When we first launched The Startup Parent Podcast in 2017, we did a series on some of our core values and guiding principles. Many of these core values have stood the test of time and helped to guide us over the last five years. Please enjoy revisiting this core values episode from earlier in the life of the podcast.Core Value: Work-Life Balance is a Myth. Show Notes: startupparent.com/015

#219 [REPLAY] — What if you’re a total night owl? For today’s guest, she loves to stay up late. Her best hours of work are often in the wee hours, often way past midnight. “I love sleeping in until 11 am or 12 pm or even later,” she said, and she built a very successful 30-person, award-winning digital strategy organization company this way. Then she had a kid.Most parenting blogs will tell you that kids are early risers, that you’ll never sleep again, and that you have to become a morning person.Sure, most kids wake up early. That’s pretty solid in the literature – the majority of kids wake up somewhere between 6 am and 8 am. But what’s not talked about is how the heck to deal with this, and how you can get more sleep, especially if you’re a night owl.That’s why today’s guest is so interesting—she went against the parenting trends and decided that being a morning person wasn’t going to work for her. She didn’t give up sleep, either, and she kept working into the wee hours of the night.Shama Hyder is a digital strategist, speaker, and bestselling author. She is the CEO of Zen Media, a global marketing and digital PR firm. She has been named the Zen Master of Marketing by Entrepreneur Magazine and the Millennial Master of the Universe by fastcompany.com. She has been honored at the White House and the United Nations as one of the top 100 young entrepreneurs in the country. She has been named one of the top 25 entrepreneurs by Businessweek, one of the top 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs by Inc. Magazine, and to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list of movers and shakers in 2015.Listen to hear how Shama Hyder figured out a different way to do the parenting morning, childcare, and run her successful media company—and yes, she kept sleeping in until 11 am most days—because she knew she could make a schedule that would best fit her, rather than trying to force-fit her work and parenting schedule into the 9-to-5 model.Here’s how she did it.This episode was originally recorded in July 2020 and published as Episode #163.

#218 [REPLAY] — Danielle LaPorte’s intuitive nature informs her parenting style, and she shares her spirituality with her son. In this interview, host Sarah K Peck asks her to talk about her parenting journey. She shares that it began with an overwhelming desire to be a mom, that, when it arrived, she immediately followed even though it didn’t fit into her predetermined life plan.Danielle’s next-level understanding of consciousness is the foundation of her parenting philosophy, a philosophy that includes truth bombs like: no shaming, no lying, no psychological game playing, and no pushing your child to be what YOU want. Rather, Danielle encourages parents to pay attention to what their children love, and who they are from the beginning, even as infants.Today Danielle shares her parenting and entrepreneurial journeys, explaining how the two paths coincide and developed together. She offers her insight on parenting, speaking to the phases, the physical exhaustion, and the decisions of what to share (and not share) with your kids.Sarah asks Danielle about the solitude of entrepreneurship and solo parenting, the significance of cultivating adult female friendships, and the value of meditation and pleasure in living a full life. Listen in and learn how to develop a parenting style that is informed by your belief system and honors your child’s soul.This episode was originally recorded in February 2018 and published as Episode #034.

#217 — Ali Shapiro’s relationship with her health and wellness began when she battled cancer as a teenager. At the time, chemotherapy and radiation saved her life, but they left her health far worse in the process.In the decades since, Ali sought understand health and wellness so that she could do more living. To make that happen, she had to step outside of the mainstream paradigms that influence our health choices.In her wellness experiences, Ali observed that most “health programs” focused on weight loss as the goal. They ascribe to principles like control, discipline, restriction, and judgment instead of intuition, self-trust, choice, and compassion. These programs were largely unsuccessful, and Ali knew there had to be another way.Combining a values-based lens with functional medicine and the four tenets of adult learning, Ali managed to transform the relationship she has with her health. Then, she built a health business to helps others do the same — and it’s about so much more than avoiding illness and losing weight.Ali believes that when we’re in relationship with our bodies and trust our inner wisdom, we can make choices that honor our true needs instead of chronic symptom management.On this episode of the Startup Parent podcast, Ali joins host Sarah K Peck to talk about her health journey, the road to motherhood, and what we can learn when we listen to bodies. This conversation covers: Ali’s parenthood experience, including an infertility diagnosis, a miscarriage, and becoming a parent during a pandemic. Understanding the limitations of Western medicine, the role of a village in healthcare, and how Ali’s experience with cancer led her to functional medicine. The concept of psychological flexibility, and the importance of being able to hold multiple points of view at once. The challenges of being healthy as an adult and how the four tenets of adult learning relate to health and wellness. The importance of self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-trust, and finding a health plan that works for you. This episode is for anyone who has struggled with honoring their needs or finding their voice in a world that’s constantly telling you what to do and how to be. Ali’s wisdom is matched only by her wit, and this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.SHOW NOTESFull show notes at startupparent.com/217

When we first launched The Startup Parent Podcast in 2017, we did a series on some of our core values and guiding principles. Many of these core values have stood the test of time and helped to guide us over the last five years. Please enjoy revisiting this core values episode from earlier in the life of the podcast.Core Value: In My Experience.  Show Notes: startupparent.com/014

#215 — When fashion mogul Sarah LaFleur was diagnosed with a “unicornuate uterus” she knew that becoming a mother was not going to be an easy journey. She didn’t know that her path to parenthood would include IVF, surrogacy, and ultimately, three babies born in six weeks — but she wouldn’t change a thing.In this episode of the Startup Parent podcast, Sarah K Peck interviews Sarah LaFleur, founder of fashion company MM LaFleur. They talk about her journey to motherhood, the challenges of fundraising, and how parenthood has changed the way that she leads her company.Sarah and Sarah talk about how to know if you’re meant to be an entrepreneur, the different versions entrepreneurship can take, and how becoming a parent influences how you show up as a leader. They discuss the importance of believing in your vision, the struggle of fundraising, and how the path to motherhood is anything but predictable.Sarah and Sarah cover: The different presentations of entrepreneurship, and alternatives to hustle culture that’s modeled The importance of mindset as an entrepreneur, and trusting yourself even if you can’t see exactly where you’re going The fundraising grind. and the challenges Sarah faced in securing funding for her fashion company, MM LaFleur How Sarah discovered that she has a “unicorn uterus” and what that meant for her motherhood journey Sarah’s experience with IVF and surrogacy, and how she and her husband ended up with three babies in six weeks. This conversation was relatable, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious. If you’re looking for examples of the various paths to parenthood and how companies can support parents, then this is an episode you don’t want to miss.RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED MM LaFleur “Thanksgiving in Mongolia” by Ariel Levy Sarah LaFleur on Instagram MM LaFleur on Instagram SHOW NOTESFull show notes at startupparent.com/215

#214 — Beth Berry became a mother for the first time at 17, but it wasn’t until she got married that she understood the injustices around motherhood. That’s when she realized the system was rigged, and it wasn’t in her favor.In this episode of the Startup Parent podcast, Sarah K Peck interviews author and change maker Beth Berry about her experiences in motherhood. Today she’s the mom of four kids, ages 16, 18, 22 and 28 at the time of this interview. Through decades of motherhood, Beth learned the difference between raising kids with the support of a village — as compared to doing it in a more conventional single family household. Being in traditional marriage with kids was far, far more challenging. That’s why Beth is so vocal about the importance of being in community with other people.Sarah and Beth talk about how external systems perpetuate loneliness, and why feeling like you never do “enough” as a mother is something that so many women experience. But it isn’t a personal failing: there is no way to be everything to your child. That’s the work of a village, not an individual. They also dig into why it’s so difficult to find support, how to practice vulnerability in new relationships, and how to show up for others in a genuine way so that you can build the community you need.Sarah and Beth talk about: The ideals we have going into motherhood, and the compromises we have to make. The myth of rugged individualism, and how community belonging benefits everybody. How vulnerability, courage, and honestly communicating boundaries help us to foster healthy connection with each other. Understanding how our longings connect us to our needs. The power of space, personal agency, and trusting others in our parenting journey. Embracing the seasonality of each relationship and phase of life. Exploring your identity beyond the role of mother, and rebuilding the village you need. This conversation is honest and insightful, and if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by motherhood, it might be exactly what you need to hear.LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED Motherwhelmed: Challenging Norms, Untangling Truths, and Restoring Our Worth to the World Beth’s website Revolution from Home @RevolutionFromHome on Instagram MotherWorthy Work with Beth SHOW NOTESFull show notes at startupparent.com/214

When we first launched The Startup Parent Podcast in 2017, we did a series on some of our core values and guiding principles. Many of these core values have stood the test of time and helped to guide us over the last five years. Please enjoy revisiting this core values episode from earlier in the life of the podcast.Core Value: In My Experience. Show Notes: startupparent.com/013

#212 — Parenting can be lonely, especially as a founder, and it’s even lonelier if we don’t have space to talk about all of its complexityIn this episode of the Startup Parent podcast, Sarah K Peck talks to professional climber and author Majka Burhardt about her book, "More: Life on the Edge of Adventure and Motherhood," and her experiences becoming a mother of twins while founding her nonprofit, Legado.Sarah and Majka discuss the emotional journey of motherhood, including the highs and lows, and the importance of creating honest spaces to talk about the hard parts. Majka shares how her experience of being pregnant with twins was a reality check that helped her let go of preconceived notions about motherhood, and how the societal pressure to conform to traditional gender roles affect women's choices.Sarah and Majka talk about: What inspired Majka to write her book and her emotional journey becoming a parent. Having conversations about the realities of parenting and creating safe spaces to talk about the hard parts. The challenges of learning emotional literacy while parenting young children. Reconciling the insatiable desire to work on something you care about while becoming a mother and making space for what matters to you. The considerations Majka faced when deciding whether or not to become a mom while at the peak of her career in a male-dominated industry. The number one piece of advice that Majka has for entrepreneurs and founders who are building a business while growing a family. This conversation is a candid exploration of the emotionally nuanced landscape of motherhood and the challenges that come with integrating professional ambitions with the transition into motherhood.Links + Resources Mentioned More: Life on the Edge of Adventure and Motherhood Legado The Mulago Foundation SHOW NOTESFull show notes at startupparent.com/212

#211 — Momfluencers have taken social media by storm, with their picture-perfect posts and relatable content garnering millions of followers. But what is a momfluencer, exactly?According to Sara Petersen, a researcher and author of “Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture”, a momfluencer is someone who has monetized their social media presence using motherhood as the defining feature. This includes professional influencers whose livelihoods depend on their work, as well as everyday moms who perform their motherhood on social media to some extent.Sara's work sheds light on the impact of social media on motherhood and highlights the need for mothers to approach social media content with a critical eye. She points out that motherhood is a complex and challenging role, and it is important for mothers to have the support and resources they need to navigate its many demands.Sarah and Sara discuss: Sara’s discovery of mommy blogs, and how the performance of motherhood masks the labor. The rise of momfluencers, and their impact on marketing, advertising, and content creation. The way certain aesthetics influence our perception, feelings, and expectations. Making space for the different experiences of motherhood. The importance of consuming and creating content with a critical eye. Links + Resources Mentioned Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture by Sara Petersen Sara’s Substack: In Pursuit of Clean Countertops Mother Brain by Chelsea Conaboy (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love: Gender, Social Media, and Aspirational Work by Brooke Erin Duffy SHOW NOTESFull show notes at startupparent.com/211