Moving from startup to growth stage -a conversation with founder Mary Ray of MyHealthTeams, the social network for people with chronic illness

Who is Mary Ray?

Mary Ray, cofounder and COO of MyHealthTeams, has a deep understanding of consumer behavior and social networking, which drives unmatched engagement among MyHealthTeams’ more than 1.6 million members across 29 communities serving people living with chronic conditions. Her innovative vision for people-first digital health solutions and laser focus on user experience, authentic connections and scalable platforms has helped the company quickly address 90% of the chronic condition population since its launch in 2012. 

Drawing from her personal experience with friends and family members living with chronic conditions, she is passionate about building communities that empower individuals, families and caregivers to share experiences, resources and lifehacks that help them actively manage health and wellness while living with a chronic condition. Previously, Mary has held executive positions with established leaders such as IAC and Sony as well as with innovative startups across the mobile, digital media and consumer technology landscape.  

Mary is a graduate of the College of William & Mary School of Business and George Mason University. A serial entrepreneur, Mary is an advocate for women in technology and has served as a SXSW mentor for up-and-coming female leaders. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son.  

Show Highlights 

• Mary takes us through her background and her entrepreneurial journey into being the co-founder/COO of MyHealthTeams.  This journey started in 2nd grade selling Pac Man trading cards.   

• Mary talks about meeting her co-founder Eric Peacock and how they decided to start MyHealthTeams as a spin-out from Insider Pages. 
• MyHealthTeams is no longer a startup and is now in the growth stage.  Mary talks about where they are today and the plans to go deeper in their segments and provide greater benefits to their members.   
• Terri asks about their strategy for creating new social networks and why they don’t roll out for lots of conditions at the same time.  Mary answers and shares some of their biggest surprises in the MyHealthTeams social network rollout and usage.  
• Mary’s favorite founder resources include connecting with others through LinkedIn groups, female founder groups, and Harvard Business Review. 
• If Mary could wave a magic want, she would change it so that people sincerely understand each other and act accordingly.   

Terri’s Key Takeaway 

Listen to your customers to learn about ways to improve your product in unexpected ways.  

References in the Podcast 

• MyHealthTeams: https://www.myhealthteams.com/ 
• Insider Pages:  http://www.insiderpages.com/ 
• Ning:  https://www.ning.com/ 
• Hidden Brain: https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain 
• Hidden Brain:  Nature, Nurture and Your Politics:  https://www.npr.org/2018/10/03/654127241/nature-nurture-and-your-politics  

• How We Judge the Mistakes of Male vs Female Leaders:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-leadership/how-we-judge-the-mistakes-of-male-vs-female-leaders/2012/09/24/71e3ada0-066d-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html?utm_term=.fae92b904ff3  

Contact 

Mary can be reached by via email  [email protected], Twitter @marycray and LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryray/ 

You can follow Terri on Twitter at @terrihansonmead or go to her website at www.terrihansonmead.com or on Medium:  https://medium.com/@terrihansonmead.  

Feel free to email Terri at [email protected]. 

To continue the conversation, go to Twitter at @PilotingLife and use hashtag #PilotingYourLife.