An Inspired Chat with Rebecca Caputo of Los Angeles

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Rebecca Caputo. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Rebecca, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? Have you ever been glad you didn’t act fast?
It’s so easy to get caught up in this twister bubble of traction. What I mean by that is it is so easy for early entrepreneurs to say yes to every opportunity. I think we’ve been lucky at Rif Care that we have always been intentional with our steps. Partly because of anxiety but we’re constantly asking ourselves if the thing we’re saying yes to makes sense. We get asked a lot “Why aren’t you in WholeFoods or Target yet?” and the simple answer is we’re taking our time to build a sustainable community and business. We’d love to say yes to those retailers today if we given the opportunity, but we want to do it in a way will be impactful and meaningful.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Sure. I’m Rebecca the co-founder and COO of Rif Care. We’re an innovative hemp based period company that makes products that are hormone safe and planet friendly. I think what sets us apart is our authenticity. We love embracing our femininity and the journey that menstruation takes to motherhood. We’ve been vocal about everything women’s health from menstrual disorders, hormone health and fertility because it’s all connected. This year we worked with a leading doctor in endometriosis to release an FREE E-BOOK called the Menarche Manual on our website. It’s super informative and it details everything we wish we knew when we got our periods. It’s a resource we wanted to share with our community so that we can all learn more about our bodies.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I love this question because I think as an entrepreneur and leader you have to be brave. A lot of who I am today is a result of stripping away who I thought I had to be. So much of this journey is becoming the role model I wish I had when I was a kid. That doesn’t happen overnight. I thought I had to become this world renowned research scientist and help find the cure to cancer or something like that. I did end up getting a degree in molecular biology and did a ton of research with the NSF and publish papers, but what was really crazy was I wasn’t content with that path. It always felt like there was friction in that environment because I wasn’t able to be my true self. It was only until I started believing in myself and understand my purpose did it finally click. I’m now in a career that I’m extremely proud of and am making the impact in the world I always wanted. So just don’t be scared to do something different I guess. I just tell myself I can always go back if I don’t like where I end up.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I think this actually happens about once a week but I think it’s pretty normal if you are doing things right. It’s because if you are pushing yourself and constantly doing new things – it’s going to feel uncomfortable. You will get exhausted and burn out occasionally but there’s beauty in the crash. You will learn so much about yourself, your limits and you will be forced to evolve yourself. There was a time when I seriously considered putting my lab coat back on and getting a job in the lab again. It was when our funding was low and we had some growing pains in the business. The biggest lesson that I learned from that moment was how determined we were to make Rif Care a reality. I wasn’t looking at getting a job so that I could stop running the business, I looked at it as a way to continue the business. I’m glad I had that realization because it made me work even harder during our fundraise and securing new retail business. It worked out in the end.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
If you use products with endocrine disrupting chemicals, it’s going to disrupt your hormones. There was a study about heavy metals found in tampons and PFA forever chemicals in period underwear. There are known carcinogens found in about 90% of the period care aisles and women deserve products that aren’t going to harm their cycles. I can shout it from the rooftops but very few people care enough to do something about it. I would never use conventional period products after learning about the ingredients in them. This is why we created Rif Care. My cofounder Val and I were experiencing hormone imbalances when we were in our early 20s and began learning about all the plastic, synthetics and chemicals that are used to make it. We wanted something that would be safe for our bodies.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If immortality were real, what would you build?
I’d build the next Amazon but more sustainable for smaller businesses. I think there’s a way to do it but it would take time and right now I’m focused on building Rif Care. But if I could live forever, I would spend so much time learning and developing my ideas. I’d try to build a world that is ethical and sustainable. It’d be a fun project I think.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rifcare.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rifcare/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccamcaputo/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rifcare

Image Credits
Emmanuel Akinnitire
Katy Pritchett