Meet the team: Maggie McDaris
Formerly the Executive Vice President at Lulafit, Maggie McDaris is a Co-founder and CEO of Phase. Maggie has a diverse background in executive leadership, health and wellness, product innovation, and start-up operations. She is excited to drive positive change, ensuring that women don’t have to pretend they don’t have periods in order to be successful in the workplace. In her spare time, you’ll find Maggie snuggling with her dog Leo, riding horses, rooting for her favourite football teams (American and European), and playing Anna to her daughter’s Elsa :)
What was the 'lightbulb moment' that sparked the idea for Phase and where were you when it happened?
I have two very distinct answers to this question - one that describes my personal lightbulb moment and one that connects that singular lightbulb to the entire power grid of women’s professional lives.
In Fall of 2022, I was 12 months postpartum and I was suffering. I was an executive at a fast-growing startup and had just launched a new business vertical within the company. Mentally, I was struggling with the balancing act of a career and new motherhood. Physically, my body had not recovered from giving birth. My periods were horrendous and could only be described as hemorrhagic (I have a vivid memory of closing a 5-figure deal with blood trickling down my leg due to my severe bleeding.) As a result, I became severely anaemic - my hair was falling out and my energy was non-existent. Often the only way to get through a day was to fill it with tasks and meetings to the point where my adrenaline would kick in and carry me through. In December, my family staged what was essentially an intervention. My body was breaking down, I was burnt out, and something needed to change.
Over the next 6 months, I got medical support and started seeing a functional dietitian to address some of my severe nutrient deficiencies. This was my personal lightbulb moment into how the way I was working was harming my body. I was introduced to the concept of working in rhythm with my cycle and began to understand how operating out of sync with my body’s natural rhythms was impacting me. I was blown away by the immediacy with which I started to feel better once I organized my projects and calendar in a way that aligned with the phases of my cycle.
Fast forward to the summer of 2023. I’m in a beautiful seaside restaurant drinking rosé and watching the sun set over a wild Atlantic ocean. I’m at dinner surrounded by professional women who have conquered their industries. We’re talking some of the most impressive individuals in their fields. As we are sharing the stories of our careers there was a common thread: the challenge of being a woman who prioritizes her work while also juggling the realities of our cycles and periods. I couldn’t believe that all of these incredibly successful women viewed their cycle as a hindrance, as an obstacle in the way of their career success rather than what I had come to know my cycle as - a superpower that I could leverage to amplify the impact of my work. This was my second lightbulb moment. Most professional women had no idea how to use their cycle to their advantage at work, nor did they have the tools to apply this concept to their professional worlds.
What's the most surprising thing you've learned about women's health since starting this company?
When we are on our periods, we are tuned in to our intuition and reflective analysis. The days we are bleeding aren’t meant to be a wash, but can be some of the most important days of the month, professionally, if we let them.
Many women’s health initiatives add to women’s mental load by asking them to do the work of learning new information and applying that information to their lives. We need to do better when it comes to solutions for women.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about yourself since starting this journey?
One of the things I’ve developed the most over the last 8 months is the skill of leveraging my gut or intuition. One of my strongest skillsets is building relationships and surrounding myself with people who are smarter than me (one look at my cofounding team will prove that). However, I have learned to refine my filter for feedback and trust my instincts when making decisions.
I’ve also learned that I am not overly excited by innovation for innovation’s sake. Within health tech, it’s easy to get swept up in the products of the future, but what gets me out of bed in the morning is how we can create products for the problems of today.
How do your past experiences influence the way you lead and inspire your team?
During my time at lulafit, I saw and experienced a few things that have been key in influencing how I lead. First, I knew I never wanted to be a solo founder. I feel so grateful for Georgie and Sam and the ways they can carry the torch if I’m having an off week.
I am evangelical about fostering a communication structure around the concept of radical candor. Ask for and give feedback often and acknowledge that being clear is often being kind.
One of the most important things I learned from my previous CEO (shoutout Colleen Werner) is the importance of surrounding yourself with people smarter than you. A business where the CEO is always the smartest person in the room is never going to reach its full potential.
Another skill I learned from my former CEO - authentic networking is a superpower. CEOs have to prioritize their time, but whenever possible, have a coffee chat. Relationships are sometimes the most important thing you are building when starting a business.
Two things I’ve learned that are specific to running a startup are:
Ruthless prioritization. Small businesses need to be efficient with every resource - human capital included. This requires a constant prioritization of key goals.
Kill your darlings. When building something new, it’s easy to get attached to an idea that you thought would work or perhaps had worked for a period of time. I’ve seen too many businesses resist moving on from things that are no longer serving them and it costs them in the long run.
Finally, defend a healthy company culture at all costs. Hiring the right people early on can make or break a small team. It doesn’t matter if that person has all the skills and experience you think you need. If they don’t actively contribute to a healthy company culture, they’re not worth it.
If Phase had a company mascot, what would it be and why?
Orca
Matriarchal
Generational wisdom
Community oriented
Apex predators :)
What’s your favorite way to unwind after a busy day of managing the company?
Horseback riding, quality time with my kiddo, a long walk at Chiswick house with my dog and an audiobook.
What is your personal mission when it comes to Phase?
“I want to build a better working world for my daughter”.
I was so lucky to have grown up with a kickass corporate baddie for a mom. My mom retired as CIO of a fortune 100 company in a male-dominated industry, but even she had to pretend that she didn’t have a cycle in order to be successful. Whatever industry my daughter ends up in, I want her to see her cycle as a superpower that lets her bring the best and most authentic version of herself to her work everyday.
On a macro level, I want to disrupt the way we work. The corporate structure many of us (women) operate in was not designed for us. I want to lead a global movement that rethinks the way we work and doesn’t require women to hide tampons in their sleeves.
