Greater Manchester's Life Sciences sector is renowned for its cutting-edge research, world-class institutions, and robust innovation ecosystem, making it a pivotal hub for advancements in the sector.

The Real Birth Company add to the strength of Greater Manchester’s healthcare knowledgebase and as a hub of innovation in Life Sciences as they help pregnant women and people gain a much deeper understanding of the changes that take place in labour, empowering them and their birth partners during the time leading up to birth. 

Zoe Wright

MIDAS connects with professionals from Greater Manchester’s key sectors to provide insights into their daily working lives. Today, as our Day in the Life series returns, we speak to Zoe Wright, Founder, CEO and Registered Midwife at The Real Birth Company.

When I first wake up, I prepare for the day by...

Having a quiet cup of tea, away from people and if it’s nice, I’ll be outside, often with our family dogs lurking nearby or on me! I like observing nature, makes me feel calm and appreciative. It’s me making the most of peace before the day starts!

I work at….

The Manchester Technology Centre, several times a month which is a great building. We opened our secondary base in Manchester March 2024 due to increased work interest in and around Manchester, we already work in Lancashire, and this makes the commute here easier to.

We work nationally with NHS maternity hospitals, providing access to midwifery training, resources and ongoing support that enables them to provide effective antenatal care for their birthing communities. The intuitive and engaging digital resources give birthing mothers, people and their partners access to high quality, evidence-based information, with an unmatched level of accessible and diverse content, including multiple language choices.

I’m responsible for...

As the Founder and CEO of the RealBirth, my role involves overseeing the strategic direction and daily operations of our organisation, ensuring there is always alignment with our mission to support and educate families planning their births and helping midwives provide equitable access to resources. My key responsibilities include driving business growth, managing stakeholder relationships, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, impactful educational materials and programmes as well as making sure that our team are happy.

A typical day looks like...

A typical working day involves a mix of strategic planning, team coordination, and stakeholder meetings, both in person and virtually. I travel for networking events in the UK and globally, being at conferences, and meetings with key partners, ensuring we stay connected and collaborative.

Currently, we are all very excited to be working on a co-design project to develop more personalised information which includes the first British Sign-Language birth preparation programme!  This is an SBRI Healthcare funded project, where we are aiming to increase equity in maternity.

The best part of my day is...

I have several best parts of my day! I genuinely love what we do and what we stand for, there is always something that it positive, whether that be feedback from service users and midwives or progress in the projects we are working on.

When I am in Manchester, being a lover of food in general, I especially look forward to the options around me to choose from for lunch!

Do you face any challenges and how do you overcome them?

We have faced many challenges over the last 7 years, from staff remote working, project development setbacks to logistically organising our festival tents that we provide for pregnant women, people and breastfeeding mothers. For all and any challenges, I believe it’s the way that they are approached that makes the difference to the outcome. Firstly, getting all the facts and not frantically shouting at everyone for information. Next working out the best and worst outcomes to informatively plan the next steps.

Our team is full of amazing people with different strengths and different approaches, between us the answer is there, we just need to listen to each other. I suppose on that point, it also comes down to understanding where the limitations are and sometimes if or when we need to stop. Knowing when to stop something is also critically important.

What would someone who wants to break into your industry need to know?

Someone wanting to break into the prenatal education and maternity industry should understand the importance of empathy, evidence-based practice, and collaboration. My advice is to stay informed about the latest research, build strong relationships with healthcare teams, and always prioritise the needs and experiences of the families you aim to support.

How do you collaborate with the wider [sector] eco-system?

We collaborate with the wider maternity care ecosystem by partnering with lived experience teams to co-design material and digital support tools. We also work with various pre-existing organisations that share the same goals but are approaching it in different ways. These collaborations ensure our digital technology is informed by real-world experiences and clinical expertise, allowing us to create inclusive, comprehensive and empathetic educational resources that meet the diverse needs of families and healthcare providers.

Greater Manchester is known as being one of the UK’s most liveable cities – how do you make the most of it?

Greater Manchester is a great city to be in. I have always felt it to be friendly with lots to offer people and I make the most of it by exploring it as often as I can.

In the evenings and on weekends, I enjoy trying out new restaurants, I particularly like the street food restaurant not far from the Convention Complex two of my favourite things combined, food and being by or on water! There are so many places for us to visit! I like the idea of bringing the whole team in soon and having an away day, as a thank you for all their hard work over the years!

For more on the Real Birth Company click here: https://www.therealbirthcompanyltd.com/