A Conversation with Founders Lauryn & Lindsey

Tell us about you! 

Hi! We are Lauryn and Lindsey, the co-founders of Nurtured 9 and best friends since grade school. We ​grew up together in the same Boston suburb (and actually both studied Communications at Syracuse University as well...apparently we like to do a lot of things together!) Lauryn now lives in Tucson, AZ and is the mom of two little girls (Levi - 3, Mila - 1) and Lindsey lives outside of Boston, MA and is the mom of two kiddos as well (Olivia - 6, Luke - 2). You can find us on Instagram at @nurtured9. 

You two are old childhood friends turned business partners, how did that come to be? 

Yes! We've been friends for decades (sounds funny to say that it is true!) and have experienced a lot of life phases together, but once we both became pregnant, it was a whole new ballgame. As we became new moms, we talked a lot about how we were feeling - physically, mentally, emotionally - as we adjusted to early motherhood. Not only were our bodies going through a million changes, but we were experiencing a massive identity shift that came along with a new baby and it was a big transition. We felt like moms were getting lost in the shuffle during this transition and wanted to create a brand that's 100% focused on supporting, caring for, and celebrating expectant and new moms, knowing that there are plenty of brands and resources that already focus on caring for the baby. 

So, we decided to create an online shop with thoughtfully curated gift boxes filled with clean, nontoxic beauty, cozy loungewear, and elevated maternity essentials just for mom. We hope our gift boxes help moms-to-be and new moms feel more supported and loved, and help them prioritize their own self-care during their pregnancy and postpartum journey! Plus, every mom should be celebrated more, so we are really happy to play a role in that!  

As you know, we--Nell and Stephanie--are close friends turned business partners, too! What has been the best part of sharing this journey of entrepreneurship with a friend?  

There are so many benefits of sharing this journey with a close friend! It makes the whole entrepreneurial process more fun because we both get equally excited about our business, whether we're curating the inventory, making brand design decisions, or choosing a new marketing strategy that we’re both eager to implement. Neither of us can imagine making all of these decisions alone, and so to have a best friend turned business partner who's just as passionate and invested definitely makes the day-to-day so much more enjoyable. Also, the lows of the business - or obstacles might be a better word - aren’t as defeating because we have that buddy we can talk everything through with. Our best solutions (personal and business!) have come through talking it out. Two brains are always better than one.

Your focus on Mom speaks to us! Was there a product that you discovered or loved so much that inspired you to create Nurtured 9 to share with mamas-to-be everywhere?  

When we were pregnant we both felt strongly that we wanted to use clean and non-toxic self-care products, but we had trouble finding brands that we really liked and wanted to use beyond pregnancy. So when we started to look more deeply into the luxe clean beauty market and found lots of amazing beauty, bath & body products that were clean, smelled great and actually worked, we knew we had to tell other moms-to-be about these amazing products! Then we realized that everything we were finding was so beautiful and high quality that they'd actually make really amazing, thoughtful gifts!  

What has been the most popular product or bundle that you’ve sold to date?  

Our Nurtured 9 maternity/postpartum robes have been consistent bestsellers in our shop, and so the bundles that include those along with clean, soothing bath & body products have had the most success. Some of our bestselling bundles are: The Feel Good Pregnancy Gift Box, The Third Trimester Elevated Essentials Pregnancy Gift Box, and the Replenish & Restore New Mom/Postpartum Gift Box. 

What’s your favorite thing(s) about running this business?

We love the whole creative process of building our dream brand, constantly thinking of new ways to reach new customers, and feeling like we’re playing a small part in helping moms-to-be and new moms feel more supported, cared for and loved!  

What advice would you offer other moms/parents/best friends looking to start a business?  

If you’re starting a business, there’s a good chance that you don’t know what you don’t know (cliche, yes, but true!). There have been lots of hurdles along our entrepreneurial journey, but we've found that if we take it step-by-step, we can usually figure it out. So our biggest piece of advice is to just go for it! You'll learn so much just by doing. 

Finally, we’re so glad you found Kibou and reached out to us! What made you decide to add Kibou to your gift bundles? 

We absolutely love Kibou! It is such a genius concept. The bag truly combines function, quality, and beauty/style which is something that we always look for when we curate items for our expectant and new mom gift boxes. We also look for items that help to make a new mom’s day just a little bit easier. The hands-free design of this fanny pack diaper bag definitely supports mom as she navigates through her day which as we all know can be full of ups and downs! 

I (Lindsey) still remember being that new mom who's pushing an empty stroller as I carried my crying baby and walked the dog all while trying to pick up the mail while searching for my keys! (I might have been crying a little bit, too!) I could have really used the Kibou during those days, and I definitely love it as a toddler mom now! When my son runs, I have to follow, immediately, so my essentials need to be with me at all times. Plus, it doesn't hurt that it's super cute! I feel so stylish when I wear it. ​

And I (Lauryn) love it because I have all of my essentials on my body which is amazing since I have one babe in diapers running in one direction and her older sister running in the opposite. Plus, having been in the fashion industry for years prior, it's important to me that it's super chic, fun & functional!