Friday Audiogram: Your Glasses Are Fun—Why Are Hearing Aids Still A Secret?

We dig into how Bluemoth reimagines the path to better hearing by pairing prescription hearing aids with a modern, direct-to-consumer experience that respects privacy, reduces stigma, and preserves clinical outcomes. Born from years of brick-and-mortar practice and leadership in statewide audiology, the model answers a pivotal question: how do we lower the barrier to entry without lowering the standard of care?

We trace the spark back to 2017 as OTC legislation moved through Washington State and revealed a split within the profession. Rather than frame OTC as a threat, we explore how access can be an on-ramp, especially when so few people with hearing loss seek help. The inspiration also comes from the eyewear world—think Gentle Monster and Warby Parker—where devices double as identity and the buying journey feels inviting. The goal: bring that sense of agency to hearing technology while keeping expert fitting, counseling, and verification at the core.

Step by step, we map the Bluemoth customer journey: a private virtual consultation that reduces intimidation, clear education that demystifies choices, a guided home trial for real-life testing, and a purchase pathway anchored in prescription devices and professional support. Along the way we tackle the real barrier—stigma—not just price, and show how hybrid delivery can duplicate clinical excellence at scale. If you’ve wondered how to combine boutique-level care with e-commerce convenience, or how to meet patients where they are without compromising outcomes, this conversation offers a pragmatic blueprint.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a colleague or friend who’s been curious about hearing health, and leave a quick review so others can find it. Your feedback helps more people take the first step toward better hearing.

Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team

Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com

Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast

Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

Chapters

• 0:00 Origins Of Blue Moth
• 0:18 OTC Legislation Sparks A Vision
• 1:46 Bridging OTC And Clinical Care
• 2:13 Design Inspiration From Eyewear Retail
• 3:02 Empowering Patients Through Choice
• 4:05 From Idea To Business Plan
• 4:27 Clarifying The Blue Moth Model
• 5:22 Boutique Care In A DTC World
• 6:08 Stigma Versus Price Debate
• 7:43 The Blue Moth Customer Journey

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

What inspired you to found Blue Moth and how did your clinical or hearing care background really inform the model that your team is implementing?

SPEAKER_00: 0:14

Yeah, so a few different things happened in 2017. And 2017 was a pivotal year that really inspired the concept and idea. So in 2017, OTC legislation was passing through Washington State. So this is before it ever got to federal and got passed. And in 2017, I was the president of the Washington State Academy of Audiology. So I was very active in our state academy, and the OTC was coming through legislation. And it really shocked me. I mean, I guess not totally, but it did really shock me how strongly opposed many audiologists in the community were to it coming through. I've always been a big believer in consumer access, consumer choice. You can use the word patient or consumer, but let's be honest, in American healthcare, it is a consumer at the end of the day. And I really wanted those patients to be able to have choices. Do I think that prescription hearing technology is better? Of course, I know it is. I prefer that delivery method. But I also know that our biggest competition isn't each other as audiologists or providers, it's the limited amount of people who have hearing loss that actually seek treatment. And so if we can lower the barrier to entry through OTC, why would we not want to be advocating for that? So that was one big thing. I was kind of like, okay, I see OTC coming, I see the benefits of it, but I also see the risk. And then as a medical boutique private practice owner, because in Washington State, I have five different locations and traditional brick and mortar clinics. I know and respect the beauty of that. But there was really nothing in the in-between that married the best parts of OTC and married the best parts of audiological care in this hybrid model. So I started putting a lot of thought into like this whole void of space that I thought could be really empowering for patients to have as a third potential option. So that was what spurred it. And then I was in LA for a conference and I walked by this storefront called Gentle Monster. And I don't know if you've ever heard of them, but they are a South Korean eyewear brand. And the name was really intriguing, and there were no glasses to glasses in the windows. It was like beautiful art, but it was really intriguing. I'm like, what is this store? So I went later and I looked it up and I'm like, oh my gosh, you know, it's an eyewear brand. There's Robbie Parker, there's all kinds of things out there that are extensions of someone's identity. You know what I mean? Like when you picked out your glasses and my son just picked out his first pair, it's a really fun experience to be able to say, is this me? Is this who I identify as? It's, you know, an accessory. And so I was thinking as someone who's worn glasses in contacts myself and is an audiologist, why is it so difficult? It's like pulling teeth to get someone to get over the denial, to accept that they have a hearing loss, to feel excited about the process of getting hearing technology. And you don't see that in the visual wellness space. So that was kind of the second impetus was how can we flip audiology on its head? How can we flip the script? Get rid of some of these power dynamics between patient and doctor, and have the end user be really empowered in the process. And, you know, the gentle monsters, the Warby Parkers of the world, they've done a really beautiful job laying out that framework. And so I really got inspired by that as well. So I just really wanted there to be expert audiological care and patient empowerment through choice. And so over the next few years, I kind of started thinking more and more about it. And what was interesting was at the time, I already had my brick and mortars. I was very busy. I had a young son at the time. And I thought it was such an obvious idea that I'm like, someone's gonna do it. And then when 2020 rolled around and we had all this extra free time because the world had shut down, I was like, okay, it's been three years, no one's done it, I'm still thinking about it. Apparently, I've been called to do this. So I started to create a business plan. And in 2020, I created a business plan. I started talking to hearing aid manufacturers, and that's kind of how it all really started.

SPEAKER_01: 4:27

Well, there's so much to unpack there, and I just want to re-emphasize: you are a current private practice owner with five locations. Yes. That is incredible. So congratulations. I am a former private practice owner at one point operating three locations. That is not an easy feat. Okay, so so thank you and your team for what you're doing for your community. But I really want to emphasize the fact that Blue Moth's delivery model, and you're gonna bring us through this, this is not an OTC company. It is a direct-to-consumer prescription hearing aid fitting with the hearing care professionals still a part of the equation, which as you had said, the traditional model is what you prefer. And you and your team at Blue Moth are still implementing that same model.

SPEAKER_00: 5:22

I was thinking about that this morning when driving into Blue Moth headquarters, how I was talking to my business partner at Northwest Hearing Intenedist, which is my brick and mortar, and I was thinking about how almost on a daily basis I'm inspired by what we do at Northwest and the quality of care that we provide at our brick and mortar. And use that, how can we make the customer journey? How can we make the patient experience so boutique and medical and handheld and like at every single step of the way, how can we really exceed their expectations, but in this e-commerce direct-to-consumer manner? So I think a lot of people are surprised when I start sharing more and more about Blue Moth that we're not at all what they originally anticipated or thought we were.

SPEAKER_01: 6:08

Dr. Hecker, before we connected, I of course knew about Blue Moth Hearing. And for any professionals or consumers tuned in, please visit BlueMothHeing.com, learn more about what the team is doing. But when I sat down with you virtually, of course, and you walked me through this, as a hearing care professional, I thought to myself, yeah, I can absolutely support and get behind this model. And as it relates to the customer and patient journey, when I was in private practice, because you know, we always say, well, is is price and cost, obviously they're two different things. That's a whole other conversation, but is that the true barrier to entry? Or is it really the stigma? So, I mean, I'm part of the camp that it's really still that stigma. Or although so many people are wearing air pods and things in their ears, it's absolutely that stigma. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, of course, she introduced the stages of grief. We know that when we're working with patients, they're going through that grieving process. So, in around 2020, our practice actually implemented what was called the patriate package. And you could get prescription hearing technology for the pair for$899, still getting that reel your measurement. Now, your model is such that when we were implementing that model, Melanie, that still required me and my time and my expertise, right? So with Blue Moth, you're outsourcing or transferring your information through a process of duplication to help more patients on their journey. The reason I kind of wanted to preface it and stage it that way is I want to know the Blue Moth customer journey from virtual appointment to that home trial to, of course, purchasing and moving forward with better hearing.

SPEAKER_00: 8:05

Totally. And I like the fact that you mention the price versus stigma because I 100% agree that this is a stigma issue and that it's a denial aspect. There's that shame. I want it to be hidden. I don't want anyone to know. And so to be able to have this online initial consultation where you can do it completely privately. No one needs to know that you're, you know, even going through this process, but it's another barrier to entry is that, oh gosh, now I have to go into that clinic and people are gonna see me. I have to accept that part to even make the appointment, right? There's an intimidation there. And so there's a reduction in the intimidation to be able to just go online and or on my phone and to be able to see you as a provider, walk through, understand, okay, well, what is the process? What would this look like? What does it entail? So I really think that it helps reduce the intimidation of having to go into a medical clinic and see a doctor and then get this doctor recommendation. It just doesn't feel as heavy in this e-commerce DTC manner.