A Dose of Optimism Season 2 Premiere: Return of the Parentrepreneurs!
We’re kicking off Season 2 by spotlighting parent-innovators who turned lived experience into action. This episode brings together founders who are reshaping pediatric mental health, literacy, and NICU care through empathy, technology, and perseverance.
Hafeezah Muhammad, founder and CEO of Backpack Healthcare, shares how her son’s mental health crisis led her to build a technology-enabled, family-centered mental health platform that serves children as young as four and supports parents, caregivers, and clinicians together. Carla Small, founder of Sprout Labs, explains how science-backed literacy tools and AI can identify dyslexia early, personalize instruction, and prevent years of academic struggle and declining self-esteem. Phil Martie, founder of Nicolette, reflects on his NICU journey as a parent of premature twins and how it inspired him to build tools that turn complex hospital data into clear, empowering insights for families navigating neonatal intensive care.
Together, these conversations highlight the power of early intervention, empathetic design, and technology that meets families where they are, before crises deepen and systems fail them.
Episode Resources:
Learn more from the previous ‘’parentrepreneurs’’ episodes:
Autism: Tools to help doctors and parents
Connect with Hafeezah Muhammad:
Connect with Carla Small:
Connect with Phil Martie:
Connect with us:
Children's Hospital L.A. Website
Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram
Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn