Heather Campbell, founder of Ready Set Recover. (Credit: Courtesy of Medium)
She Knows How Hard Surgical Recovery Can Be – And She Wants to Help
Heather Campbell’s online platform, Ready Set Recover, equips patients with the tools they need to prepare before surgery, and get better after.
Several years ago, Heather Campbell was preparing to undergo a surgery, and feeling quite nervous about it. She decided to take some action by researching a recovery plan that would support her as she healed – but all she could find were suggestions for physical therapy or pain medication. Campbell wanted something more comprehensive, and ultimately designed her own wellness program. Following her procedure, she stuck to her plan, and found it helped her tremendously with managing stress and staying positive. Even her surgeon was impressed with her recovery. In 2020, Campbell decided to go pro with her plan by launching Ready Set Recover, an online wellness platform that supports people before and after surgery. Today, the Stockbridge, Massachusetts, founder counts each patient she helps as her biggest success.
Here’s our lightly edited Q&A, from The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project.
How is your business different from others in your industry?
There isn’t another online wellness framework that brings every step of surgery recovery together holistically. We’ve taken evidence-based standards of stress reduction and pulled them together into an easy-to-use, self-guided online platform that doesn’t require training or the direct involvement of medical staff.
Tell us about your biggest success so far.
We are currently piloting our program with four different hospitals – two in the U.S., and two abroad. That is a huge step forward. But our biggest success to date overall has been hearing from our participants about how we’ve changed their lives for the better. Take, for example, this feedback from one user: “The calm I felt yesterday waiting to have surgery was not at all like when I had another surgery years ago. The series of thoughts and exercises truly prepared me to face something I knew would be painful. Thank you for a life-changing experience.”
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
When we first started out, we thought, “We’ll make this incredible user experience, with these life-changing actions, and everyone will just find us, and love us, and buy it!” Well, we have made a user experience that is easy and beautiful, but getting patients to know they need something like this, helping them find us, and then getting them to believe in us enough to give us a credit card number, well – that’s been an uphill road. We’ve pivoted to focusing on engagement and making a name for ourselves in the medical system. My hope is that, someday, surgeons will recommend us to their patients, and that the medical system or insurance company pays us themselves.
Have you experienced any significant personal situations that affected your business decisions?
There has been lots of change and many challenges in my life over the last four years. We came to the Berkshires for the weekend on March 13, 2020. That turned into 2 weeks, then the summer, then longer. We decided to stay, and it’s been good. But since that time, we’ve moved 14 times. I’ve also jumped into my start-up full time, and have needed to be very attentive to the needs of my wonderful teenagers and our less-than 2-year-old golden retriever puppy. (Anyone who says puppies are like babies only has it half right – they are more like 6-month-old children with razor-sharp teeth, fast legs and no diapers).
What is your biggest tip for other startup entrepreneurs?
Know your runway. Not just your financial one, but your emotional one, too. Be honest about what you are willing to risk for both. And then, enjoy – no matter what happens, be proud of yourself for trying and for putting yourself out there.
How do you find inspiration on your darkest days?
I try to avoid dark days by setting myself up in the morning every day. I get up early enough to have “me” time first (during the school year, that means 5:30 a.m. So, that means going to sleep early, too!) When I wake up, I scrape my tongue, go to the bathroom, drink warm lemon water, move my body, then meditate.
But that doesn’t always do the trick. I still have down moments. So I end each day by writing down four good things that happened that day – four small things that made me smile or feel good. On really dark days, I do that exercise multiple times. I also sometimes just pack it up and get off the computer in order to go for a walk with my dog!
What is your go-to song to get motivated on tough days?
“Believe” by Mumford and Sons.
Who is your most important role model?
My daughters. As their mom, I get to watch them make decisions and see the world through their younger eyes. It is fascinating and awe-inspiring. Recently, I watched my oldest choose which college to go to, and that was incredible.
LinkedIn: @ReadySetRecover
Facebook: @ReadySetRecover
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