When my husband and I decided to start our health tech company, flipMD, in 2020, it was a fork-in-the-road moment. Believe it or not, we were weighing the choice between buying an RV to leave Philly and travel the country with our oldest daughter, only 3 at the time, or starting our business.
The pandemic was looming over us at the time, and we didn’t want to feel stuck in one place. We had some money saved up from my physician husband’s medical consulting work, which was ultimately the idea behind flipMD. But we questioned what to do with it: Hit the road or hustle at home? We knew the medical consulting gig could work as a bigger business. If my husband could do it and make better money at home than by adding additional clinical hours at the hospital, why not bring it to other physicians and their families?
Still, we debated whether or not it was the right move for our family.
Then one day, my husband and I were having a heart-to-heart on a drive back from a trip. With everything going on in the world, we knew that our idea could really make a major impact in the healthcare space by being THE FIRST on-demand consulting source for physicians to better connect with companies needing their unique insights. We decided that day that our business needed to exist and that we had the skills and experiences to see it through (I have a background in publishing and my Master’s degree in Technology Management from NYU), so we decided to go for it. We started to build flipMD the very next day.
We could’ve easily gone the other way at this crossroad, but we chose the riskier, higher return choice. I’ll be honest — I still wonder about the beautiful family memories that could’ve happened if we had gone the RV route. Experiencing the vastness of the Grand Canyon, touring Yosemite, and taking in the breathtaking California views of the PCH. Those two years of trying to start a business while being a good mom and partner, getting pregnant and bringing on our second daughter, and navigating the world’s pain during the pandemic were tormenting. We had lots of cereal for dinner, far too many iPad hours, and most of the time, the overwhelm of the new business left me without time to bond with my children, and even worse, leaving me prickly, on edge, and shame-filled that I couldn’t “do it all” — something women have been duped into believing is possible.
During that time, I was not a good mom (to my standards). But, unfortunately, that is the only way that we could get the business up and running. I had to step back from some areas of my life to give space to my new business, knowing that someday it would be the opposite scenario. Everything is a season in business.
I still think back now, like, “What if you had shoved your kid into an RV and seen the country for these past two years instead of pushing this boulder of a business up a hill?”
But, on the other hand, me and my husband may have divorced by now if we’ve chosen the RV option. I mean those corridors are cramped, am I right?!? Fortunately for us, launching flipMD ultimately filled up our time but also, more significantly, made us grow closer in partnership. The business was something different we could talk and think about together other than the day-to-day. Plus, we got to ignore Trump for a while (you know, that kind of stuff). It wasn’t all sunshine and roses for those two years building up our company — and I know it’s not like that for anybody trying to start a business. There were tears, arguments, hopelessness, lots of caffeine, and very little rest. But also some literal jump-for-joy moments, some lucky breaks, and a lot of memorable pep talks.
We are fortunate to share a happy ending — or maybe we could call it a new beginning — in early 2022, flipMD was acquired by GoodRx for a meaningful amount of money for our family, proving that our hustle was well worth it. It’s paved the way for new opportunities for us professionally and philanthropically, and it’s helped us to realize that we can do anything we set our minds to — and there is more to come, just wait.
Launching our first business has further piqued my curiosity about healthcare in general, the underlying structure and limitations of today’s health systems, the importance of care for providers, and what the female patient experience should evolve to. In the middle of our work on flipMD, we also welcomed our second child. From my labor and delivery experience and prenatal care for both of my girls, I’ve learned there is a lot to be desired in maternal health. It’s fueled my desire to continue to push modern healthcare forward to address the existing gaps, especially for women. From maternal mortality to body autonomy, reproductive health, and more, I am now able to not only explore these topics but to create (and fund) initiatives that have the potential to generate a real impact.
I don’t know how long it’ll take to make real change, but I know that it will take average women like myself to ask, probe, and force action to move it forward.
And I’m so ready to see what we can do.
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