Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Hays & Megan Dalton. They and their team shared their story with us below:
The concept for the Matrescence was founded after personal and professional recognition of the gaps in care for women. Lauren, one of the co-founders, was working in the NICU as an RN and recognized the lack of support those mothers and families had while navigating that experience and had little to no follow-up support after they left the hospital. She had a year-long, debilitating journey with postpartum anxiety despite working in healthcare with women having an incredible support system. After coming out of the fog of that experience, she knew that if she struggled, so many other women were likely working in silence through the various experiences of motherhood that are common yet isolating. She knew she wanted to dedicate her career to filling the huge gaps she was seeing at work and home, and she went back to school to become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
In the fall of 2021, Lauren + Megan Dalton teamed up. He founded The Matrescence®, a digital maternal mental health and wellness app and web-based platform to fill the gap between women and families going through the experiences and needing clinical support. Megan is the business and marketing expert behind the operation and brings a wealth of knowledge in the space after working with national brands in the sports marketing world. We identified that many women fall through the cracks in the middle before needing clinical support, and we have filled it with three pillars that we are confident can serve as preventative steps and be a proactive approach to maternal mental health.
- A library of credentialed maternal expert education in various formats regarding all the things that impact mental health in motherhood (breastfeeding support, pelvic floor 101, intrusive thoughts education, lifestyle shifts such as sleep hygiene and nutrition, etc.).
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction activities: Practicing mindfulness, supported by scientific evidence and developed by mental health professionals, enables individuals to gracefully navigate the fluctuations of joy and uncertainty, fostering a profound connection with their children and nurturing personal well-being.
- Peer support inside a HIPPA-compliant community: Season-specific groups hold space for all choices, experiences, and feelings without judgment. Peer connection and support is the central pillar of optimal wellness. Women can connect privately and join groups based on their maternal experiences to share resources, validation, healing, and hope.
Today, we have served thousands of individual clients with our private app to help them navigate the fog (and joy) of motherhood. People are listening! We have gained traction locally by partnering with local non-profits, appearing on local news outlet coverage, and working with well-known national brands on strategic partnerships. In 2024, we are positioned to grow a philanthropic arm of our company alongside a B2B strategy to support women in the workforce.
Can you tell us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth?
Our entrepreneurship journey taught us that it is truly a roller coaster. We were told that from the beginning, but we also knew that our passion and pursuit of impact would guide us through the hard days, and it has. We both have 3 little kids, and I would say that the biggest struggle to date has been the constant recalibration of our time and energy and making sure that we are optimizing our work hours and being able to turn that off and show up as present moms on the “off hours” which seem elusive when you are running a start-up with a 2-man team. We keep each other in check to ensure we are taking care of our health and pick up for each other if one of us needs a breather. Overall, it has been an incredible journey, but we would be lying if we said it has been a smooth road.
Great, so let’s get down to business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Matrescence is a digital maternal mental health and wellness app and platform meant to serve as a comprehensive and ongoing postpartum pillar of support to help women navigate motherhood. The transition to motherhood can be a challenging and overwhelming experience for many women, with studies showing that up to 20% of new mothers may experience mental health issues such as postpartum depression, anxiety, and stress (and likely many more since 75% of women with diagnosable postpartum mood and anxiety disorders go untreated). These challenges not only affect the mothers but also significantly impact the well-being of their families and children. Unfortunately, there is often a lack of accessible resources, awareness, and support for maternal mental health, leading to unaddressed needs and a struggle to cope with these challenges.
Our digital maternal mental health community aims to bridge this gap by providing a comprehensive and accessible platform dedicated to supporting women through their journey into motherhood. We educate and empower mothers to prioritize their mental health and well-being by building stress resilience and healthy coping skills. Our platform offers a range of tools and resources, including meditation, breathwork, journaling, affirmations, and community peer support. By fostering an inclusive and supportive environment, we help mothers develop the skills and confidence needed to navigate the challenges of motherhood, learn about the resources that exist to serve them, and break down the stigma of maternal mental health care.
Nothing makes us more proud than the community we have built from the ground up. “The compassionate action of its members most accurately measures the power of a community.” – Coretta Scott King. Our platform educates, empowers, and encourages women to be the best version of themselves. A community of supported women allows for the next generation of caring, respectful, physically and emotionally healthy adults. We’ve organically grown an Instagram following of over 14,000 individuals looking to make a change. Professionals across women’s healthcare (pelvic floor physical therapists, lactation consultants, therapists, psychiatrists, pharmacists, OBGYNs) have donated countless hours and education to our community because they, too, believe in empowering women in their choices. Our membership community has women connecting across the globe from Chicago to Australia, Kansas to New Zealand, and New York to Canada. Social support, connection, and validation provide a lifeline for many women. Our platform offers a safe space to talk about the hard stuff that no one should navigate alone (yet many do).
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Kansas City is an incredible place to start a start-up or own a business. There is no lack of resources in this city, and we have been incredibly humbled by the support we have received this far and the people who continue to stand in our corner and speak our name in a room of opportunity. Our entire library of resources is full of education from credentialed experts who have given their time and energy to our space to help serve women and families in Kansas City and beyond!
My advice is to be bold and confident. If you don’t ask, no is always the answer, and you will be surprised by the number of people who want to champion your cause. Always be ready to extend your hand to others; the ecosystem will always be full of people prepared to help you and waiting for your guidance.
We have loved attending the local networking events and workshops hosted by HealthyKC and Kansas City Business Journal and the Advent Health LIV conference, where we hosted a breakout session. Look for events, seminars, and workshops related to your field, and get your name out there! The hardest part is getting that initial brand recognition and authority in the space, but these networking events help.
Pricing:
- $9.99/month membership
- $99/year membership
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thematrescence.com
- Instagram: @thematrescence
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/76170821/admin/feed/posts/
Image Credits
Portrait Novella
