I don't know about you, but I always knew, even as a child, that I wanted to be a mom. My dream was to grow up and have kids, create special family traditions, and be a very involved and loving mother. I had hoped that my journey to motherhood would be a smooth one. I knew that my mother experienced some difficulty conceiving my twin brother and me, but I was hopeful.

As an adult, when I entered into the career side of the mom-and-baby world, I quickly learned how much more common it is for people not to have the smoothest start to becoming a parent — getting pregnant and having a child. I've heard thousands of stories over the years from women about "becoming a mother." Each one, like a fingerprint, has her own unique story. Today's guest, Irina Reeves, is no exception. During our chat, I was inspired by her outlook on life and how she took her journey of becoming a mom and turned it into something beautiful.

Irina Reeves is a wife, mother to a beautiful baby girl, and the founder of OliviaR, a jewelry company that celebrates one-of-a-kind connections between loved ones.

Growing up in Russia, Irina was raised in a culture that encouraged very traditional family values: men went to work, and women became mothers and stayed home. But as a teenager in Moscow, Irina quickly recognized that her ambitions and interests often differed from those around her. She felt called to explore the world, travel, go to school, get a degree, have a career of her own, and one day become a mother. She knew she could do both – have a career and be a mom.

Irina first went to university in Moscow, then received her second master's degree in London, and then pursued a third master’s degree in New York. It was in New York when she met her now husband, and her life’s direction became clear and began to unfold. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their 15-month-old daughter, Olivia.

See the SHOW NOTES to learn more about Irina's company, OliviaR, our discussion, and my final thoughts.

*This episode is sponsored by our friends at OliviaR. Visit their website to order your jewelry piece today!*

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