To Speak Plainly,

The Summer I Didn't Give My Kid
The first three got the stay-at-home mom. The fourth got the sequel. I'm writing this from a booth at Dave & Buster's. My youngest, Smith, is off with a friend playing overpriced games. Before this, we went mini bowling and then had fast food for lunch. I've overpaid for all of it, but I've been trying to cram a SUPER FUN summer into a handful of Friday afternoons. School starts next week, so today is extra obnoxious. Why? Because I've carried some guilt around all summer: Smith's summers look different... Read more...
Talk to me like an adult (I know all the words)
Skip the pink lab coat. I've earned the truth. I don't know about you, but I roll my eyes at aspirational marketing. When I had my first child — who recently got his driver's license, so I've just aged myself, albeit happily — I was convinced I would be an enviable, unblemished parent. I exclusively breastfed. I ate organic. I hand-mashed steamed produce from my farmers market, all in a strange effort to be the perfect mom. But there is no such thing. There is only a woman standing in... Read more...
"Sorry you're still big..."
Three founders, three eating disorders. This ad found us anyway. All three of us Plainspeak founders -- true to our roots as perfectionist millennials -- have had an eating disorder.   Though the cases varied in duration, type and severity, and though we have done our best to make peace with the younger versions of ourselves trying to grow up amongst heroin chic imagery on one side, and the promise [read: pressure] that We Could Be Whatever We Wanted on the other, the truth is that all of our experiences came with physiological... Read more...
Midlife Made Me Do It: Sleep Number Edition
Nothing says middle age like passionately recommending a mattress. The Sleep Number came to me early in my adulthood, before I could appreciate it, before I was middle aged. It was an era in which I was still often the youngest in the conference room, only a few of my friends -- the old souls -- had kids, and I was mere months into marriage. My husband had neck & back pain, was exceedingly uncomfortable while he slept, and after an onslaught of expensive pillows continued to show up at... Read more...
Why I Refused to Accept That I'm Middle-Aged
Recently, The Wall Street Journal ran a story with the headline: "Your 40s Used to Be Middle Age. Not Anymore." It called this chapter of life our "prime time" - a surprisingly dynamic period when many people are happier, healthier, and more fulfilled than they expected. Reading it reminded me of a conversation I had a few months ago... I was on a call with a client in the beauty industry whose target consumer was middle-aged women. Later, while recapping the conversation to my co-founders Rachel & Heather, I said... Read more...
You Should Have Seen Her Nails!!
The other day, I took my two kids - Georgia, 8, and Theo, 6 - to the beach to meet friends and their children, who ranged in age from four to twelve. As tends to happen, the girls found the girls and the boys found the boys. The girls claimed a makeshift cabana and disappeared into it for what felt like hours. No tablets, phones or scheduled activity. Just sitting around doing the ancient art of girl talk. On the drive home, Georgia asked, "Mom, can we get some Vaseline?"... Read more...
Meet the Woman Who Keeps Us Honest
Meet Dr. Gillian Goddard, our Chief Medical Advisor – and the reason this product does what it says it does. But don’t take it from us, take it from Gillian: Hello! I am so excited to introduce myself to you and tell you a little bit about why I chose to join Plainspeak. My name is Gillian Goddard and I am a Board-certified endocrinologist, a professor of medicine and an author. In all my roles, my goal has always been to help women become better advocates for themselves when it... Read more...
It Started In the Group Chat
It Started In the Group Chat
Welcome to Plainspeak.We're three best friends, moms, business partners, and career marketers who've spent the better part of two decades helping build brands, launch products, and bring other people's ideas... Read more...