to support all of these developing systems. And so we want clean ingredients, of course, like, of course we do. We want highest quality ingredients. And we went out and handpicked those ingredients like grass fed, organic, whole milk, and.  The highest quality ingredients, but we also need it to work hard for our babies.

I mean, people don't realize formula is like a full diet, right? You have your protein, your carbs, your fats, your vitamins and minerals like it's a full diet  in one food. And so we really built it up piece by piece to develop this full diet where every ingredient is really like we had to be very discerning about every ingredient and not just choose.

filler ingredients, but like, what are the ingredients that are going to support baby's health? And really get closer to breast milk and in multiple ways across that entire diet. 

I never thought about it like that. Formula is your baby's, it's like a full meal with all those different aspects.

You know, obviously, you know, that like your baby is,  on their bottle, like that's all they have, but. I never thought about it needing, like, all the different things that we need in our day, like, in our diet.  There's a lot of important ingredients that need to go in there. 

Yeah, like, for example, you know, there are carbs in in formula. You could get carbs through corn syrup, or you could get carbs through lactose, and Breast milk is all lactose and formula companies are making those decisions or it like, it blew our mind that all formulas in the U. S. were made with skim milk.  Because we know that whole healthy fats are so good for baby's metabolism and brain and all the things.

And so we worked for years to, get FDA. Registration and be able to use whole milk in our formula in Europe. That was already allowed, but it had never been allowed  in the US and Wow. So we became the first to have grass fed organic whole milk in our formula. And it was one of those examples of like, of course we want whole milk and like. 

goodness, that natural goodness. Another thing is when we looked at the protein between formula and breast milk, it looked entirely different. Like the two most abundant proteins in breast milk were virtually missing in formula. And so, One of them we had to get approved, we combined this blend and really created this protein blend that's the closest thing to breast milk, which was so important because it supports the immune system and the gut and digestive system. So there were just so many opportunities to improve the ingredients significantly, to work harder for yourself. 

Yeah, that is, I am like in shock because I had no idea that like the products that were available out there were just so different and lacking these certain things  that's crazy to me.

, as you were on like embarking on this journey, did you know going into it that the formula that's available on the shelves before by heart was created? Was lacking so much or where these are kind of revelations, like the more you kind of dove into everything and we're researching ingredients that you were like, mind blown that that these didn't exist.

We knew a couple things, right? Well, I mean, we knew, hey, this is an area, hasn't seen a new formula in a long time. And,  my brother understood like, okay, you know,  in order to make a difference, we're gonna have to go all in, we're gonna have to do a clinical trial, and we're gonna have to Get FDA registration, but we did not know the extent of it.

The more we dug, the more we, it just kept blowing our minds. For instance, you know, it came time to find a manufacturer and we said, okay, let's go out and find someone great to partner with. We learned that actually there was only one contract manufacturer for infant formula in the entire country.

And we said, all right, we've been working with breast milk scientists. That's a real thing, by the way. We came up with a recipe that's better for baby's health and we're ready to make it. And they said, well, that's not how this works. Like this is the formula that you get. we Did a clinical trial on it many years ago, and we can make very small changes, but essentially that's the formula that we'll give you, and you do marketing, and we'll get you on the market in a year.

And we're like, no, no, no, no, no, no. Yeah, you're like, wait a minute. We did a protein blend way closer to breast milk. We changed the fat content. We're using whole milk. We're, we took out all these ingredients. You know, and they're like, well, no, we can't do that because then we'd have to do a new clinical trial and we'd have to get a new FDA registration.

You're like, right, so let's do it. 

Yeah. And so we had no idea just how many challenges and hurdles there really would be. And we can't contract manufacturer. And that's when we went out and started looking for other options, traveled the whole world, looking at manufacturers and ended up purchasing a manufacturer.

And then bringing them up to our standards and getting them FDU registered. And  we just learned so quickly that we have to own it end to end. We had to own our whole manufacturing in order to be able to truly create a better product. And then since then, we acquired two more facilities. So  now we fully own every step of our manufacturing, across.

Pennsylvania, Iowa, Oregon, and we really own it and we can apply our highest standards. But we didn't realize how hard it would be to truly deliver formula at the level, at like our standard, our level of quality that we demanded. 

That manufacturing piece is like a whole, a whole nother added level to what you were trying to do. That's awesome though that you've  now got these three manufacturers 

You know, we, we source all of our own ingredients. We have direct relationships with our suppliers. We bring those ingredients in, we blend it, then we can it. We have backups. It's really important. I think after the infant formula shortage, in  particular, we realized just how vulnerable we really are in this country because we only have five. Companies that own manufacturing, like how important it is to have backups within the system, and so we acquired two new facilities just to really build up a supply chain that could be reliable, that parents could trust that they could feed their babies with confidence. 

Oh my goodness.   As moms, that's exactly what we need. You know, it's the, the shortage of formula was pretty scary. I know for a lot of moms out there. And so I love that you guys are proactive and taking that into account and just making sure that, you know, you guys could be available  to moms. I know you mentioned organic grass fed whole milk. What other ingredients, set buy hard apart from anything else on the shelves. 

Yeah, so, it's really a combination of things. As I said, breast milk is so complex,  how all the ingredients work together. And similarly, formula should be complex because it should be complex.

Do all the things to support your baby's health. So, the first thing we did was create this patented protein blend. It's a unique mix of proteins that get closest to breast milk. It includes the two most common proteins in breast milk, together with broken down proteins. And what that enabled us to do was create a protein blend that's easy on your baby's digestion and is really kind gentle, but also supports all of the important systems like the immune system and the gut.

And so we created this patented protein blend first and foremost, and that was really our way of closing the biggest gap between breast milk and formula. And if you talk to your pediatrician,  Often when, when babies have digestion problems, it's because of the protein because the protein looks so different in formula than it does in breast milk.

So first we created that blend and then we really patented it,  that combined with the grass fed organic whole milk, removing ingredients like corn syrup and palm oil and all of those fillers, soy, And so, you know, ensuring we have prebiotics and lactose, there's a lot that goes into it, to create something that really drives those benefits.

But what was really important to us is that we could then empower you with evidence of how it supports your baby's health. So it wasn't enough for us to just get a new formula registered.  We also went above and beyond with our clinical trial so that we could actually give you the data to say, Hey, look!

Babies on by heart had less spit up. They had softer poops. they had a better nutrient absorption, like all these ways,  that it's supporting your baby's digestion and growth and health. We think that too often companies like dumb it down too much for parents. They think, Oh, parents aren't leaning in or or parents don't understand data.

They do. Parents are Really sophisticated and they want the data. And so we're here to give it to you so that you have that evidence. And no matter what decision you make, you feel empowered and informed. And that was just so important to us. 

Yeah, that's perfect. I mean, you're right. A parent's parents, I think more so now than ever are very empowered to do their own research.

And, with social media and all the things  it's easy to look at different brands, but without the why behind it, it makes it really hard to make a decision. The clinical trials are very impressive and they're so, so important. I was going to ask you what kind of things did you learn most from that? It sounds like, you know, digestion is, you know, great and, you know, less sped up. Were there any other factors that really stood out during these trials? 

Yeah, absolutely. You know, our trial really showed breakthrough results to a,  degree that actually, our clinical manuscript was published in a, medical journal and, you know, we were happy about that because it was our way of really getting this data out in front of pediatricians, in front of parents, And what's interesting is that we keep reading out more data, uh, about our formula.

And so there's a lot more even to come than what the clinical trial, it's the data we've already, shared. Like for example, we recently, shared data that baby's on by heart. Have longer stretches between feeds. So that means like more sleep for baby and more sleep, uh, for parents. Amazing. And, and yeah, and when you think about that in combination with the digestion benefits, it all makes sense.

And so all to say that clinical research is just really core  to our,  product and it continues to drive our innovation. We have a full pipeline of formula products.  It was important to us to create this kind of all in one formula, to begin. But there are babies who have specific needs and we're going to need to innovate and always with clinical evidence, to really empower parents.

That's awesome. And this could be a silly question, but is that a requirement when you are creating a product? Like the clinical trials? 

That's a great question. You would think that all formulas required a clinical trial, but actually if you go to a contract manufacturer that did a trial like 10 years ago and you just reference that trial and that old kind of data, then.

you can bring, that kind of similar product to market. If you're going to create a new formula, then you have to run a new clinical trial. So we did that, but then we went above and beyond. We ran a really scientific trial where We didn't only do what was required, like study,  growth and safety.  We went beyond that  to study the immune system and the gut and digestion.

Because it was really important to us to. As I said, be able to show parents that we're getting closer to breast milk, that we're driving real outcomes for babies. So yes, required for a new infant formula. Not all kind of challengers have done that research. But also there's kind of a minimal way to do it. And then there's a way to go above and beyond to really generate data  far beyond just kind of growth and safety. 

 I mean, all of those things are, of course, so important to parents. It's not just about growth, and  it's easy to be told that there's these ingredients in it and it's, it's clean ingredients or this or that, but to really understand and have proven outcomes of the things that you just mentioned, like sleeping longer stretches and better digestion, softer poops, all the things,  that's really important to parents when they're thinking about feeding their child.

And, you know, when it comes to breastfeeding. You're not having to think about all those things. You're just like, okay, this is natural. This is what I'm doing, but it's overwhelming when you are making a decision with formula. So I love that you guys, take your clinical trials so seriously and go above and beyond and, and most importantly are sharing that information. And like you said, parents  are really, smart and willing to dive into these facts for our kids. So it's, that's just so awesome that that's available. 

Yeah, and one of the things that I really, And one of the things that we've learned along this journey is that, that first year of life, you're really creating a foundation for health.

It's really where health starts and nutrition is important in how it supports all these systems. And you're almost like  imprinting for future health. And,  you know, we always say Not all growth is equal. And when you're supporting your baby with the best nutrition and driving the right kind of growth, those things are really important.

And just this idea that nutrition starts on day one is so powerful. Like, I think we as adults are more and more engaged with our nutrition, and how it supports our health. But it really starts day one. And so we wanted to really educate parents on that  and create, a formula where, you know that  you're starting your baby off on the best foot.

Yeah. And what better feeling,  like we talked about at the beginning, you know, having your first baby and jumping into. to motherhood and parenthood. it's overwhelming and you don't know what you're doing quite yet. You know, you're just figuring it all out. So to take that one piece out of it and know that you're making a healthy first safe decision for your baby is, is huge.

And I've never thought  about it like that, like  that is  the first building block in your child's nutrition. You're right as adults, we're very in tune with these things now,  eating, whole foods. And we, we know that  So many different things start from our gut and we're taking care of our gut and all this stuff. But the very first thing is  formula and milk is for our babies. So that's an interesting point. I never thought about it like that, but you're so right. 

Yeah. And that's why I chose ingredients that's. Support the immune system and support the gut. It was just so critical because, you know, newborn babies, those things are developing like the immune system is so vulnerable and developing and,  as we were digging into these ingredients and talking to, leading experts in immune development or gut health or brain health, we just learned how important, nutrition is in that first year. 

It's so interesting so interesting. For those who haven't seen,  by heart yet on the shelves or haven't seen like your can, I have to say  just from a physical standpoint, your formula can is so beautiful.

And I love the top. So like from what I was reading, you don't, you don't spill. There's not like that puff of powder that happens with all formulas. I love that. Did you , have a hand in like designing that or how did you even Choose that part of the product just from like a purely physical standpoint.

Yeah. You know,  I'm so happy that you brought that up because,  we just want to change the whole feeling of formula. Like it is something you can be proud of. It is something you can put on your countertop and feel really good about and, you know, we want our stroller to be beautiful.

We want our... baby room to be beautiful. Like we care about those things because when things look beautiful, they feel good. And why does your infant formula can have to look so gross? Like this is your baby.   And you spend so much time feeding and preparing your baby's bottle. And so we wanted to be as considerate about elements of the can and elements of the experience, like what is on the outside of the can.

To reflect how considerate we were about every element of what's inside the can. And so, that's why we really spent time creating the first all metal can. You know, most tops are kind of plastic. It's such a big can. We wanted the first like fully recyclable, metal can, and then, yeah, make it feel beautiful and fun. And, uh, I love it to kind of transform that experience and make it feel good. 

I noticed it right away as I was diving into the product and on your social media and Instagram and everything. And I was like, Oh my gosh, I've never seen formula look this, like I appealing. And just from a very basic level, You know, that's the first impression of it and it speaks volumes for the product. So that's so cool that you put that thought into it to reflect what's inside the can, which is amazing. 

We had an event for parents and their kids and our employees where we actually,  took empty cans and we planted plants in them and now like on my windowsill with plants growing out of them.

And it just. I love it in. Um, yeah, we just want to, you know, we're all about kind of celebrating formula in all the ways. And you'll also see like in our images, we celebrate the liquid, the way that it falls into the bottle. I mean, you wouldn't believe how much time we spent. Spend on every detail, making sure that it tastes better, that it, flows into the can better. And so we just have to celebrate this, this amazing first food. 

Yeah. And I, I really think  by heart is like a movement. I mean, you were changing the way that people are thinking about formula and kind of removing that  stigma that it's like second best. And, it can be the most important thing for your baby.

So it's, it's just different. It's not second best. And I love that, you're showing that with everything that you guys are doing with by heart.  It's so cool to watch. And, you know, I can't wait to give it a try when our little one is here in the spring. It's going to feel so good knowing that I am.

Providing, the best ingredients and the best for her because  you know, there's so much that's out of your control in motherhood. And especially in those first few months, you just feel like all out of sorts and knowing that you can make a solid decision with one of the most important things is just priceless in my opinion.

Absolutely. And, you know, now we've been working on just making sure that we're showing up wherever parents need us to be and trying to make it just more convenient and comfortable. So if like, if you want to order it online on buyheart. com or you want to join a subscription because you just don't want to have to think about it.

You just want to kind of set it and forget it and know that it'll show up. On your doorstep like join our subscription, you know, peace of mind or if you want to walk into your local target because that's how you shop then we're there.  We're on target. com and even  you know, you and I were talking about kind of helping expecting parents prepare We're also Working with baby list because when you go to register we hope that you're also thinking about how to Prepare for parenthood and prepare for feeding. And so, 

I meant to bring that up because I was just on baby list last week and it popped right up by heart and I was like, whoa, that's so cool. And you know, this is my third child and I don't remember ever seeing a formula option popping up in my registry. And that's one of the most important things you prepare for is feeding your baby. So that was so, so cool to see by heart on there. That's the perfect place to be. 

Yeah, I mean, they're so amazing. Baby list at supporting new parents and helping them prepare for new parenthood. And we're just all about making sure that feeding is part of that preparation,  you know, no matter what you're preparing for, just so that we can all feel better in those first few months that we're ready for whatever comes our way.

Yeah, we got this. I love it. I love it. And that's so cool to have a subscription. That's helpful. I've tried to, in my personal life and in motherhood, you know, try to streamline so many different things. So  I love that option. And Target, is that a new, so I know this as we've talked, you know, this has been years in the making. How long has by heart been available to purchase? Like how long has it been on shelves? 

It's only been on shelves for a few weeks, honestly. It's a really new launch at Target. We are so excited about the partnership. We acknowledge that parents have a million things going on and so we want to just make sure that we're there. However you shop, wherever you live, it was really,  part of our commitment to being accessible. And so. We rolled out across, almost all of their, stores across the U. S. We're on target. com. And we're rolling out to more retailers next year as well.

And just always looking for feedback from parents, and so that's also why the kind of direct to consumer part of our business and our community is so important because we're listening to parents. And because we own our own manufacturing, because we own our own experience, we can listen and then we can actually translate what we're hearing into better solutions for parents. so the feedback helps us better.

So huge. Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's so huge. And yeah, collaboration is probably one of the biggest keys to like getting the best product out there when you listen to your customers. I love that so much. Oh my goodness. This has been such a great conversation. I am so happy that my listeners are now, if they weren't already now know about by heart and you know, as they just heard where they can find it, I'm going to link everything in our show notes as well.

Mia, thank you so much for talking with me today.  This has been such a. It's been a pleasure to learn about your background and how by heart came to be and I'm just so happy to see this in the formula space and I know everybody listening is going to be really interested to give it a try as well.

Oh, well, thank you so much. It was really fun. We're here. I'm here if you need anything as you embark on this new parent journey so 

thank you. I appreciate it. 

Good luck. Thanks so much. 

Thank you so much for joining me, not only today, but all year long. I know so many of you have been listening since the launch of Motherhood Intended in January earlier this year, and I appreciate you being here more than you know. If you're new to the show, welcome. I'm so glad you found the podcast and I hope you find it entertaining, educational, and supportive.

With 50 episodes under our belt, there are many topics that have been covered on the podcast. If you're playing catch up starting from the beginning or just dove into the show today, feel free to send me an email and I'm happy to suggest specific episodes that cover topics you might resonate with at this point in your motherhood journey. 

I started working on Motherhood Intended one year after I lost my third daughter who was stillborn at 20 weeks gestation.  After a year of grief, depression, and therapy, I needed a project and to focus on something productive instead of just surviving. Something that would lift me up and help me find myself again so I could be the mom my boys deserved.

Well, friends, this is it.  Connecting with all of you and the amazing women I've interviewed over the last year has been life changing. It has allowed me to reflect on my own motherhood journey, be grateful for everything I've been blessed with, and have hope for the future. I only hope the Motherhood Intended podcast will do the same for you.

A lot has happened in the last year and I'm nervously excited to share that our gestational carrier is doing so well and is 20 weeks along with our baby girl who's due in April. My husband and I are actually headed to Texas where she lives next week to be there for the anatomy scan, which feels surreal.

We are so very excited to see her and our baby, and also just filled with anxiety and PTSD from all our past trauma. We said hello and goodbye to our first born twins before 20 weeks. At our son Hunter's anatomy scan, we found out he had a bilateral clubfoot birth defect after already surcloge put in to close my cervix.

Then there was Noah, the one who safely made it into our arms with only a few bumps in the road.  And Maren, who I held in my arms instead of my womb just days before her anatomy scan. So to say there are all of the feelings surrounding this halfway point milestone would be an understatement.  All of your prayers and good vibes are so appreciated as we navigate the second half of this pregnancy.

We have all the confidence in our surrogate and God's plan, but it's just hard to shake the trauma. Even knowing this is a totally different situation. I'll be updating everyone on our surrogacy journey on Instagram. If you want to stay up to date while  in between podcast seasons, if you're interested in sharing your own motherhood journey, there's a link in the show notes to apply to be a guest on the podcast. 

I would love to have you.  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a fabulous end to your year, wherever you are on the path to motherhood. Please know I'm here as a resource and wishing you all the best. Enjoy time with your family and friends this next month. And you'll hear from me again in season three, which premieres January 11th, 2024.

Until then, bye for now!