Mompreneurs Making Moves

In this episode, we sit down with Melanie Marsell and Kathleen Hall, the co-founders of Explore the Americas. As moms and business owners themselves, they know the unique challenge of trying to "switch off" while running a company. With over 20 years of experience and 3,000+ trips planned, they reveal why most family vacations fall short—and how to curate travel experiences that allow you to be present with your kids instead of just managing logistics. Whether you're dreaming of the Caribbean or Latin America, learn how to trade "vacation exhaustion" for true connection and rest.

Connect with them:

www.exploretheamericastravel.com, @exploretheamericastravel

In this episode, Jillian McCloskey shares her journey as a mompreneur, the importance of self-care, and how taking intentional breaks can recharge and improve both personal and professional life.

Connect with her on LinkedIn!

Ever feel like you’re constantly juggling motherhood, business, and self-care—and still dropping the ball? In this episode, certified life coach and mompreneur Olga Pyshnyak-Lawrence reveals the secrets behind her signature PASSION Method™, a proven framework for turning that daily overwhelm into clarity, confidence, and calm progress. Olga shares how moms can reclaim their identity, design flexible routines that actually work in real life, and finally ditch the guilt that comes with chasing balance. Whether you’re launching a business from your kitchen table or trying to rediscover yourself beyond motherhood, this conversation will reignite your motivation and help you thrive—not just survive.

Connect with Olga:

Website: https://www.maternalmovement.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maternalmovement/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motivatedmamabyolga/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olga-pyshnyak-lawrence-38477946/

https://www.facebook.com/share/17FafufuBa/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Think you have to quit your job to start your business? Think again. After a surprise Valentine's Day layoff left her identity shattered at 46, Shannon Baird realized the hard way that jumping ship without a plan is a recipe for chaos. Now, she’s teaching burned-out corporate moms the exact "income-first" framework to build a service-based business while still collecting a paycheck. If you’re craving freedom but terrified of the financial cliff, this episode is your strategic map to leaving your job on your own terms.

Connect with Shannon

https://shannonbaird.substack.com, https://www.instagram.com/theshannonbaird, https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonbaird

COURSE: 2-hour-corporate-exit-launchpad.theshannonbaird.com

In this episode, we sit down with Chanelle, a teenage jewelry entrepreneur, to explore her journey, mindset, and the importance of parental support in nurturing young business talents. Discover practical advice for young entrepreneurs and how parents can empower their kids to succeed.

Connect with Chanelle below:

What if motherhood isn’t a career detour—but your greatest leadership advantage?

In this episode, we sit down with leadership experts Samantha and Annette—corporate veterans, board advisors, and champions for women rising into executive roles—to unpack what it really takes to step into the C-suite and beyond. From navigating visibility gaps to building influence without burning out, they’re on a mission to demystify the path to the boardroom for women—especially moms balancing ambition with real life.

We dive into how leadership is evolving, why moms are uniquely equipped to lead, and the strategic moves women need to make today to access opportunities traditionally kept behind closed doors. If you’ve ever wondered “Could I actually go bigger?”—this conversation will show you how.

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In this episode, Alexa Starks shares her journey of rebranding her platform to focus on systemic change for working mothers, emphasizing data-driven advocacy and community support. She discusses the realities of motherhood, redefining success, and practical strategies for managing ambition and burnout.

When life handed her chaos, Rachel built a company. As a newly single mom of toddlers with zero safety net, she transformed necessity into a thriving, sustainable business — and learned the secrets to scaling without burning out. In this episode, we dive deep into what it really takes to step out of “hobby mode” and into your power as a CEO. Rachel shares hard-earned lessons on leading with strategy (not emotion), investing in yourself like a real asset, embracing risk, and rejecting busywork disguised as productivity. Whether you’re trying to grow profit, reclaim time, or finally see yourself as the CEO your business needs, Rachel’s story is the empowering blueprint mompreneurs everywhere need right now.

Connect with Rachel

https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachrachelleigh/

When Jiemi Gao became a mother in March 2020 — the exact week the world shut down — the high-performing Fortune 500 consultant she'd spent a decade building herself into collided head-on with the overwhelmed, identity-shaken new mom she suddenly was. That collision had a name she didn't know yet: matrescence. After burnout, a second baby, and the slow realization that millions of women were quietly drowning in the same "having it all" myth, Jiemi walked away from corporate strategy work to solve the problem herself. She founded Nori — not another app to scroll, but an actual support network with 1:1 mentoring, peer groups, and real community for moms who are tired of pretending they're fine. In this episode, Jiemi unpacks the identity crash no one warns you about, why she's building "anti-social-media" community on purpose, what it's really like bootstrapping as a solo, non-technical founder, and how she's turning empathy into an actual business model.

Hey friends — Amariah here! This week on Mompreneurs Making Moves, I had the honor of sitting down with Brittneye Williams, a recording artist and the owner of the label and podcast Artists Manifesto.

For ten years, Brittneye was told she couldn't conceive. Then came the miracle birth of her twin daughters — and with it, an unexpected rebirth of her music, her art, and her voice. Her song "Let Loose" has since become an anthem for millennial moms around the world who are reclaiming their identity beyond motherhood.

In our conversation, Brittneye opened up about the emotional whiplash of infertility to miracle twins, what it really means to rediscover yourself after kids, and how she protects space for creativity while being a mom, a wife, and an artist. If you've ever felt like motherhood put your dreams on pause, this one will remind you they were never gone — just waiting.

Tune in to the full episode now on your favorite podcast platform — and don't forget to share it with another mompreneur who needs to hear her dreams aren't over, they're just getting started.

Connect with Brittneye: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/brittneye/the-pisces-2/