Startup Parent

#027 — Reframing the Unexpected as Opportunity with Logz.io VP of Sales Bridget Gleason  The one thing Bridget Gleason knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was that she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, providing her kids and her family with an incredible life. And then the universe handed her something completely different. When Bridget’s boys were one and three, her husband left—and she had no choice but to go back to work. So she interviewed for a sales position, negotiating a flexible part-time schedule in which she would be compensated based on performance rather than hours spent in the office. Motivated to spend as much time with her sons as possible, Bridget’s unanticipated status as a single mother afforded her a crash course in productivity, teaching her to prioritize the handful of to-dos that were most impactful. Going back to work also taught her to reframe the unexpected as a gift: She could have a rewarding career AND be a good mom. She didn’t have to choose one or the other. Today Bridget shares her resilience in the face of uncertainty, explaining how that process continues to this day. I ask her about the role emotions play in her work life and how she defies expectations to behave a certain way as VP of Sales. Listen in for Bridget’s advice around prioritizing self-care, ‘sharing the real’ when your kids are struggling, and reframing surprises as opportunities rather than obstacles. FULL SHOW NOTES: Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at www.startuppregnant.com/027. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER:   Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Taskerly! They’re a virtual assistant company that helps busy parents and entrepreneurs get more done at work by doing the things you can outsource of don’t have time for. Check them out at www.taskerly.co and mention the Startup Pregnant Podcast to get 10% off of your first three months working with them.  All of our sponsor offers are available on our website for you to grab the perks and discounts offered to podcast listeners: http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors.   LEARN MORE ABOUT BRIDGET GLEASON: Bridget Gleason is the Vice President of Sales at Logz.io, the world’s most popular open-source log analysis platform. Her strengths lie in accelerating sales for startups and early-stage SaaS and PaaS technology companies, delivering significant revenue increases, forecast predictability and customer retention. An industry thought-leader, Bridget is a sought-after presenter at sales, leadership and women’s conferences, and she is most recognized for her phenomenal success in building and leading high-velocity sales organizations. Logz.io Bridget on LinkedIn Bridget on Twitter  RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy by Mo Gawdat THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST: Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Sponsor the Podcast

#026 – Infertility, Invisibility with Anne Do you want to be a mother? When was the first time you were asked this question? For Anne, it was at the age of six. And so much of a woman’s identity is tied up in her answer to this question. Anne wasn’t sure how to answer the motherhood question until she met her husband, and then the answer became a resounding yes. She wanted to have a family with this man. So they started trying a year and a half ago… But after seeing the doctor for preliminary tests, Anne learned that she wasn’t ovulating. She was diagnosed with unexplained infertility. Now she finds herself stuck between hope and full mourning, carrying the invisible emotional weight that comes with not knowing what the future holds. Today Anne bravely shares her fertility journey, explaining the difficult conversations surrounding her diagnosis and how the experience has impacted her business. I ask her what she wishes she had known as a young woman and how she approaches the uncertainty. Listen in for Anne’s insight around initiating conversations about infertility, taking charge of your physical and financial health, and the mental discipline it requires to keep hoping for the best. FULL SHOW NOTES: Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at www.startuppregnant.com/026. 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 www.aeroflowbreastpumps.com/startup 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: http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors. THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST: Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast

#025 – Live and Learn—Out Loud Core values are part of a living document. They grow, change and shift in relationship to the community they guide. And the only way to craft the ‘right’ core values is by creating a draft and shipping it out into the world to see what sticks. Scary as it may be to publish something that you know isn’t perfect, initiating the conversation by sharing the work helps identify which values resonate and which ones don’t, which ones overlap and which ones appear to be missing. As part of my commitment to live out loud, I published the 10 Core Values of the Startup Pregnant Philosophy—knowing that the feedback I received from the community would inform their evolution. Already I can see what is really working and what needs to be added. So many of you responded to Core Value #1, In My Experience, it is clear to me that acknowledging every individual’s unique experience is at the foundation of our movement. I also discovered that I had missed a couple of things that were important. Your feedback reminded me of the absolute necessity to put the work out into the world and then learn out loud, processing the core values through our dialogue. If you haven’t already, join the core value conversation on the Startup Pregnant blog, and let me know what speaks to you. Let’s try on these ideas together and design the very best way to inspire and connect this powerful community of women. FULL SHOW NOTES: Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/025. THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST: Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Email hello@startuppregnant.com

#024 — Decision-Making with Head and Heart with Bonnie Foley-Wong of Pique Ventures Life rarely goes according to plan.  In 2011, Bonnie Foley-Wong had just moved to Vancouver to pursue her dream job. She and her husband had plans to start a family the following year. But eight months in, Bonnie walked away from the great job with great benefits to start Pique Ventures—and getting pregnant was put on hold.  Eventually, Bonnie felt good enough about her business to start a family, and in March of 2014 at the age of 40, she was pregnant with her daughter. At the very same time, she was starting an accelerator, securing investors for Pique Fund, and writing a book, Integrated Investing. By sheer force of will, Bonnie did her first close of fund in October, had her baby in November, and led Pique’s first investment in December. A fertile year, to say the least.  Every step of the way, Bonnie made decisions based on head and heart, doing research when she could, but taking leaps of faith into uncertain territory. Today Bonnie shares the details of her path to entrepreneurship, exploring how pregnancy informed and impacted that journey—and vice versa. She explains the difference between Pique Venture and Pique Fund, discussing how both analysis and emotion inform her decision-making. I ask her about tapping into intuition in the workplace and how she overcame the idea that entrepreneurship was something ‘other people did.’ Listen in to learn how Bonnie created a meaningful livelihood, living by the mantra that ‘routine makes space for spontaneity.’    FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at www.startuppregnant.com/024.    EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER:    Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Meet Edgar! Grab your free two-week trial of Meet Edgar, a social media scheduling tool that allows you to create content once and re-use it as much as you need, at http://ed.gr/startuppregnant.  All of our sponsor offers are available on our website for you to grab the perks and discounts offered to podcast listeners: http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors.    LEARN MORE ABOUT BONNIE FOLEY-WONG:   Bonnie Foley-Wong is the founder of Pique Ventures, an

#023 — 40% of American households believe that it is bad for society if mothers work. Because sexism is a global phenomenon, you might believe this statistic to be universal as well—but it just isn’t. In fact, this kind of maternal bias against women in the workplace is a strictly American phenomenon. Diverse cultures from deeply feminist Iceland to ‘one-child policy’ China simply do not have stay-at-home moms. Today Sarah explains how this staggering statistic manifests itself in the our culture, from the wage gap to maternity leave policy to overt sexism on the job. I ask her about the need to dismantle the patriarchy and her experience of maternal bias in the workplace. She shares her journey from ‘cool girl’ sexism denier to fierce feminist, explaining how becoming a mother allowed her to find her power as a woman and gave her the confidence to start her own business. Listen in as we discuss the way that calling out bad behavior is shifting the world of work and how to go about changing the narrative of the young, single working mother, startup founder. FULL SHOW NOTES: Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at www.startuppregnant.com/023. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER: Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: HippoGive! HippoGive is a new app that donates your change by rounding up your everyday transactions to the nearest dollar and gives it to the charities and non-profits of your choosing. If you’ve been wanting to donate to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, or disaster relief you can use this app and it’s a piece of cake. All you need to do is create an account, choose your charity and then set a weekly donation cap. Head to HippoGive.com to sign up. All of our sponsor offers are available on our website for you to grab the perks and discounts offered to podcast listeners: http://startuppregnant.com/sponsors. LEARN MORE ABOUT SARAH LACY: Sarah Lacy is the founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief of investigative tech news organization PandoMedia. An award-winning reporter based in Silicon Valley, Sarah was a columnist for Bloomberg Businessweek and senior editor at TechCrunch before striking out on her own. She has fifteen-plus years of experience covering technology news and all things startups, making her a sought-after speaker at tech and business conferences around the world. Sarah is the critically-acclaimed author of several books, including the recently published A Uterus is a Feature, Not a Bug. A Uterus is a Feature, Not a Bug: The Working Woman’s Guide to Overthrowing the Patriarchy by Sarah Lacy Email mom@chairmanmom.com Chairman Mom Pando Sarah on Pando Sarah on Twitter Sarah on Instagram RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:  Courtney Martin at On Being “The End of the Cult of the Founder” in Wired Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change by Ellen Pao THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:

#022 —Core Value #10 — Culture change starts with stories. Stories are the first part of culture change. In order to create a new future, we have to tell the truth. Part of the process is unearthing all of the stories of what has already happened, and what is currently happening. For Startup Pregnant in particular, so much of the stories of motherhood and parenting are hidden or silenced, not public. To change the narrative of motherhood, we need to start by first telling the stories of what motherhood looks like, from a place of truth, honesty, and compassion.  The same is true for the entrepreneurship landscape. To be an entrepreneur can be lonely, frightening, and difficult. It can also be exhilarating, wonderful, and amazing. And again: it can be ordinary, steady, routine. The stories we tell will encompass all of these experiences. How do we begin to make change? Through storytelling. Empathy is the ability to understand what you can’t ever experience. We begin to experience the lives of others through the power of shared language and storytelling. In our work as peers and humans, we’re being called to greater levels of empathy— in both the workplace as well as in our social and family structures. Your voice matters because it’s in a thousand voices that we change the culture.   FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes at www.startuppregnant.com/022  Questions of this episode: What stories have you held true in your life? Which ones have changed over time? When in your life have you woken up and realized that a story that you believed in was no longer true for you? Talk to us about a time when your story changed, or when your expectation changed. Overall: Reflecting on all 10 core values: What have you learned through this exercise of sharing our core values? What principles have been true for you? Do you have your own core values?   THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:    Startup Pregnant  Startup Pregnant on Facebook  Startup Pregnant on Twitter  Sponsor the Podcast   

#021 — Core Value #9 — Most of us have a sixth gear we don’t know about. We’re all capable of far more than we can imagine. At Startup Pregnant, we believe in the power of human potential, both individual and collective. Parenting often teaches us that we have a previously-unknown-to-us “fifth gear,” and then when faced with a challenge, maybe even a sixth gear we can tap into. I first heard of this phrase from Mathias Jakobsen when we were chatting about the difficulties and challenges—and transformations—of parenting. Watching humans give birth is one of the most extraordinarily humbling and simultaneously awe-inspiring feats of strength and power and courage. We also see this in the startup landscape, when people dig in, find their resolve and resilience, and make things happen despite all odds. But there’s an important note to this core value: this does not mean that people are operating at full-tilt, 150%, all-the-time, driving themselves to the ground. The idea of “hustle” as an always-on phenomenon is not what we’re suggesting. Within the rhythm of life, there are times when you press the pedal down and accelerate to use your sixth gear. And there are times of rest. Listen in for the conversation about this core value: Most people have a sixth gear that they don’t know about. FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes at www.startuppregnant.com/021   10x10 CONTEST: THE QUESTION From November 13th — November 30th, 2017, we're having a contest on www.startuppregnant.com/thanksgiving-contest! Head to our website to read the rules and prizes, be sure to listen in and leave a comment on every episode released during these two weeks. Head to the show notes listed above to be a part of the contest by leaving a comment on this episode with the question below. Ends November 30th, 2017.   Questions of this episode: When have you tapped into your own sixth gear? How does it feel to know that you might have one? Leave a comment with your responses on our blog over at Startup Pregnant.   THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:    Startup Pregnant  Startup Pregnant on Facebook  Startup Pregnant on Twitter  Sponsor the Podcast 

#020 — Core Value #8: Feelings Matter. Carl Jung says that the paradox is one of our most valuable spiritual possessions. So it makes sense that this episode is both difficult and simple—the paradox of life, as always. Our emotional landscapes, who we are inside, and all of our feelings — they matter. But in the business culture and work life today, feelings are often ignored, undervalued, or actively suppressed. Here at Startup Pregnant, we believe in the call for a greater emotional dexterity. We believe that it’s important for each of us to experience our emotions. Not just experience them, but feel them, name them, and work with the entire range of emotions that we’re given. To us, this means that you’re allowed to be your whole self. All of you is welcome here. Does this mean we act on every emotion? Not necessarily. But we feel them first, because feelings are important, and they have a lot to teach us.   And in the world of business, which boasts of companies that solve customer pain points for a living, wouldn’t it make sense to start to tap into this vital range of understanding? Listen in for the conversation about this core value: Feelings Matter. FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes at www.startuppregnant.com/020   10x10 CONTEST: THE QUESTION From November 13th — November 30th, 2017, we're having a contest on www.startuppregnant.com/thanksgiving-contest! Head to our website to read the rules and prizes, be sure to listen in and leave a comment on every episode released during these two weeks. Head to the show notes listed above to be a part of the contest by leaving a comment on this episode with the question below. Ends November 30th, 2017.   Questions of this episode: How do you access your own emotions and feelings? What works have you not (ever) used to describe your emotions and feelings? And what is your response to the idea that feelings matter?   THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:    Startup Pregnant  Startup Pregnant on Facebook  Startup Pregnant on Twitter  Sponsor the Podcast   

#019 — Core Value #7: You don’t have to do things the way they’ve always been done. And startups are one of the best places to imagine new futures. It’s okay to break things, to rebuild things, and to do things differently than the way that they’ve always been done. Startups and Pregnancy have a lot in common because they are both creators of new things—ideas, businesses, structures, life—and to do so, they harness a huge range of power. They require both creation and destruction. Sometimes, things fall apart. Things break. And things are destroyed. Part of the nature of creation, of making new things, is that through the act of birth, you are creating both life and death. While the pop culture phenomenon in Silicon Valley likes to glamorize disruption, making it sound glib and peaceful (“We’re going to be the Uber for burritos and disrupt the food industry,”), true destruction can wreak havoc. We’ve seen it in the onset of digital publishing, the contraction of the magazine industry, upending the cab industry, and there’s more coming in the future. These each have far-reaching creative and destructive aspects to them. And on the pregnancy side, inviting a new human into your life is inviting chaos into your world. You start with yourself, or your family unit, or the way your partnership looks, and then you add an entirely new human into it, and it’s not just the child that’s born, it’s the mother, the father, the parents, the grandparents, the siblings — everything changes. Inviting a child into your life is disruptive. The potential here is the idea that you don’t have to do things the way that they’ve always been done. As a mother … you don’t have to do things the way they’ve been done before. As a business owner … you can invent new ways of doing business. As a startup … your entire goal is to not do things the way they’ve been done before. As a person, … you don’t have to work within the framework that you’ve been working. We have the power to do things differently than they’ve been done before. You don’t have to do things the way they’ve always been done before. FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes at www.startuppregnant.com/019 Questions of this episode: What do you think about doing things they’ve always been done, versus doing them in a new way? If you had the power to one thing differently, what would you change?   THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:    Startup Pregnant  Startup Pregnant on Facebook  Startup Pregnant on Twitter  Sponsor the Podcast             

#018 — Core Value #6: What work looks like today is broken. The current version of work—the idea that we work in offices, that we work from 9 to 5, that we’re continuously productive throughout the day, at equal measures—there is overwhelming evidence that this isn’t true. Research shows that we aren’t effective in an 8-hour workday. We’re seeing the results of a broken workplace with the amount of people dropping out, the lack of diversity in the workplace, and more. Work is especially broken for women. And when we layer in parenting, and we try to make all of it fit together, within the paradigm that currently exists, well, what we see is that across the board, it doesn’t fully work. In this core value, we take the stance that what work looks like today can be wildly improved on. We believe that the future of work can be far better than what we see today. So, in this project, as part of the work of Startup Pregnant, we’re asking:   Why is work so broken? What does the future of work look like? FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes at www.startuppregnant.com/018 RESOURCES MENTIONED: Episode #002 on Work Flexibility with Annie Dean 10x10 CONTEST: THE QUESTION From November 13th — November 30th, 2017, we're having a contest on www.startuppregnant.com/thanksgiving-contest! Head to our website to read the rules and prizes, be sure to listen in and leave a comment on every episode released during these two weeks. Head to the show notes listed above to be a part of the contest by leaving a comment. Ends November 30th, 2017.   Questions of this episode: What should work look like, and what will look like? More specifically: what does it mean to have your work, well, work, for you? What does a world of work look like in your vision?   THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:    Startup Pregnant  Startup Pregnant on Facebook  Startup Pregnant on Twitter  Sponsor the Podcast