Podcasts about startup pregnant

Maybe you've toyed with building a paid community as part of your business model. Or you gave it a shot and later shelved it because you just couldn't make it work. Start-up Parent Founder Sarah K. Peck goes deep on how she built three paid communities:How she chose the initial idea that morphed into her company and multiple highly engaged (paid) communities.Why what looks like overnight success (260 applications for 25 spots) was actually years of experiments, trials and listening to a consistent audience.How she looks at experimenting today—and why a one-year commitment keeps her focused on the best outcomes for her members and herself.The role that lighthearted fun—joy even—can play in the success of your community and your own happiness.The intersection of motherhood and business and finding your sweet spot between the two.LINKSSarah K. Peck LinkedIn | ThreadsRochelle Moulton Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramBIOSarah K. Peck is the founder and CEO of Startup Parent and the host of The Startup Parent Podcast, an award-winning podcast featuring women in entrepreneurship, business, and parenting. She writes about work, culture, and parenting, and her work has been featured in Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and more.BOOK A STRATEGY CALL WITH ROCHELLERESOURCES FOR SOLOISTSJoin the Soloist email list: helping thousands of Soloist Consultants smash through their revenue plateau.The Authority Code: How to Position, Monetize and Sell Your Expertise: equal parts bible, blueprint and bushido. How to think like, become—and remain—an authority.TRANSCRIPT Sarah K. Peck00:00 - 00:25I started interviewing folks who have big careers and are working at startups who have gone through pregnancy. That's why it was Startup Pregnant. I wanted to learn from folks. And about three years into the project, I realized that I didn't want to talk to only moms and only women. It was like, the shifts that happen when you're pregnant are just the beginning. It's just the tip of the iceberg. Like you're a parent for the rest of your life.Rochelle Moulton00:31 - 01:11Hello, hello. Welcome to the Soloist Life Podcast, where we're all about turning your expertise into wealth and impact. I'm Rochelle Moulton, and today I am so excited to welcome Sarah K. Peck to the show. So Sarah is the founder and CEO of Startup Parent and the host of the Startup Parent podcast, an award-winning...

#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. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startupparent/message

The birth of Startup Pregnant (which led to Startup Parent) via a book proposal that led to a podcast that led to a business.Turning a podcast into a money-making endeavor on your terms (hint: pitching people you know with a compelling story).The power of connecting one-to-one vs. one-to-many—and how to build it into your routine without interrupting your flow.The deep need for community among parents as the nature of work changes, society and parenting norms evolve and the pandemic creates new pressure on mothers especially.Getting paid to do research as a way to fund your mission.Quotables“The lessons we learn from parenting are so powerful and presence-inducing. It’s very humbling to realize that maybe you don’t have control.”—SKP “Friday is my marketing day. I have a project called Friday marketing, and one of my tasks is texting 20 people—because we just want to catch up…it’s really fun and all it takes is a tiny bit of instigation.”—SKP “Underneath it all, connection is one on one. So it doesn’t matter what platform you’re using. If you’re on Facebook, if you’re sending a message to one person, if you’re doing a common thread that’s kind and generous with one person, that’s connection. Everything else is consumption.”—SKP “We don’t have to do things the way they’ve always been done. We can create the future we want to see.”—SKP “Everyone thinks that information or a strategy or a process or a template is the thing they’re selling, but the true value for almost every program they’re selling is the connection.”—SKP “If you can’t do a big project, do a small project. Do what you can with the time you have.”—SKP LinksStartup Parent Sarah K. Peck 

Today on the podcast we are joined by our wonderful friend and all-round badass, Sarah Peck. Sarah is the founder of Startup Pregnant, a New York City-based company dedicated to documenting women’s leadership. She is a writer, yoga teacher, and hosts Startup Pregnant’s weekly podcast too! Her goal is to amplify women’s voices and promote their business through her work and she definitely has one of our favorite brains in the game! We share a lot of her business philosophy and will be using this episode to geek out on some strategies for listening to your audience as a way to help grow your product or service. This super under-utilized and somewhat simple strategy can help you and your biz so much! By paying closer attention to your audience, you can really improve what you offer and make the direct connection between those paying you and what you provide for them. Quite a straightforward equation, right? This is the second time Sarah is joining us on the Strategy Hour and if you haven’t heard her previous appearance go back and check it out immediately, it’s Episode 185! This episode’s topic was sparked by a conversation a few days prior where we were chatting to Sarah about business philosophies and implementation of these. We really believe in these ideas and they are so in line with our core values that we could not resist having her on to talk all about it! Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes go to thestrategyhour.com. To download the transcript of this episode head to: thestrategyhour.com.

Sarah K Peck is the founder and CEO of Startup Pregnant and the host of The Startup Pregnant Podcast, where she helps working parents try to navigate everyday insanity. As both an entrepreneur and parent of two small children, Sarah offers parents of future generations (and anyone who ever was a child) sound considerations about how the working world is shifting and how to participate in shifting it to actually work for families. Sarah offers creative prompts around ways that we can adapt and shift our own individual and collective decisions in order to support our current and future realities. For links & show notes go to: cheladavison.com/podcast

#164 — It is hot, humid, and sticky here in New York City, and we're still dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Every year I take a short sabbatical in August, and this year we're going to try to do a version of this, except we don't have childcare and there is so much uncertainty. This year, the sabbatical looks like a brief break from the podcast, a short hiatus from the newsletters, and a few more slow-downs while we try to regroup as a family. Also, I'll update you on our move (we're moving!) and I've got an exciting announcement about the direction of Startup Pregnant and where we're going next. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Should you start a business on the side while you’re employed full-time? What are the risks and complications—and are you obligated to let your employer know? This is a tricky question, and a lot depends state to state. I dig into the things you should know about corporate contracts, employment agreements, inventions and assignments agreements, and why getting a lawyer to look at your contracts is a really smart investment (and shouldn’t cost you more than a few hundred dollars). Today’s episode of Ask Sarah is a hodgepodge of questions, and the questions I’m covering today include: Is there ever a strategy or strategies to keep a business clandestine before launch? As an example, I am currently employed by a large corporation, and would also want to reach out to potential clients. Do you keep your personal writing separate from Startup Pregnant as business entities? When have you observed good decisions or regrettable situations on different streams of income (writing books versus consulting, as an example)? What are some ways you’ve seen people make great decisions about investing in different streams of income, and watch failures have you seen? Any advice for a newbie? How did you get back into exercise after you had a baby and what was it like? To listen to this podcast episode, become a backer on Patreon. Backers get exclusive access to every monthly episode of the Ask Sarah podcast and you can ask me any (yes, any!) question you’d like. This is a teaser of what we talk about and why we have a bonus podcast series. Enjoy! Find all the past episodes at startuppregnant.com/ask-sarah --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Sarah Peck is a 20-time All-American swimmer who successfully swam the Escape from Alcatraz nine separate times. She's also the founder of Startup Pregnant where she documents stories of women’s leadership across work and family.In her junior year of college, Sarah fell down a flight of stairs, broke her foot, and decided maybe she was done with her swimming career. She didn't train that entire summer and decided to return to the water the following year.What she experienced upon her return changed who she was as a person. In this episode, we chat about:What Sarah's years as a competitive swimmer taught her about pushing herself to the limitThe juicy thoughts she thinks about to distract herself from the sharks swimming around her in open water How open water swimming helped her break the monotony of daily lifeHer time spent gardening as a child with her motherWhat inspired her to create Startup Pregnant to reinvent work and parenthoodThe importance of treating children as peopleHer relationship with her husband and their way of being equal partnersHer passion for investment in women's' futures

#158 — You all have been asking to hear how other moms and small business owners are navigating the pandemic right now. I've been interviewing working parents about how they've been affected by the pandemic. Today we take a look at Caitlin Boland Aarab: she and her husband are both attorneys, and they own their own law firm in Great Falls, Montana. They have two kids at home and she's pregnant with their third kid. When everything shut down, the kids were sent home from school—but the courts weren't closed. Work was still in session. Thanks to our episode sponsor, NANIT — the only baby monitor you'll ever need! The Nanit Plus Smart Baby Monitor tracks your baby’s breathing, and has special sleepwear so that you can see that they are safe and know that they are breathing throughout their sleep. If you’ve ever been stressed out overnight or worried about your baby sleeping, this can put your mind at ease, this is a baby monitor that can help you adjust to your new sleep life once you bring that kiddo home. They also provide sleep coaching, training, and a baby monitor all in one. Visit Nanit.com today to learn more about this amazing baby monitor, why people are raving about it, and how it can help you and your little one have a better night’s rest. Startup Pregnant listeners can use code STARTUP at nanit.com to save 10%. Find links, resources, quotes, and complete shownotes at https://startuppregnant.com/158 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Last year, at an in-person gathering of one of the masterminds that we run at What Works, one participant told me that they didn't really need anyone to tell them what to do with their business. They knew exactly what they should be doing. Instead, they said they needed people to ask why they weren't doing it. That's why they were in the mastermind group. To me, that's the perfect illustration of how a mastermind group can support business owners who are committed to—not just learning a new marketing skill or figuring out how to launch a new product—but to becoming a more whole entrepreneur and building a business that works exceptionally well. I've been running mastermind groups of one sort or another for about 5 years and I have a lot to say on the subject. But I didn't want you to just get my thoughts... So I invited someone equally as passionate about masterminding as I am, Sarah K. Peck, the founder of Startup Pregnant. Sarah was on the show before talking about how the Startup Pregnant podcast got started—but the whole business and community of Startup Pregnant has evolved and grown a ton since then. Check out Episode 134 for our original conversation. Today, Sarah and I jam about masterminding—how we participate in masterminds, how we facilitate masterminds, and how we leverage them in our businesses. We also talk about the role masterminding plays in how you get support as an entrepreneur and we talk through how we structure sessions for the best outcomes. The post EP 279: Leveraging Masterminds For Support With Startup Pregnant Founder Sarah Peck appeared first on What Works.

#141 — All your questions, answered. Last week, we hosted an Open House in our Facebook Group, and I’m sharing the replay here on the podcast. If you haven't requested access yet, we have an amazing group of women gathered together and we chat about work, family, parenting, and all the things — go to the Startup Pregnant: Conversations group on Facebook to request access to join us. I was joined by Michelle Florendo, one of our coaches for this year's group of women. We chat about The Wise Women's Council, the impact it has, the reason she joined for two years in a row (and why she's back for a third). Together, we answered common questions people have about the program and the process. Take a listen—and make sure to get your application in by February 20th if you're considering joining us. We're wrapping up enrollments for the year, and once we start in March, we won't be back until next year—2021! EPISODE SPONSOR — NANIT, THE ONLY BABY MONITOR YOU NEED Baby sleep can be so hard. The Nanit Plus Smart Baby Monitor tracks your baby’s breathing, and has special sleepwear so that you can see that they are safe and know that they are breathing throughout their sleep. If you’ve ever been stressed out overnight or worried about your baby sleeping, this can put your mind at ease, this is a baby monitor that can help you adjust to your new sleep life once you bring that kiddo home. They also provide sleep coaching, training, and a baby monitor all in one. Visit Nanit.com today to learn more about this amazing baby monitor, why people are raving about it, and how it can help you and your little one have a better night’s rest. Startup Pregnant listeners can use code STARTUP at Nanit.com to save 10%. THE WISE WOMEN’S COUNCIL 2020 IS NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS Want to be part of the magic that is gathering together with smart, talented, wise business women? The 2020 Wise Women’s Council is now open for enrollment. Apply by February 20th to be considered for our year-long program. We kick off in March. Yes, we want you—all of you in your messy, imperfect, parenting-business-what-am-I-doing-madness. Apply here. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/141. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Marie Forleo is a powerhouse—she's a #1 NYT Bestselling author, one of Oprah's Super-Soul Sunday picks, and the founder of B-School, an online marketing and business training program. She has taught B-School for over a decade and has more than 55,000 graduates from her flagship program. When I signed up for B-School, I was pregnant with my second kid and in the very early stages of growing Startup Pregnant. This wasn't my first business, and I wanted to make sure I was more streamlined, efficient, and focused in my business this time around. With a kid at home and another on the way, I didn't have time to waste! So, I signed up for Marie Forleo's B-School program, and I loved it. So much of what you see at Startup Pregnant and across my work is in part because of the lesson's I've learned from her programs. Today, I'm a proud affiliate partner—I share her program with people who are interested, and I create a series of bonuses and perks for people who sign up using my link. If you want to know more about B-School, who it's for, and what my bonuses are, take a look at sarahkpeck.com/b-school for all the details. Feel free to poke around and browse, too—it took me four years to finally sign up for her program, and I was glad when I did. Enrollment is open every February and the program runs March and April (although to be honest, I do it much more slowly and usually study a little bit each month rather than all at once). Go to sarahkpeck.com/b-school for all the details. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Sarah Peck is reinventing work and parenthood as the Founder and Executive Director of Startup Pregnant. She created Startup Pregnant as a space to ask questions and share stories about motherhood, business, and entrepreneurship. She reminds us that there is no one picture of motherhood, or fatherhood, or becoming a parent. With her first pregnancy, Sarah was working at a tech startup full time. She found not a lot of people talking openly about how tough pregnancy and motherhood was. With her second pregnancy, she took those experiences and set out to create a space to talk about the realities of working parents. When she is not running Startup Pregnant, she is a married mom to two young boys. She also is an author, start up advisor, and certified yoga teacher still based in New York City.    Sarah Peck joins Kristen Hall, COO of Mother Honestly, on the podcast to help moms take stock of where they are in motherhood, and how to figure out where they are going. Check out Sarah and Startup Pregnant where you can find great resources, podcasts, and more for expecting parents, business owners and founders, and people interested in the intersection of life, work, and parenting.    www.startuppregnant.com @startuppregnant www.sarahkpeck.com; @sarahkpeck   The Mother Honestly podcast is sponsored by Motor City Woman.

#134 — Careers Twists and Turns When Brea Starmer was seven months pregnant while working at a startup, she was laid off. In her third trimester, she started a consulting practice and interviewed for jobs—quickly starting her own consulting practice and then launching her company. Between having her first kid and then getting pregnant with her second, she decided to focus on building her own consulting agency to create flexible jobs for working parents. She hired her first person at the end of 2018 and has since grown her company to 50 people today. Tara Zimmerman had a similar career pickle, but of a different nature. When Tara Zimmerman first became a parent, she didn’t have a master plan to be a stay-at-home mom. But then, four kids and eight and a half years later, she was running a household and juggling a massive schedule with six humans at the core. But where was she, and did she want to get back into the work world? Turns out, the answer was yes. She signed up to join the Wise Women’s Council to support her while she transitioned back into the work world and back into a finance and operations role at the company she used to run with her husband. Today’s careers are no longer linear, and they don’t follow a map. Most of us have unconventional career paths, because we’re living through a time when the world of work is rapidly changing. Not only that—our lives are unfolding and changing, too! From children to parents to unexpected bumps along the way, we’re navigating a new world of work that hasn’t existed before. If you feel like you’re entering the world of parenting and it’s madness, because your job is changing, your dreams are changing, or the company you thought you’d be with completely folds one day, trust us—you’re not alone. Whatever it is that happens in our stories as it unfolds, we all eventually arrive at a place where we look around and say, “Wait a second, where am I? What happened? And what do I do next?” That question—what do I do next—is at the heart of the work that comes up time and time again with the women in our community here at Startup Pregnant. It turns out, it’s not always an easy question to answer, and it’s through conversations and connections with other people that we can see who we are and wake up to the changes we want to make in our lives. If you’ve been through a career pivot, or you’re wondering what you’d do during a layoff, or a work break, or you’ve even left the world of work for a while—today’s episode is for you.  Today's conversation is between me and two of the women who just finished our year-long Wise Women's Council, our annual program for parents navigating entrepreneurship and parenting. If you listened to last week's episode, we talked to three women in the program about navigating your career path when you have kids, and the many ways entrepreneurship can show up in your life. This week, we get to meet two more women who have been in this community mastermind all year. What I learned over and over again from each of these women is how many of us are figuring it out as we go and doing what we can with what we have, even as the world continues to change around us.  Whether you are reentering the work world after a break or you're facing a huge amount of uncertainty after a layoff or you're starting to build a new company from scratch, or maybe you're even creating a new role for yourself within an existing company. The challenges that face us as we level up in leadership while becoming parents are not easy. I'm so thankful to both Tara and Brea for coming on the show and sharing their stories with you today. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at 

#132 — How To Streamline Your Business: New Minibook Last time we talked, I was in the middle of a midstream flop. Sometimes forward progress doesn’t look like progress at all—because other things take a spot on the front burner. It’s hard to acknowledge all that’s happened here at Startup Pregnant without still feeling like I have twelve burners cooking and I’m constantly burning something. Maybe, actually, the more accurate metaphor is that I forgot to start the boiling water in the first place. That’s what it feels like, at least. Getting things done is not linear, and it’s not easy—especially not with kids. Despite the best laid plans, trying to show up in a consistent, regular fashion and maintain focus and momentum can be hard. For me, especially when it comes to writing and entrepreneurship, it feels like some days are a scramble of fixing the things that broke, and it’s hard to measure forward progress. What I’ve learned, and what I continue to learn, is that I need to focus on as few things as possible in order to make real moves forward. I have to make hard decisions about what to cut from my plate in order to bring the next project to life. Today I’m excited to share the latest minibook with you, brand-new and out in the world: How to Streamline Your Business. It’s the process I use to painstakingly cut back on initiatives in order to find focus and actually ship things in the world. It’s the process I used to focus primarily on the podcast in the first year of building Startup Pregnant, and the process I used again to stay focused on building only the next branch—The Wise Women’s Council—for the year following. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/132. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#129 — If you feel like you don't have enough time for it all, you might be right. I’m tired of all the advice to hustle harder and put better productivity systems in place. I’m great at systems and great at productivity and I’m really good at working harder.  Sometimes you don’t have more bandwidth to give, or more strategy to apply. For me, realizing that I have to shift things around and really focus—and prioritize—has been painful yet key in building my business.  I cannot claim to be able to podcast, write books, run a business, be a parent, get enough sleep, and stay well-connected in all of my friendships. That would be a lie. I’m tired of being sold this lie. If you’ve been following along on the podcast, I’m sharing my real-time decision to ‘pause’ the podcast while I bring something else into focus: the writing and publishing work I want to do both for myself and for Startup Pregnant. I’m taking you behind-the-scenes of my other projects, and giving you a glimpse into how it’s working. Why? Because these shorter mini-episodes take me significantly less time than the longer-form interview podcasts, and I’m publishing them only as frequently as I can manage.  Join me this Fall as I share how it’s going, and we’ll be back with longer episodes when the time is right. PS: If you’re hankering to join us for the next 90 days and you want to focus on getting one thing done in the next year, take a listen to the previous episode, The Next 90 Days, and join us in our Facebook Group and tell us what you’re working on for the rest of 2019. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/129. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

FizzleShow.co (https://fizzleshow.co) Tom Ross of DesignCuts and Sarah Peck of Startup Pregnant join us today for a round-table discussion. We cover personal branding, parenthood and entrepreneurship, plus tips for quarterly/annual planning.

#127 — Should I stop podcasting? As we geared up for Fall, I felt the urge to stop this podcast for a while. To be honest, it scared me a little—I couldn’t stop, could I? So I asked the group of smart women in our online Startup Pregnant community group and got a ton of wonderful feedback. You all helped me think about this process and what felt like a hard decision from so many new angles.  In this episode, I share some real talk, behind-the-scenes of what it takes to be a content creator, why I feel like the podcast is blocking other work that I want to make, and just how hard it is to build a business as a working parent sometimes. Honestly? I just want more time! But in lieu of that, I had to step back and make some hard decisions. Listen in to hear where the podcast is going next. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/127. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Every week, I get questions from listeners about business, life, parenting—and more. And I want to answer them! From building a company vision to dealing with burnout to negotiations in your partnership, I’m willing to go there and share everything I know. So, we are experimenting and trying something new here at Startup Pregnant. We're starting a private monthly podcast, a fireside chat session between me and you. From time to time I'll bring on guest experts to help answer the questions, and you'll get to listen in to all of the challenges people bring our way. Right now, I’ve got a long list of questions from all of you, and I’ll be rolling through them and publishing these conversations as a private Q/A podcast. In today's episode, I'll share with you how to submit your question to us, some of the juiciest questions we have so far, and what you can do to get access to this private podcast. SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS:  www.startuppregnant.com/question GET ACCESS TO THE NEW PRIVATE Q/A PODCAST: When you become a backer on Patreon at the $7/month level, you'll get exclusive access to all of these episodes, including the back catalog of past episodes. Head to www.patreon.com/startuppregnant to become a supporter and get immediate access to the episodes. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#125 — What's next? We’re back from summer hiatus, and it was wonderful. Better than expected, honestly. I didn’t take enough time to rest after either of my babies, and this break, while three years delayed, was everything. In today’s episode, I share how we set up a family sabbatical, why breaks are essential for entrepreneurs, and what’s next on the horizon for Startup Pregnant. If you’re struggling with entrepreneur burnout, if you’re in need of a break, or you’re curious about what’s coming up next on the show, come join and listen in. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/125.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

This week I sat down with Sarah Peck to discuss the work life balance, especially as a female in the entrepreneur world. Sarah is a writer, startup advisor, and yoga teacher based in New York City. She’s the founder and executive director of Startup Pregnant, a media company documenting the stories of women’s leadership across work and family. She hosts the weekly Startup Pregnant podcast, and she and her partner in life and work are the instigators behind More Women’s Voices, a website that promotes women speakers and entrepreneurs. Previously, she worked at Y Combinator backed One Month, Inc, a company that teaches people to code in 30 days, and prior, as a writing and communications consultant. She’s a 20-time All-American swimmer who successfully swam the Escape from Alcatraz nine separate times, once wearing only a swim cap and goggles to raise $33k for charity: water. To date, she’s written for more than 75 different web publications and and has delivered speeches and workshops at Penn, UVA, Berkeley, Harvard, Year of the X, Craft & Commerce, WDS, and more. One recent viral essay, The Art of Asking, has been used across tech companies and product teams to train teams in clear communications. She’s currently writing a memoir of her experience working in the tech startup world while she was pregnant with her first kid. HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: How Sarah got into the startup world and what drives her A big issue women run into when getting ahead in their careers The common thread Sarah sees throughout her audience If it's possible to balance all that life throws at you The connection between being a mess and a masterpiece The naked truth about how Sarah raised $30K for charity Going from scraping by to feeling financially secure The real questions to ask yourself when evaluating the type of work you are doing Where the idea for Startup Pregnant came from The financial agreement Sarah and her partner made while navigating startups How to enjoy parental leave for beyond the infant stage The importance of being intentional when crafting and building a business A big research mistake people make when starting a business How growing slow can be a really good thing for your business LINKS WE MENTIONED ON THE SHOW Y Combinator Cheryl Strayed Educated An American Marriage Laura Roeder GET SOCIAL WITH SARAH AND LET HER KNOW YOU HEARD ABOUT HER HERE Startup Pregnant Sarah’s Website Sarah’s e-mail Instagram Twitter

#124 — Summer Break? Where Do the Kids Go While Their Parents Work and Other Thoughts On Summertime Summer break. As a child there was no sweeter words in the English language. With its promises of long, warm, lazy, school-free days, summer break was essentially synonymous with freedom. But now that the vast majority of households include two working parents, summer means something very different: the end of the public school year, gaps in childcare, expensive camps, and impossibly long waitlists for affordable care options. Today, Sarah digs into her own family’s experience with summertime care gaps (hint: it involves lots and lots of logistics) as well as her personal and professional goals to take a true summer break. She also pulls back the curtain on Startup Pregnant’s two year history (!) and shares the advice she’d give someone starting out on their own business building venture (hint: take a break). IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT The existential summer break question of the modern era of two working parents: what actually does happen to the children? Have we solved for that yet and what does it look like? How there are 81 days every single year when kids are out of public school but parents are supposed to be working and what solutions people come up with to make conflicting schedules work. Sarah reflects on where this podcast started and shares some of her process for why she decided to take a summer break and why she’s so excited about it. Sarah shares that taking an August break is a decision she made for herself as a person and as a business owner, but also because she believes deeply in the power of rest for all people, including her audience. The benefits of taking maternity leave as an experiment in stepping back from the day-to-day of running a business. What the pace and intensity of Startup Pregnant interviews and podcast will look like beginning in September and moving forward into 2020. How Sarah noticed her attachment to consistency and doing things the way they’ve always been done and how that worked in the beginning but how it now possibly holds her back. What she’s looking forward to in this time away and hoping for the audience during the break (hint: if there is someone in your life in the thick of parenting or entrepreneurship, share this podcast with them)!  FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/124. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.startuppregnant.com/ask www.startuppregnant.com/courses IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CHECK OUT The Future of Work (and Feminism) Is Flexible — Episode #002 With Annie Dean --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#122 — How to Win More Business, Make More Friends, and Get More Money, aka: How to Listen Better What happens when we listen fully? Without interjecting with our own opinions or experiences? Without asserting a best possible outcome or stating facts to support a specific viewpoint? How often do you leave a conversation—with a friend or colleague—and think to yourself, “They just don’t get what I mean/how I feel/how complicated this is.” How often do you catch yourself offering advice or trying to fix a problem for a friend before you realize they really just want a safe space and a friendly ear to empathize and process with them? Sarah digs into these overlapping experiences and asks the big question, “How can we create space in our personal and professional conversations to allow for real connection, true empathy, and beautifully nuanced understanding of one another?" Today we’re talking about how deep listening and thoughtful questioning lend themselves to much more open, nuanced, thoughtful conversations and relationships. Sarah is going to share the incredibly simple and astonishingly powerful tool she uses in her personal and professional life to connect more deeply with people, to grow her business, and to be of the deepest service to her clients, friends, and mastermind groups.  IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT How we tend to believe we know what’s best for others based on our own experiences, information, and desires. How quickly we lose sight of the true goal of conversation—connection—and instead move into problem solving, telling our own stories, or moving on to the next point. Sarah’s experience in her second birth of hiring and then ultimately choosing not to work with a doula who, rather than listening to Sarah and Alex’s preferences and desires, attempted to “educate” them into choosing a different path. The delicate and crucial difference between presenting useful information so someone can make a thoughtful decision for themselves and believing that someone “ought” to choose a specific choice due to the information you have. The profound power of a woman’s birth story and her decision to experience a pain-free birth. Why we strive at Startup Pregnant to present a wide range of experiences of pregnancy, parenthood, and work and why we always begin those stories with “in my experience.” The not-so-secret reason that coaching and therapy are so highly in need in our current culture. The super simple, incredibly effective tool Sarah uses in her life, masterminds, and with her corporate clients to build relationships and close deals. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/122. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE startuppregnant.com/ask startuppregnant.com/courses  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#120 — Beyond Mom: Exploring and Nourishing Our Non-Mother Selves  What does it look like to take your work from the corporate world to the freelance world and begin the path of entrepreneurship? How do you take the piecemeal career acquired from many different projects, companies and job-hopping and then go into starting a business? One of the things that I am fascinated with here at Startup Pregnant is the idea that we are in perpetual startup mode in many senses of the word: in our own lives, in our own careers, in our own journeys. We don’t just pick corporate versus entrepreneurship. That is a false dichotomy. Instead, I find that people end up with these really interesting layered careers where they follow projects or purposes or people and they embed their time and their energy in these various different projects whether or not it looks like a traditional tried and true company, or it looks like building a new endeavor on the side as a branch of a company, becoming an entrepreneur, starting a new initiative or starting a freelancing or side hustle career or even starting a company on your own. Today, we talk to Randi Zinn, who is the founder of Beyond Mom. Randi lost her father when she 25, which affected her emotionally, philosophically, psychology, and also, it set her on a new career path. Her dad was an entrepreneur, and while she thought that she would be going straight from graduate school into a world of media, she ended up on a slightly different path. Randi is an author, a wellness expert and the founder of a site, company, blog and suite of tools called Beyond Mom. Beyond Mom is a company that provides things like wellness retreats, mindfulness at work, encouragement for women an overall philosophy and ethos supporting women interested in taking back their right to self-love, self-care and community. Randi encourages moms to cultivate a life beyond mom, one that embraces the gifts of motherhood, but expresses all that they are as individuals. IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT How Randi’s first pregnancy ended in miscarriage but going through a loss with her husband brought them closer together. How as an only child herself, Randi loves to learn about the sibling relationship by watching her son and daughter together. The way the loss of her father impacted her career trajectory, leading her away from a traditional path in media to following in her entrepreneurial father’s footsteps. How yoga entered her life as a stress mediator through this process, but that once she was a mother, teaching and “schlepping” from studio to studio became untenable. Her surprise at meeting other mothers who were using their transformation into mothers to gain momentum in changing their career paths as well. The organic origins of Beyond Mom and how by spending time with and serving her ideal customer, Randi was able to create an authentic, deeply desired service and brand. Beyond Mom’s focus on supporting the entire woman, both on her journey through motherhood and, above all, on her personal journey as she evolves and grows as a whole person. How in the inspiration behind her book was to make her message and platform accessible across socioeconomic and geographic lines. Why, despite all of the challenges, she commits a large portion of her business to bringing women together in person because that is w --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

SARAH K PECK is a writer, startup advisor, and yoga teacher based in New York City. She’s the founder and executive director of Startup Pregnant, a media company documenting the stories of women’s leadership across work and family. She hosts the weekly Startup Pregnant podcast, and she and her partner in life and work are the instigators behind More Women’s Voices, a website that promotes women speakers and entrepreneurs. Previously, she worked at Y Combinator backed One Month, Inc, a company that teaches people to code in 30 days, and prior, as a writing and communications consultant.   She’s a 20-time All-American swimmer who successfully swam the Escape from Alcatraz nine separate times, once wearing only a swim cap and goggles to raise $33k for charity: water. To date, she’s written for more than 75 different web publications and has delivered speeches and workshops at Penn, UVA, Berkeley, Harvard, Year of the X, Craft & Commerce, WDS, and more. One recent viral essay, The Art of Asking, has been used across tech companies and product teams to train teams in clear communications. She’s currently writing a memoir of her experience working in the tech startup world while she was pregnant with her first kid.       In this episode, Karen and Sarah discuss: Success Story of Sarah Commit to Get Leads Commit to asking every single day, even if it is just one person and ask everyone. Consult to Sell Be in relationship with people for a long time to nurture and build, then ask for the sale and build something that they want.. Connect to Build and Grow If you want to see something live in the world, give it 7 years. Success Thinking, Activities and Vision Set up your habits for slow and steady long term success. #turtlemode Sweet Spot of Success     "Every time you have an interaction with a human, there is a possibility for connection."- Sarah Peck     *5 Minute Success - Listener Giveaway*   Go here to receive a FREE copy of The Art of Asking.       Connect with Sarah Peck:     Twitter: @startuppregnant & @sarahkpeck Facebook: Start Up Pregnant & Sarah Kathleen Peck Website: SarahKPeck.com & StartUpPregnant.com Book: The Art of Asking & Mini Books Instagram: @startuppregnant     About the Podcast   Join host Karen Briscoe each week to learn how you can achieve success at a higher level by investing just 5 minutes a day! Tune in to hear powerful, inspirational success stories and expert insights from entrepreneurs, business owners, industry leaders, and real estate agents that will transform your business and life. Karen shares a-ha moments that have shaped her career and discusses key concepts from her book Real Estate Success in 5 Minutes a Day: Secrets of a Top Agent Revealed.     Here’s to your success in business and in life!     Connect with Karen Briscoe:   Twitter: @5MinuteSuccess Facebook: 5MinuteSuccess Website: 5MinuteSuccess.com Email: Karen@5MinuteSuccess.com   5 Minute Success Links   Learn more about Karen’s book, Real Estate Success in 5 Minutes a Day   Karen also recommends Moira Lethbridge's book "Savvvy Woman in 5 Minutes a Day"   Subscribe to 5 Minute Success Podcast   Spread the love and share the secrets of 5 Minute Success with your friends and colleagues!     Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.  

#109 — Co-founders Elena Rue and Catherine Orr on being pregnant at the same time 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. 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! Both co-founders pregnant? Use it as a kick in the pants 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? Not that we’re saying this is easy 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. IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT: How to unroll your pregnancies and announce them strategically (and where the balance is between being authentic and also being strategic). Using pregnancy as a leverage point and changing project timelines, expectations, and deliverables accordingly. How to build a better team, and get better at building teams. 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). 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 http://www.startuppregnant.com/109. LEARN MORE ABOUT STORYMINE MEDIA AND THE CO-FOUNDERS ELENA AND CATHERINE 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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Shownotes: http://fizzleshow.com/312 How do we manage the all important task of launching? What are the most important aspects on which we need to focus? How do we prepare and reflect in order to keep improving and learning? The topic of launching is something that all entrepreneurs, no matter how experienced, should be very familiar with. It is the birthing of your ideas into the real world, the conversion of plans into an actual business. So we are giving you the run down of how to make this process and particularly your reactions to it, that much more meaningful, rewarding and enjoyable. In this episode, we discuss the ideas of expectations, mindsets, goals and preparation. We also get into the major contributing factors to your experience of a launch, unpacking community, tools and attitude. Today on the show we are joined by Sarah Peck, founder of Startup Pregnant, a New York City based company dedicated to enlarging the voices of women in business. She shares loads of wisdom, learned in her own career and recent endeavors that inform her attitude towards launches. For all of this and more, be sure to join us, today! Key Points From This Episode: • A little about Sarah's work, philosophy and company. [0:06:04.4] • Launching and the feeling of birthing something new into the world. [0:08:36.8] • Expectations, hopes and mindsets and the effects of these. [0:12:55.6] • Grounding yourself and realistic goal setting. [0:18:45.3] • The vital importance of your scene and the minds around you. [0:25:01.8] • Healthy and stable ways of dealing with the results of a launch. [0:29:25.2] • Some of Sarah's recent experiences launching. [0:33:35.7] • Sarah's fundamental goals for her business in aiding her calling. [0:41:15.1] • Careful selection of the variable elements of your business. [0:44:32.7] • Interesting reflections from Sarah's latest signup process. [0:48:50.4] • The hopeful entrepreneurial spirit and eternal space for improvement. [0:51:46.5] • Community, platforms and tools for getting your ideas out into the world. [0:55:14.5] • And much more! Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: • Fizzle — https://fizzle.co/ • Gusto — http://gusto.com/fizzle • Bench — https://bench.co/partner/fizzle • Sarah Peck — https://www.sarahkpeck.com • Startup Pregnant — https://startuppregnant.com • The Wise Women's Council — https://startuppregnant.com/wise-womens-council-startup-pregnant-mastermind/ • Bulletproof Coffee — https://blog.bulletproof.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-bulletproof-and-your-morning-too/ • Jim Rohn — https://www.jimrohn.com • Gary Vaynerchuk — https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com • Jay Z — http://lifeandtimes.com • Ellen Degeneres — https://www.ellentube.com • Seth Godin — https://www.sethgodin.com • Brian Eno — http://www.brian-eno.net • Russian Doll — https://www.netflix.com/title/80211627 • Elizabeth Gilbert — https://www.elizabethgilbert.com • Fizzle Just Ship It Challenge — https://app.fizzle.co/just-ship-it-challenge • Fizzle Try 5 — http://fizzle.co/try5 • Courage and Clarity — https://www.courageandclarity.com/ • Steph Crowder on Twitter — https://twitter.com/stephcrowder?lang=en • Corbett Barr on Twitter — https://twitter.com/CorbettBarr • Chase Reeves on Twitter — https://twitter.com/chasereeves • Fizzle Sparkline — https://fizzle.co/sparkline • Fizzle Goals Course — https://fizzle.co/courses/goals • Fizzle Journaling Course — https://fizzle.co/courses/journal • Fizzle Essentials of Web Design Course — https://fizzle.co/library/essentials-of-website-design-for-business-builders • Fizzle Website Tune Up Curse — https://fizzle.co/courses/tuneup • Fizzle Roadmap — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/small-business-roadmap-1-clarity • Start A Blog That Matters Course — https://fizzle.co/start-a-blog-that-matters • Fizzle 80/20 Copywriting Guide — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/writing-copy-for-web • Fizzle Toolkit — https://fizzle.co/toolkit • Fizzle Craft + Commerce — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/craft-commerce • Fizzle Project Management for Entrepreneurs — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/project-management-for-entrepreneurs • Fizzle Hosting — https://fizzle.co/hosting

#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. IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT: 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. 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. The surprising role of forgiveness as a cornerstone of healing trauma. How becoming a mother herself reignited Iman’s grief over losing her own mother at seven, but also strengthened her feeling of connection. The vulnerability of writing her memoir and allowing herself to be fully seen. How she found raising a baby to be demanding but straightforward, while the soul work of becoming a mother rocked her to her core. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/106. LEARN MORE ABOUT IMAN GATTI 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. Cracked Open – Never Broken: A Memoir EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER 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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Have you bought a course with the best of intentions but never get around to taking action on it? Maybe you've got a collection of online marketing books collecting dust on your bookshelf. Yep, we've all been there.If you're scared you'll waste of money and are nervous to keep investing in yourself, this episode is for you. Sarah Peck, the woman behind Startup Pregnant, is here to give her best tips and tricks so you can get the most out of your continued education. You'll leave this episode with a complete reframe of how you look at the books and courses you purchase in the future.

Today on the podcast we are joined by our wonderful friend and all-round badass, Sarah Peck. Sarah is the founder of Startup Pregnant, a New York City based company dedicated to documenting women’s leadership. She is a writer, yoga teacher and hosts Startup Pregnant’s weekly podcast too! Her goal is to amplify women’s voices and promote their business through her work and she definitely has one of our favorite brains in the game! We share a lot of her business philosophy and will be using this episode to geek out on some strategies for listening to your audience as a way to help grow your product or service. This super under-utilized and somewhat simple strategy can help you and your biz so much! By paying closer attention to your audience, you can really improve what you offer and make the direct connection between those paying you and what you provide for them. Quite a straightforward equation, right? This is the second time Sarah is joining us on the Strategy Hour and if you haven’t heard her previous appearance go back and check it out immediately, it’s Episode 185! This episode’s topic was sparked by a conversation a few days prior where we were chatting to Sarah about business philosophies and implementation of these. We really believe in these ideas and they are so in line with our core values that we could not resist having her on to talk all about it! Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes go to thestrategyhour.com. To download the transcript of this episode head to: thestrategyhour.com.

It should come as no surprise to you that I am a huge supporter of anything that looks like women supporting women.  Because there is so much we can learn from each other, so many ways we can impact each other and so many ways we can lift each other up! Which is why I’m bringing on the amazing Sarah K Peck today.  She’s the Founder of Startup Pregnant, a podcast and community dedicated to supporting the women who live in the space where entrepreneurship and motherhood overlap.  She’s a mother of two boys - a toddler and a 4 month old. She’s a startup consultant and has worked with startup CEOs and with several Y-Combinator backed companies, and with people at Samsung, Apple, Google, and Amazon.  She’s a writer and has been featured in The New York Times, Fast Company and The Huffington Post to name a few. And, she’s the creator of The Wise Women’s Council, a 9 month mastermind for moms who are navigating business and motherhood (PS: if you are a mompreneur, make sure to listen to Sarah go into more detail about the Wise Women’s Council...it could be the exact community you’re searching for!). Sarah and I dive deep into why you need a community of like-minded women in your life! We discuss… What steps you can take to find a like-minded community of women that is right for you How you can create community and connection in the way you need it during the different seasons of your life...and how that is allowed to shift and change! What great tools you have at your fingertips that help you tap into community! How to have quality relationships and tap into a community - even if you’re introverted, even if it feels like too big of a project to handle right now. Underlying in all of this is both of our beliefs that you are the one in charge of designing your life and your business!   To apply to Sarah’s Wise Women’s Council, just go here: https://startuppregnant.com/wwc And to check out more about Sarah, go here: https://startuppregnant.com/

#102 — It’s not you, it’s February. My husband and I have a joke every year that it’s not you—it’s February. 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. When it rains, it pours 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, The Wise Women’s Council. We’re also running a 5-day Instagram Challenge, 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 http://www.startuppregnant.com/102. 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 splendid.to/startuppregnant THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Instag --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#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: How the birth of baby number two was. What’s coming up on the podcast (we have some special guest series coming up). The status of the mastermind (applications are now open) What major shift we made in our family that affected my work, and how we’re changing things up going forward. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/097. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE www.startuppregnant.com/wwc www.startuppregnant.com/mastermind EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER The Startup Pregnant Mastermind THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook

#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 Science of People 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 http://www.startuppregnant.com/096. 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 https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind. 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 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 Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People. Science of People Vanessa on YouTube RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

On this bonus "library" episode, you'll hear what Sarah Peck -- founder and CEO of Startup Pregnant, a media company documenting the stories of women's leadership across family and work -- is reading, writing and thinking about creating next.

As they say, it's not the destination... but the journey. For Sarah Peck, she thought her destination was publishing a book -- a project she undertook with her typical gusto -- but along the way she learned that the conversations she was having with other ambitious women were just too good *not* to share.  As she thought long and hard about what to do with it, she leapt and launched Startup Pregnant, a podcast designed to build a community of women sharing their stories of pregnancy, motherhood and balancing it all in startup, innovative and high ambition jobs. My conversation with Sarah came as she was evaluating her own path -- she decided to take her passion project of the podcast and work to turn it into a business venture.  And not to be outdone, she was doing this while pregnant (and as the journey continued with another small human in her home).  The thoughtfulness of Sarah's own thinking and evaluation is something each of us can learn from -- it's certainly not easy to change what we think we are doing especially when it's to an area we know very little about. But that constant sense of re-evaluation and alignment is what has made her succeed along the many twists and turns.  It's a fun conversation and really dives deeply into why sometimes we need to change the medium to best align to our message.

#092 — New Year’s Annual Reflection Process The holiday season serves as an ideal time to take a CEO Day—a structured space and time you set aside to dream, to plan, to dig into the work you want to do in the coming year. I have developed an annual review process that allows me to reflect on the goals and ambitions I had a year ago, evaluate what went well and what was challenging, and use that information to inform what I want to achieve in the next 12 months. Today, I’m walking you through my 10-question annual review process, discussing how I approach looking back at the previous year and planning for the future. I describe the way I reflect on major milestones, what I have learned in the past year, and what feels unfinished. Listen in for insight around setting intentions when it comes to relationships—and learn how to design measurable goals for the year ahead. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/092. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER This podcast is made possible by Alavita Nutrition, a tremendous resource when it comes to food, health, and wellness. The Alavita team is on a mission to make eating good food and understanding nutrition easier for busy moms. Head to https://www.alavitanutrition.com/ and use the code ‘startup pregnant’ for 20% off their self-paced programs or a nutrition consultation. 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.  RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE  Startup Pregnant Mastermind PIVOT with Jenny Blake Annual Review Templates THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Instagram Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Review Startup Pregnant on iTunes --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#090 — Rainbow Babies When we invite life into our lives, we also invite death. Though stillbirth is fairly common (impacting about 1 in 100 pregnancies in the US) it is a painful topic of conversation. But Christine McAlister likes talking about Maeve, the daughter she lost, to keep her memory alive. In fact, Maeve inspired Christine’s business, Life with Passion. So, how did Christine move forward after a pregnancy loss? How did she make the decision to try again? And how did she birth a thriving business in the midst of it all? Today, Christine joins me to share her initial struggle with the decision to become a parent and the utter shock of experiencing a full-term stillbirth. I ask her about making the choice to try again, and she explains why she hid out for nine months while carrying her rainbow baby. Listen in as Christine explains how her pregnancy loss inspired the creation of her business—and learn her 7-step income replacement formula for aspiring entrepreneurs! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/090. 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 https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind. 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 CHRISTINE MCALISTER Christine McAlister is an entrepreneur, business coach, and best-selling author of The Income Replacement Formula: 7 Steps for Doing What You Love & Making 6 Figures from Anywhere. She is also the founder of Life with Passion where she serves as a high-level mentor for aspiring entrepreneurs, helping clients replace their income, quit their nine-to-fives, and build freedom-based businesses they love.  Life with Passion Life with Passion on Instagram Life with Passion on Facebook RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Income Replacement Formula: 7 Steps for Doing What You Love & Making 6 Figures from Anywhere by Christine McAlister Natalie Lucier Seth Godin’s Marketing Seminar  THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Instagram Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast

#089 — Mom Life, With Cancer: You’re Not Dead! There are two contrasting narratives around cancer: We hear stories of survivors who beat the disease. And then we hear stories of people who are on their deathbeds. In reality, there is a much greater spectrum of experience. Emily Garnett is 32 years old. She recently celebrated her fifth wedding anniversary and her son’s second birthday. She was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer that same week. But Emily’s life didn’t stop. She is still here. She is still making dinner and taking care of her son and going to the grocery store. And she wants the world to know what it looks like to live life with cancer. Today, Emily shares her career evolution, explaining how she became an elder care lawyer and her decision to step away when her son was born. She shares the devastating experience of being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer as a young mom and her extremely limited options for having more children. I ask Emily how she navigates the fear and the unfairness of it all, and she describes how she talks to her son about her cancer diagnosis. Listen in for insight around the opportunity Emily has found in her illness and learn more about her advocacy organization, Beyond the Pink Ribbon. FULL SHOW NOTES  Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/089. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER This podcast is made possible by Alavita Nutrition, a tremendous resource when it comes to food, health, and wellness. The Alavita team is on a mission to make eating good food and understanding nutrition easier for busy moms. Head to https://www.alavitanutrition.com/ and use the code ‘startup pregnant’ for 20% off their self-paced programs or a nutrition consultation. 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 EMILY GARNETT  Emily Garnett is a former elder law and special needs attorney whose practice focused on adult guardianships, capacity issues, care management and public benefits. Today, she is the face of Beyond the Pink Ribbon, an advocacy and awareness platform where she documents her experience living with metastatic breast cancer. Emily also serves as the host of The Intersection of Cancer & Life podcast. Beyond the Pink Ribbon The Intersection of Cancer & Life Podcast THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Instagram Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Review Startup Pregnant on iTunes --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#087 — Birth as a Portal: An Invitation   We know that pregnancy and childbirth is a time of profound transformation for women. Beyond the physical changes we experience, giving birth affords the opportunity to let go of our past selves and emerge as something new. But could birth be just as powerful for fathers and co-parents? How about our communities at large? What if everyone could tap into the wisdom and energy of new life, using it as a source of power to let go of what no longer serves us and rise up as a new iteration of our creative selves? Today, I’m taking a deep dive into the idea of birth as a portal. I describe the new research by Ruth Feldman on the neuroscience of parenthood as well as Amy Henderson’s thought leadership around the transformative power of being a present and active caregiver. Listen in for my invitation to let go of old identity markers and embrace a new way of being, drawing on the power of birth to level up and welcome a new way to show up in the world. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/087. 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 https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind. 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. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Fourth Trimester: A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson Amy Henderson’s Tendlab Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience ‘Neural Plasticity in Fathers of Human Infants’ in Social Neuroscience ‘The Neurobiology of Human Attachments’ in Trends in Cognitive Sciences  THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Instagram Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Review Startup Pregnant on iTunes --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#085 — The Fatigue is REAL At 33 weeks, I am dealing with a serious case of pregnancy insomnia. My Fitbit reports that I slept for 2:45 last night, and I was restless for 4:20. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. Pregnant women and new moms deal with fatigue on a grand scale. Our bodies are doing a lot of work, and we are sleep deprived like never before. So, how do you function? Is there anything you can do to manage the exhaustion? Today, Cary Fortin returns for an honest discussion about energy—and the lack thereof. We address how taxing pregnancy is on the body and the urge to apologize for not being able to do as much. I vent my frustration with a society that preaches the importance of family yet has little reverence for pregnant women, and Cary and I cover the myths around the dismissive term ‘Mommy brain,’ the loss of brain function associated with sleep deprivation, and the discovery that parenthood provides an opportunity to rewire your brain. Listen in to understand the significance of rest and short naps and learn how to approach periods of fatigue with a focus on self-compassion. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/085. 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 https://startuppregnant.com/stop.  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 CARY FORTIN Cary Fortin is the co-founder of New Minimalism, a declutter + design service and online platform for people looking to simplify and renew their homes and workspaces, and the co-author of New Minimalism: Decluttering and Design for Sustainable, Intentional Living. An expert in the field of simple living and the psychology of letting go, Cary is also a writer and lifestyle expert whose work has been featured in Mindbodygreen, Yoga Journal and Sunset Magazine, among other publications. New Minimalism New Minimalism on Facebook New Minimalism on Instagram Cary’s Website Cary on LinkedIn Cary on Instagram RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Kate Northrup on Startup Pregnant EP008 THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Instagram Startup Pregnant o --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#084 — Making Friends: A Few Helpful Strategies Sure, you know a LOT of people. But how many of those people do you consider true friends? Who would you really feel comfortable calling on in a crisis? Maintaining meaningful friendships as adults can be a challenge, especially if you move to a new city or change jobs, but you can take a proactive approach, seeking out new people you connect with on a personal level. Yes, it takes work and commitment, but the benefits far outweigh the initial discomfort of putting yourself out there. Today, I’m sharing a few helpful strategies around making friends as an adult. I offer advice on setting an intention and going to the places where likeminded people hang out. I also discuss the value in showing up by yourself, casting a wide net, and taking a chance on a new friend. Listen in for insight on starting your own groups and learn why I say YES when people offer to help! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/084. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER This podcast is made possible by Alavita Nutrition, a tremendous resource when it comes to food, health, and wellness. The Alavita team is on a mission to make eating good food and understanding nutrition easier for busy moms. Head to https://www.alavitanutrition.com/ and use the code ‘startup pregnant’ for 20% off their self-paced programs or a nutrition consultation. 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.  RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ‘Why Is It Hard to Make Friends Over 30?’ in The New York Times World Domination Summit Vanessa Van Edwards on YouTube Science of People THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Instagram Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Review Startup Pregnant on iTunes --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#082 — The Friendship Series: Doing Less in Business If your business could only do one thing, what would it be? In planning for my second pregnancy, I thought about how to design a business in Startup Pregnant that would serve my life as an expectant mother. Given the constraints on my time and energy, what was mission critical and what could be eliminated from my to-do list? I got strategic about doing less.  Today on the podcast, Cary Fortin and I continue the Friendship Series, discussing the three-step process I leveraged to design a resilient business that could weather my pregnancy and subsequent maternity leave. We explain how to reframe parental leave as an opportunity to systematize and document a business’ processes and the specific challenges faced by solopreneurs taking a leave of absence. Listen in for insight around getting honest about the number of hours you can REALLY devote to work and making decisions on which projects are integral to your business—and which can be relegated to the Don’t Do list. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/082. 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 https://startuppregnant.com/stop. 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 CARY FORTIN Cary Fortin is a writer, editor and web designer based in Boise, Idaho. She is also the co-founder of New Minimalism, a simple living platform and declutter + design service, and the co-author of New Minimalism: Decluttering and Design for Sustainable, Intentional Living. New Minimalism brings together the fields of psychology and sustainable design to create holistic, long-term solutions for clients looking to simplify and renew their homes and workspaces. The firm’s work has been featured in Design Sponge, Apartment Therapy, and Yoga Journal, among many other publications. New Minimalism New Minimalism on Facebook New Minimalism on Instagram Cary’s Website Cary on LinkedIn Cary on Instagram RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE  ‘Stop Doing it All’ Blog Post Sarah Lacy on Startup Pregnant EP023 A Uterus is a Feature, Not a Bug: The Working Woman’s Guide to Overthrowing the Patriarchy by Sarah Lacy Annie Dean on Startup Pregnant EP002 Werk THE STARTU --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#081 — Honest Conversations About the Hard Things With Co-Host Cary Fortin Deep female friendships are one of the greatest blessings of my life. But I didn’t really have meaningful friendships with other women until my late 20’s. Then I discovered what a gift it is to have judgement-free, deeply thoughtful conversation partners who engage in honest conversation about the hard things—sex, the patriarchy, aspirations, feminism… And for the next few weeks, I am sharing some of those conversations with one of my best friends, Cary Fortin. Today, Cary describes the genesis of her business, New Minimalism, explaining the psychology behind letting go of ‘stuff’ and the ins and outs of a service-based business. She shares her incredibly difficult parenting journey, discussing how dealing with the loss of two pregnancies shaped the person she is today and taught her how to have honest conversations about complex issues. Listen in for the story of our friendship and understand the value of being open with close female friends! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/081. 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 https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind. 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 CARY FORTIN Cary Fortin is the co-founder of New Minimalism, a simple living website and provider of declutter + design services. New Minimalism brings together the fields of psychology and sustainable design to create holistic, long-term solutions for clients looking to simplify and renew their homes and workspaces. The firm’s work has been featured in Design Sponge, Apartment Therapy, and Yoga Journal, among many other publications. Cary is also a writer, editor, and lifestyle expert, and she is the co-author of New Minimalism: Decluttering and Design for Sustainable, Intentional Living. New Minimalism New Minimalism on Facebook New Minimalism on Instagram Cary’s Website Cary on LinkedIn Cary on Instagram RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE New Minimalism: Decluttering and Design for Sustainable, Intentional Living by Cary Telander Fortin and Kyle Louise Quilici Replens THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com

#078 — Loving Yourself, Mental Health, Starting a Business We all have things we hide about ourselves. Things we are afraid of sharing. Things we need to ‘come out’ about. Learning to love yourself is a process, and for Mason Aid, it began when they came out as gender queer. Mason grew up in rural northeast Missouri, where identifying as LGBTQ is not widely accepted. At 17, they were in the hospital for self-harm and diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It took Mason many years to begin working on self-acceptance—and it’s still a work in progress. But now they are an LGBTQ advocate, building a startup that supports businesses in embracing inclusion.  Today, Mason joins me to share their parenting journey, explaining how they had given up on becoming a parent until meeting their wife Hillary. Mason discusses their business, describing how their work with LGBTQ teens led to the consulting firm they refer to as ‘your business’ gay best friend.’ I ask Mason what they do to take care of their mental health, and they offer insight around using inclusive language to recognize and respect the non-binary members of our audience. Listen in to understand how Mason is strategically building a business while working 30 hours a week and learn how companies can prepare for the next generation of consumers and employees! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/078. 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. LEARN MORE ABOUT MASON AID   Mason Aid is an LGBTQ educator and advocate focused on helping business owners be inclusive in their language and processes. Based in Columbia, Missouri, Mason got their start working with LGBTQ teens and discovered a passion for activism. This led to volunteer opportunities training educators and social service providers, and Mason has grown those opportunities into a business. Today, Mason helps entrepreneurs avoid ‘accidental asshole moments’ and supports business owners in embracing diversity and inclusion. Mason is also the host of the new podcast, All the Letters. Mason’s Website Mason on Facebook Mason on Instagram All the Letters Podcast RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Mason’s Blog Generation Z Marketing Study  THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup P --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

In this episode of the Marketing in Yoga Pants Podcast, Brit interviews Sarah Peck, Founder of Startup Pregnant. Sarah helps women share their stories and learn how to do meaningful work while serving the people that matter most to them. Learn how she is working to inspire and connect a community of women to re-think and re-imagine what parenting, entrepreneurship, work, and motherhood looks like. Links: Sarah's Website Startup Pregnant Podcast Sarah's Instagram

Episode #076 — Hacking Parenting, Mindfully & Intentionally  Motherhood is wildly unpredictable, and it is easy to feel incompetent if your baby doesn’t behave the way the parenting books promised. How do you learn to live in the moment and accept that your experience is okay, even if it’s different from what the experts advertised? Can you parent in a mindful way, giving your intuition the same weight as what you are reading and hearing? Is there a way to hack parenting? When her son was born, Asha Dornfest felt abandoned by the experts. The experience of parenting wasn’t lining up with what she had read about in preparation, and Asha was desperate for practical advice. So, she created a community where parents could swap useful tips and share creative advice: Parent Hacks. Today, Asha joins me to discuss the unpredictable nature of parenting and how her early struggles led to the creation of Parent Hacks. She shares the process of turning the blog into a book, the origin of the phrase, and the hacks that had the biggest impact on her life. I ask Asha about her minimalist philosophy, and she explains the idea of making space for many different versions of motherhood. Listen in for Asha’s insight on mindful parenting and learn how she measures success in terms of connection rather than numbers. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/076. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Acuity Scheduling. Acuity functions as an online assistant, helping to organize your schedule and collect client information. Take advantage of Acuity’s 45-day free trial for Startup Pregnant listeners at https://acuityscheduling.com/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 ASHA DORNFEST   Asha Dornfest is a writer and community organizer based in Portland, Oregon. She launched the Parent Hacks blog in 2005 as a real-world alternative to ‘expert’ parenting advice, and the platform took off, gaining a readership of thousands and winning awards as well as international press coverage. In 2016, Asha collaborated with Workman Publishing to create Parent Hacks, an illustrated collection of the best hacks from the blog. She also co-hosts the Edit Your Life podcast with Minimalist Parenting co-author Christine Koh.  Parent Hacks Parent Hacks on Instagram Edit Your Life Podcast Asha on Twitter RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Parent Hacks: 134 Genius Shortcuts for Life with Kids by Asha Dornfest

Sarah Peck was the first employee to get pregnant at the Silicon Valley startup she worked for. And while her boss affirmed things would work out, she could feel unconscious competition and misogyny in the air. Inside she was feeling lonely and wondering if she was sacrificing the career she had built. In addition to her other duties, she was tasked with helping to write the ‘maternity employee handbook’ for the entire organization. Since that time, Sarah has left that position to become an entrepreneur and to follow her passion for writing. She founded Startup Pregnant, a soulful space for women wanting to be intentional about the intersection of career and motherhood, based on her own experience of unpacking what it meant to be a woman in a corporate startup venture blended with her many years of blogging experience. During our conversation, we delve into the seldom discussed topics of how the modern world changes the way women prepare for pregnancy, how keeping up with the Joneses can add stressors to what should be a transformative experience and the myth of finding a work-life balance. Sarah articulates beautifully the struggle so many of us feel — how can we pursue meaningful work that matters while also desiring to create a family landscape that is nurturing and healthy? In This Episode: Having a baby in the male-dominated startup world The benefits of having a pregnant woman on the team The emotionally complex situation entrepreneurs face while expecting How pregnancy launched her new career How she created a company’s policies on pregnancy and maternity leave How she took a softer approach to parenting in the commercialized ‘baby market’ Cost-justifying a Doula How her partner negotiated extended time off to spend with family How the inexpensive gift of letters from family and friends can help guide parents through their first year How to building body confidence during pregnancy The effects of the modern lifestyle on the birthing experience How she prepared for birth physically, mentally, and spiritually Visualising the tender care you want from others during postpartum How women can be more specific about what they want How to build your maternity wardrobe with style and ease online Show Notes: Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Podcast @StartupPregnant on Twitter Stitch Fix — Create a Style Profile and Have Clothes Delivered Right to Your Front Door

#074 — Operating Best Practices + Systems Manual for House and Home Renée Warren was depleted and depressed. She had a terrible relationship with her husband and felt little connection to her two boys. What WAS working in her life? The PR agency she had founded was thriving, surpassing its goals and growing to a team of 10. Renée wondered what might happen if she applied a business philosophy to her home life… And that changed everything.  Renée and her husband started holding weekly meetings and quarterly retreats, setting goals for the family based on the values that are important to them. They have scheduled offline time with the boys every evening from 5-6pm, and they have even gone so far as to compose a Family Operations Manual that keeps things running smoothly when they are away. Today, Renée joins me to share her crazy parenting journey, discussing the challenges of having her two sons in the first year of her PR business. She explains how her decision to treat family life like a business eventually became a business of its own, the Family Academy platform. I ask Kate about the details of her family’s weekly meetings and quarterly retreats, and she describes how ‘role rating’ has strengthened her relationship with her husband. Listen in for Kate’s insight on spending quality time with your partner and kiddos—and learn how your family life can flourish by implementing business systems and best practices! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/074. 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.  LEARN MORE ABOUT RENÉE WARREN Renée Warren is the founder of Family Academy, a community for entrepreneurial families. Prior to Family Academy, Renée launched popular startup PR firm Onboardly. She is a regular contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine, and Renée has written hundreds of blog posts, articles and eBooks on the topic of startup marketing. Her current mission is help over 1M entrepreneurs gain more freedom in their lives through the Family Academy platform. Family Academy Family Academy on Instagram Renée on Instagram Renée on Twitter RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Summit Series University of Michigan Study THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup P --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Happiness Spells is five minutes of happy and positive things, a collection of thoughts, daydreams, feelings and reveries. Headphones on. This episode is adapted from a piece written by Sarah K. Peck, a writer I came across recently. Peck is the founder of Startup Pregnant, a podcast and community dedicated to working mothers and business owners navigating the challenges of parenting. A hint of #ASMR, a touch of #guidedmeditation, a lot of #gratitude. This episode of Happiness Spells was arranged, recorded and produced by Amanda Meyncke in Los Angeles, California. Our music is by Chris Zabriskie.

#072 — Journaling For Clarity If you’re chewing on a tough problem, journaling is one way to get clear on how to proceed. There is something astonishing about how quickly the insights come when I take the time to put words to paper. But it can be difficult to know where to start or how to structure my writing in an effective way. My good friend Mathias Jakobson of Think Clearly has developed a system of self-reflection in the form of Clarity Cards, and I use the 4 separate stacks as journal prompts to help me work through puzzles and determine next steps. Today, I’m sharing my 4-step process of journaling for clarity with you, beginning with the practice of separating the facts from the feelings. Then I speak to analysis, explaining how I probe further to access the wisdom I already have and decide what action to take moving forward. Listen in with a problem in mind and harness the power of journaling to sort out your thoughts and get clear on what to do! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/072. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Acuity Scheduling. Acuity functions as an online assistant, helping to organize your schedule and collect client information. Take advantage of Acuity’s 45-day free trial for Startup Pregnant listeners at https://acuityscheduling.com/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. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE  Think Clearly Think Clearly Card Decks Clarity Cards Order Form THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Email hello@startuppregnant.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#071 — Meditation and Mindfulness Anna Gannon was 7½ months pregnant when she lost a job she loved as a full-time yoga teacher. She had struggled with depression off and on for most of her life, and Anna was worried that her precarious emotional state would have an impact on her baby. That’s when Anna got an email from a friend who was supporting a project called Expectful. He encouraged her to try the Beta version of the meditation app for expecting and new moms, and she agreed to give it a shot. Anna committed to 30 days of using the guided meditations, and not only did the practice help her connect with her baby, it also taught her that worry didn’t have to run the show. Anna learned that she is NOT her thoughts. And her third trimester became the BEST trimester of her pregnancy. Today, Anna joins me to explain how using the Expectful app changed her experience of pregnancy and how meditation helped her navigate 9 months of postpartum depression. She shares the fundamentals of the app, describing how the guided meditations work and the benefits of training the mind to be more present. I ask Anna how she came to join the team at Expectful, and she discusses what work looked like in the early days of concurrently being a new mom AND new employee. Listen in for Anna’s insight on how parenting disrupts the illusion of control and learn how to let go—and allow life to flourish! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/071.  EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER This podcast is made possible by sponsors like you! Consider supporting this podcast with a monthly donation on our Patreon page: Head to https://www.patreon.com/startuppregnant. We’ve got folks we call our ‘coffee friends’ who donate the equivalent of a cup of coffee each month to make this show possible, and we’re backed by companies we believe in that can help make the lives of busy entrepreneurs and parents a little bit easier. If you want to become one of our company sponsors, go to https://startuppregnant.com/podcast/ and get in touch! 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 ANNA GANNON Anna Gannon is the Co-founder and Community Lead at Expectful, a meditation app for women preparing to conceive, pregnant women and new moms. The Expectful team is passionate about making meditation as common as prenatal vitamins and creating health and wellbeing through the power of the mind-body-baby connection. Anna is also a Yoga Teacher and Meditation Guide, and her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, Mindbodygreen and The Expectful Blog. Expectful Expectful Blog Anna on Instagram Anna on Facebook THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook

Using cultural norms and unconscious scripts, sayings and platitudes as an opportunity to ask why. Diving into the meaning behind our words in this week’s episode. Big thank you to Transcend podcast and dear friend Sarah Peck for the inspiration for this week’s episode! Check out more from Sarah at the Startup Pregnant podcast. — Let us know what you think! EmailInstagram Facebook — Rate & Review us here! Dhanyavadaha!

#070 — What Surprised Me Most About Parenting No one ever told me that ________ would happen in pregnancy. No one ever told me ________ about parenting. Without a doubt, you have multiple responses to these fill-in-the-blank prompts. And when I asked the Startup Pregnant community to share what surprised them most about pregnancy and parenting, the answers were funny, thought-provoking, poignant—and raw. Today, I’m sharing those responses with you, discussing the physical and emotional revelations that accompany becoming a mother as well as the impact the experience can have on your partnership. Listen in for insight around cultivating empathy for the wide range of pregnancy and parenting experiences and learn the immense value in sharing our stories!  FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/070. 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. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Startup Pregnant Blog THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST: Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Email hello@startuppregnant.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Sarah Peck is a jack of all trades. She is the founder and executive director of Startup Pregnant, a writer, startup advisor, and yoga teacher. In Episode 7 of the It’s Time To Be You Podcast, Sarah details the experience of being pregnant and working at a startup and deconstructs the idea that there are certain ways work has to be done and  ways families have to look like. Moreover, Sarah shares what she believes is missing from the current work paradigm. Sarah describes how she finds a balance between business, parenthood, and entrepreneurship, and reveals how she left the corporate world to start her own business… twice! How does she do it all? She believes in herself and makes sure she always has a plan in place.   ---- Questions asked in this episode: 1. Brief background on how you started StartupPregnant and what you were doing before that. 2. How were you able to leave your job and start the business, did you have a plan or financial backing? 3. Do you see a trend happening right now with moms and entrepreneurship? 4. How do you balance work and mom life? 5. Regarding being a startup advisor what aspect do you see most woman needing help on? 6. If a mom CEO asked you what is one thing she can start doing daily to help with self-management and time what would that be?   --- Bio: SARAH K PECK is a writer, startup advisor, and yoga teacher based in New York City. She’s the founder and executive director of Startup Pregnant, a media company documenting the stories of women’s leadership across work and family. She hosts the weekly Startup Pregnant podcast, and she and her partner in life and work are the instigators behind More Women’s Voices, a website that promotes women speakers and entrepreneurs. Previously, she worked at Y Combinator backed One Month, Inc, a company that teaches people to code in 30 days, and prior, as a writing and communications consultant. She’s a 20-time All-American swimmer who successfully swam the Escape from Alcatraz nine separate times, once wearing only a swim cap and goggles to raise $33k for charity: water. To date, she’s written for more than 75 different web publications and and has delivered speeches and workshops at Penn, UVA, Berkeley, Harvard, Year of the X, Craft & Commerce, WDS, and more. One recent viral essay, The Art of Asking, has been used across tech companies and product teams to train teams in clear communications. She’s currently writing a memoir of her experience working in the tech startup world while she was pregnant with her first kid.   ---   Resources:  www.startuppregnant.com https://www.instagram.com/startuppregnant/ https://www.facebook.com/sarahkpeckwriter/ -- Follow me: @laura_loveandfit on Instagram!

#069 — The Power of Sisterhood Nisha Moodley came to understand the power of sisterhood by accident. She started a group coaching program simply because she was out of one-on-one slots and something magical happened: The women involved experienced profound, lasting transformation. Since then, Nisha’s work has come to focus on the power of women in groups to create a nourishing container that supports growth and expansion—a place of sensitivity, resilience, and compassion where women can rise in leadership. Today, Nisha joins me to explain how she facilitates connection with groups of women, both in-person and online. She shares her pregnancy and parenting journey, including the messy experience of dealing with a lot of repressed anger and what it taught her about her values. I ask Nisha how her business has changed now that she’s a parent, and she offers insight around society’s responsibility to take care of mothers. Listen in for Nisha’s take on the power of sisterhood to create a safe space for truth! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/069. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER  This podcast is made possible by sponsors like you! Consider supporting this podcast with a monthly donation on our Patreon page: Head to https://www.patreon.com/startuppregnant. We’ve got folks we call our ‘coffee friends’ who donate the equivalent of a cup of coffee each month to make this show possible, and we’re backed by companies we believe in that can help make the lives of busy entrepreneurs and parents a little bit easier. If you want to become one of our company sponsors, go to https://startuppregnant.com/podcast/ and get in touch! 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 NISHA MOODLEY Nisha Moodley is the founder and CEO of Nisha Moodley International, an organization that facilitates retreats, masterminds and coaching for ambitious women with a focus on heart-mind-message alignment. She is also the founder of Global Sisterhood Day, a worldwide event celebrating and supporting the connections between women. Nisha is passionate about helping women step more fully into their role as leaders with an expanded sense of freedom. Nisha’s Website Global Sisterhood Day  RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Soul of Leadership Priestess Presence Hiro Boga THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Review Startup Pregnant on iTunes --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#068 — How I Launched the Mastermind + Lessons Learned The first pillar of Startup Pregnant involves the podcast interviews I do every week with exceptional women, and if nothing else grew from this venture it would still be MORE than worth it to learn from the conversations we are having around business and parenting. But I recently launched the second pillar (and first paid offering associated with Startup Pregnant), the women’s leadership circle mastermind. Today, I’m walking you through what it takes to put together a mastermind and explaining why I chose to do it now—in the middle of my second pregnancy. I discuss the lessons I learned about lead time and marketing, discussing exactly how I went about promoting the soft launch. Listen in to understand how building a niche audience served me in finding the right people for the mastermind group and learn why you shouldn’t give up after one launch! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/068.  EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Acuity Scheduling. Acuity functions as an online assistant, helping to organize your schedule and collect client information. Take advantage of Acuity’s 45-day free trial for Startup Pregnant listeners at https://acuityscheduling.com/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. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Why You Shouldn’t Give Up After One Launch  THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Email hello@startuppregnant.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Sarah K. Peck is a force. She's a writer, startup advisor, yoga teacher, and founder/executive director of Startup Pregnant-- a media company documenting the stories of women's leadership across work and family. Previously she worked as vice president of communications for a Y Combinator-backed startup, One Month, where she also was a successful writing and communications consultant, published in more than 75 online publications.   Sarah also is a 20-time All-American swimmer who swam the Escape From Alcatraz marathon nine separate times. And we also can't forget to mention the time Sarah swam the 1.5-mile freezing swim from Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay in only a swim cap and goggles to raise money of charity: water.   In today's show we open up the thought process behind how Sarah achieves her audacious goals. We discuss yes, her amazing swimming accomplishments, as well as her move from a job in the architecture and design industry to a career she created for herself in writing and communications consulting. We also talk about how she developed her own curriculum on storytelling that was sold through her site and General Assembly. Then we talk about how her blog, writing and consulting work led her on a path to working at a startup, and eventually, how her first pregnancy led her to create the business idea for her eventual business, Startup Pregnant.   In talking to Sarah, we were enamored with the creativity she uses to design her life and to rethink traditional ideas about how we do things at work and in our own lives. Known for her deep and thoughtful approaches to solving business problems, we have a feeling everyone will take something away from our interview with her in episode 81 of I Want Her Job The Podcast.

#067 — Finding Your Artistic Voice As A Mother  ‘My artistic voice has emerged stronger and more clear than ever—more centered in the voice of a mother and a female, really coming from within with an agenda. This I only have because of my kids. It feels like it was a necessary process, but it was fucking hard.’ Peng Scheerer’s experience of giving birth was a difficult one. The birth itself was a brutal, life-or-death situation that unearthed a childhood trauma—leaving Peng depressed and suicidal for a full nine months afterward. But after working through the psychological pain, Peng has emerged stronger than ever. She has regained her artistic voice and is working to break down the cultural construct that paints femininity as faulty or weak. Today, Peng joins me to explain her change of heart around having children and discuss the challenges associated with parenting and pursuing a career as a freelance artist. She shares her incredibly traumatic birth experience and discusses the identity shift that came with pregnancy and motherhood. I ask her about her PhD work in the realm of feminine voices, and she describes what it means to be a mom in our capitalist, patriarchal world. Listen in for Peng’s insight on becoming part of what she calls a ‘rainbow family’ and learn how she and her husband negotiate parenting AND their work as creatives.  FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/067. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER This podcast is made possible by sponsors like you! Consider supporting this podcast with a monthly donation on our Patreon page: Head to https://www.patreon.com/startuppregnant. We’ve got folks we call our ‘coffee friends’ who donate the equivalent of a cup of coffee each month to make this show possible, and we’re backed by companies we believe in that can help make the lives of busy entrepreneurs and parents a little bit easier. If you want to become one of our company sponsors, go to https://startuppregnant.com/podcast/ and get in touch!  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 PENG SCHEERER  Peng Scheerer is a freelance stage and costume designer for theatre and opera, working in performance venues all over Europe. In addition, she is pursuing a PhD in the realm of powerful female narratives and ‘disintegrating into a queer consciousness.’ She is also the author of the children’s book Two Mothers for Oscar which will be available on Amazon in August 2018. Peng’s Website RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Two Mothers for Oscar by Susanne Scheerer Dr. Shefali Tsabary on the Mindrolling Podcast THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast

#065 — Planning Ahead for Maternity Leave as an Entrepreneur Planning for maternity leave is a challenge for any working mother. But if you’re an entrepreneur, it’s all on you to figure out just how to keep the business moving forward—as your focus shifts to the delivery and care of a tiny human. How do you decide what to automate? What to delegate? What to outsource? And how do you build those systems prior to the hard deadline that is the arrival of your baby? Today, maternal health expert Arianna Taboada joins me to share her advice around planning for maternity leave as an entrepreneur, discussing how to assess both your personal and professional needs. She speaks to the psychological transition back to work after giving birth and the opportunity for entrepreneurs to phase in gradually. I ask Arianna about her personal parenting journey, and she explains how her business has changed in light of being a new mom and moving to the US. Listen in to understand Arianna’s policy research around access to leave for self-employed women and learn why maternity leave is a human rights issue.  FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/065. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Acuity Scheduling. Acuity functions as an online assistant, helping to organize your schedule and collect client information. Take advantage of Acuity’s 45-day free trial for Startup Pregnant listeners at https://acuityscheduling.com/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 ARIANNA TABOADA Arianna Taboada is a maternal health expert and consultant who helps female founders design maternity leave plans that meet their personal and professional needs. She has more than a decade of experience as a health educator, social worker, reproductive health researcher, and yoga therapist. Arianna also speaks and writes on the topic of maternity leave as a social justice and economic equity issue, and her scientific work around reproductive health has been published in peer reviewed journals including the International Journal of Health Equity, Advances in Social Work, and Prevention Science, among many others. Arianna’s Website Arianna on Twitter Arianna on Instagram RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Arianna’s Eco-Map PL+US Arianna’s White Paper NPR Lost Mothers Series THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast

#063 — Changing Your Life In Four Minutes How do you do self-care as the mother of five? How do you do self-care as a mother of five who happens to be running her own business? How do you do self-care as a mother of five, running her own business AND a living on a farm that serves as an animal sanctuary? You might be surprised to learn that it is not only possible—but can be done in just four minutes! Today, Rebekah Borucki joins me to share the contrast in her pregnancy journey from the first child to the fifth and offer insight around what women need to know about the experience of motherhood. She explains how meditation saves her life every day and how she leverages the practice to reframe negative fantasy and understand her own power. I ask Rebekah about life on the farm and how she has transformed part of the property into a community learning space or Lady Church, and she discusses her approach to getting clear on what you want and saying NO to everything else. Rebekah gets real about setting boundaries, building a business that fulfills your purpose, and indulging in a little Netflix along the way. Listen in and learn how to build self-care into your life—in just four minutes! FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/063. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Community makes all the difference. So, at Startup Pregnant, we have launched a mastermind program for women from all walks of life who are interested in going deeper around questions about parenting, motherhood, and business. To get on our email list for the 2019 session OR learn more about starting a group of your own, go to https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind. 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 REBEKAH BORUCKI Rebekah ‘Bex’ Borucki is the creator of BEXLIFE and the BLISSED IN wellness movement. She is the mother of five AND a TV host, yoga and meditation teacher, Hay House author, birth doula, and transformational coach. Rebekah travels extensively, sharing her passion for yoga, wellness, and meditation, and she has appeared on Dr. Oz, the Lisa Oz Show, and Better TV. She is a regular contributor to online and print magazines, including MindBodyGreen, Positively Positive, and Daily Burn, and Rebekah is the author of You Have 4 Minutes to Change Your Life.  Rebekah’s Website Rebekah on YouTube Rebekah on Facebook Rebekah on Instagram Rebekah on Twitter Rebekah on Pinterest Blissed In Facebook Group RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE You Have 4 Minutes to Change Your Life by Rebekah Borucki Be Here Now by Ram Dass Blocked 2 Blissed Group Coaching The New Bohemians --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#061 — Postpartum Recovery: Healing the Body, Being an Athlete Before + After Pregnancy If you’re a new mom and an athlete, it can be tempting to hit the trail or the gym asap after the six-week checkup. You want to regain a sense of normalcy and working out is likely a big part of your identity. But it’s incredibly important to be cognizant of what your body just went through and give yourself the time to regain your core strength and allow the pelvic floor to heal. You may even have to relearn the correct use of certain muscles in order to avoid injury. Physical therapist Dr. Shefali Christopher was taken aback by the fact that her postpartum body didn’t quite feel like her own: ‘You’re learning how to be in touch with your muscles again, how to contract them again, how to work them again. I think that was more shocking to me … and it took a lot of work."  Today, Shefali joins me to offer her insight on postpartum care for athletes, explaining the importance of rebuilding core strength and giving the body time to heal. I ask Shefali about her own experience with pregnancy and postpartum recovery, and she shares her ongoing efforts at ‘mental forgiving and acceptance’ of her postpartum body. Listen in for Shefali’s advice around the best resources for postpartum exercise and learn why she shifted her career path to pursue research as a new mom. FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/061. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER  Community makes all the difference. So, at Startup Pregnant, we are launching a mastermind program for women who are interested in going deeper around questions about parenting, motherhood, and business. To learn more and apply for the beta version starting in June, go to https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind. 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 DR. SHEFALI CHRISTOPHER Dr. Shefali Christopher is a board-certified clinical specialist in sports physical therapy. After four years of teaching in the Duke DPT program, Shefali joined the Elon University faculty in June of 2017. Her clinical passion lies in treating triathletes and distance runners as well as helping postpartum athletes return to their sport safely. Shefali is currently pursuing a PhD through the University of Newcastle, and her research focuses on understanding and addressing pain in postpartum endurance athletes. Shefali at Elon University Shefali on Twitter  RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Lily Nichols on Startup Pregnant EP059 Jill Thein-Nissenbaum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Everymom Athletics with Christine Iverson British Journal of Sports Medicine Pregnancy & Postpartum Series

#060 — Why to Join a Mastermind (And How to Start Your Own) It’s tough enough for entrepreneurs to carry the psychological weight of being the key decision-maker in their business, but things are further complicated if you also happen to be a new parent. Now you’re under immense pressure to make good choices when you are functioning at less than 100%. How do you exercise the best possible judgement when you are sleep-deprived, and a tiny human is making regular demands on your time and attention? There is a lot of cultural pressure to figure it all out on your own, but here’s the secret: You don’t have to. You can build communities of people around you and support each other in the decision-making process. You can connect with other new parents and entrepreneurs and puzzle it out together by way of a mastermind group. Today, I’m sharing the working definition of a mastermind, its basic structure, and the myriad of benefits such groups can provide. In addition, I discuss the pros and cons of starting your own versus investing in a paid group. Listen in as I walk you thought the step-by-step process of launching a mastermind and learn the inestimable value of a community dedicated to mutual growth and improvement. FULL SHOW NOTES: Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/060. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Acuity Scheduling. Acuity functions as an online assistant, helping to organize your schedule and collect client information. Take advantage of Acuity’s 45-day free trial for Startup Pregnant listeners at https://acuityscheduling.com/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. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ‘Why You Should Join a Mastermind’ in Forbes Do You Have Your Own Personal Board of Advisors? Taylor Pearson on Masterminds The Law of Success in Sixteen Lessons by Napoleon Hill Zoom Google Hangouts The Startup Pregnant Mastermind THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Email hello@startuppregnant.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#059 — Postpartum Recovery: Healing, Being a New Mom, and Nutritional Health We place a lot of emphasis on planning for the perfect birth and making sure that our bodies are healthy during pregnancy. But what do we need to recover after the baby arrives? What are the nutritional demands on us as new moms? How can we best prepare for the postpartum experience? Despite being more prepared than the average woman, Registered Dietician and Nutritionist Lily Nichols was still blindsided by how long it took to recover postpartum. And she had a lot of questions about whether what she was experiencing was normal. Today, Lily joins me to share her postpartum journey, discussing her extreme caution around physical exertion and the value in consulting a pelvic floor physical therapist for guidance. I ask her about the nutrients new moms need to heal damaged tissue and meet the energy demands of breastfeeding, and Lily offers her advice on postpartum prep by way of frozen dinners, meal delivery, or family members who like to cook. Listen in for insight on engaging a support system of other new moms and contacting the right professionals for reassurance as necessary. FULL SHOW NOTES: Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/059. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Community makes all the difference. So, at Startup Pregnant, we are launching a mastermind program for women who are interested in going deeper around questions about parenting, motherhood, and business. To learn more and apply for the beta version starting in June, go to https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind. 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 LILY NICHOLS Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietician and Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Educator with a passion for evidence-based nutrition. Her work draws from the current scientific literature as well as the wisdom of traditional cultures, and her expertise in prenatal nutrition makes her a well-respected consultant and speaker in the field. Lily’s latest book, Real Food for Pregnancy, is #1 in the Pregnancy and Childbirth category on Amazon. Real Food for Pregnancy Lily’s Website Lily on Facebook Lily on Twitter Lily on Instagram RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols Lily on Startup Pregnant EP043 Katy Bowman Preparing for the First 30 Days Postpartum THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Corporate jobs and Sarah Peck do not mesh well - being slouched in front of a laptop under fluorescent lighting isn't her idea of a career. Sarah's mantra has always been: You don't have to do things the way they're always done. To give herself career options, she started a blog as a side hustle and within 3 years it was generating $30k. That, in combination with a minimalist lifestyle gave her the confidence to quit. Her career is now “a collection of projects” - she's a writer, a startup advisor, yoga teacher and podcast host. She shares a DIY playbook to create, market, and sell digital products and her thoughts on credentialing and expertise in the digital age. We look at the work required to achieve diversity both in our networks and our ideas, and what her podcast, Startup Pregnant, can teach us about productivity, prioritization, and professional growth from bad ass new moms who are also entrepreneurs. + SHOW NOTES: http://rad.family/sarah-peck + JOIN THE RAD COMMUNITY: http://rad.family/subscribe

#058 — Differences Of Opinion Put two people in a room together for any length of time, and you’re going to encounter differences of opinion. Engage in any partnership—business, personal or parent-child—and differing experiences will eventually manifest a misalignment of wants and needs. My husband and I encountered one such misalignment around checking in via text message during the workday: I’m a fan. It doesn’t cross his mind. Neither of us is right or wrong, here. We’re just different. The question becomes, is there a creative way to make us both happy? Today, I’m sharing this case study in differences of opinion, describing the brilliant solution my husband conceived to address both our needs. I also discuss the value of getting clear on what you want and owning it rather than apologizing for it. Listen in for my five tenets of problem-solving and learn how to find creative solutions that provide the most happiness and satisfaction for everyone involved. FULL SHOW NOTES: Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/058.  EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Community makes all the difference. So, at Startup Pregnant, we are launching a mastermind program for women who are interested in going deeper around questions about parenting, motherhood and business. To learn more and apply for the beta version starting in June, go to https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind. 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 Instagram Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Email hello@startuppregnant.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Sarah Peck is a writer and the host of Startup Pregnant, a weekly podcast where she explores and reimagines what parenting, entrepreneurship, work, and motherhood looks like. Listen to this episode of What Works to hear more about Sarah’s journey in launching Startup Pregnant, plus her vision for the podcast and her body of work. The post EP 134: Realizing Your Idea Is So Much Bigger Than You Imagined With Startup Pregnant Founder Sarah K Peck appeared first on What Works.

#056 — Honoring Mother’s Day  Following Mother’s Day, I’d like to take a moment to honor the profound experience that is parenting—the unparalleled demands on your time, the general nonstop-ness of it all. Being a mom is overwhelming in the best way, and it qualifies as one of the biggest and messiest and strangest things I have ever done. So many women—and men—deserve recognition on Mother’s Day, and today I am celebrating all of the people who love and nurture our children. Listen in as I offer my gratitude to everyone who shares in the responsibility of providing for growing humans and acknowledge the women who cannot have children or choose not to. Parenting is life changing-ly difficult, so to those of you who are dedicating the time to grow, to raise, to provide for a new life: Thank you. FULL SHOW NOTES: Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/056. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Community makes all the difference. So, at Startup Pregnant, we are launching a mastermind program for women who are interested in going deeper around questions about parenting, motherhood and business. To learn more and apply for the beta version starting in June, go to https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind. 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 Instagram Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Email hello@startuppregnant.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

It’s been awhile since Emily and Kathleen have specifically talked about being Mom Bosses on Being Boss, but recently Kathleen was a guest on Sarah Peck's Startup Pregnant Podcast where she talked about gathering a community and village around raising a child so you don't have to be just one thing. And in today's minisode, she's expanding on that conversation and talking about why she loves daycare. You can listen to Kathleen's full episode of The Startup Pregnant Podcast here This minisode is sponsored by Twenty20. Get full show notes for this minisode here --- Follow Being Boss on Instagram: @beingbossclub Follow Being Boss on Twitter: @beingbossclub Follow Being Boss on Facebook: facebook.com/beingbossclub

#055 — Fitting Your Business Around Your Life People will tell you that the early days of your startup will require 80-hour work weeks, that you won’t see your friends and family. But here’s the thing: You always have a choice. If there’s 80 hours-worth of work to be done, you can slice that up into two weeks. Or rather than doing it all by yourself, two or three people can work together. Laura Roeder founded her startup, Meet Edgar, while she was pregnant. She took three months off during Edgar’s first year—and came back part-time for the first year of her son’s life. Laura chose entrepreneurship because of the freedom and flexibility it affords her to choose sane work hours and make time for her family. Today, Laura joins me to share her parallel parenting and startup journey. She explains why she chose to self-fund Meet Edgar and the benefits of the SaaS model. I ask Laura about her company’s parental leave policy, and she describes the boundaries around work hours she has set for herself AND her team. Listen in as Laura gets real about how parenting didn’t come naturally to her and get her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/055. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Acuity Scheduling. Acuity functions as an online assistant, helping to organize your schedule and collect client information. Take advantage of Acuity’s 45-day free trial for Startup Pregnant listeners at https://acuityscheduling.com/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 LAURA ROEDER Laura Roeder is the founder and CEO of the social media automation tool Meet Edgar. Laura started freelancing at 22, and she founded LKR Social Media in 2009 to teach business owners how to harness the power of social media marketing. She was named one of the top 100 entrepreneurs under 30 three times—in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Laura launched Edgar in 2014, and the startup hit $1M in revenue within 11 months. Today, Edgar helps thousands of subscribers share their best evergreen content on social, and the company is worth $4M. Laura’s Website Laura on Twitter Meet Edgar RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Instagram Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#054 — Connection, Friendship and Kindred Spirits If you’re busy with work, busy with your kids, busy with life—it can be tough to prioritize friendship. And social media complicates things by making it seem like you’re in touch when you’re not actually connecting. I have developed an approach that combines connection with a gratitude practice, a simple proactive approach to reaching out that has helped me rekindle old friendships and bounce back from the bad days when I’m feeling isolated. Today, I’m sharing the two scripts I’ve designed for reestablishing friendships. I explain why it’s important to ask for specific advice and approach the practice with sincerity. Listen in and learn to stop scrolling and start making authentic connections! FULL SHOW NOTES: Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/054. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Community makes all the difference. So, at Startup Pregnant, we are launching a mastermind program for women who are interested in going deeper around questions about parenting, motherhood and business. To learn more and apply for the beta version starting in June, go to https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind. 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.  RESOURCES  News Feed Eradicator for Facebook THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Instagram Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Email hello@startuppregnant.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#053 — Masterminds, Creative Risks and the Fuck It List Positive psychology asks us to focus on what’s right with us. What are your strengths? What are your values? What do you want? But what if you’re not sure what’s right with you? We all have built-in negativity bias, so it’s a whole lot easier to identify what we don’t like about our lives, what we’re not satisfied with, than it is to define what is going well. Alex Jamieson has your back. She’s designed The Fuck It List, a strategy giving you permission to honor the negativity bias and get all of the things you hate about your life down on paper. Then she flips the script and guides you in replacing the bad with a positive alternative, crafting a life focused on what you truly care about. Today, Alex joins me to share the fundamentals of positive psychology and explain how she used its principles to create The Fuck It List. She discusses her life as a mom, describing her son’s sweetness and her own efforts to be more thoughtful of her actions. I ask Alex about her ability to set powerful boundaries, to take creative risks, and to build relationships with communities of women. Listen in for Alex’s insight around the value of masterminds in supporting women through change and learn to say fuck it as you work toward a life you love! FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/053. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Community makes all the difference. So, at Startup Pregnant, we are launching a mastermind program for women who are interested in going deeper around questions about parenting, motherhood and business. To learn more and apply for the beta version starting in June, go to https://startuppregnant.com/mastermind. 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 ALEX JAMIESON Alex Jamieson is a best-selling author, functional nutrition and positive psychology coach, and ‘cravings whisperer.’ She has been featured on Oprah, The Today Show, and Dr. Oz, among many others, and she was the co-creator of the Oscar-nominated documentary Super Size Me. Alex’s podcast, Her Rules Radio, debuted at #1 on iTunes, and her latest book, Women, Food & Desire, was the #1 New Release in Spirituality and Self-Help on Amazon.  Alex’s Website Her Rules Radio Alex on Facebook Alex on Instagram Alex on Twitter Alex on Pinterest RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Fuck It List Women, Food, and Desire: Honor Your Cravings, Embrace Your Desires, Reclaim Your Body by Alexandra Jamieson Super Size Me Books by Alex Jamieson THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant

#049 — High-Risk Pregnancy and the Mind-Body Connection You don’t know Murphy’s Law until you’ve heard the story of Parijat Deshpande’s high-risk pregnancy. After being diagnosed with endometriosis, Parijat and her husband sought out a specialist and started fertility treatment. After an intrauterine insemination that ended with an ectopic pregnancy, they tried again with IVF. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome was just the first in a series of eight complications that Parijat endured during the pregnancy. She was forced to stop working at six weeks—and her water broke at only 23 weeks and two days. Today, Parijat sits down with me to share her story, discussing the details of the medical complications she survived and the emotional extremes that came with extensive bed rest. She walks us through the harrowing weeks leading up to her son’s premature birth at just 24 weeks and the time he spent fighting for his life in the NICU. I ask Parijat how the pregnancy affected her work life and shaped the business she is building now. Listen in for Parijat’s take on the connection between personal healing and business growth and learn how she supports women in processing the grief and guilt associated with high-risk pregnancy. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/049. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Acuity Scheduling. Acuity functions as an online assistant, helping to organize your schedule and collect client information. Take advantage of Acuity’s 45-day free trial for Startup Pregnant listeners at https://acuityscheduling.com/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 PARIJAT DESHPANDE Parijat Deshpande is a high-risk pregnancy expert, speaker and advocate for moms at risk for pregnancy complications and preterm birth. She combines her professional background in clinical psychology, wellness and lifestyle medicine with her personal experience with an extremely high-risk pregnancy to help women lower stress, have a safer pregnancy and reduce the risk of premature delivery. Parijat is also the founder and executive director of MySahana, a nonprofit that seeks to reduce stigma and increase awareness about mental health issues and wellness in the South Asian community. Parijat’s Website Parijat on Facebook Parijat on Instagram Parijat on Twitter Delivering Miracles Podcast   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Endometriosis Info Premature Birth Info THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup P --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#045 — Life Happens  Despite our best efforts to be prepared, life happens. Case in point, I planned a trip to be there for my sister during her birth, but Baby was working on his own timeline and had yet to arrive at the end of my scheduled week in the Bay area. Society claims to value flexibility and laud the ability to adjust on the fly, yet somehow when it comes to pregnancy and birth, we view it as an inconvenience. What if we learned to see the unpredictability of it all as an opportunity—to gather data, make projections and then pivot as necessary? What if we stopped trying to maintain such a tight grip on control and developed the skills necessary to plan for things that don’t have specificity? Today, I’m celebrating the honest conversations we’ve had in my first 25 interviews on Startup Pregnant and sharing my insight on pregnancy and childbirth—being in the thick of it again with my sister this past month. Listen in for my take on the illusion of control, our lack of candor around the hard work of pregnancy and childbirth, the significance of taking the time to recover, and the dedication required to breastfeed your baby. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/045. THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Email hello@startuppregnant.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#041 — Designing Your Vision, Mission and Values Few of us would set off on a road trip without a GPS. Yet many online entrepreneurs hang up their shingle without a clear idea of what they stand for or who they want to serve. After a couple of consults with potential clients who weren’t the right fit, Toi Smith designed and published a vision, mission and set of values that clarify her intentions, eliminate the noise, and distinguish the clients she is interested in partnering. Through her service, Smith Virtual Business Partners, Toi seeks to uplift, support and liberate women, helping them stand tall in the belief that they are powerful beyond measure—in business and all other aspects of life. Today, Toi sits down with me to explain her role as an online business manager and how she came to do this work. She walks us through some of her values, from the idea that financial security is non-negotiable to her aim in fortifying women to flourish. I ask Toi about the parallels between birthing a child and a business, and she shares her personal challenges around becoming an entrepreneur as the single mother of four boys. Listen in for Toi’s insight on the differences among single moms, the changing landscape of the American family, and developing actionable strategies for resilience.   FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/041. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Acuity Scheduling. Acuity functions as an online assistant, helping to organize your schedule and collect client information. Take advantage of Acuity’s 45-day free trial for Startup Pregnant listeners at https://acuityscheduling.com/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 TOI SMITH Toi Smith is a creator, a mother, and a holistic online business manager who helps women and people who identify as women grow their online businesses. In her ten-year corporate career, Toi learned to develop systems and streamline processes, and now she is leveraging those skills to help female small and microbusiness owners do their best work and reap the highest financial rewards possible. Smith Virtual Business Partners RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE  ‘Not All Single Mothers Are Created Equal’ in Solo Parent Magazine Life Coach Kate Anthony All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister CoAbode Headspace   THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter

#039 — Hiring Team Members (and Clients) Who Are the Right Fit How can you be sure you’re hiring the right person? Or that you really want to work with a particular client, for that matter? Val Geisler has learned the hard way, by giving contractors a chance when they didn’t honor her time and taking on clients who raised a red flag early on. And while there is no magic formula for identifying who is the right fit and who isn’t, Val can tell you what to look out for—and when to listen to your gut.  Val has a wealth of experience, having worked in corporate America, the startup world, and as an entrepreneur with her own VA and project management businesses. Today, she shares how all of these endeavors have culminated in her current venture, a co-working space for parents with onsite childcare. She offers insight around hiring and training a team, explaining how her first pregnancy facilitated her transition from freelance VA to online business manager. Val walks us through her experience with the startup ConvertKit, discussing how maternity leave looks different as an employee versus entrepreneur. Listen in for Val’s take on why new moms need to know that their work matters and how motherhood and entrepreneurship have changed her for the better. FULL SHOW NOTES Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/039. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Acuity Scheduling. Acuity functions as an online assistant, helping to organize your schedule and collect client information. Take advantage of Acuity’s 45-day free trial for Startup Pregnant listeners at https://acuityscheduling.com/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 VAL GEISLER Val is a digital strategist who specializes in email copywriting and email marketing strategy. She uses email to generate leads and close more monthly recurring revenue for her clients. Val is also the author of The Dinner Party Strategy, a guide to designing a superior customer service experience, and her work has been featured on Meet Edgar, Teachable, ConvertKit, Fast Company and The Huffington Post. Currently, Val is developing The Hive, a coworking space with onsite childcare for freelancers and entrepreneurs. Val’s Website Val on Facebook Val on Twitter Val on Instagram The Hive RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Book Notes: How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter Sponsor the Podcast Sponsor t --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

On today's episode we're joined by one of the smartest women we know, the amazing Sarah Kathleen Peck! Sarah runs a media company called Startup Pregnant, which documents untold stories of what it looks like to be a woman in leadership, life and work. Sarah's journey parallels that of Kate's, as she became a mom around the same time. She then started having thoughts about doing less, and what feminine leadership is really all about. There are so many great stories and insights that Sarah shares in this episode. You're going to hear how her husband Alex decided to take her last name, the way she organizes her life by creating easy to implement systems, how her planning for 2018 eliminated 50% of her workload this year and so much more good stuff. Enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at http://www.katenorthrup.com/podcast.

  #037 — Putting Your Mission Back In The Driver's Seat  With Tara Gentile  Rebranding your business is a risk, especially if what you’re doing is still making money. How can you be sure it’s time to shake up the status quo and shift your focus? Tara Gentile can attest to the fact that there is no easy framework for making that decision. But a good place to start is by asking the question, “What is the company that I really want to build?” Tara has spent the last year getting back to her original mission, getting clear and focused on the legacy she wants to leave behind, and rebooting her business to emphasize the community aspect of her small business network and give members access to the collective intelligence of the group. Today, Tara shares how losing out on a promotion during maternity leave inspired her start her own business. She explains how her business has evolved over time and offers insight around retiring products, hiring employees and putting on live events. I ask Tara about her writing practice, and she speaks to the call-response approach she employs to facilitate conversation among the CoCommercial community. Listen in and learn about how the flexibility of entrepreneurship enables Tara’s atypical co-parenting situation and what her daughter is teaching her about herself. FULL SHOW NOTES: Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/037. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER: Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Acuity Scheduling. Acuity functions as an online assistant, helping to organize your schedule and collect client information. Take advantage of Acuity’s 45-day free trial for Startup Pregnant listeners at https://acuityscheduling.com/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 TARA GENTILE: Tara is the founder of CoCommercial, a social network for microbusiness owners that brings together coaches, consultants, educators, designers and makers who are passionate about taking control of their livelihoods in the New Economy. Tara’s work has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes and Inc., among many others. She is a sought-after speaker on the topics of money, marketing and entrepreneurship, a bestselling CreativeLive instructor, and the author of several books on doing business today. Tara is also the host of Power. Profit. Pursuit., one of the top 24 women-hosted podcasts for business owners. CoCommercial Tara on Facebook Tara on Twitter Tara on Instagram Tara on Medium Profit. Power. Pursuit. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Tara’s Books Tara on Creative Live Marie Poulin Gusto THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pr --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

Today on the podcast we have Sarah Peck, who is a writer, startup advisor, and yoga teacher based out of New York City. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Startup Pregnant and media company documenting the stories of women’s leadership across work and family. Inside today’s episode, we are talking all about planning ahead for this year, how to eliminate 50% of your workload, and we’re going through the process of the system she used to really figure out how much time she realistically had so she could plan accordingly. If you’re a momma, or you’re busy, or you’re a human, then you just need to pay attention because we will take you step-by-step through an exercise to reduce your to-do list in a cray way so that you can have a happier and more fulfilled life. Sarah is an incredible human being with a lovely soft radio voice that we often try to mimic, so we really think you are going to enjoy this episode just because of the sound of her voice alone. Don’t miss out! Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, rate and review The Strategy Hour Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. For show notes go to thestrategyhour.com. To download the transcript of this episode head to: thestrategyhour.com.

#035 — Ask For The Damn Sale with Tepsii To do your best work for clients, you have to be taken care of yourself. Yet so many entrepreneurs struggle with asking for the sale. We hide. We play small. We fail to follow up. Tepsii understands the ongoing challenge of changing your money mindset and learning to value yourself and the work you do. Though she understood marketing conceptually, her first entrepreneurial ventures were unsuccessful because she wasn’t consistently putting herself out there. But when Tepsii started using live video as a tool, her brand skyrocketed. She shared her triumphs and challenges, and as people invested in her life, they wanted to work with her. Tepsii’s next challenge was learning how to charge what she was worth. Now Tepsii coaches other entrepreneurs to #askforthedamnsale. Today she shares her unique parenting journey, discussing the differences among her daughters and how the birth of her youngest inspired her to start an online business. I ask Tepsii how she learned to market her business and what holds entrepreneurs back from playing big. Listen in for insight around getting obsessed with your own success and consistently asking for the sale. FULL SHOW NOTES: Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/035. EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER:   We are putting together a weekly newsletter discussing the joys, the pains, the difficulties and the really useful strategies that make motherhood and work a little more joyful. Sign up at https://startuppregnant.com/newsletter. If you’ve got something in particular that you want us to work on, send us a note at hello@startuppregnant.com. 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 TEPSII: Tepsii is a copywriter and business strategist who helps entrepreneurs create businesses they love. She is the creator of Tepsii’s Online Business School and Write to Profit, a revolutionary DIY copywriting program. Tepsii specializes in sales copy that converts, and clients use her sales pages to generate $100K product and program launches. She is also a passionate advocate for underserved communities, working to integrate activism into her teaching and speaking platforms.  Tepsii’s Website Tepsii’s Freebies Tepsii on Facebook #CopyBesties Facebook Group Tepsii on Twitter Tepsii on Instagram RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Write to Profit Course THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST Startup Pregnant Startup Pregnant Newsletter Email hello@startuppregnant.com Startup Pregnant on Facebook Startup Pregnant on Twitter

#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 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#022 — [10x10] 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    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: 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    --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#021 — [10x10] 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  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#020 — [10x10] 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    --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#019 — [10x10] 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 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 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              --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#018 — [10x10] 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  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#017 — [10x10] Core Value #5: Plans are important. And things rarely go according to plan. A wise doula told me that in preparing for birth, she encourages women to consider the range of birth experiences and possibilities. In this way, designating “preferences” instead of a “plan,” we would be able to plan for something that was, effectively, unplannable. Babies are the ultimate plan-changers! Inviting a human into your life is inviting chaos in. They have their own ideas and what happens is often different than what we planned or expected.  In life, making plans is great. We love plans and goals and ideas and visions. And we also know that more often than not, things don’t always go according to plan. So we act in the present, with the information we have, staying resilient and agile, understanding that the process is as important as the outcome. The ability to show up and be messy with it, as things are changing, is a skill we value. But we also have to know that we don’t have control over everything. There’s no right or perfect time to start the business, or to have kids. If you wait for the perfect moment, you’re just waiting.   FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes at www.startuppregnant.com/017   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: When, in your life, have you had something not go according to plan, and what happened instead? How does making plans in the face of uncertainty make you feel? When do your plans go better than your wildest dreams? When have things not gone according to plan, and change you because of it?   THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:    Startup Pregnant  Startup Pregnant on Facebook  Startup Pregnant on Twitter  Sponsor the Podcast         --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#016 — [10x10] Core Value #4: Life is not all hard labor, and it’s not an all-out hustle sprint. In pregnancy, there are distinct phases and changes, with deep periods of fatigue, moments of sickness, periods of high energy and excitement, and everything in between. When the days come when you’re set to deliver, the periods of labor and delivery represent an intense period of work for the mother birthing the child; and immediately afterwards, there’s a need for intense rest and recovery and adaptation to a new normal. The cycles and seasons of life come in rhythms and there isn’t one mode to dominate all of them. Therefore, at Startup Pregnant, we don’t belief in the perpetual chase of “hustling harder.” There are certainly times for intense work! But not ALL the time as the default paradigm. Instead, we champion matching your energy and season with the work ahead of you, experimenting with new ways of showing up in parenting and work, and in bringing ideas of flexibility to the forefront of the conversation of what work can look like.   FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes at www.startuppregnant.com/016   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 does it mean to hear this idea that we don’t have to hustle all the time? And when you reflect on your own life and work culture, what would you say your “dial” is set to? Where are you dialed in to, and what is the expectation of a baseline?   THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:    Startup Pregnant  Startup Pregnant on Facebook  Startup Pregnant on Twitter  Sponsor the Podcast  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#015 — [10x10] Core Value #3. In today’s episode, we unpack Core Value: #3: Work-life balance is a myth. There is fit and there is tension. The strive towards some sort of perfect work/life balance is a myth and a fruitless exercise. Life is always changing, and our goals—many of them—are often in tension with each other. That tension often creates interesting results; for example, many women have shared that they adore their businesses and work lives, and their families have created a hard edge and new set of boundaries in how they approach work. Instead of some idealized “balance,” we strive to find the right fit for us as individuals, in this moment, in this season.   FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes at www.startuppregnant.com/015   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: When you let go of the need to achieve a perfect set of balance, what does that free you up to do instead? How do you feel about the term work-life balance? Is it something you laugh at, struggle with, or want? Why or why not?    RESOURCES MENTIONED: Cal Newport’s Deep Work Susan Cain’s Quiet Fallacy of the Open Office The Work Revolution   THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:    Startup Pregnant  Startup Pregnant on Facebook  Startup Pregnant on Twitter  Sponsor the Podcast  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#014 — [10x10] Core Value #2. In this special mini-series, we’re looking at the 10 Core Values of the Startup Pregnant Philosophy. These are the values that underscore everything we do, how we do it, and even how we design our interviews! In today’s episode, we unpack Core Value: #2: There is deep power in community and collaboration. By and large, we aren’t meant to go it alone. The myth of and belief in individualism in Western society is pervasive, yet at Startup Pregnant, we believe we are meant to live, work, raise families and grow businesses together. We aren’t born to live alone, and we’re not meant to parent alone, either. We are a social and communal species. For us, this translates across our startup, business, parenting, and pregnancy lives — and how we build and embrace communities of support across all of these experiences. We need teams, we need diverse communities, and especially at the beginning of adventures in entrepreneurship and parenting, we need lots and lots of support. There’s an outsized burden on parents, and mothers, to try to do it all or somehow be everything to everyone. It’s an impossible goal, and something that sets us up for failure.   FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes at www.startuppregnant.com/014.   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.   Question of this episode: What’s one way in which you’re trying to do it all yourself, and is there a way to ask for more help? How can you build in and prioritize discomfort in your life in the short-term in exchange for more long-term happiness?   RESOURCES MENTIONED: On Being Becoming Wise by Krista Tippett Curiosity Podcast: How The Best Marriages Work The New Better Off, by Courtney Martin Happy Documentary Ellen Langer from Harvard   THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:    Startup Pregnant  Startup Pregnant on Facebook  Startup Pregnant on Twitter  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#013 — [10x10] Core Value #1. In this special mini-series, we’re looking at the 10 Core Values of the Startup Pregnant Philosophy. These are the values that underscore everything we do, how we do it, and even how we design our interviews! Over the next ten days, we’ll be releasing short 10-minute episodes looking at each of the core values of our philosophy. In today’s episode, we unpack the first core value: #1: “We speak first using the words ‘in my experience.’ Listen in to hear why these three words are critical for any conversation, and why we can’t strive for “one perfect woman” archetype to be. There are multiple stories of what it looks like to be a parent and to be an entrepreneur, and there isn’t one size that fits everyone. The first principle or philosophy guides us and reminds us of this.   In this vein, we take a generous stance. What works for one situation might not work for all situations. It can be a challenge in our human ways of understanding to operate from this place of “multiple perspectives.” Cognitive dissonance works against us, telling us that our past decisions must be ‘right’ and to defend against other choices that people make as ‘wrong,’ if they violate what we would have chosen. The wisdom calling is to see how different decisions can be right for people at different times.  FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes at www.startuppregnant.com/013.    10x10 CONTEST: 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 at www.startuppregnant.com/013 to be a part of the contest by leaving a comment! Ends November 30th, 2017.      THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:    Startup Pregnant  Startup Pregnant on Facebook  Startup Pregnant on Twitter  Sponsor the Podcas --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

#012 — We want the best for our kids. We can’t bear to listen to them cry, we don’t want to see them hurt—not even for a second.  But is it really best to swoop in and save the day every time our kiddos face a challenging situation? Or are we missing an opportunity to teach them patience as well as the related skills of coping with frustration and delayed gratification? Are we missing an opportunity to teach ourselves?  In Bringing Up Bébé, author Pamela Druckerman explores the idea of ‘the pause,’ taking a moment to exhale fully and breathe a full cycle of breath before moving forward. Today on this mini-episode of the podcast, I explore the practical applications of this concept, sharing how it can be applied not just to parenting, but also our working lives.  I describe specific scenarios in which implementing ‘the pause’ has helped me practice patience, from the playground with my child to that moment just before hitting ‘send’ on an impulsive email response. I talk honestly about how I am working to incorporate a pause in my morning routine—with the goal of curbing my impulse to turn immediately to social media and email.   ‘The pause’ doesn’t have to revolutionize your approach to parenting or work, but the simple practice of taking a moment to breathe can help you embrace a little calmness and make conscious decisions. Listen in and consider how you might implement the idea of ‘the pause’ in your own life.   FULL SHOW NOTES:  Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at www.startuppregnant.com/012.  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    RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:  Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman   Bébé Day by Day: 100 Keys to French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman  The Tim Ferriss Show    THE STARTUP PREGNANT PODCAST & HOST:    Startup Pregnant  Startup Pregnant on Facebook  Startup Pregnant on Twitter 

Today, I’m thrilled that our guest is Sarah K Peck. Sarah is an author, startup advisor and yoga teacher based in New York City. She’s the founder and executive director of Startup Pregnant, a media company documenting the stories of women’s leadership across family and work. She is the instigator behind More Women’s Voices, a […]

Today, I’m thrilled that our guest is Sarah K Peck. Sarah is an author, startup advisor and yoga teacher based in New York City. She’s the founder and executive director of Startup Pregnant, a media company documenting the stories of women’s leadership across family and work. She is the instigator behind More Women’s Voices, a website that promotes women speakers and entrepreneurs, a RYT-200 yoga teacher and a 20-time All-American swimmer. Her essay, The Art of Asking, was a viral hit and is used across tech companies to train teams in clear communications. Sarah is currently writing a memoir of working in a tech startup world while pregnant with her first kid.

#005 — Why do we only show outgoing, extroverted, and confident business people as the model for success? In a world where most successful entrepreneurs and business owners are afraid to show any weakness, Morra Aarons-Mele is a breath of fresh air. The author of Hiding in the Bathroom: An Introvert’s Roadmap to Getting Out There (When You’d Rather Stay Home), Morra admits that we’re all just faking it, as she explores how to harness the power of your “only-nes” and make the work environment work for you. “My daily life is a negotiation between the piece of me that wants to hide and stay in bed … and the piece of me that wants to get out there and kick butt.” — Morra Aarons-Mele By the time Morra turned 30, she had quit nine different digital marketing jobs. Assuming the work itself was making her unhappy, she applied to graduate school to purse social work and began freelancing to finance her education. Much to Morra’s surprise, she found herself working harder than ever and truly enjoying the job. It wasn’t the work itself that had her crying in the bathroom, it was how she had to do it. As an extreme introvert, the flexibility of freelancing afforded her the opportunity to do her best work. Today, Morra shares her approach to working from home, explaining what her ideal work week looks like and how she maintains a connection with peers. She addresses her ambition to speak up for people who don’t normally have a voice, her struggle with antenatal depression, and her ongoing quest for balance between professional satisfaction and quality time with family. I ask her about the challenges that come with being a ‘hermit entrepreneur’ and how her parenting journey aligns with the evolution of her business. Listen and learn how to sell as yourself and navigate the professional world as an ambitious introvert. SPONSOR SHOUT-OUT: Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Hippo Give! 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. Also, for every user that signs up through the Startup Pregnant podcast, they’re going to match your first one-time donation AND send you a $5 amazon gift card. Use the promo code PREGNANT to go help people and get yourself a $5 amazon gift card. Thanks, HippoGive!   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 FULL SHOW NOTES: And get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at www.startuppregnant.com/005 LEARN MORE ABOUT MORRA AARONS-MELE: Morra Aarons-Mele is the founder of Women Online, an award-winning social impact agency, and the author of Hiding in the Bathroom: An Introvert’s Roadmap to Getting Out There (When You’d Rather Stay Home). A prominent figure in the world of digital marketing, Morra has been working online since 1999, launching campaigns for the likes of the United Nations, the Malala Fund, Hillary Clinton for President, President Obama, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has written for a number of well-known publications including The Harvard Business Review, The Huffington Po --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/startuppregnant/message

In this week's edition, I've got Sarah K. Peck on the microphone with me! Sarah is an author, startup advisor and yoga instructor based in New York City. She's the founder and executive director of Startup Pregnant, and at this point in her career she's written around 700 essays.(!) Guys, I truly love and adore every single episode of this show that I've had the privilege to produce. Maybe it's the exact place I'm at in my own life right now as mama to a one year old, but I am really in love with this conversation.I hope it inspires you, challenges you and lifts you up all at the same time, because that's exactly what happened to me. A few big points we dive into: How to find and understand your core identity -- aka, who you really are, in just a handful of wordsThe time Sarah broke her foot in college, and the huge lesson that applies to business Why a "just this once" mentality will screw us up, and leads us to a path of excuses The two habit muscles we are always strengthening -- and which one you definitely want to be focusing on Why "waste" and "rest" are not the same -- and how rest is actually an investment in our careersHow to stop feeling guilty about doing things that feel good to us Why Sarah will take her shirt off and shake her boobies around (wait... what?)Some of my very favorite quotes from this episode: “The true test of perserverance and resilience, the people who make it through their 20 mile march are the ones who look at that moment when they COULD make an excuse and they say I’m choosing to do it anyways” “You’re either strengthening the muscle that makes excuses, or you’re strengthening the muscle that does it anyways” “The person who wins, the person who makes it happen isn’t the person who has some magical better circumstances than you” Then, in the Clarity episode, we're talking about a precise process for way better decision making in our businesses & our lives. Can't wait for you to hear this! SHOW NOTES:Sarah's websiteStartup Pregnant Sarah on InstagramSteph on Instagram

Sarah Kathleen Peck is a writer, teacher, and connector. She writes a popular newsletter about about personal development, behavior change, and leadership. She's currently writing a book called Startup Pregnant about how working in tech while pregnant opened her eyes to new ways of doing message. Sarah and I had a conversation that left me absolutely buzzing. We share some real talk about pregnancy and early motherhood. We also chat about the need for multiple ways of showing up for work and life - rather than pushing all of the time, the need to be more intentional and precise with our language and commitments, and grieving even positive life changes.