Friends with Fertility: Interview with Matthew Potter of PRAY.COM

Key Takeaways

• Science meets spirituality: PRAY.COM has established a "Pray Science" division that conducts clinical trials and research on the efficacy of prayer, with findings published in scientific journals.
• Frequency matters most: Research shows that the frequency of prayer practice (daily consistency) has more impact on mental health than the duration of prayer sessions.
• Personal connection: Matthew and his wife are on their own fertility journey, having experienced a miscarriage in November, giving him firsthand understanding of the challenges listeners face.
• Prayer accessibility: Prayer doesn't have to be formal or complicated; even just a minute each day of gratitude or quiet reflection can be powerful.
• App availability: Matthew generously offers podcast listeners free access to the full PRAY.COM app for a year by visiting pray.com/matt.
• Community support: When you're struggling to maintain faith or don't know how to pray, asking others to pray for you can provide comfort and connection.‍
• Impressive reach: PRAY.COM has achieved approximately 223 million downloads across their platform and reaches about 5 billion people yearly through email.

Full Conversation

Introduction and Matthew's Extraordinary Origin Story

Elizabeth begins by introducing Matthew Potter, co-founder of PRAY.COM, expressing her belief in the power of prayer and how it has helped her through challenging times. Matthew then shares his remarkable personal story of how he came to be adopted. A pregnant 15-year-old girl on her way to an abortion clinic stopped at a church for advice. The pastor called a friend who had been counseling a couple struggling with infertility for ten years. The young woman agreed to adoption, and Matthew became that adopted child.

Two years after his adoption, Matthew's parents, who had been told they would never have children, conceived his brother naturally. Matthew grew up in Southern California, where his father became a head elder at a small church that eventually grew to become the largest church in Los Angeles.

From Tech to Faith-Based Platform

Matthew shares how a chance meeting with Steve Jobs at Pixar during his sophomore year of college inspired him, particularly learning that Jobs was also adopted. While Matthew felt athletically inadequate compared to his sports-oriented adoptive family, he found his calling in technology.

When Steve Jobs launched the App Store during Matthew's senior year, he dropped out of college to pursue app development. He founded HomeStack, a company that built over 8,000 apps for major real estate companies over ten years.

After achieving financial success, Matthew felt he had lost his purpose. He called his pastor seeking ways to give back, and the next day ran into his friend Steve, who had just lost his business partner in a plane crash and was going through his own grief journey. From that coffee shop meeting in 2016, PRAY.COM was born, with the mission of creating a digital destination for faith content to help people dealing with life's challenges.

Today, PRAY.COM has approximately 223 million downloads across their platform and reaches about 5 billion people yearly through email. Matthew shares that his greatest fulfillment comes from hearing stories of how the app has helped people in their moments of need.

The Science of Prayer and Personal Connection to Fertility

Elizabeth shares her perspective on bridging science and spirituality, and how faith provides hope during challenging life moments like fertility struggles. She reveals how prayer became real to her at age 19 when her sister was diagnosed with cervical cancer that would prevent her from having children.

Matthew discusses PRAY.COM's science division, led by Dr. Bree Laird, which has conducted clinical trials and published research in scientific journals about prayer's impact on mental health. Their research shows that frequency of prayer practice is more important than duration, which is why the app helps users track their daily prayer "streaks."

Matthew then reveals that he and his wife (who recently turned 42) are on their own fertility journey, having experienced a miscarriage with complications just months before the interview. He shares how they're exploring various options, including IVF, while maintaining their faith through daily prayer.

Making Prayer Accessible and Practical

The conversation turns to practical advice for those struggling with faith during lengthy fertility journeys. Matthew acknowledges the male perspective of often feeling helpless during these challenges, wanting specific direction on how to support their partners.

For those skeptical about prayer after years of struggling, Matthew suggests maintaining even just a minute of daily gratitude or reflection. Elizabeth adds that prayer can take many forms—quiet meditation, walking in nature, or simply being grateful—and doesn't have to match the formal prayers seen on television.

Matthew emphasizes that if someone doesn't know how to pray, they can ask others to pray for them, creating a supportive community. He references Steve Jobs' quote about only being able to connect the dots looking backward, adding that this retrospective view often reveals God's hand in one's life journey.

Closing Thoughts and Special Offer

As the conversation concludes, Matthew offers podcast listeners free access to the full PRAY.COM app for a year by visiting pray.com/matt, inviting those going through similar struggles to connect with him personally at matt@pray.com. Elizabeth promises to add Matthew and his wife to her prayer bowl, expressing gratitude for his bridging of technology and spirituality.