In this episode, Diana interviews Jessica Morris, the Director of Learning & Development at SSi People and the mother of 2 toddler boys!

Diana and Jessica discuss becoming first time Moms and what’s next for the SSi Podcast!

FOLLOW DIANA: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/

FOLLOW JESSICA:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-m-88a3132a/

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

FOLLOW SSI People: 

Website:  https://www.ssipeople.com

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

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56833

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssipeople

Podcast: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/momswholead

In this episode, Diana reflects on her first few months as host of Moms Who Lead and gives a special thanks to all of the amazing guests who have been on so far! Their willingness to be vulnerable and transparent has provided and opened up real conversations that we can learn and grow from.

Diana highlights some of her favorite takeaways that she has learned along the way!

FOLLOW DIANA: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/

FOLLOW SSI People: 

Website:  www.ssipeople.com 

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

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56833/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssipeople

Monica is a senior consultant at ClearPivot where she governs and manages the execution of inbound marketing deliverables across B2B and B2C clients. Drawing from her unique background with 8 years of experience, she executes as a growth marketing consultant which includes, but not limited to, marketing, inbound marketing, advertising, go-to-marketing strategies, HubSpot growth-stack implementation, project management, HubSpot CRM training, and implementation and sales and marketing alignment, both consulting and training.

Monica is a dedicated and motivated professional with a diverse education and background in International Relations and Business. She has years of successful experience consulting on multifaceted projects and facilitating positive relationships with a wide range of clients, colleagues, and key business partners. She’s consistently recognized for making outstanding contributions to the bottom line.

Monica’s Areas of Expertise: Event Planning, Marketing, PR, Consulting, Customer Relations, Research, Administration, Account Management, Strategic Planning, Branding, Content Marketing.

FOLLOW MONICA: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicamevans/

Company Website: https://www.clearpivot.com/

FOLLOW DIANA: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/

FOLLOW SSI People: 

Website:  www.ssipeople.com

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

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56833/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssipeople

Blessed with a vivid imagination since childhood, Natalie was told that if she worked hard, she could be anything she wanted to be. Ruling things out can be an easier methodology than plucking the perfect career out of thin air, so over the years she learned more about myself.

Natalie knew she couldn't be happy doing tedious or redundant tasks. She simply needs more stimulation. The job couldn't come with an on-call, demanding schedule - she wants to be present with her family!

She gravitated towards a passion that she could strive to achieve in college. Natalie became  fascinated with the idea of studying consumer behavior and creating marketing plans that resonate with target audiences.

About ten years later, with a variety of marketing roles and experiences packed into her arsenal of knowledge, she currently enjoys working with a team and applying strategic thinking, communication, and relationship-building skills everyday. When she can help solve a problem, it provides her with a real sense of contribution in the workplace. Natalie is inspired to make a positive difference.

Building others up and continuously improving herself are two things that truly make her happy.

FOLLOW NATALIE:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-gleason/

Company Website: https://agency.directdevelopment.com/

FOLLOW DIANA:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/

FOLLOW SSI People:

Website:  www.ssipeople.com

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

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56833/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssipeople

Cheryl Ferrebee is an entrepreneur-minded brand marketing professional with decades of demonstrated success in the areas of business development, integrated marketing communications and business operations.

Strategic areas of focus include research, event planning and management, media and marketing planning for traditional, electronic and social media platforms. Areas of expertise include written content creation for all platforms, script writing and creative direction for audio and video productions.

FOLLOW CHERYL: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryl-ferrebee-brandmarketer/

Company Website:  https://www.tggbrandmarketing.com/

FOLLOW DIANA: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/

FOLLOW SSI People: 

Website:  www.ssipeople.com

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

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56833/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssipeople

Betsy is adventurous, competitive and fiercely independent in life. As it turns out, those qualities translate pretty well to business, too. Her path is varied—she’s worked on national brands at ad agencies, ran marketing at a non-profit, even helped change the Columbus skyline with the rebrand of a Fortune 200 organization. Now, she leads marketing for one of the hottest tech startups in town.

Along the way, she has won some awards and made some mistakes—but in the end, she always finds a way to get it done.

Topics in This Interview: Working While Pregnant, Maternity Leave, Being a First Time Mom, Picking the Right Day Care, Breast Pumping at Work, Postpartum Depression, Divorce, Challenges as a Working Mom, Importance of the “Village”.

FOLLOW BETSY:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsysewell/

Aware Website: https://www.awarehq.com/

FOLLOW DIANA:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/

FOLLOW SSI People:

Website: www.ssipeople.com

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

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56833/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssipeople

Britni Sehgal is VP of Marketing at Aditi Consulting and also the Founder of Studio 514. She has over a decade of experience building brands, developing compelling content, increasing leads, and driving revenue. 

Most of her focus is on serving the Staffing industry and she is also deeply connected to solving for the complexities and intricacies surrounding people-first solutions.

Britni believes that TIME (Transparency. Integrity. Mindfulness. Energy) is the most valuable asset that you have, and none of us have an unlimited supply of it. She holds herself accountable to "time" in all aspects of her professional and personal life.

FOLLOW BRITNI: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/britnisalazar/

Aditi Website: https://www.aditiconsulting.com/

FOLLOW DIANA: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/

FOLLOW SSI People: 

Website:  www.ssipeople.com

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

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56833/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssipeople

Podcast: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/momswholead

Leslie Vickrey is an enterprising Chicagoan with a keen entrepreneurial spirit, and is focused on making a difference in the tech and business community.

Seeing a need for business-minded marketing solutions that were as agile as the industries they served, she founded ClearEdge in 2006. ClearEdge has helped technology software, professional services and staffing clients differentiate themselves from competitors through services like Branding, Messaging, PR and Digital Marketing. The result? A portfolio of happy clients who have seen their businesses grow, attracted top talent and emerged as thought leaders.

Leslie is also passionate about attracting, retaining and advancing women in technology and business, and is a proud co-founder of ARA. What began as a quarterly dinner among friends has grown into a national organization 6,000 people strong focused on supporting women in technology.

In addition to working with business leaders through ClearEdge and ARA, she serves on the Board of Advisors for Chicago Innovation and also as the Senior Executives Subcommittees Chair for the American Staffing Association’s Women in Leadership Council. Leslie is also a judge for the Chicago Innovation Awards, which recognizes the most innovative companies in the region.

In October of 2015, she was named to the UIC Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, an honor that recognizes social and commercial contributions to Chicago's diverse economy, and in 2016, was named to the Enterprising Women of the Year list by Enterprise Women Magazine.

Leslie enjoys public speaking and covers everything from marketing to business to diversity initiatives. She recently joined companies such as Kenshoo, Allegis Global Solutions, Upwork, Apex, and Shiftgig to keynote company kick-off meetings, speak during supplier summits, or address their leadership, client, and consultant teams.

Show Topics Include: 

Parent-Friendly Work Cultures, Women in Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Virtual Offices, Building Trust In Your Team, Business Relationships, Supporting Pregnant Team Members, Women’s Networking Groups, Women in Tech.

FOLLOW LESLIE: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lvickrey/

FOLLOW DIANA: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/

FOLLOW SSI People: 

Website:  www.ssipeople.com

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

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56833/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssipeople

Podcast: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/momswholead

Amy Parker is the President & CEO of Batten Disease Support & Research Association (BDSRA), the largest support and research organization in North America for families affected by the disease.

She became a Mother to twins when she was 30, as an established Co-Op Marketing Manager at a Newspaper and transitioned to her then dream job as Marketing Director for a bank while tag-team parenting with her husband, who was also working full-time. 

Amy was a trailblazer as a new Mom, choosing to breastfeed and pump in the office bathroom, which was originally met with scrutiny. Women in her office later changed their opinion on the matter and as they became Moms themselves, they followed Amy’s lead. 

Amy made it an emphasis to create a more balanced, healthy lifestyle for herself and her family, as well as focusing on her faith. Dinner with her family is a regular event and she routinely schedules quality time with her 3 children; at any cost.

She’s excited for the upcoming 35th Anniversary for BDSRA!

Show Topics Include: Faith-based organizations, Batten Disease Support & Research Association, Fertility Issues, Breast-Feeding at Work, Maternity Leave, Finding a Supportive Employer, Working Moms, Non-Profits, Marketing, and Working Remotely.

FOLLOW AMY: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-fenton-parker/

FOLLOW BDSRA:

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bdsra

Official Website: https://www.bdsra.org/

FOLLOW DIANA: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/

FOLLOW SSI People: 

Website:  www.ssipeople.com

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

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56833/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssipeople

Podcast: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/momswholead

Jeannie discusses her role as COO at plant-based wholesaler VEDGEco, her passion for raising her family on a nutritious and sustainable Vegan diet, and work-life balance while operating a startup.

Jeannie and Diana also discuss the stress, anxiety, and guilt that can come with taking maternity leave as well as the importance of working within an organization that genuinely supports you.

They unpack motherhood, and doing what is best for your family while also being mindful of what’s best for the company. An important reminder is highlighted: give yourself grace while delivering your absolutely best every step of the way. 

Topics Include: Plant-Based Food, Veganism, Parenthood, Business, Maternity Leave, Careers, Being Present with Family, Being a Super-Mom, the Importance of Mentorship, Company Culture, High-Performance.

MORE ON JEANNIE:

Jeannie is responsible for overseeing operations and marketing at VEDGEco and has helped the company surpass seven-figure topline sales with over 70% customer retention. She also led the company’s brand portfolio expansion, strategic partnerships, and was instrumental in revising VEDGEco’s business strategy to meet rapidly changing consumer and restaurant industry needs.

FOLLOW JEANNIE: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannie-andolena/

Official VEDGEco Website: https://vedgeco.com/

FOLLOW DIANA: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/

FOLLOW SSI People: 

Website:  www.ssipeople.com

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

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/56833/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ssipeople

Podcast: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/momswholead