Thoughts on parenting, business, and diapers- from my chat with Alex Wolfe on the Eons Podcast
I recently sat down with Alex Wolfe on the Eons Podcast, and we ended up having one of those conversations that sticks with you. We talked about parenting, business, plastic waste, and how everything is way more connected than we think.
One thing that came up – and something I’ve been thinking a lot about – is how becoming a parent reminds me so much of building a company.
In both cases, you start off focused on the immediate: feed the baby, grow the business, keep everything alive. But what I’ve learned is that it’s not just about obsessing over the baby or the business- it’s about the ecosystem around it.
A baby can have the best food and the best clothes, but if they’re growing up in a toxic environment, it’s going to affect them. Same with a business. If your community, your suppliers, your team, and even nature are struggling, that strain will show up eventually. But when the ecosystem is strong, everything starts to thrive together.
So… Diapers.
That brings me to something unglamorous but so important: diapers.
Most people don’t realize this, but diapers are the #1 plastic waste item in homes and the #3 waste item in landfills. They take hundreds of years to break down. One baby uses about 6,000 diapers in their early years. It’s a massive amount of waste- and most of it ends up in landfills, releasing toxins into the environment and leaching chemicals into our babies’ skin during their most delicate developmental years.
Once I saw that clearly, I couldn’t unsee it. And I didn’t want to keep putting my kid in something I wouldn’t even want to touch with my own hands.
That’s why we created HIRO Diapers– a high-performing, comfortable diaper that’s also mycodigestible. That means it uses fungi to break down the plastics that are necessary for performance. The rest of the diaper is made with unbleached cotton and wood pulp. Everything that touches the baby is gentle and designed to return to nature.
We didn’t want to make just an “eco” diaper. We wanted to make the best diaper, full stop. One that parents want to use because it works- and that just so happens to also break down naturally. No greenwashing. No compromises.
Building Differently
I’ve built companies before – TUSHY, THINX – and those early years were about pushing hard, raising capital, proving myself. And yeah, there’s still some of that. But this time, it feels different.
What I care about now is building in tune with nature, and from a place that feels grounded and intentional. That doesn’t mean I’m not ambitious- I am. But I don’t want to create at the expense of people or the planet. I believe you can grow something great and make it regenerative.
That’s what we’re doing with HIRO. And it all started with a diaper.
If you want to hear my full conversation with Alex on the Eons Podcast, click here.
Xo,
Miki
PS. I’m back on the speaking circuit ✨
See my speaking page and topics [click here] 🚀
Contact: hello@mikiagrawal.com for speaking inquiries.