Donna Freydkin

Highlights

Donna Freydkin is an Associate Director on the Research + Testing team with more than 10 years of editorial experience in eCommerce, covering products in health, family, and fitness. She is obsessed with helping readers find the best products to make their lives better and easier.

• More than 20 years of experience in digital content writing and editing.
• More than 10 years of experience in eCommerce, with a passion for all things baby, nursery, family, health, home, and fitness.
• Earned a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland.

Experience

When Donna was pregnant with her first child, she found herself trying to find the best products that would help her navigate new motherhood. And that's when she became passionate about commerce: About finding reliable, unbiased, data-driven sources to help her purchase the smartest, most practical products to simplify diaper changes and sleep training. She spent hours doing deep-dives into the world of baby bottles: Glass versus plastic versus silicone? Wide, angled, or standard bottles? Latex, silicone, or rubber nipples? You get the picture.

Donna had started her journalism career covering celebrities at USA TODAY, serving as the newspaper's east coast correspondent and interviewing everyone from Matt Damon to Meryl Streep to Madonna to Meghan Markle. That's where she first got her taste of commerce, by starting and growing a weekly column featuring items beloved by celebs. And that ultimately led her to TODAY.com, where she created a commerce franchise, "Celebrity Favorites," in which stars like Serena Williams revealed purchases, from face creams to baby rattles, that had improved their lives in some way.

Donna joined the Research + Testing team in 2022 and currently supports Verywell Health, Verywell Fitness, Verywell Family, Parents, and Health.com, by overseeing product testing for all things health, fitness and family. She reviews the expert testing methodologies developed in house, thoroughly researches products to call in for testing, analyzes test results conducted in both The Lab and real-world settings, shares product insights with editors, and collaborates closely with production to ensure each test is executed with accuracy and integrity.

Donna lives in Brooklyn with her son, now a tween, and their two cats. Both feline are avid and enthusiastic product testers themselves, having currently completed a thorough and lengthy test of automatic litter boxes.

Favorite Purchase:

This isn't fancy, nor is it glamorous. But something that I purchased, after very heavy research, was the simple, basic Baby Jogger stroller after my son was born. That stroller lasted us for four years; it was dragged up and down subway steps; it was thrown into airplane cargo areas; and it went everywhere from Manhattan to Texas to Florida. It was built like a tank, and when my son finally outgrew it, it was still in perfectly serviceable condition (if you somehow managed to overlook all the yogurt stains).

Education

Donna studied journalism at the University of Maryland at College Park, where she worked at the student newspaper and interned at the NBC affiliate in Washington, D.C.

About Verywell Fit

Verywell Fit, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, nutrition and fitness destination that provides science-backed information and tools to empower people to take realistic steps towards a healthier life. We reach more than 150 million readers annually. Verywell Fit content is fact checked and reviewed by our Review Board for accuracy and integrity. Learn more about us and our editorial process.