#180 — We are not the same as before. What we went through last year, and what we are still going through, is beyond comprehension and imagination. Many are still trying to survive, out of work, and picking up the pieces from last year. Many are grieving deeply and some of us don't have a clear roadmap for grief or recovery. It's been so long since I've been able to sit down and put together a real podcast that I almost feel like I've forgotten how to do it. I invited Cary Fortin to join me as we talk about what the last year has been like and how we're finding our footing again. Cary was my guest co-host from the original Friendship Series (Episodes 81 through 86 for longtime listeners), is a dear friend, and has been my go-to pandemic buddy as we talk (and rage, and vent) about the events of the last year. She joined today to help me talk through some of what we've been through in the last year. Browse all episodes at startupparent.com/podcast or check out the complete show notes at startupparent.com/180

#179 — When 2020 kicked off, we had big plans. One of those plans was growing Startup Pregnant and shifting our focus—and name—to cover what we were already focused on: parents. Today, I'm excited to tell you about the new name, and introduce you to Startup Parent. Here's the backstory of why we changed our name, what it took, and a sneak peek into what we're building next. Also, there are a lot of background noises in this episode, because children and vacuums aren't quiet. At all. But, like the name change, we managed to figure out how to make it work despite all the hurdles. This episode was recorded in October 2020, again in December 2020, and edited and published in March 2021.

#178 — We are two weeks away from kicking off our fourth class of The Wise Women's Council, and we have an extraordinary group of people joining us for the year ahead. WWC is our year-long leadership incubator for women business leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators who are also navigating pregnancy, parenthood, and motherhood. We go deep together for the better part of a year and support women at their growth edge who want to continue to level up in their life and career. In this episode, I'm diving into the nuances of the program: how I've designed it, what parts of past mastermind programs I've used, why I changed the structure to better fit the lives of working parents, and the research behind why I've made the program the way it is. Over the last few weeks I have been interviewing, talking, laughing, and even crying with so many of you during our interviews and gathering calls, and I'm looking forward to spending the year ahead with so many of you. If you've been thinking about applying to join us, if you've never heard of the program before, or you're watching along, listening and learning (I see you! I do this, too), this episode is about what the program is for, how I've designed it, and the program goals we have for the women & womxn who join us. Apply to join us in the year ahead: www.startupparent.com/wwc

#177 — Dr Shani Cooper is a Naval Veteran, Licensed Acupuncturist and Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, who began studying the human body in 2010. She is also the parent to Sage, an eight-month old who arrived in the world bright and early, two months before his estimated arrival window! Shani joined us last year in The Wise Women's Council when she was pregnant with her little one, who you will hear and enjoy in the background of this recording. I asked her if she'd join us to talk about what WWC was like for her navigating pregnancy, childbirth, and growing in-person business practice, and a pandemic. For all of you curious or thinking about the Wise Women's Council i'm doing a short series here on the podcast with folks who went through the program last year (look for Episodes #176 through #181). If you're interested in joining us in 2021, head to startupparent.com/wwc to find out more about the program and submit an application to join us. Leadership doesn't have to look like what we see around us. Leadership can be messy and it's our job, as women, as people carving out a new future, to chart a new path of leadership that might not look like the masculine models we've been steeped in so far. Show notes: startupparent.com/177 The Wise Women's Council: startupparent.com/wwc

#176 — What's it like to run a team of 40 people, in a pandemic, with a 1-year-old, and get pregnant with your second kid? Jess Kamada, VP of Client Services at Bamboo, a top growth marketing firm based in Seattle, joined me for a special episode to talk about how she managed the pandemic and the last year. Jess joined us in the 2020 Wise Women's Council, and I asked her if she would be open to sharing her story and experience on the podcast, and share some insights into what it's like to be in the Wise Women's Council, why she chose the Group Coaching level, and what she got out of the experience. If you're thinking about applying to join us in the Class of 2021, submit your application at startupparent.com/wwc. Applications are open until February 15, 2021, and we start together in March.

#175 — Welcome to 2021, a year that clearly isn't going to erase all of last year's frustrations, angers, or woes. This episode is an overview of some of the highlights from Startup Parent over 2020. Seven months without childcare is not easy, that's for sure, and while we didn't hit many of our goals, we had surprising revenue outcomes and we managed to hire more people than I'd planned on! In this episode, I talk about the Wise Women's Council, about our growth as a team, key metrics and revenue goals from the last year, and the painful work of doing half as much as you hope to do. 

#174 — The other day, I was reading an article on Time Magazine that I couldn't stop reading. Dr. Kyl Myers, an author, had written a long-form piece about gender, sex and parenting. Dr. Kyl Myers holds a PhD in sociology and studies and speaks about gender. They are an award-winning educator and a globally recognized advocate for gender creative parenting. Since 2016, Kyl has been speaking and writing about gender creative parenting and using their own parenting story to help the world learn about and embrace a new type of childhood. Kyl Myers goes by "she" and "her" pronouns, as well as "they" and "them." Dr. Myers is the author of Raising Them: Our Adventure In Gender Creative Parenting. If you'd like to hear a fascinating conversation about parenting, gender, and what we can do as parents to help reduce gender violence, oppression against women and men, and create a more playful world, come join us on this episode of the podcast. Full show notes, references, quotes, and sponsor details are available at startupparent.com/174

#173 — Why is default motherhood so white in our cultural storytelling? In America, the word "mother" is nearly always describing white motherhood. That's what Nefertiti Austin, a single African American woman, discovered when she decided she wanted to adopt a Black baby boy out of the foster care system. Eager to finally join the motherhood ranks, Nefertiti was shocked when people started asking her why she wanted to adopt a "crack baby" or told her that she would never be able to raise a Black son on her own. She realized that American society saw motherhood through a white lens, and that there would be no easy understanding or acceptance of the kind of family she hoped to build. She is the author of Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America, which went on to become an Amazon bestseller. Nefertiti Austin joins us on the show to talk about motherhood, race, adoption, and the white lens that is applied to motherhood stories in America, and more broadly, in Western cultures today. We talk about being a single mom and her journey from being a law student to becoming a fiction writer to today, her career in nonfiction writing and publishing. We dig into the mistruths around what's told about being a single mom, adoption, and blackness. For full show notes, episode sponsors, and quotes, go to www.startupparent.com/173

#172 — There's a coaching tool that I really love, that is an important concept to know and practice throughout your work and life. It's called "areas of control," and I'll share how to think about it in your life, relationships, and with regards to real-world events. From there, I want to give you one of my favorite practices—something to look forward to. Full show notes will be available at startupparent.com/172 

#171 —  Lions + Tigers Panel Replay. School is back in session, and parents everywhere are fatigued, overwhelmed, and still in the lurch. Workplaces are less and less forgiving, and yet the problems created by the pandemic are still here. What's a working parent to do? Last week, Lions + Tigers, spearheaded by Brea Starmer, gathered a panel to talk about specific steps parents can take to strategically plan ahead for the last quarter of the year, what to do to advocate for yourself as a working parent, the option parents have with schools and how you can think about creating a 'micro school' to get childcare set up in areas where remote schools aren't feasible, and how to navigate and set up your workplaces to be more compatible with the working parents in your organization. I was lucky enough to be able to host this panel, so I got to interview some talented experts all about all of these questions. Joining me on the panel were Shauna Causey of Weekdays, Blessing Adesiyan of Mother Honestly, and Brea Starmer of Lions + Tigers. Full show notes at www.startupparent.com/171