Megaphone

Startup Parent

Parent, founder, leader... tired? If you're starting a business or figuring out entrepreneurship AND you've got kids, this podcast is for you. Whether you're thinking about having kids or you're in the mayhem already, we're here to support working parents. Our mission? To tell the truth about motherhood, fatherhood, being a parent, and to inspire us to imagine new ways of working. So maybe we can get a little more sleep.

Business

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101

Ambitious Entrepreneurship + Parenthood: When T...

<h3>#117 — Ambitious Entrepreneurship + Parenthood: When Two Moms Co-Found a Startup </h3> What happens when you and your co-founder are both mothers? Can you modify your work schedule without altering your ambition? What type of project is worthy of your precious time and attention? Sometimes it takes a while to find the career path you really love. For Sonia Chang, it took a while to settle into and really own that entrepreneurship was something she felt called to do. Today, she is the co-founder of a brand new company called Playfully. She spent 10 years in product management and digital consumer products before she finally jumped into the entrepreneurial waters. Sonia is the mom of two young kids and has another one on the way and she is thrilled to be working on building products that make life easier for new parents. Today, we talk about how she took a long-term view of her career. Her advice: don't settle for a job or a career that doesn't feel like it's authentically you. It's also okay to be patient and to wait for the right professional opportunity to come along, even if you have to make short-term sacrifices, like staying in a less an ideal job for longer than you had wanted to. Her background includes a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She has worked for a long time building digital consumer products at companies including Amazon, Zulily, Poshmark and Shutterfly. Just this last year in 2018, she left the corporate world to pursue her longtime dream of becoming an entrepreneur and she co-founded Playfully. One of the fascinating things about the company is not the product, although we'll talk about the product on the show. The fact that it is co-founded by two moms who work a very different schedule by design: they agree to meet three times a week in-person, but the rest of the work that they do is done in and around their kids. Listen in as we talk about Sonia'a career path, her partnership, her fertility story and how IVF (in vitro fertilization) is part of that journey and how she navigates co-parenting and why equal partnerships are, to her, one of the fundamental pieces that make entrepreneurial journeys possible. IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT <ul> <li>How Sonia’s first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage and set off a multi-year journey through infertility.</li> <li>The ways in which Sonia reflects with gratitude on her infertility and IVF journey and how that has profoundly shaped and altered the type of parent she is to her children.</li> <li>How Sonia and her partner divide child care and household duties 50/50.</li> <li>How a project manager uses Asana at home to maximize efficiency and enjoyment.</li> </ul> FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/117">http://www.startuppregnant.com/117</a>. <h5> LEARN MORE ABOUT SONIA CHANG </h5> Sonia Chang is the co-founder of Playfully, a baby and child development app that provides parents quick, fun, expert-backed activities and tips to promote their child’s development. An accomplished product management leader, she has 10-plus years of experience building digital consumer products at companies including Amazon, Zulily, Poshmark, and Shutterfly. In 2018, she left the cor

73 min

102

Crossing the Threshold to Motherhood: Ceremony,...

#116 — Crossing the Threshold to Motherhood: Ceremony, Ritual, and Healing Rites of Passage How do you prepare for birthing another child when your first birth experience was traumatic? Can new mothers be realistically expected to process and integrate their birth and transformation experience when they work up until 40 weeks and are back just a few weeks later? How can we create space, ceremony, and ritual to promote healing, integration, and to fully honor women crossing the threshold into motherhood? Kari Azuma was a successful leadership coach for five years before the traumatic birth of her son in 2015. Navigating and healing from her postpartum depression and “full-blown identity crisis” were among the most challenging experiences of her life, but also inform what she views as her life’s work: reigniting the view of motherhood as a rite of passage—full of ceremony, healing, and powerful ritual—for Western mothers. She also makes the spiritual case for paid leave: motherhood is a profound transition that we simply cannot prepare for when working up until we give birth. Kari believes that much of the trauma we experience in birth as well as the postpartum depression and anxiety is at least partly to blame on the negligible space we give women on either side of their births. In other cultures, rites of passages are demarcated by space leading up to the transition to emotionally and spiritually prepare. This time is filled with ceremony and ritual and ideally, allows the woman to cross the threshold to new mother and give birth in a fully embodied, empowered way. We speak to Kari at 37 weeks pregnant with her second child, a daughter, and learn about all of the healing work she has done personally over the past three years and how that has profoundly influenced the type of coaching work she does now. We get to hear about the ritual and ceremony she is creating in her own life leading up to her second birth and how we might incorporate this type of slow, quiet, space for ourselves. IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT <ul> <li>How Kari is creating space in her life for ceremony leading up to the birth of her second child.</li> <li>How her desire to have a home birth and her birth expectations with her first child turned deeply traumatic when she ended up with her “worst nightmare” of a hospital c-section.</li> <li>The ways in which having a traumatic birth opened a new portal for her and the work she feels called to do, guiding women through the passage to motherhood.</li> <li>How she spent three years healing, processing, integrating the birth experience, the death of her old self, and her own birth as a mother.</li> <li>The ways in which she is navigating holding hope and setting intentions for the birth of her daughter with a planned VBAC at home, while simultaneously releasing the idea that she can control or fight her way to a preferred birth experience.</li> <li>The spiritual case for paid leave or why Kari believes that some postnatal anxiety and depression can be linked to how little time and space we give mothers to slow down and prepare on deeper levels for the birth of their children.</li> <li>How she helps clients honor this transition to motherhood through traditional rites of passage ceremonies and rituals.</li> <li>How hard it can be to ask for and step into open space before birth when we are used to pushing hard and driving projects forward.</li> <li>The counterintuitive healing power of being in a space with people who aren’t expecting you to heal.</li> <li>How severing one’s past self and incorporating one’s vision for oneself as a mother are some of the crucial parts of becoming a mother that Western culture is missing today.</li> <li>How a coach of pregnant and new mothers balances business with her own pregnancy and maternity leave.</li> </ul>

60 min

103

The Myths of Miscarriage, The Lean In Fallacy, ...

<h3>#115 — The Myths of Miscarriage, The Lean In Fallacy, and Mothers’ Rage</h3> What happens when you get pregnant as you are trying to launch a podcast about bias in the workplace against mothers? Why is the dominant cultural story about miscarriage and fertility trauma that if you end up with a kid, it's all okay? And who should you be looking for in a company when you're considering a new job? Today we get to hear from Katherine Goldstein, award winning journalist and host of the inimitable, brilliant new podcast: The Double Shift. Goldstein created The Double Shift to tell diverse, three dimensional, powerful stories of mothers as complete humans. At every turn she was forced to explain that, no, this is not a podcast about parenting. No, this podcast will not hit the single note of just how hard it is to be a working mother. This podcast will, finally, allow us all to see working mothers as people with their own stories, ambitions, and struggles beyond their children. Before podcasting, Goldstein spent several years researching bias and discrimination against mothers in the workplace. It seemed to her the deepest irony that she became pregnant while in immersed in the hectic world of pitching media companies and just how vulnerable that pregnancy made her professional ambitions feel. Her pregnancy ultimately ended in a miscarriage, and Goldstein goes deep here, talking about all of the ways we as a culture fail to understand and help parents process their grief and trauma around pregnancy loss. Today we also hear from Goldstein about: the blatant bias and discrimination against women in the workplace, why people in power love to push the myth of personal responsibility and “leaning in” to workers rather than deal with just how broken our working culture is, and why she feels uniquely positioned to tell diverse, meaningful stories of motherhood in order to highlight and shift just how marginalized mothers are in America. <h5>IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT</h5> <ul> <li>How Katherine navigated the experience of early pregnancy while shopping her podcast pilot to major media networks.</li> <li>Her experience with miscarriage and her desire to change how we speak about miscarriage and fertility struggles as a culture, moving away from the myth that if you end up with a child, everything worked out. She believes this edits out women whose experiences don’t end with a child from the whole conversation and forces women who’ve experienced real and meaningful trauma to act as though nothing happened.</li> <li>Goldstein’s decision to share her audio recordings of her pregnancy and miscarriage with The Double Shift audience as an episode in order to show just one of the three-dimensional, complex experiences that so many mothers have.</li> <li>The $2,500 bill Goldstein got from her insurance company to pay for the D&C procedure she needed to have after her miscarriage and her realization of just how harmful our entire healthcare system is to the working poor.</li> <li>Her biggest takeaways after spending a year reporting as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard on the open secret of anti-mother discrimination in American workplaces.</li> <li>How mothers, but not fathers, are punished for having children in their prime childbearing years and are never able to recover from the massive hit their earnings take as new mothers.</li> <li><spa

59 min

104

Unexplained Infertility with the Second Kid & P...

<h3>#114 — From Unexplained Infertility to Planning a Small Business Maternity Leave</h3> How can or should entrepreneurship change in order to meet our changing life needs? What does it look like to be a business owner as a person without children versus one with kids? And what does it feel like to go through unexplained secondary infertility? Today we get to hear from Reina Pomeroy, coach, business owner and mother of two, across a breadth of experiences. She shares everything from her experience starting multiple businesses, to her multi-year infertility journey, to how sometimes our professional paths only make sense in hindsight. Through it all, Reina’s openness, vulnerability, and deep passion for her work shine through. Reina Pomeroy is a focus coach for creative entrepreneurs and the founder of Reina & Co. What began as a side hustle is now a business with six team members that can offer her fully paid maternity leave. That being said, her journey, like so many of ours, felt scattered and non-linear as she lived it but now it makes sense in helping her learn important skills. Her signature program, called The Dreamy Client Magnet, helps creative entrepreneurs get laser-focused on who they want to serve and who they want to work with and what their boundaries are so that they can book more dreamy clients with ease, get paid to do what they love, and have the freedom and flexibility to enjoy it all. The program covers how to stop doing things just because you’re good at them, and instead how to focus on what you love doing and creating space for freedom and flexibility. If you want to know where you can focus your business, that’s what today’s chat is all about. We then get to dig into Reina’s very thoughtful and simple Social Glue Strategy, which is all about how to connect with more people one-on-one and how to use connecting authentically with other people as a strategic tool in your business. This is especially useful if you’re an online or a digital entrepreneur and you may be don’t run into a lot of people, because your office happens to be your bedroom, or your closet, or a co-working space. Along the way, Reina also tells us about her own journey. She shares what it was like to be an entrepreneur without kids (hint: you have a lot more time to “hustle” and are a lot less tired), to switching professions after having her first baby after realizing just how precious her time and energy are. And while she is now planning out her fully paid maternity leave, there was a multi-year period in her life where she and her husband dealt with unexplained secondary infertility, or infertility that occurs after having already had a successful pregnancy. Along the way her son tried to ask Alexa for a baby, she and her husband prepared for IVF, and then ultimately conceived just hours before their first in vitro appointment. IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT <ul> <li>How Reina helps creative entrepreneurs get laser-focused on who they want to serve and who they want to work with and what their boundaries are so that they can book more dreamy clients with ease, get paid to do what they love, and have the freedom and flexibility to enjoy it all.</li> <li>Her non-linear path to entrepreneurship that might not “make sense on LinkedIn” but helped her gain the skills she needed to run her current, very successful coaching business.</li> <li>How Reina’s natural inclination to check in with and connect with people has become her most valuable trait and a skill she t

49 min

105

How to Raise Successful Children: Trust and Res...

<h3>#113 — How to Raise Successful Children: Trust and Respect in Parenting, School, and Business</h3> Why is so much parenting advice seemingly in direct conflict with others? How do we determine who is correct? How do we make these emotional decisions for ourselves? Esther Wojcicki is considered the most influential educator in contemporary times and her pedagogical and epistemological philosophy is being adapted by local Silicon Valley schools as well as national and global educational programs. She is the pioneer of Moonshot Thinking, a program that she uses in schools, and her influence in technology-enabled schools has been central to the tenants and design of new modern education systems. She is also known as the mother in Silicon Valley who raised three of the most successful women in the United States. You may recognize her as the mother of Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube; of Janet Wojcicki, who has a PhD in medical anthropology and teaches at the University of California San Francisco’s medical center; and Anna Wojcicki, the founder of the biotech and genetics testing company 23andMe. Today on this episode we get to talk to Esther about her core principles in her pedagogical style and her parenting style. How she promotes independence, critical thinking and encourages kids to dive into topics that truly excite them. Her focus and work is on how to help children become young adults by developing the self-sufficiency to take control of their futures. <h5>IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT</h5> <ul> <li>How pregnancy and birth recommendations have changed over the last 40 years.</li> <li>How giving even the youngest children jobs or tasks can increase their feelings of accomplishment and self-worth.</li> <li>The value behind speaking to babies and toddlers like they are a partner and understanding presence. </li> <li>Her acronym for success, TRICK, which stands for: trust, respect, independence, collaboration and kindness.</li> <li>That giving young children the space to be independent teaches them that: they are capable and that you trust them.</li> <li>How the single piece of advice Dr. Woj wants to pass on to new mothers is quite simple: trust yourself. No one knows your baby better than you.</li> <li>What Dr. Woj considers to be the main value of sleep training (hint: it’s not sleep).</li> <li>How successful businesses embody the same relationship with their employees that Dr. Woj used to raise her children and currently uses with her students. </li> </ul> FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/113">http://www.startuppregnant.com/113</a>. <h5> LEARN MORE ABOUT ESTHER WOJCICKI </h5> Wojcicki is a leading American educator, journalist and mother. Leader in Blending Learning and the integration of technology into education, she is the founder of the <a href="http://www.palymac.org/">Media Arts program at Palo Alto High School</a>, where she built a journalism program from a small group of 20 students in 1984 to one of the largest in the nation including 600 students, five additional journalism teachers, and nine award-winning journ

48 min

106

Universal Paid Family Leave By 2020: One of the...

#112 — Universal Paid Family Leave By 2020: Meet One of the Women Pushing for Our Rights Why is the United States the only developed nation without any guaranteed family leave? How did we fall so far behind Europe, Canada and South America? And who is suffering the brunt of the impact from this lack of policy? “One in four people {in the US} who give birth go back to work within two weeks. That’s horrendous.” Fabiola Santiago is on a mission with Paid Leave United States (PL+US) to right that wrong and to provide high quality paid family leave for everyone. Before fighting for this comprehensive leave policy, PL+US had to address several historic blind spots, like: how exactly do we define family to reflect people’s realities and to be more inclusive of “non-traditional” relationships? And how do we expand the type of life events covered in leave policy to accurately serve all types of caretaking and medical needs? And how can we ensure that this type of leave will be universal to all persons in the US? Today we learn from Fabiola how the current lack of paid leave is most harmful to two groups of already vulnerable populations: women of color and low earners. She shares how our staggering maternal death rate for women of color is exacerbated by a systemic lack of leave and support for new mothers and how low-income earners do not have the flexibility to survive on anything short of full wage replacement. PL+US is fighting for a leave policy that: <ul> <li>is 6 months long;</li> <li>includes 100% wage replacement, especially for low earners;</li> <li>Includes job protection; and</li> <li>Expands the definition of family to meet the realities of all Americans.</li> </ul> On today’s episode, we get to talk with Fabiola Santiago about how PL+US bases their policy on the experiences and moral authority of the populations they most desire to serve and protect, about how current leave policy is really an elite privilege granted to white collar workers, and about the “race to the top” in portions of the private sector to attract top talent with top leave policies. <h5> IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT</h5> <ul> <li>Why in order to effectively craft a truly universal family leave we must first acknowledge who has historically fallen through the cracks.</li> <li>How the “race to the top” to create top-notch family leave policy in the tech sector is actually serving to increase inequality.</li> <li>Why six months is viewed as a crucial amount of leave time, especially for new parent and infant well-being.</li> <li>How full wage replacement during leave is crucial for the substantial portion of the US living paycheck to paycheck.</li> <li>Who the sandwich generation is and how this will influence the shape of effective leave policies.</li> <li>The surprising ways doulas and doctors of color can impact maternal mortality rates and how powerful organizations like “Roots of Labor” are bridging the chasm in how we provide inclusive care for all populations</li> <li>Why we need to be thinking “more abundantly” in terms of health outcomes for mothers of color.</li> <li>How people in power can most effectively use their position to im

68 min

107

Data Driven Parenting: An Economist on Breastfe...

<h3>#111 — Data Driven Parenting: An Economist on Breastfeeding, Sleep Training, and Vaccinations</h3> Why is so much parenting advice seemingly in direct conflict with others? How do we determine who is correct? How do we make these emotional decisions for ourselves? Emily Oster, author of the wildly popular “Expecting Better” is back to apply her economist’s data-driven lens to the big questions of early childhood parenting: Should I breastfeed? Will sleep training harm my child? What are the real risks and benefits of vaccinations? The data she uncovers is surprising. Some running directly counter to popularly held beliefs, others supporting both sides of a firmly entrenched debate. Oster is relatable and judgment free as she tells stories of how her research impacted her own parenting and which information she mosts wishes she’d had access to before giving birth for the first time eight years ago. In many circumstances, Oster proves that conflicting information from seemingly opposing camps can actually both be correct. If someone tells you to breastfeed and someone else tells you to formula feed, what are you to do with this conflicting information? According to Oster, be informed and empowered by data, then make the best decision for your child, yourself, and your family. Oster’s goal is not to shock parents with data or make them act counter to their intuition, but rather to help make parents more empowered, comfortable, and confident in their decision making process. Even for her, data only plays a partial role in her decisions. The rest is a careful consideration of what is best for her child, herself, and her family. On today’s episode, we get to talk with Emily Oster about the big topics of debate in early childhood parenting as well as learn about how she coordinates her family’s schedules, how she interprets her personal work vs. stay at home debate, and what she wishes she knew before giving birth for the first time almost a decade ago. IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT <ul> <li>Why so many of the conversations around parenting are completely baby-centric and what is missing when we don’t consider parental and familial well-being.</li> <li>Emily’s own struggles with breastfeeding and how the data around the benefits of breastfeeding really surprised her.</li> <li>The ingenious decision Emily made to implement the task management software at home that she uses at work and how that has changed her and her partner’s communication.</li> <li>How to set up an operations manual for your family so that you can travel (for work or pleasure) and someone else can smoothly run your day-to-day family operation.</li> <li>Why we can be more confident about the data on sleep training than other areas of parenting. And importantly, why whether you choose to sleep train your baby or not, you are correct.</li> <li>How Oster herself chooses to use (and not use) data in her own decision making around her family and children, and how you can implement her three-pronged approach to making your own choices.</li> <li>The surprising ways the complex-sounding economic term “decreasing value of marginal utility” is applied to parenting and work.</li> </ul> FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode qu

59 min

108

Redefining Motherhood: Matrescence and Debunkin...

<h3>#110 — Redefining Motherhood: Matrescence and Debunking the Myth of the Perfect Mother</h3> What do we call women who experience emotions ranging from completee joy to anxiety to ambivalence in new motherhood? In the words of Dr. Alexandra Sacks: totally normal. In her work studying “matrescence”, or the identity transition to motherhood, Dr. Sacks shines light on the wide range of these normal emotions that tend to be hidden from public view. Some of these very normal and natural feelings include: fear of childbirth, disappointment in learning your child’s sex, not enjoying the work of childrearing, feeling disconnected to your baby or your partner (or both!) during what you thought was supposed to be a deep bonding moment, and much more. If you’re like me, this podcast will leave you feeling much less alone and much more aware of the complexity of your own experience in motherhood. Alexandra Sacks, MD is the leading expert on “matrescence,” the term that defines and captures the transition to motherhood that is as demanding and transformative as adolescence. She is known for popularizing the concept in her TED talk as well as the New York Times article “<a href= "https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/08/well/family/the-birth-of-a-mother.html">The Birth of a Mother</a>.” She is the host of <a href= "https://www.gimletmedia.com/shows/motherhood-sessions">Motherhood Sessions</a>, a podcast released in April 2019 by Gimlet Media, and coauthor of <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/What-One-Tells-You-Motherhood/dp/1501112562"> What No One Tells You: A Guide to Your Emotions from Pregnancy to Motherhood</a>. On today’s episode, we get to talk with Dr. Sacks about the range of psychological experiences that women encounter during pregnancy and new motherhood — from joy and bliss to anxiety and guilt. She also tells us why these experiences are totally natural and normal for a period of such dramatic identity shifts as well as hormonal, bodily, and relationship changes. “Going through a diversity of emotions doesn’t necessarily mean you have postpartum depression. It’s the natural course of matrescence,” she explains. She breaks down the harmful myths of motherhood and opens up space for a conversation full of nuance, paradox, and honesty. In our culture, it’s time to redefine motherhood and show the broad range and spectrum of emotions, feelings, and experiences that accompany this huge transition and journey in your life. Becoming a parent means that all of your relationships shift, that a new person is joining your family, and you are responsible in a way that you might not ever have been before. If it feels like a lot, that’s okay, because it is a lot. <h5> IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT</h5> <ul> <li>Dr. Sacks’ transition from studying postpartum depression to focusing on the diversity of emotions experienced naturally in matrescence.</li> <li>Matrescence as an extended phase of all women’s lives, including women who choose not to have children or who experience infertility, and Dr. Sacks focused work on the period of pregnancy and the first year of motherhood.</li> <li>The Bliss Myth and other honest stories we’re missing about motherhood.</li> <li>The harmful trope of the “bad mother” as the cornerstone of evil characters in myth and popular culture.</li> <li>The idea of the “Good Enough Mother” as permission and guiding light f

44 min

109

Business Strategy When Both Co-Founders Are Pre...

<h3>#109 — Co-founders Elena Rue and Catherine Orr on being pregnant at the same time</h3> <h3>The two co-founders were both already parents. They’d done the pregnancy thing before. Then they found out they both were pregnant again, and at the same time.</h3> Elena Rue and Catherine Orr are co-founders of StoryMine Media, a company that creates documentary videos for mission-driven organizations. They’d been in business together for years, and were both already parents to young children. Yet they’d been able to balance being co-founders because one was always able to cover for the other one if a pregnancy came up. This time, however, they were due within weeks of each other! <h3>Both co-founders pregnant? Use it as a kick in the pants</h3> Yet instead of panic and think that business was over, they decided to talk about how to go about planning for pregnancies as entrepreneurs in a different way. They decided to use their joint pregnancies as a kick in the pants to implement changes that they’d been wanting to make as a business for years. The intersection of entrepreneurship and pregnancy is a place I’m fascinated with at Startup Pregnant, and every interview we do shares another story of how to tackle this life design challenge in new and interesting ways. How can we make business better because of pregnancy? What if we looked at our bodies slowing down or our need for rest not as a curse on business, but as a fascinating opportunity for renovation and re-design? <h3>Not that we’re saying this is easy</h3> None of us are saying that this is easy or wonderful to go through—change sometimes feels like it comes through with a sledgehammer—but it is, in some cases, an opportunity for growth and leveling up. <h5>IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT:</h5> <ul> <li>How to unroll your pregnancies and announce them strategically (and where the balance is between being authentic and also being strategic).</li> <li>Using pregnancy as a leverage point and changing project timelines, expectations, and deliverables accordingly.</li> <li>How to build a better team, and get better at building teams.</li> <li>Why they finally took advice they’d been hearing over and over again and actually implemented it (pregnancy was the thing that made them take the advice to heart, and take action).</li> </ul> Today you’ll get to hear not just from two pregnant women, but from three pregnant women, all in their third trimesters! Why? I recorded this interview back when I was also 38 weeks pregnant, so you’ll get to hear it all from all of us. Yes, we’ll tell it like it is. Listen in to this joint conversation as we talk about what to do when you find out your co-founder is pregnant at the same time as you. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href="http://www.startuppregnant.com/109">http://www.startuppregnant.com/109</a>. <h5> LEARN MORE ABOUT STORYMINE MEDIA AND THE CO-FOUNDERS ELENA AND CATHERINE</h5> StoryMine creates documentary videos for mission-driven organizations. They capture real stories and human moments, that connect people to a cause. The greatest thing you can do to serve a mission, grow awareness, and inspire action, is to find the real people, specific m

58 min

110

Optimizing Your Fertility and Healing Your Body...

<h3>#108 — Optimizing your fertility as the gateway to healing your body</h3> As young women, we’re taught about our menstrual cycle in relationship to two things: our periods and pregnancy. In an attempt to avoid pregnancy, fix irregular cycles, or alter heavy periods, we’re often prescribed The Pill in our teens and twenties. We are flummoxed when we come off the pill after years or decades of use to find our old problems return immediately – they’ve not healed themselves, only been hidden by the regulating power of the pill. By only revisiting our cycles when we decide to try to conceive, we miss out on the opportunity to come into deep understanding with our bodies and to heal ourselves rather than mask symptoms. Today, we get to talk to Lisa Hendrickson-Jack about how in taking the time to chart, learn about and understand our cycles, we can not only optimize our fertility but gain crucial information about our bodies. Lisa is the author of The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility. She is a certified fertility awareness educator and a holistic reproductive health practitioner. She teaches women how to chart their menstrual cycles for natural birth control, for conception and for monitoring your overall health. Her book, The Fifth Vital Sign is all about why your cycle is one of your vital signs in your body if you are a woman and how it can play a powerful tool in diagnosing and healing our bodies. <h5>In this episode we talk about:</h5> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Being a medical advocate for yourself: why it’s extremely difficult and also crucial to your long-term well-being.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The idea that in any examining room there are two experts: the doctor, who is the expert in a field of medicine, and the patient, who is the expert in their body and their experience.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How a family history of painful periods, fibroids, and hysterectomies led her to seek out cycle charting from an early age</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Lisa debunks the myth that regular ovulation is only important when you want children, because we need to recognize that the menstrual cycle is part of our entire biology and physiology.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">She presents an evidence-based approach to fertility awareness and menstrual cycle optimization.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How the body is seen as low—base, even!—and unpredictable. That means that men and women have been culturally conditioned not to experience life through our bodies. This becomes a bigger problem for birthing and postpartum women, who can experience the trauma of birth itself and then can compound that damage by feeling like they can’t or shouldn’t listen to their bodies reaction to trauma in the wake of birth.</li> </ul> Join us as we talk about the menstrual cycle, fertility, and the opportunities we all have to learn more about our bodies simply by paying closer attention to them. FULL SHOW NOTE

64 min

111

April Preview: Amy Schumer, Women and Doctors, ...

<h3>#107 — April Preview: Amy Schumer, Women and Doctors, and Being the Expert of Your Body</h3> This week Sarah and guest Cary Fortin break down some of the most powerful takeaways from recent podcast guests and what we’re looking forward to in April. We cover what makes us laugh, cry, and get fired up in a brand-new segment called “In The News.” IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT: <ul> <li><a href= "http://startuppregnant.com/106">Episode # 106</a> with Iman Gatti and how difficult and important it is to be your own advocate in the birthing process and with your health.</li> <li>What it means to internalize that while doctors have extensive and important bodies of knowledge relating to medicine, WE are the experts of our own bodies. </li> <li>Building resilient businesses and what to do when your employees start to get bored, and what we learned from Whitney Johnson in <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/105">Episode #105</a>.</li> <li>Why planning and designing maternity leave as an entrepreneur is crucial, even if those plans all fall apart, and why businesses and babies are so unpredictable.</li> <li>How raw and honest Vanessa Van Edwards was in <a href="http://startuppregnant.com/104">Episode #104</a> and how helpful it was hearing her real-life maternity leave challenges.</li> <li>Why Amy Schumer’s challenging pregnancy is a gift to the world, and which portions of her most recent special “Growing” Cary just couldn’t stop laughing about.</li> <li>How women have been left out of conversations and decisions around designing everyday and life-saving objects and just how harmful it is to all of us.</li> <li>Why we are so grateful, regardless of politics, for all of the incredible women in power around the world. They are giving us all a more diverse, empathetic, powerful set of examples of what leadership can look like.</li> </ul> Join us as we talk about what’s impacting us most, on the podcast and in the news, this month. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/107">http://www.startuppregnant.com/107</a>. <h5> LEARN MORE ABOUT CARY FORTIN</h5> Writer, author, storyteller, and co-founder of New Minimalism. <ul> <li><a href= "http://www.newminimalism.com/">http://www.newminimalism.com/</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.amazon.com/New-Minimalism-Decluttering-Sustainable-Intentional/dp/1632171325/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512103820&sr=8-1&keywords=9781632171320"> The New Minimalism Book</a></li> </ul> <h5> RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE</h5> <ul> <li>Amy Schumer <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdOtvQkrNZY">“Growing”</a> on <a href= "https://www.netflix.com/title/81037077">Netflix</a></li> <li>The Guardian article from <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Women-Exposing-World-Designed-ebook/dp/B07CQ2NZG6"> Invisible Women</a> auther Caroline Criado-Perez <a href= "https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/feb/23/truth-world-built-for-men-car-crashes">“The deadly truth about a world built for men – from stab vests

57 min

112

Healing from Trauma and Grief: One Woman’s Jour...

#106 — Healing from Trauma and Grief: One Woman’s Journey and Story At six years old, Iman Gatti witnessed her father brutally murder her mother. Her father was sentenced to 25 years in prison and Iman, now parentless, spent the next twelve years in foster care. Fast forward to today: Iman is a published memoirist, grief recovery specialist, certified coach, a wife, and a mother to a beautiful baby girl. How did she get here? How did she process and heal all the trauma she experienced over those formative years? And how has she been able to turn her own journey of healing into one of empowering other women to heal themselves? On today’s episode, we get to hear from Iman Gatti about her courageous journey of healing of herself after unimaginable pain. We learn how she spent a decade in therapy and other recovery and healing modalities, how she ended up starting a business, and how her business now supports women in their own journeys to healing, forgiveness, and self-love. Through her work in healing her own trauma, she found a path to becoming a courageous living coach and certified grief specialist. In this episode, we also get to listen in and hear how Iman shares how motherhood changed her and impacted the way that she works. While she found raising a baby to be demanding, she also found the logistics of it straightforward. What she wasn’t necessarily expecting was how much the soul work of becoming a mother would rock her to her core. Join us as we talk about what it looked like for her to heal from trauma: her journey and deep work around forgiveness, self-love, and the surprising ways that pregnancy and birth were a portal to deeper healing. <h5>IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT:</h5> <ul> <li>Iman’s profound story of trauma––witnessing her father brutally murder her mother just before her seventh birthday and spending the following 12 years in foster care––and her decades long commitment to healing herself.</li> <li>How the work of healing her own trauma led her to become a courageous living coach and certified grief specialist who helps others heal their own trauma and grief.</li> <li>The surprising role of forgiveness as a cornerstone of healing trauma.</li> <li>How becoming a mother herself reignited Iman’s grief over losing her own mother at seven, but also strengthened her feeling of connection.</li> <li>The vulnerability of writing her memoir and allowing herself to be fully seen.</li> <li>How she found raising a baby to be demanding but straightforward, while the soul work of becoming a mother rocked her to her core.</li> </ul> FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/106">http://www.startuppregnant.com/106</a>. <h5> LEARN MORE ABOUT IMAN GATTI</h5> Iman Gatti, author of Cracked Open – Never Broken, is an empowerment coach, transformational speaker, and Certified Grief Recovery Specialist™. Through her work, she helps people overcome self-limiting beliefs, heal past wounds, and step fully into their limitless potential. <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://a.co/35ADT1E">Cracked Open – Never Broken: A Memoir</a></li> </ul> <h5> EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER</h5> We have a series of mini-books we wrote just for Startup Pregnant listeners: from Pregnancy Affirmations to the Pregnancy Reading List and the Parenting Reading

47 min

113

Disruption: Managing Your Career With Whitney J...

#105—Disruption: Managing Your Career Whenever I feel stuck or I’m looking for a mentor, career-wise, one of my favorite things to do is to identify people whose careers I really admire, and watch them from afar. I study how they work, what they’ve done and what changes for them over time. I learned about Whitney Johnson after I read her first book, Dare, Dream, Do. It’s about building dreams for your life, and it has so many useful applications for that time period of transition in your career after becoming a parent when you can dream up what your future life can look like. So, when I reached out and asked her to be on the show, I was floored when she said yes. It’s always a particular joy when you get to connect with someone you’ve watched and learned from for a long time. <h3>Innovation, disruption, and management theory</h3> Whitney is an innovation and disruption theorist, and an executive and performance. She was formerly a Wall Street analyst who also started an investment firm with Harvard’s Clayton Christensen. She’s also a bestselling author of three books, her most recent the book all about building great teams and using the ideas of disruption (both of yourself as well as your process) in Build an A-Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up The Learning Curve. <h5>IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:</h5> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">What the term “disruption” means and why it’s more than a buzzword.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How pregnancy and parenting are both “disruptive forces” and how that makes them really powerful potential forces for good.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How pregnancy gives women the opportunity to think strategically</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Her parenting journey—when and how she decided she wanted to be a mother.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Managing work travel and an intense work schedule with parenting.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How to hire great people and how to build great teams.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">What to do when you have underperformers on your team, or people who have outgrown a role.</li> </ul> FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/105">http://www.startuppregnant.com/105</a>. <h5> LEARN MORE ABOUT WHITNEY JOHNSON</h5> Whitney Johnson, is an innovation and disruption theorist, executive and performance coach, and one of the world's leading management thinkers, according to Thinkers50. <ul> <li><a href= "https://whitneyjohnson.com/">More about Whitney</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Build-Team-Their-Strengths-Learning/dp/1633693643/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1524081510&sr=8-1&keywords=build+an+a+team&linkCode=sl1&

51 min

114

The First Weeks of Parenting: What Nobody Tells...

#104 — The First Weeks of Parenting: What Nobody Tells You Why is it that so many parenting books begin with some version of this little, deceptive, awful phrase? They all say this one dang thing: After the first few weeks... But what about THE FIRST FEW WEEKS? The first weeks are some of the longest and most challenging of a new mother’s life, from healing physically and emotionally processing the birth experience, to being up all night with feeding and sleeping, to raw nipples (if you’re breastfeeding), to trying to understand why obnoxiously loud shushing works for some babies to sleep, to feeling like basic things you assumed you could do are completely beyond you. For many, many new parents, the surprise of not being even able to feed oneself or eat enough food while having a baby around—a baby that sleeps, a lot!—is a shock to the system, and is really hard to figure out. And no one told you. Why? Why does our culture and our experts seem to gloss over this pivotal time? Today, we get to check in with Vanessa Van Edwards, who was seven months pregnant when we last spoke and is now mother to a vibrant seven month old daughter. Vanessa gives us a rare, genuine, unfiltered look at what it felt like to be unprepared for parenting a newborn, despite all her hours of reading and research. We learn about her plans and preparations for maternity leave as the founder of her business, Science of People, and how the leave she’d prepared for was upended by a customer service crisis at just 12 days postpartum. Vanessa is a researcher, business owner, work-from-home mom, and author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People. Her comments –– “I was way over prepared for the birth and way underprepared for parenting” –– fundamentally altered how I view the newborn period and how I speak to other mothers preparing this journey. <h5>IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT:</h5> <ul> <li>Why there are dozens of books and classes on the birth experience and so little attention paid to the first weeks of life with a newborn.</li> <li>What happens when you feel like you’re out of options as a new parent in light of Vanessa’s experience with an infant who would only sleep while being held. Do you sleep with your baby even though doctors tell you not to, or do you not sleep so your baby can? And why don’t we tell stories like these to help future parents prepare for the unpredictable first weeks?</li> <li>The gratitude and anger Vanessa feels toward her business. One on hand, it sustains her family financially and fulfills her. On the other, it’s unpredictable needs forced her back to work less than two weeks after having her daughter when she’d planned to take at least two months at home.</li> <li>Why running her business from home leaves her partner feeling like he’s crushing work and fatherhood while it leaves her feeling like she’s constantly making the impossible choice of being with her daughter or being a great worker.</li> </ul> Join us as we talk about the first few weeks: an unpredictable, challenging, rarely spoken of period that deserves much more attention. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/104">http://www.startuppregnant.com/104</a>. <h5> LEARN MORE ABOUT VANESSA VAN EDWARDS</h5> Vanessa Van Edwards is lead investigator at Science of People, a human behavior research lab. She is also the national best selling author of Captivate -- a science based guide for awkward people to level up their social success and banish awkward silences forever. It was chosen by Apple as one of the most anticipated books of the year and has already been translated into 16 l

58 min

115

How To Hire A Nanny With Co-Host Anna Frandsen

<h3>#103 — How To Hire A Nanny</h3> <h3>Why is childcare so overwhelming?</h3> Childcare can be so hard! When I started looking for a nanny after my second son was born, I didn’t know how to begin thinking about the search. I reached out to a friend—who is also an amazing business mama—and asked for help with the process of hiring a nanny. Enter Anna Frandsen! Anna is a business coach and a mentor, and she’s the founder and CEO of The Heart Centered Entrepreneur. She works with people on building great systems, getting visibility for their work, and attracting clients. She is a systems pro and today we talk all about the workflows, strategies, and processes of how to hire a nanny. <h3>How to hire a nanny</h3> First, know that the process doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and we’re here to talk you through it. This podcast episode is a one-hour blueprint for how to do the search, what to think about when you hire a nanny, and the steps we took to onboard and enroll our nannies in payment portals, tax systems, and more. We share how we set up the contracts, established the routines and expectations, and figured out payroll taxes. When you hire a nanny, it’s just like hiring an employee—you need to think about how you communicate best, what your work environment is like, how you’ll deliver feedback, when they’ll get paid, how you talk about your goals for your family, and more. In this episode, Anna and I talk through our exact workflow strategies, including how we decided to go with a nanny, what steps we took to do a streamlined, easy search process, and even my “pink nanny binder,” which has my family philosophy, rules and guidelines, and the contract itself. <h5> IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:</h5> <ul> <li>How to decide and ask for the childcare you need.</li> <li>Why it can be really hard as a working mom to figure out your “working” and your “mom” identities, and how to think about it.</li> <li>Why it’s okay to ask for help, and to ask for the help you need.</li> <li>Why getting clear on what you need is as important as the next steps.</li> <li>The exact hiring process Anna uses to research, find, and interview candidates to find the right nanny for her family.</li> <li>The on-boarding workflow we put together to help bring someone onto your team, and why it matters.</li> <li>How to think about having conversations and giving feedback with someone who is in your home, and also an employee.</li> <li>Why the nanny payroll taxes seem so complicated at first, and how to break it down so it’s easier to understand.</li> </ul> <h5> DOWNLOAD THE FREE GUIDE</h5> Want to use the worksheet we’ve built to go along with this episode? Go to <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/nanny-checklist">www.startuppregnant.com/nanny-checklist</a> to get the checklist and get on your way to hiring a nanny. It includes best-of quotes from this episode and things to consider while you’re hiring a nanny of your own. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/103">http://www.startuppregnant.com/103</a>. <h5> LEARN MORE ABOUT ANNA FRANDSEN</h5> Anna Frandsen is a business coach and mentor, a radical optimist, a green tea drinker + mama to two. She left a career in higher education to build an online business from scratch and live her messy, imperfect, version of success. To her, the life of her dreams looks like being an ultra-present mama, serving incredible clients world-wide with her God-given gifts and giving women the freedom to build a business that changes lives. <ul> <li><a href= "http://www.annafrandsen.com">www.annafrandsen.com</a

63 min

116

A Case of the Mondays? Or Maybe It's Motherhood

<h3>#102 — It’s not you, it’s February.</h3> My husband and I have a joke every year that <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BtyOYvuHrkg/">it’s not you—it’s February</a><a href= "https://www.instagram.com/p/BtyOYvuHrkg/">.</a> February can be rough, especially for people in the Northern Hemisphere when winter, doldrums, lack of sunlight, and all-around slushiness sets in. In our household, we make an agreement to let ourselves snack a little more, pour the wine liberally if needed, and basically catch up on any shows we want to watch whenever we have a spare moment (you know, if both kids are napping AT THE SAME TIME)—because it is February. <h3>When it rains, it pours</h3> This month we’ve been stretching and growing a ton here at Startup Pregnant, and we’re rolling out the next phase of our community mastermind, <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/wwc">The Wise Women’s Council</a>. We’re also running a <a href= "http://www.instagram.com/startuppregnant">5-day Instagram Challenge</a>, a scholarship competition for people who want to join The Wise Women’s Council, and building out our course roster for the 2019 year ahead. It’s been full, it’s been growth, and it’s been a lot. This is the life of working parents. Work all by itself can be a lot. But what about when daycare starts, your nanny plans change, you’re just coming back from maternity leave, your kiddos get sick, you get sick, or someone gets injured? Or—your laptop breaks or your car gives you trouble. It’s enough to make anyone scream. Parents, I salute all of you, because we’re all doing this together. Listen in as we take a brief pause and share some behind-the-scenes of the life of a working parent entrepreneur. Maybe you can relate? Because this—it’s February. But it’s also life. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/102">http://www.startuppregnant.com/102.</a> EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER This episode is sponsored by Splendid Spoon, a meal delivery service that creates whole, healthy, plant-based soups and smoothies that can be a great fit for busy parents and new moms. Get $50 off your first order with the link <a href= "http://splendid.to/startuppregnant">splendid.to/startuppregnant</a> THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST <ul> <li><a href= "https://startuppregnant.com/">Startup Pregnant</a></li> <li><a href= "https://startuppregnant.com/newsletter/">Startup Pregnant Newsletter</a></li> <li>Email hello@startuppregnant.com</li> <li><a href= "https://www.facebook.com/startuppregnant">Startup Pregnant on Facebook</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.instagram.com/startuppregnant/">Startup Pregnant on Instag

18 min

117

How Motherhood Makes You Better at Work (Amy He...

<h3>#101 — Wait, Motherhood Makes You Better at Work?</h3> How will motherhood change me? Will I be different? Will I end up on the “mommy track” and never want to work again? These are questions that people ask themselves when they start thinking about getting pregnant and parenthood. Expectant parents and people considering having kids know that parenthood will change them, but they don’t how. Today we are going to take a look at the story that gets shoved at pregnant women (and really, at all women). The story goes that when you’re just waiting to become a mom, and once you do become a mom, you won’t be interested in working outside the home anymore. The prevailing story is that motherhood will change you, and not in a good way. The ambitions and dreams you cherished pre-kids become uninteresting to you. Because you become uninteresting. This post-motherhood story isn’t just a myth, sadly: it’s a belief that lots of people hold, and it affects how women are treated in the workplace, and it especially affects how mothers are treated in the workplace. A study from sociology researcher Shelley Correll found that mothers in the workforce are seen as less competent and less intelligent than women without children (<a href= "https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/511799?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents">here’s a link to the study</a>). In fact, Correll found that “mothers in the workforce are rated as significantly less competent, less intelligent, and less committed than women without children; and a mother is 79% less likely to be hired, and half as likely to get promoted, when compared to an equally qualified woman without a child,” <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-mothering-makes-us-better-work-amy-henderson/"> writes Amy Henderson</a>, our guest on today’s episode. <h3>What people aren’t saying: motherhood makes you better at work</h3> But there’s a great twist, here, and I’m excited to talk to Amy about it. While the prevailing beliefs and perceptions around mothers are terrible—they aren’t actually based in truth. That is, while we have terrible social and cultural attitudes around mothers and work, working mothers are actually discovering how much motherhood makes you better at work, and how motherhood can strengthen your resilience, ability, and leadership skills. We previously touched on this phenomenon in our <a href="https://startuppregnant.com/023">episode with Sarah Lacy</a>, and today we get to dig in even deeper. Today I talk with Amy Henderson, CEO and Co-founder of Tendlab, all about this phenomenon and what leaders are sharing about the reality of working motherhood, and how it’s far different than the stories we scare people with. Tendlab’s mission is to help companies unlock the power and potential of parenthood in the workplace in a way that benefits every employee and maximizes productivity. <h5>IN TODAY’S EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT</h5> <ul> <li>How parenthood has the potential to transform mothers and fathers for the better in all aspects of our lives, but particularly in our careers.</li> <li>It’s not just mothers, but—yes, fathers!—that receive a positive impact on career performance IF, and only IF they actually spend a significant amount of time care-taking.</li> <li>We are entering an era where the skills developed while parenting are not only relevant, but necessary, for success in the workplace.</li> </ul> We also talk about what working moms should know, and wh

56 min

118

What I've Learned From Recording 100 Episodes o...

<h3>#100 — What I've Learned From Recording 100 Episodes of the Podcast</h3> It surprised me that we’re here at the hundredth episode. I couldn’t have told you back in the early summer of 2017, when I began to brainstorm the idea for a podcast, that this show would still be here today, week after week. I knew that I wanted to start a conversation around women, motherhood, parenting, and entrepreneurship, and I was slowly learning that I needed to be in conversation with other women. It happened almost by accident. I thought I was writing a book. I’d sent a book proposal to an agent in New York City, and she was intrigued. “Tell me more,” she said, “I think this concept is really interesting.” I dug in and wrote (and wrote and wrote) but never quite got the book to come together the way I wanted to. “You know what’s missing,” she said. “We need other women’s voices in the room.” That was it. That was the missing piece. The conversation around motherhood and parenting and business? It’s not a single-person conversation. Keyword: conversation. So we started a podcast. A show where we interviewed women who were navigating the double arcs of parenting and business building at the same time. Of course, these lenses are huge, because we interview professionals across so many walks of life (just like you!), and we look at all of the many stories around pregnancy and parenting, from what it looks like to decide whether or not to have children, to struggles with infertility, to the challenges and joys of pregnancy, and so much more. Today we hit the 100th episode of the podcast and I want to take a few moments to reflect on all that I’ve learned in this journey so far. <h5>In this episode we talk about:</h5> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How to get started in podcast production, and the many pieces required in audio editing, production, and set-up—and my favorite course instructor if you want to start a podcast as well.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The art of asking great questions, and what I do to prepare for each interview, plus my three favorite questions to ask when I want to hear great stories from people.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How much time it really takes to produce a show, and how much of my time every week is dedicated to the podcast.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How we’ve increased our systems and efficiency over time, making it easier to produce through things like batching, systematizing, and creating operations workflows.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">What I’ve learned from interviewing so many leading thinkers, and how it’s changed the way I think and show up as a result.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How much longer we’re going to have this show on the air, and when I estimate we’ll stop producing the podcast and show (and why).</li> </ul> Join me in this celebration episode, and, if you’re a fan of the show, we’d love it if you dropped us some love on social media. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <

39 min

119

From Music and Brain Scientist to Brand New Car...

<h3>#099 — From Music and Brain Scientist to Brand New Career with Christine Koh</h3> Christine Koh has a fascinating backstory: previously, she was a music and brain scientist who was on track to become a professor after a long career in science. Then, she left that career to become a self-described “internet unicorn.” This was no small leap: she had been awarded prestigious fellowships and one of the highest postdoctoral assignments: a joint appointment at both Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Instead, however, she “hung up her academic spurs” and decided for a brand new career and a path with more creativity, flexibility, and independence. In today’s episode, we dig into this decision she made (more than a decade ago), and how her work has grown and evolved since. Today, Christine holds a number of positions and runs several platforms, hence the nickname, ‘Internet Unicorn.’ She is the founder and editor of Boston Mamas, a pioneering hyperlocal lifestyle blog; she’s the creative director at Women Online, a communications firm that specializes in using social media for good; and she is the co-owner/designer at Brave New World Designs, an advocacy-oriented design collection. The heart of today’s episode? We talk about how you can be a multifaceted business owner while still living a streamlined life that you enjoy. One of her projects is a book called Minimalist Parenting, and she also has a podcast called The Edit Your Life Show (link down below). It’s a call to enjoy family life more by doing less: to stop overbooking, to cut through the clutter, and say “no” more so you can make room for spontaneity and joy in your family life. When I found out about this book, I immediately was drawn to the themes and the advice. In the book, she writes about making room in your life for the remarkable, and finding your family’s true north, not everyone else’s. Asha Dornfest and Christine Koh came together to write this book, and I knew I wanted to interview them both. We got to interview Asha previously in <a href= "https://startuppregnant.com/asha-dornfest">Episode #076: Hacking Parenting</a>, and today, we get to dig into the work, the life, and the parenting journey of Christine Koh. <h5>In this episode we talk about:</h5> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Leaving a high power, high profile job and career.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How having her first child jump started the change.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How she met and became “internet friends” with her co-author and co-host.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">What that looks like to be involved in lots of different types of projects.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Why “white space” in your calendar is an absolute must.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Her carpool strategy for getting her kids to their activities without losing her sanity.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Why w

51 min

120

The Wise Women’s Council — Episode #098

<h3>#098 — Entrepreneurship, motherhood, and figuring it all out </h3> What does it take to be a parent and an entrepreneur in today’s work world? It takes a lot—and it takes a village. Today I talk about the Wise Women’s Council, our nine-month mastermind program for women who are navigating business and parenting. Applications are now open, and they’ll be open until February 25th. But don’t wait until the last minute—there is an incentive for all the people who apply early with a fairly significant early-bird discount. Find out all the details about the program and how to apply at <a href="http://www.startuppregnant.com/wwc">www.startuppregnant.com/wwc</a> In today’s episode, I share all about the Wise Women’s Council, including: <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The story behind why the program started, and why it’s so important to be in community with other women.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">What we built with the program, and why community gatherings are so important for our lives and careers.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Specific program elements, like our monthly happy-hour hang, the monthly coaching live call, and our private slack channel.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Why we changed the name of the program from “Mastermind” to “Wise Women’s Council.”</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The book club (one per month!) and who we get to have in our minds alongside us in the journey.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The monthly themes and how they will inspire each of us to go deeper as a starting point for our own personal journeys and inquiries.</li> </ul> FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/096">http://www.startuppregnant.com/098</a>. <h5> RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE</h5> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/wwc">www.startuppregnant.com/wwc</a></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/mastermind">www.startuppregnant.com/mastermind</a></li> </ul> <h5> EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER</h5> This episode is sponsored by Splendid Spoon, a meal delivery service that creates whole, healthy, plant-based soups and smoothies that can be a great fit for busy parents and new moms. Get $50 off your first order with the link <a href="http://splendid.to/startuppregnant" target= "_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl= "https://www.google.com/url?q=http://splendid.to/startuppregnant&source=gmail&ust=1549641544112000&usg=AFQjCNE62fOWFeGF78-MLpysMtKRYH5oRw">splendid.to/startuppregnant. </a> <h5> THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST</h5> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "https://startuppregnant.com/">Startup Pregnant</a></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "https://startuppregnant.com/newsletter/"><span style=

21 min

121

Baby Update: Welcome Back, Sarah — Episode #097

#097 — Baby Update: Welcome Back, Sarah It’s been about four months since I gave birth to my baby boy, and now we’ve got two littles in our household. A toddler and a baby and a business is a handful, for sure. I’m slowly getting back into the studio and back into recording. I’ll be honest—I was a little scared to get back behind the microphone because I’m not sure my words are coming together. All the things about postpartum I’m living right now, and I feel a little foggy-headed, a lot tired, and sometimes I just run out of steam by mid-afternoon. (“Sometimes” is very generous there.) But the best I can do is be kind to myself, do the best I can, and let my best be good enough. We don’t have to be perfect. (I’m saying this to you as well as me.) Thanks for being here, listening, as always while I was away on maternity leave with baby number two. In today’s episode, I give a brief update on: <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">How the birth of baby number two was.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">What’s coming up on the podcast (we have some special guest series coming up).</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">The status of the mastermind (applications are now open)</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">What major shift we made in our family that affected my work, and how we’re changing things up going forward. </li> </ul> FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/096">http://www.startuppregnant.com/097</a>. <h5> RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE</h5> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/wwc">www.startuppregnant.com/wwc</a></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/mastermind">www.startuppregnant.com/mastermind</a></li> </ul> <h5>EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER</h5> <ul> <li><a href= "https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind-2018/">The Startup Pregnant Mastermind</a></li> </ul> <h5>THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST</h5> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "https://startuppregnant.com/">Startup Pregnant</a></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "https://startuppregnant.com/newsletter/">Startup Pregnant Newsletter</a></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Email hello@startuppregnant.com</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href= "https://www.facebook.com/startuppregnant">Startup Pregnant on Facebook</a></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style

18 min

122

The Science of Personality and Why It Matters f...

#096 — The Science of Personality and Why It Matters for Your Business Personality science is a fascinating discipline. That’s why most of us know our DiSC profile, our Myers-Briggs type, and even our Hogwarts House. We want to understand how we are wired and how that impacts the way we react to the world. But what if we took it a step further and applied an understanding of personality science to business? How would that change our hiring processes? Or the way we approach our colleagues and clients? Vanessa Van Edwards is a journalist turned researcher who got curious about what makes people tick, and she believes that when it comes to business, personality is not a nice-to-know, it’s a need-to-know. Vanessa leverages her knowledge of personality science to hire for the right fit, create a supportive work culture, and get the best out of her team. Today, Vanessa joins me to discuss how <a href= "https://www.scienceofpeople.com/">Science of People</a> came to be and how she applies personality research in her own work culture. She shares the Big Five personality traits backed by academia, offering insight into how our levels of openness, conscientiousness, extroversion-introversion, agreeableness and neuroticism impact the way we work. I ask Vanessa about the failure of her first book, and she describes the downward spiral that ensued and how she eventually found her way back to writing. Listen in as Vanessa explains her experience with pregnancy thus far and how expecting gave her the opportunity to work ON her business! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/096">http://www.startuppregnant.com/096</a>. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Community makes all the difference. So, at Startup Pregnant, we have launched a mastermind program for women who are interested in going deeper around questions about parenting, motherhood, and business. To apply for the Spring 2019 session and receive my free email series, go to <a href= "https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind">https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind</a>. All of our sponsor offers are available on our website for you to grab the perks and discounts offered to podcast listeners: <a href= "http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors">http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors</a>. LEARN MORE ABOUT VANESSA VAN EDWARDS Vanessa Van Edwards is the founder and lead investigator at Science of People, a research lab where she uncovers the hidden forces that drive our behavior. Vanessa writes a monthly column for Entrepreneur Magazine and the Huffington Post, and her work has been featured on NPR, Business Week, and USA Today. She is a sought-after keynote speaker, delivering talks at the Consumer Electronic Show, TEDxLondon, and MIT, among many other venues. Vanessa is the author of the national bestseller <a href= "https://www.scienceofpeople.com/captivate">Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People</a>. <ul> <li><a href="https://www.scienceofpeople.com/">Science of People</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/vvanpetten">Vanessa on YouTube</a></li> </ul> RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE <ul> <li><a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Captivate-Succeeding-Vanessa-Van-Edwards/dp/0399564489/ref=asc_df_0399564489/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312371602209&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17065939450960362832&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027584&hvtargid=pla-308782830635&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=61011965686&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312371602209&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17065939450960362832&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027584&hvtargid=pla-308782830635"> Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People

63 min

123

Creating ‘Mantras in Motion’ as a Dancer, Teach...

#095 — Creating ‘Mantras in Motion’ as a Dancer, Teacher, and Entrepreneur Mantras can be powerful in helping us reprogram our thinking. Yet, many of us have a hard time making them stick. So, how do we rewire our brains to make affirmations part of our conscious programming? Erin Stutland’s background in dance combined with her interest in personal development and grew into a practice of ‘mantras in motion.’ She couples positive self-talk with movement to strengthen body AND mind in tandem, and the pairing makes affirmations ‘sticky.’ A concept like courage evolves from an intellectual idea to a physiological sensation: We feel it in our body and it becomes a part of us. Today, Erin joins me to share her journey from artist to entrepreneur, explaining how working as a dancer and actor prepared her to run her own business and what inspired her transition to full-time entrepreneur. Erin discusses her journey to motherhood in her late 30’s, offering insight around her empowering experience with IVF, the emotion of being on camera while your body is changing, and the impact of pregnancy on her body image and identity. She also describes her initial ambivalence about becoming a mother and how much she is loving the role thus far. Listen in to understand the questions Erin is grappling with in her business as a new mom—and learn more about her new book, <a href= "https://erinstutland.com/book/">Mantras in Motion</a>! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/095">http://www.startuppregnant.com/095</a>. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER One of the biggest challenges we face in business is developing focus, figuring out how to do less and gaining clarity around what’s really important. I have developed a three-step process that helps me simplify and make decisions about when to say no. Get the free guide at <a href= "https://startuppregnant.com/stop">https://startuppregnant.com/stop</a>. All of our sponsor offers are available on our website for you to grab the perks and discounts offered to podcast listeners: <a href= "http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors">http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors</a>. LEARN MORE ABOUT ERIN STUTLAND Erin Stutland is a well-known mind-body wellness and fitness expert on a mission to teach people how simple movement in the body can create dramatic movement in your life. Erin’s multi-platform brand reaches 70K-plus people in 155 countries around the world, and her mind-body fitness programs have appeared on The Rachael Ray Show, Fox News, and Glamour Magazine, among many other outlets. She also serves as the cohost of the Z Living series <a href= "https://go.zliving.com/show/5a5d8e60861c0d151d01d0fb/altard">Altar’d</a>, and Erin is the author of the new book, <a href= "https://erinstutland.com/book/">Mantras in Motion: Manifesting What You Want Through Mindful Movement</a>. <ul> <li><a href="https://erinstutland.com/">Erin’s Website</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/EStutland/">Erin on Facebook</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/erin.stutland/">Erin on Instagram</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/MsEsMiSt">Erin on YouTube</a></li> <li><a href= "https://go.zliving.com/show/5a5d8e60861c0d151d01d0fb/altard">Altar’d </a></li> </ul> RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE <ul> <li><a href="https://erinstutland.com/book/">Mantras in Motion: Manifesting What You Want Through Mindful Movement by Erin Stutland</a></li> <li><a href="https://patriciamoreno.com/sati365new">Patricia Moreno</a></li> <li><a href= "https://cybermedlife.eu/attachments/article/1736/Talking%20yourself%20out%20of%20exhaustion%20-%

53 min

124

Trauma, Sex, and Somatic Experiencing: How to B...

#094 — Trauma, Sex, and Somatic Experiencing: How to Better Understand Birth and the Postpartum Periods It seems obvious that sustaining a wound the size of a dinner plate would merit extensive physical therapy and a long period of rest and healing. But because new mom wounds are unseen, we push ourselves to ‘get back to it’ as soon as possible. And foundational postpartum care (like having someone cook healthy meals or getting regular bodywork) is seen as an unnecessary luxury.  Kimberly Ann Johnson contends that the first six weeks after childbirth are critical to a woman’s long-term health, and the work we do recover from the physical and emotional trauma and connect with our bodies is a necessity—not an indulgence.  Today, Kimberly Ann joins me to talk about the experience of childbirth and the crucial postpartum period. We discuss the online imagery of childbirth and how it differs wildly from the experience itself. Kimberly explains the separation of body and mind in our culture and what we can do to reintegrate the two by getting to know the ‘language of sensation.’ I ask Kimberly Ann about her work as a somatic practitioner and birth doula, and she shares her take on childbirth as the domain of women. Listen in for Kimberly Ann’s insight around how to communicate your needs during childbirth and learn how to get the support you need in the fourth trimester!   FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href="http://www.startuppregnant.com/094">http://www.startuppregnant.com/094</a>. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER  Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Aeroflow Breastpumps. They are dedicated to making the hassle of getting your breast pump a little bit easier—actually, a lot easier! Head to <a href="http://www.aeroflowbreastpumps.com/startup">www.aeroflowbreastpumps.com/startup</a> to have them help you qualify for a free breast pump through insurance. All of our sponsor offers are available on our website for you to grab the perks and discounts offered to podcast listeners: <a href="http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors">http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors</a>.   LEARN MORE ABOUT KIMBERLY ANN JOHNSON Kimberly Ann Johnson is a birth doula, Sexological Bodyworker, Somatic Experiencing practitioner and postpartum care advocate. She is also the founder of MAGAMAMA, an online community and resource for new moms who want natural empowering solutions to the physical and emotional pain that can accompany childbirth. Kimberly is the cofounder of the STREAM School for Postpartum Care and the author of the groundbreaking book, <a href="https://www.magamama.com/the-book/">The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality</a>.  <ul> <li><a href="https://www.magamama.com/">MAGAMAMA</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.magamama.com/podcasts/">Kimberly Ann’s Podcast </a></li> </ul> RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE <ul> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Trimester-Postpartum-Balancing-Restoring/dp/1611804000"> The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.magamama.com/activate-your-inner-jaguar-online-course/"> Activate Your Inner Jaguar</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.feldenkrais.com/">Moshé Feldenkrais</a></li> <li><a href="https://rolf.org/">Dr. Ida Rolf Institute</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.orgonomy.org/reich.html">Wilhelm Reich</a></li> <li><a href="https://traumahealing.org/about-us/">Dr. Peter Levine</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4316402/">Dr. Levine’s Animal Study</a></

54 min

125

Not Your Typical Schedule: Lean In To Business ...

#093 — Not Your Typical Schedule: Lean into Business Freedom Part of the appeal of entrepreneurship is the freedom to set our own schedules. Yet many of us fall into the trap of keeping traditional hours, feeling obligated to fill our days with eight-plus hours of nonstop work. What if we leaned in to the freedom and flexibility that entrepreneurship affords? What if we took advantage of opportunities to do things for ourselves—outside of both work and parenting? And what if that made us BETTER business owners and moms? Today, Emylee Williams joins me to explain how she set up a three-day work week that bakes in time for her personal needs. Emylee describes how her schedule evolved and how that evolution was informed by becoming a mom. She also discusses the growth of her business, <a href="https://thinkcreativecollective.com/">Think Creative Collective</a>, explaining the benefits of transitioning to a one-to-many model. I ask Emylee about the process of adopting her daughter P., and she shares her fertility challenges and fears around adoption. Listen in for Emylee’s insight on having a biracial family and learn how she is taking advantage of the freedom of entrepreneurship to spend time with her daughter, grow her business, and make time for herself! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at <a href= "http://www.startuppregnant.com/093">http://www.startuppregnant.com/093</a>. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER One of the biggest challenges we face in business is developing focus, figuring out how to do less and gaining clarity around what’s really important. I have developed a three-step process that helps me simplify and make decisions about when to say no. Get the free guide at <a href= "https://startuppregnant.com/stop">https://startuppregnant.com/stop</a>. All of our sponsor offers are available on our website for you to grab the perks and discounts offered to podcast listeners: <a href= "http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors">http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors</a>. LEARN MORE ABOUT EMYLEE WILLIAMS Emylee Williams is the cofounder of Think Creative Collective, an online education platform that supports creative entrepreneurs in growing their businesses online. TCC’s signature eight-week program, <a href= "https://www.mystrategyacademy.com/waitlist">Strategy Academy</a>, teaches passionate creatives how to turn their craft into a sustainable online business. Emylee and TCC cofounder Abagail Pumphrey also collaborate as cohosts of the Strategy Hour Podcast, and their work has been featured in Creative Market, Forbes, and Boss Mom, among many other publications. <ul> <li><a href="https://thinkcreativecollective.com/">Think Creative Collective</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thinkcreativekc">TCC on Facebook</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.youtube.com/c/thinkcreativecollective?sub_confirmation=1"> TCC on YouTube</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.instagram.com/thinkcreativecollective/">TCC on Instagram</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/emyleesays/">Emylee on Instagram</a></li> <li><a href= "https://thinkcreativecollective.com/podcast-directory">Strategy Hour Podcast </a></li> </ul> RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE <ul> <li><a href= "https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jan/14/children-family-histories-tales"> ‘Why Children Need to Know Their Family History’ in The Guardian</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.wbur.org/dearsugar/2018/06/18/whos-your-daddy-with-steve-lickteig"> Dear Sugars: Who’s Your Daddy? </a></li> </ul> THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST <ul> <li><a href="https://startuppregnant.com/">Startup Pregn

60 min

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