732 Luna Aziz: Founder & CEO of Legendairy Milk

0:00Kara Goldin:I am unwilling to give up, but I will start over from scratch as many times as it takes to get where I want to be. You just want to make sure you will get knocked down, but just make sure you don't get knocked out. So your only choice should be, go focus on what you can control. Hi everyone and welcome to the Kara Goldin show. Join me each week for inspiring conversations with some of the world's greatest leaders. We'll talk with founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and really some of the most interesting people of our time. Can't wait to get started. Let's go. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to the Kira Golden Show.

0:44Kara Goldin:Today, I'm joined by an incredible, incredible entrepreneur, Luna Aziz, who is the founder and CEO of Legendary Milk. Get that, legendary. Really, really amazing, loved the play on words, a brand that started in her backyard and is now helping women worldwide navigate some of the most challenging and often overlooked chapters of their health. So Luna's journey began when she was deep in the postpartum trenches. Many of us can relate to this, struggling with low milk supply and reacting badly to the go-to herb at the moment, Fenugreek. Instead of accepting that as a reality, she dove into research, and I can't wait to talk to her about what she found.

1:36Kara Goldin:But what started as a fix for herself became a lifeline for countless other women. Legendary Milk was started in 2015 and has really taken off, and today her company is more than just a supplement brand helping women with the stage of life. It's really a movement. And she is so gracious to be joining us here today to talk all about the founding and the building of the brand. So welcome, Luna. Nice to meet you and super excited that you're here. Hi, Kara. It's a pleasure chatting with you today. Thank you. Really, really excited. So, okay. So for those who are not familiar with Legendary Milk, how would you describe it?

2:22I would say when I started Legendary Milk, I wasn't trying to build a business. I was trying to survive new motherhood. You kind of mentioned just the, you know, the extreme sleep deprivation, navigating the emotional ups and downs of breastfeeding and just taking care of another human being. This really started as a personal mission for me to help increase my milk supply. I had tried kind of the tried and true herb on the market that had been there for, I think, 25 years called fenugreek. Unfortunately, I had a bad reaction to it. And I felt like there had to be other options out there. I'm someone who has to understand the why.

3:01I always need to know the why. And I'll go down the rabbit hole and dig deep to find the research to understand that why. And so I was struggling with chronic low milk supply. I was feeling like I was moving heaven and earth just to make a little bit more milk and nothing was working. And then, you know, come to find out the fenugreek wasn't an option for me. So I started doing research on what women have been using in different cultures for centuries, various herbs and plants that had been passed down from different generations, a lot of folk wisdom that had been written down about it. and that women in the U.S.

3:36just didn't know about. Herbs like black seed, goat's rue, fennel, dill. And I'm from the Middle East. And so my aunts gave me their kind of traditional wisdom, try dates, try figs, a little bit of black human seed on some bread with some honey. I tried all the things. And then finally, I found a website that offered all of these herbs. I ordered them. I bought my own coffee grinder and an actual encapsulator. So I bought this little machine on eBay where I could make 45 capsules in one hour. And I started creating my own little formulation. So I take a teaspoon of this and a tablespoon of that.

4:13I ended up coming out with six different formulations that I would test on myself. So I do not recommend this, but I was my own guinea pig. I would try the formulations to see what worked best for me. And then at that point, I was four months postpartum. And I thought, you know, maybe there are other moms for whatever reason who cannot use fenugreek or looking for other alternatives. You know, there hasn't been any sort of disruption in that market for a good, you know, two decades. And maybe there's just someone looking for other alternatives. And I posted these formulations on Etsy of all places.

4:44I was thinking, I'll get one one order a month. You know, it'll just be a fun side hobby with my my baby. And someone in a Facebook group of 20 ,000 breastfeeding moms purchased one of the products, posted about it in that group and was just raving about it. And I got like 50 orders overnight. Highly do not recommend doing all of this by yourself because I worked until about two or three in the morning every night. I would make the capsules. I would bottle them. I would print off the labels. Then I would communicate with the mom through Etsy because for me, I've always been just very curious about things.

5:20And what I learned was that there was a huge deficit when it came to breastfeeding research, especially around low milk supply. It just wasn't something that researchers weren't ever going to make money off of or were interested in. So really having to go deep into finding out the why, the root cause for why someone might have low milk supply. And so I used all that knowledge to then communicate with these moms who were coming to me at two in the morning, desperate for something to help increase their milk supply. We would just have really candid conversations about like, what are you doing, you know, when you're nursing or pumping?

5:52How often are you nursing or pumping? You know, what pump are you using? What pump settings? I would just troubleshoot with them for hours at a time. So I would work until two or three in the morning, wake up with my baby at 7 a.m. And I really just didn't work or I didn't sleep at all that year. I was stretched very thin. And so it has been kind of a whirlwind, something that I really just expected to be a hobby that I was very passionate about became a business, a full-fledged business. And it still feels very surreal to me.

6:21Kara Goldin:I love it. So when you mentioned Facebook. I mean, when you first had this idea and you're making the initial batch, what were those next steps after that? So how many did you make? I mean, you also mentioned Etsy. What was sort of the initial batch where you thought, okay, I can go and sell this and then see kind of what happens? The great thing is there wasn't a lot of initial investment made. everything that I brought into the business I would then use to pay for all of my supplies. So I didn't wasn't expecting very much. I mean, I think I bought maybe like 50 to 100 bottles. And I thought, Oh, that'll last me like a year, a good year, because this is just going to be something where I get an order a month.

7:07And then I remember that after that first year, my husband was the one who came to me and said, You can't keep doing this, you're stretched, you're thin, you're not sleeping. You know, this is taking over your life, you can't keep using our studio to make supplements. And so we ended up finding a manufacturer that we actually still use. And when we came to them and approached them about our first purchase order, it was the smallest PO that they'd ever received. And so they took a really big chance on us because they didn't know if it was going to go well or not. And, you know, typically they're looking for a certain amount of inventory that you're going to purchase or that they're going to manufacture so that it's worth it for them.

7:44And now we are their biggest client. So it's really kind of, again, surreal the last 10 years. I'm so grateful then that they took the chance on us. But to your point about social media, it has been such a fantastic outlet for us to not only talk about the products, because I think, honestly, for me, because I had my own personal struggles with breastfeeding, the education and support were the huge priority for me, the first priority, to be honest. and the products were a very distant second. And so whenever I was posting on social media, it was a lot about navigating the ins and outs of breastfeeding and giving tips and tricks for increasing milk supply or troubleshooting any difficulties that a mom might be having with nursing or pumping and very little about the products.

8:30And I actually would have a lot of moms approach me and say, I didn't even know you sold products because I never see them on your social media feed. I thought this was just an education account. And that was very intentional for me. I always think about that song from Janet Jackson, What Have You Done For Me Lately? And that's really what I think as a brand you have to be having in the back of your mind at all times is how to meet your consumer where they're at. And many of our moms are on social media and they're there because maybe in a moment of desperation, they are looking for tips on how to continue breastfeeding.

9:01Maybe they're ready to quit. Maybe this is the day that this is the final straw. They're like, I'm done. And you can be their cheerleader. You can be their non-judgmental support. Or you can provide that education information that they've been kind of yearning for and couldn't find anywhere else. Maybe they're not getting a lot of support at home. And so they feel like they can come to your account and feel like, I'm not alone. There are so many other women going through this with me. Maybe they resonate with the humor that we bring because, you know, I always say during the postpartum period, if you're not laughing, you're crying.

9:31So we try to instill a lot of humor during that time, too, because we're all going through it. You know, we might as well be getting a chuckle out of it. But I think social media in general has been just a huge platform for us to be able to be advocates for breastfeeding and then also be able to share about the products as well.

9:48Kara Goldin:The success that you've had, obviously, you had your own story, your own personal story. So how much do you think that that story contributed to people really saying, oh, wow, I mean, it's relatable. You had been through it versus somebody who's just like launching a supplement brand that doesn't really have that personal story. I think it's a motherhood is such a transformational period of time. I don't think you truly understand it unless you've been in the trenches of it. So I definitely understand what it's like to be a new mother struggling with milk supply. And breastfeeding doesn't go the way that you planned, especially if you saw a version of breastfeeding in the media, on TV and movies that you thought was going to be picture perfect, like you were going to give birth to this beautiful baby, and then you were just going to latch them on.

10:40It was going to be such a like calming, wonderful environment experience. And for many moms, it maybe is not that experience for them in reality. And so, you know, for me, I ended up having to switch over to exclusive pumping, which at 10 years ago, there was no information about that. I really just learned from Facebook groups and just scraping by with all the knowledge that I could accumulate. But to be honest with you, I really tried not to show my face on social media because I wanted our moms. A lot of the videos that you might see on there are actually crowdfunded from our community. So we'll ask for videos of moms nursing and pumping that we then use for educational purposes on our account.

11:18And the reason for that is because I wanted every mom to see themselves in these videos. I didn't want it to be about me. It's about them. And I think, again, it goes back to what you've done for me lately. We need to put ourselves in the place of our end consumer. And they want to see themselves. I think founder stories are fascinating. People like to see the behind the scenes. but ultimately I'd say for me personally, the brand I think has had longevity because moms feel like they're getting a lot of value from our social media, from our blogs on our website. We provide a lot of education. There's a huge value add and they're not feeling like it's just products crammed down their throat.

11:54They're actually building a community with us which I think is why it's such a trusted brand amongst moms. Did you just launch with the OneSkew initially? Oh, we had I had I'd created six different formulations, liquid gold being one of them. That's one of our number one bestsellers now. Pump princess. I also if you imagine like legendary milk kind of a plan, a dairy cow, because that's kind of how I felt at times. I did try to inject humor into a lot of the packaging and the names that was very, very intentional for me because it goes back to this can be such an isolating and vulnerable time for a new mom.

12:32And I wanted her to feel like she wasn't alone. Some of the jokes that we put, there's a little speech bubble on all of the women that we have featured on our products. It's almost like an inside joke that you kind of wouldn't get unless you were a breastfeeding mom. And now, again, it was just like, how do we feel? You know, you feel like not so alone. You're connected to millions of moms who have also been through this experience. And in that way, I hope that they get a little chuckle when they open the bottle, but also maybe just an impetus to keep going. You know, maybe that's just the little push that they needed to say, you know, I know it's tough today.

13:04I'm going to take it one day at a time and keep going.

13:07Kara Goldin:I love it. So you just mentioned Liquid Gold. So talk about that product in particular. Like, why do you think, what are the benefits that you've seen that people are realizing from it? And what is it exactly? Yeah. So for each of the products that I developed, I wanted at least one or two hero ingredients. So those are the kind of the workhorses of the product ingredients that I think there's the largest amount of for one. And then also have the most research behind them in terms of being able to help some facet of breast milk production. So for liquid gold, those two hero ingredients are goat's root and milk thistle.

13:50They're commonly used in Europe. A lot of dairy farmers will use them as fodder for their cows. Unfortunately, there's a lot of, you know, when I go through the research, a lot of dairy animals, to be honest with you, because, again, you know, this isn't a billion dollar industry. You know, pharmaceutical companies aren't going to come out with the next drug that helps with increasing milk supply. So you take the research where you can find it. And thankfully, there has been more human trials now over the last few years. But yeah, this is something that's been used since the early 1800s within the dairy community in Europe, something that European women had started using as well.

14:27It also has, I'd say, a nice blend of herbal galactogs, galactogs being herbs that can help increase milk supply. But with goats, rue and milk thistle kind of being the heavy hitters, and they work in different ways to help impact some of the hormones associated with milk production. as well. And I think the name, you know, is so synonymous with breast milk, liquid gold being something that a lot of moms feel like they are producing, which they absolutely are. And so, you know, we get a lot of great feedback on this product helping to increase their milk supply.

14:58Kara Goldin:I love it. And when you talk about milk supply, obviously it's going to vary and there's no guarantees, but what kind of differences have you seen women talking about? You know, Well, and we also, we all, that's a great point because I never want to say that someone's going to, you know, go from making a healthy milk supply to just overflowing like a fountain and having an oversupply. That's really never the goal. We have to be kind of realistic in our expectations. Typically, it's, you know, a couple of ounces per pumping session or a few ounces per day that they're seeing an increase. But that is kind of bridging the gap between them being able to not have a milk stash and have a small stash for them for their return to work.

15:41And that can really make all the difference. Even like a 20 ounce difference for them to be able to stash before their return to work can really be super impactful when they're having apprehension anxiety about starting work already and putting baby into daycare or wherever that might look like. For them to have a little bit of a stash ready to go for baby can make a huge impact. We also have some other products that are actually not for milk production, but for milk flow for someone who maybe has returned to work and is feeling really stressed out. They maybe are on a certain time limit for pumping.

16:16So they have 15 minutes to get themselves set up and start pumping. It's a super stressful environment. We have things that can kind of get you into more of a calming mindset, just kind of let you to de-stress and help the milk flow. So you might not see a huge increase in your milk supply, but it's helping to just get the milk flowing. We also have a product that helps with clogged ducts and mastitis. So for any breastfeeding mom who might be listening, if you've ever experienced, you know, that's like hell on earth. And once you have a clogged duct, you need to flush that out as quickly as possible.

16:49So we have a product called Sunflower Lesson that can work within 24 to 48 hours to kind of help flush out any clogs or inflammation that a mom might have as well. So we have a plethora of different, you know, different options to help kind of for anyone who's navigating some concerns through their breastfeeding journey.

17:06Kara Goldin:So when it's one thing to have this idea and want to help people, but then all of a sudden you're scaling the company. You've got to get a co-packer. You have to think about new products. all of you have to continue to nurture this community, which, by the way, you have over a million people that have been part of your community on social. So how do you how do you think about this as like, was it what you thought it was going to be? I mean, this is the first company, I believe, that you founded. So is it a lot tougher than you thought? It wasn't like you just snapped your fingers and, you know, with this idea and made it happen.

17:55Kara Goldin:Oh, absolutely. Yes. I mean, the sweat equity that was involved and also not ever expecting this to be a business. I think I've always been just really pleasantly surprised by what's that we're still here 10 years in and that it's just so surreal to come into an office and we have, you know, 40 employees now and see everyone. And they're also just passionate about what we're doing because I always tell every new hire, like, we're not selling a bag of chips here. Like there's an emotional connection to what we do. We are in some cases when we have moms who are at their breaking point and reaching out, they're looking just for someone to listen.

18:27And you may be the deciding factor between them quitting that day and weaning for breastfeeding or not. So I just feel like there's such a tangible connection that we're making with our moms that it's honestly the reason that I wake up in the morning. But in order to scale, yes, we've launched, you know, different products that are tangential to breastfeeding, because I think that we've kind of proven ourselves in that space, because not only do, you know, we're providing this community with a lot of education support, but our products, we go through such due diligence to make sure that they're third party tested, heavily certified.

19:06You know, they're halal, kosher, non-GMO certified. They're vegan certified. We use USDA organic capsules, which there's only one supplier in the world that offers that. The time, the documentation, and the money that we have taken into account, because we know that this is such a vulnerable population. These are moms who anything that they're ingesting, they're concerned about it traveling and transferring into their breast milk. We completely understand that. We know that we need to make sure that we're doing our due diligence. I think some other brands maybe don't put the time and effort into that.

19:39And so that's been really something that we're really proud about. And so we would love to continue that journey with mom. And that's why we've expanded into baby supplements. So we have a full line of baby supplements. We've also expanded into just general women's health supplements. So what we're really trying to do is just support women through every stage of their lives. You They've trusted us through that breastfeeding period. Once they've weaned, if they're looking for something to help with sleep support or hormonal imbalances, blood sugar regulation, we have products for all of it. And the amount of time that we take into account with researching and developing every single product, it takes us a good year to a year and a half to develop these products because we're very thoughtful and intentional with looking into the research, the clinical studies, using ingredients that are science backed.

20:29and also using ingredients that work well together, that have a kind of synergy together. Always using the clinical doses that have been used in research, you know, so that I think a lot of times you'll see brands where they make a claim about having a certain ingredient and then you find out it's a fraction of what was actually supposed to be in there. And that's the reason why it's a lot cheaper than the one that used the clinical dose. So, you know, just really being mindful of that. The other thing, I feel like I could just go on and on about this, but our entire product development team are comprised of women.

21:00And I'm super proud of that because we have a lot of roundtable discussions where we talk about these stigmatized women's health topics. We talk about our, you know, ovarian cysts and our period pain, our PCOS symptoms, menopause hitting us, all of the things that there's no taboo topics. And I feel like that makes us better product developers because we're going through it and we know what it's like to experience all of these challenges as a woman.

21:27Kara Goldin:Yeah, definitely. So postpartum care is often under discussed. And I feel like it's definitely communities that have been built online are helping people to really get that. And you're leading many of those discussions. So what do you think needs to happen with these environments? I mean, outside of actually helping people by giving them an opportunity to purchase, you know, good products, whether it's yours or somebody else and sort of educating them in that way. But what do you think needs to happen around postpartum? Gosh, I, oh God, there's so many things that I would love to see where we enact change.

22:11I think, you know, to your point, moms here are in our community are showing up for each other in a world that doesn't always show up for us. And, you know, we've talked about on our account about maternity leave. Just the fact that we don't have paid maternity leave in the U.S. just boggles my mind. And I feel like so much of the postpartum lack of support and depression and not having that village anymore, a lot of that would be solved if we offered paid maternity leave as a whole that was consistent, you know, state by state. As a company, we offer 16 weeks fully paid maternity leave because it's super important to us that moms feel supported in that time and feeling like they can actually recover from what essentially feels like you've been hit by a Mack truck and you actually have time for that postpartum recovery.

23:00But, you know, I mean, I think that's a huge first step that I would love to see enacted is just some sort of paid. I'll go with the basics. Just like give us something, you know, at least a few weeks of paid maternity leave across the board so that moms can actually feel like there's some support in this country for what they're going through. Yeah, that would be step one, at least. It does vary by state, right? It does. It absolutely does. It's based on your employer, to be honest, too. A lot of small businesses don't offer any maternity leave. And it really just depends on, I remember my husband, and paternity leave is the same thing.

23:37Like having paid paternity leave, I think is super important too, so that there is some support at home for mom while she is recovering and taking care of this new human being. I remember my husband, you know, this was 10 years ago, he got one week of paid paternity leave. And I had, we just had a premature child. And so the day that we were discharged, because we had to stay a little bit longer, was the day he had to go back to work. So there was no, you know, at home support. And I remember someone at his company a few years later, fought for more paternity leave, they ended up getting like 12 weeks.