Recorded live at the Ascend Conference in Salt Lake City, David A. Saltzman sits down with Hans Kullberg, CEO and Founder of Avocado Health. Together, they explore how Avocado Health is solving one of the biggest challenges facing employers and employees alike: helping working parents get the right answers, right when they need them.

Hans shares how his own journey as a father of five inspired him to build a text-first platform that provides parents with evidence-based guidance on everything from toddler sleep issues to adolescent anxiety—without the endless rabbit holes of Dr. Google.

The discussion covers the massive productivity costs of presenteeism, why text messaging is the most effective format for support, and how AI plus human advocates deliver empathetic, on-demand solutions that reduce stress for families and cut costs for employers.

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🔑 Key Takeaways from This Episode
📌 Working Parents = Productivity Costs
60% of employees are parents, and presenteeism costs employers $8,000 per worker annually.

📌 Texting Beats Dr. Google
 Avocado Health uses SMS to deliver expert pediatric, developmental, and behavioral guidance instantly.

📌 AI + Human = Empathy at Scale
 97% of questions can be answered by AI, with human advocates stepping in for complex cases.

📌 Reducing Claims and ER Visits
 Quick triage and trusted guidance prevent unnecessary urgent care and hospital costs.

📌 Boosting Benefits Utilization
 The platform helps employees discover and use existing employer-sponsored resources.

⏱️ In This Episode
00:00 Live from Ascend: Introducing Hans Kullberg
02:00 From fatherhood to founding Avocado Health
04:00 The scope of challenges working parents face
07:00 Presenteeism, absenteeism, and attrition explained
10:00 Why text messaging is the most accessible solution
14:00 AI + human empathy in care delivery
18:00 Real-life RSV case study: avoiding hospitalization
22:00 Connecting employees to existing plan benefits
26:00 Employee onboarding and education via SMS
30:00 Serving rural and underserved populations
34:00 The future: languages, Medicaid, municipalities
38:00 Building scalable, accessible support for all parents