Why We’re Building Clareo

Some ideas start with a question.

Clareo started with a deeply personal one, “What did the doctor actually say?”

Not long ago, that question was part of my everyday life. And more often than it should have been, the honest answer was, “I don’t know.”

This is the story of how Clareo came to be — built not from strategy or spreadsheets, but from real moments of confusion, fear, loss, and the desire for clarity amidst some of life's hardest conversations.

It Started With Loss

“She’s gone” was what I heard, but my brain — desperately trying to avoid pain — interpreted the words to mean my younger sister simply wasn’t where she was expected to be. But the truth was Missy had passed away in her sleep.

In the fog of grief that followed, I replayed every health-related conversation we’d had. I went back through texts, memories of her descriptions of doctor visits, and the moments she’d tried to explain what was going on with her health.

More often than not, her response to “What did the doctor say today?” was, “I don’t know.”

Not because she wasn’t paying attention. Not because she didn’t care. But because she didn’t have a way to hold on to the information she needed — not in a way she could use, remember, or act on.

Months later, an autopsy revealed something treatable — a condition that, had it been understood earlier, might have changed the outcome entirely.

That question still haunts me.

Family Patterns Repeating

My sister’s experience wasn’t unique in my life.

Years before, my dad was navigating late-stage metastatic skin cancer. I’d ask him the same question, “What did the doctor say?” His answer was often the same, “I don’t know.”

I remember feeling deeply frustrated in those moments. It was heartbreaking to feel powerless when all I wanted was to help.

A Personal Health Journey

Five years ago, I found myself overwhelmed by my own health challenge.

I was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma — the same disease that had taken my dad.

That journey was filled with scans, tests, clinical trials, and appointments where I was often inundated by information I couldn’t fully absorb, and certainly couldn’t fully comprehend in the moment.

But there was a difference this time.

My wife, Laurel, came with me to almost every critical appointment. She took notes, asked questions I couldn’t think of in the moment, and helped me make sense of what was said.

That simple act — someone being there and capturing what happened — changed the entire trajectory of my experience.

Not because I had a better memory.

Not because the doctors spoke differently.

But because we preserved clarity.

And clarity changed everything.

But clarity shouldn’t depend on having someone like Laurel in the room with you.

Not everyone has that support. And no one should have to navigate fear and uncertainty without the tools to understand what’s happening.

A Simple, but Powerful Thread

Over time, as I spoke with patients and caregivers from all walks of life, I kept hearing the same thing, over and over: people who had a greater understanding of their health situation generally had a better experience. It didn’t always mean that their condition got better in the way they wanted, but their journey was less overwhelming.

Most want the same thing Missy and my dad wanted: to make sense of what was happening to them, and to feel equipped to face it.

But, too often, they don’t get that clarity.

What Clareo Is — And Isn’t

Clareo wasn’t born from a product roadmap.

It is rooted in a deep, human problem: the gap between intention and understanding in health conversations.

• It isn’t an advisor.
• It isn’t a replacement for doctors.
• It isn’t a clinical decision-making tool.

It stems from a desire to help people remember what was said, understand what matters most, and leave appointments feeling enabled, not overwhelmed.

It’s built for the moments that really matter — the ones where clarity isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.

For Anyone Who’s Been There

If you’ve ever walked out of a medical appointment with more questions than answers, you know how heavy that can feel.

If you’ve ever asked someone, “What did the doctor say?” and heard, “I don’t know,” you know how frustrating that ambiguity can be.

Clareo exists because those experiences don’t have to be the norm.

Because you deserve more than fragments of information.

Because understanding matters.

Thank You for Reading — and for Being Here

This project is deeply personal.

And if you’ve ever felt that gap between what was said and what you could hold onto… you’re not alone.

We’re just getting started.

And if this resonates with you — if you’ve lived it, felt it, or cared for someone who has — we hope Clareo can be a companion in those moments where clarity feels most out of reach.