Balancing the demands of a fast-growing international enterprise with the physical realities of pregnancy is a challenge few executives face at the highest levels of the technology sector. For Alexandra Zatarain, co-founder and Vice President of Brand and Marketing at Eight
Sleep, navigating her first pregnancy while scaling a tech unicorn has fundamentally transformed her perspective on her own body, her industry, and the purpose-driven products her company brings to market.
Appearing on a recent episode of The Motherly Podcast hosted by Liz Tenety, Zatarain discussed the eye-opening scientific research that revealed how early sleep-technology algorithms inadvertently favored male physiology over female health, why sleep remains the single most critical pillar of health for women, and the strategic career advice she wishes more women received before embarking on motherhood.
As the driving marketing force behind Eight Sleep, Zatarain has helped build the sleep-technology company from its initial launch into a global tech unicorn. The company is widely known for creating the "sleep fitness movement" through innovative hardware like the Pod, an intelligent mattress cover designed to automatically heat or cool each side of the bed to an individual’s ideal thermal zone, thereby maximizing deep sleep cycles and minimizing nocturnal wake-ups. Today, Eight Sleep’s products are available in 37 countries worldwide. Operating on both a professional and personal level alongside her husband, Matteo—who serves as the company’s co-founder and CEO—Zatarain is also preparing to welcome their first child in January.
Navigating Pregnancy at the Helm of a Global Tech Company
Reflecting on her transition into motherhood while managing corporate responsibilities at age 37, Zatarain admitted that the physical reality of pregnancy came as a humbling surprise. Despite watching numerous friends navigate the journey before her, experiencing the toll of the first trimester firsthand completely shifted her viewpoint on corporate empathy and female endurance.
"After my first trimester, I felt so bad, thinking, what a terrible friend I was," Zatarain shared during the podcast. "When you haven’t experienced it, you have such little empathy for what a woman’s body is going through, especially when life keeps demanding so much of you and it doesn’t stop. I really didn’t understand that you could feel so different in your body for so long. It’s built so much more admiration for women and what we go through, and it’s let me embrace a feminine side of myself that in tech you usually don’t get to bring out."
This firsthand encounter with the physical demands of pregnancy has reinforced a broader realization for the tech executive: sustainable systemic change for women and mothers will only happen when female leaders occupy decision-making roles in significant numbers. While Eight Sleep boasts a high concentration of parents among its executive team, Zatarain emphasizes that the maternal experience is fundamentally distinct, requiring direct representation at the highest corporate levels to accelerate product innovation and workplace advocacy.
Redefining Sleep Science Through a Female-Centered Lens
That internal commitment to representation already influenced a major corporate pivot at Eight Sleep. Several years ago, the company’s clinical research team—comprised of more than 90 percent women—analyzed user data and uncovered a discrepancy in how effectively the technology improved sleep metrics for male versus female users.
Upon investigating the root cause, researchers discovered that the algorithms managing bed temperature regulation had been trained on datasets that disproportionately represented men. This phenomenon reflects a broader systemic issue across scientific and medical research, where female physiology is frequently underrepresented due to its complexity and the dynamic hormonal shifts associated with the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, the postpartum period, and perimenopause.
Recognizing the gap, Eight Sleep invested millions of dollars into targeted clinical research and subsequently engineered new software features designed to address these complex physiological variables. The strategic pivot shifted the company’s overarching vision from providing generalized sleep solutions to solving specific, long-standing sleep challenges unique to women.
Why Sleep is Uniquely Vital for Women
As an expert who studies sleep for a living, Zatarain points out that sleep serves as the foundational pillar of human health, noting that human beings would succumb to sleep deprivation far sooner than food deprivation. However, for women, protecting and prioritizing rest is even more crucial due to the profound influence of hormones.
"For women it matters even more because our hormones rule our lives, and sleep is the one tool we have to regulate them," Zatarain explained. "If you sleep well, your chances of better hormonal balance go up significantly. It’s the best medicine we have, more than working out, more than any meal."
The inherent challenge, she notes, is that those same fluctuating hormones frequently work against women during various life stages, disrupting sleep routines precisely when the body needs rest the most. To counter these natural disruptions during pregnancy and the postpartum phase, Zatarain stresses the importance of mindset and behavioral consistency. While intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and physical discomfort are inevitable, maintaining a compassionate mindset and relying on the free, accessible tool of a stable sleep schedule can help anchor the body’s internal clock.
Despite her busy schedule and frequent international travel, Zatarain maintains a rigorous personal sleep routine. She consistently protects eight to nine hours of rest each night, adhering to a strict bedtime between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM regardless of her global location, while prioritizing a dark, cool, and quiet sleep environment.
Strategic Career Planning and Motherhood
Drawing parallels between her professional mindset and athletic training, Zatarain views her executive responsibilities not as a short sprint, but as a long-term endurance sport that requires intentional health management and sustainable decision-making.
When mentoring younger women on her team, she advocates for proactive career planning and financial preparation well before starting a family. Reflecting on her own journey—which included freezing embryos in her early thirties—Zatarain encourages young professionals to build career equity and advance through organizational ranks early on.
"If they want a career after they have a family, the best time to build equity in that career is to push as hard as you can before," she advised. "Know what you want, because time isn’t always on our side as women. Move up the ranks, so that by the time you have kids you have more flexibility and maybe a higher income. It is possible, but it takes planning, it will require compromises, and very importantly it will require the right partner."
Furthermore, Zatarain emphasizes that family support systems must extend beyond the immediate birth plan. Because early postpartum demands—such as exclusive breastfeeding—frequently place a disproportionate physical burden on mothers, proactive communication with partners regarding shared domestic loads is vital before the baby arrives.
Ultimately, navigating the unexpected physical challenges of the first trimester has taught Zatarain a powerful lesson in relinquishing control. As a self-described Type A personality accustomed to driving rapid growth in the competitive technology sector, learning to adapt to the unpredictable changes of pregnancy has ultimately helped her delegate effectively, elevate her team, and build a more resilient organization.
