Raising Kids & Running a Business

In this episode, Kate sits down with Tricia Mirchandani, founder of T Collective – a collective of designers, copywriters, and video editors who deliver agency-quality work without the agency baggage. Tricia lives outside DC with her husband, two teenagers, and four pets, and she started her business the way a lot of us do: one bad day at work and a CEO who rewrote everything overnight.

She and Kate get into what it actually looks like to build a business you believe in, manage a team the same way you parent, and stop trying to be the wizard behind the curtain for everyone in your life.

They also get into:

• The Babysitters Club model: one call, one invoice, zero Fiverr anxiety
• Getting pushed out of a job you didn't love and why that's actually a gift
• Teenagers are great, actually and why they might be the best business partners you didn't know you had
• The parallel between parenting a team and raising kids who figure things out themselves
• Why Tricia went freelance, went back to corporate, and went freelance again, and what the timing taught her
• Imposter syndrome: everyone's too busy thinking about themselves to notice yours
• Fail fast, fix it, move on: why that's both a business strategy and a parenting philosophy
• Scar tissue, gut feelings, and the meeting where Tricia showed up ready to have the hard conversation
• Why boundaries need to be drawn around your kids just as much as your clients
• Hiring an ops manager sooner: the advice she wishes someone had shoved in her face at the beginning

This one hits on all the things we don't say out loud: the muscle memory from jobs that didn't value us, the guilt of pouring into a business instead of our kids, and the very freeing realization that nobody's watching us as closely as we think they are.

Connect with Tricia:

• Instagram & LinkedIn: @withtcollective
• Website: withtcollective.com
• LinkedIn: Tricia Mirchandani

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram

In this episode, Kate sits down with Emma Rodger, owner and lead designer of Saltd Studio, a branding and web design studio based in New Mexico. At the time of recording, Emma is one year into motherhood, about seven months into running her business full-time with her husband, and – by her own admission – still very much figuring it all out. Which, honestly, is exactly why this conversation is so good.

They get into what it's really like to live, parent, and work with the same person 24/7, how to build margins into a life that has basically none, and why sometimes the most radical thing you can do is take a day off on your birthday.

They also get into:

• From ballet to branding: Emma's unexpected path to design
• What happened when a client ghosted her the week she came home from the hospital (yes, really)
• The red light/green light system they're still trying to figure out so they don't drive each other crazy
• Why having a robot vacuum is, genuinely, a business decision
• The daycare guilt rollercoaster: dropping off, feeling terrible, then sitting in a meeting feeling thankful, then missing her again
• "Just waits" and unsolicited advice: why validation beats fixing every single time
• Culling your social feed like a business strategy
• The 75 Medium philosophy (credit: Xanthe Appleyard) and why it might save your life
• How Kate's month-long solo hike made Emma consider taking up hiking, or at least sitting on a beach
• Old Man Locke's greatest hits, including: "And then they come back and they've lost their childlike wonder"

This one's warm, funny, and deeply relatable for any mom business owner who's ever felt totally unhinged on the inside while someone calls them "such a chill mom."

Connect with Emma:

• Instagram & Pinterest: @saltdstudio
• saltdstudio.com

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram

In this episode, Kate catches up with her childhood friend and former basketball teammate, Kari Sponaugle, who went from Excel-sheet perfectionist to running a 50-acre vegetable operation, raising three kids, and holding down a full-time job as a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent. Oh, and her husband's family also runs 200 head of cattle and two turkey houses. Just a few things going on.

Kari gets real about what it actually looks like to wear every hat at once – farmer, mom, professional, wife, quality control manager, and occasional human being – and how she's learned that "good enough" isn't giving up, it's survival strategy.

They also get into:

• Growing up on farms in Highland County and why simple living hits different as an adult
• Why the third kid broke the spreadsheet for good
• Pack-n-Plays in the barn and car seats under umbrellas...farming with babies in tow
• The great microwave incident of 2024 (RIP $6 worth of cookies)
• Skilled trades, college pressure, and what we wish someone had taught us in home ec
• Why Kari's 40-hour day job is actually her version of a vacation
• The mental load of farming: when the weather, the audit, AND your husband's to-do list all hit at once
• Raising the next generation of farmers without working them to death
• Loosen up – the advice Kari would give her younger, checklist-obsessed self

This one's equal parts hilarious, grounding, and a genuine love letter to the people who grow your food and somehow still make dinner.

Connect with Kari: Find her through Virginia Cooperative Extension. And, next time you're at the grocery store, thank a farmer.

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram

In this episode, Kate sits down with Erin Halper, founder of The Upside to talk about the winding, messy, beautiful road from corporate career to building a business on her own terms. And spoiler: it started in a hospital.

Erin gets real about what it actually takes to juggle motherhood and entrepreneurship – from the NICU to navigating COVID without childcare to hosting seven au pairs (yes, seven). She and Kate dig into why we were never meant to do this alone, what it looks like to be truly intentional instead of just surviving, and why dropping the ball is sometimes the smartest move you can make.

They also get into:

• Why partner support is non-negotiable before you take the leap
• The au pair program Erin ran like a business (and why it changed everything)
• Meal kits, boring dinners, and giving yourself permission to just feed the family
• COVID PTSD and the sabbatical we all desperately need
• Kate's 20-day solo hike and the guilt spiral that almost stopped her
• Glass balls vs. rubber balls and how to tell the difference
• Raising kids who won't drown when it's their turn
• Why perfectionism is a disease and homemade Goldfish crackers are a lie

This one is full of honest, hilarious, and genuinely useful conversation for any mom trying to figure out how to hold it all together or at least look like she is.

Connect with Erin:

• LinkedIn: Erin Halper
• Website: betheupside.com

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram

As a multi-hyphenate creative with big ideas, Ellen’s "career path" has been winding (and she wouldn’t have it any other way). She’s been Managing Editor for a publisher of art and photography books, a self-employed textile designer, and Director of Marketing at a creative e-commerce brand.

The through line has been bringing ambitious projects to life through clear communication, artistic vision, and creative grit. Ellen founded New Shapes Studio to help creative entrepreneurs build the lives and businesses they dream of through beautiful, powerful, easy-to-manage websites.

When she’s not hunched over her laptop, you can find her painting shapes on walls, forgetting my coffee all over the house, and pretending to be a garbage truck with my toddler. Ellen lives in Olympia, WA and works with clients from all over.

Connect with Ellen online:

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Website

Mentioned in the episode:

• Episode #37 with Bri Summers
• Glitch & Bitch with Mushaboom Studio

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram

What if the dream you worked so hard to build… no longer fits who you are?

In this heartfelt and perspective-shifting episode, Kate sits down with life coach Sandra Daniele to talk about what it really looks like to evolve, pivot, and give yourself permission to change course—especially as a single mom raising a teenager.

Sandra opens up about the early years of single parenting, how coaching transformed her healing journey, and why letting go of a goal isn’t the same thing as giving up. They explore the messiness of identity, the freedom in morning routines, and the magic of doing things just for joy.

This episode is for every parent and business owner stuck between what they built and what they truly want next.

Highlights

• Redefining Identity - Sandra shares the honest truth about not knowing how to introduce herself—and why that's okay.
• Motherhood + Solo Parenting - The emotional weight of early single motherhood and why it didn’t have to be as hard as it felt.
• The Coaching Journey - How becoming a life coach changed everything—and why Sandra no longer markets herself that way.
• Letting Go Without Giving Up - Why stepping back from a business doesn’t mean you’ve failed—and how ego often clouds that truth.
• Joy as a Compass - From playing flashlight tag to watching butterflies on hikes—how small joys point us back to ourselves.

Connect with Sandra Daniele online:

• Website 
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram

What if your business could start seeing results tomorrow—and your toddler could learn the word “no” at the same time?

In this episode of Raising Kids & Running a Business, Kate chats with Lauren Downey, a digital advertising strategist and mom to a very opinionated toddler. From a French major teaching abroad to a full-time ad pro managing high-performing campaigns across Google, Meta, LinkedIn, and Reddit, Lauren shares how she pivoted her way into entrepreneurship.

They dive into the difference between long-term SEO vs. paid ads, the surprising impact of ChatGPT on lead generation, and how staying curious (and calm) powers both parenting and performance marketing.

If you’ve ever wondered how anyone manages PPC campaigns with a toddler in tow, this episode is for you.

Highlights

• From French to Funnels: Lauren’s journey from teaching in France to building a business in digital advertising.
• SEO vs. Paid Ads: Why paid ads offer faster results—and why Lauren prefers their pace over long SEO plays.
• The ChatGPT Effect: How AI is disrupting search behavior and emerging as a powerful traffic driver.
• Data-Driven Motherhood: How Lauren applies her analytical, problem-solving brain to both marketing and parenting.
• Marketing + Motherhood: The practical ways Lauren balances high-performing ad campaigns with life as a toddler mom.

Connect with Lauren Downey online: 

• Website 
• LinkedIn

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram

In this powerhouse episode, Kate sits down with Monica Bailey — co-owner of Epic Dental and mother of three — for an incredibly honest and insightful conversation about what it really looks like to build a business while raising a family. Monica opens up about the identity shifts of motherhood, the silent epidemic of mom burnout, and the surprising truth about cavity prevention that Big Oral doesn’t want you to know.

She shares her personal journey from pre-med to product-based entrepreneurship, how she and her husband found their rhythm as co-founders, and the systems she uses to make life (and business) run smoother. Whether it’s a 90-day dinner rotation, personal assistants folding laundry, or a mindset shift that changed everything, Monica gives listeners real-life tools they can use right now.

This episode is a must-listen for any parent balancing ambition with caregiving, and for every entrepreneur craving both impact and sanity.

Highlights

• Starting from Chaos: Monica shares how she stepped into her husband’s growing business and brought structure to the madness.
• Family-Run, Mission-Driven: Running Epic Dental with her husband while raising three kids — and why cavity prevention became their cause.
• Building the Business Backwards: How a pre-med path and a startup job led Monica to discover her integrator superpower.
• Mom Guilt and Milestones: Monica recounts the emotional moment of watching her son’s first steps over FaceTime — and how she reframed what being present means.
• Systems Over Stress: From 90-day meal plans to morning checklists, Monica’s low-lift routines eliminate decision fatigue.
• Redefining Productivity: Shifting from 8-hour hustle to high-impact workdays that preserve mental energy and clarity.
• Outsourcing Without Guilt: Choosing help at home and in business — and learning to protect what matters most.
• Burnout Recovery: Monica’s path out of chronic burnout and the overlooked types of rest that transformed her energy.
• Identity After Motherhood: The emotional journey of shedding the old self, embracing growth, and finding peace in a new version of “you.”
• Parenting With Purpose: Why Monica and her husband hold family planning meetings and build their household around intentional values.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Traction
• 7 Types of Rest

Connect with Monica Bailey online: 

• Instagram
• TikTok 
• Epic Dental

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram

In this episode, Kate sits down with Jordis Small, a brand designer, mom of three, and founder of her own creative studio. Jordis shares her winding path from fashion design to branding, her love for logos, and the realities of navigating motherhood while growing a successful design business.

They dive into how having kids reshaped Jordis' boundaries, her pricing mindset, and her entire design process. From outsourcing to setting firm workdays, Jordis gets real about what it takes to make it all work (hint: her mom is her “secret weapon”).

One of the standout moments in the episode? Jordis opens up about her city logo project for Redondo Beach—a career highlight turned public ordeal involving Facebook trolls, endless council meetings, and a surprise contest. Through it all, Jordis shares the tough lessons, the silver linings, and why she’s still proud to see her logo on the city’s street signs.

Whether you’re a fellow creative, a parent, or both — this episode is packed with real talk, business wisdom, and moments that’ll make you laugh, nod, and maybe even cringe (in solidarity).

Highlights

• Freelancing and Family Life: Jordis shares what it’s really like balancing three young kids with running a branding agency.
• Boundaries and Burnout: From late nights to letting go, Jordis opens up about how motherhood helped her build better business boundaries.
• Pro Bono? Babysit Instead: How Jordis reframes unpaid work in the context of limited time and full-on parenting.
• The Redondo Beach Saga: The dream project that nearly broke her—how a city logo project spiraled into seven council meetings, Facebook trolls, and public backlash.
• Designing for Community: What Jordis learned from working with a committee, a city council, and an entire town.
• Pricing for Sanity: Why Jordis now prices based on the number of decision-makers, not just deliverables.
• Business Babies and Letting Go: Jordis reflects on why branding is like parenting, and how designers need to let go once the project is out in the world.

Connect with Jordis Small online: 

• Website
• Instagram

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram

In this episode, Kate sits down with Bri Summers, the founder of Brighten Made, to discuss the realities of juggling motherhood and running a successful design business. Bri shares her journey from corporate life to launching her business, the challenges of navigating maternity leave, and the unexpected lessons that came with balancing work and family.

Bri opens up about the misconceptions of having a business "figured out" before kids, the struggles of adjusting her work-life balance, and how her perspective on success has evolved since becoming a mother. She dives into her experiences with childcare, setting boundaries, and learning to embrace flexibility in both business and parenting.

If you’ve ever wondered how to sustain a thriving creative career while raising a family, this conversation is full of honest insights, relatable struggles, and practical tips.

Highlights

• Leaving Corporate Behind: Bri shares her journey from a 9-to-5 job to freelancing and building Brighton Made.
• The Maternity Leave Challenge: How Bri prepared to step away from her business and what she learned in the process.
• The Reality of Work-Life Balance: Adjusting expectations and redefining productivity as a parent.
• Childcare Struggles: Navigating the challenges of finding reliable and flexible childcare options.
• Scaling with Sustainability: How Bri is restructuring her business to create more passive income streams.
• Transparency in Business: The importance of setting clear expectations with clients and building trust.
• Perfection vs. Progress: Learning to let go of workaholic tendencies and embrace different seasons of life.
• Designing a Flexible Future: The shifts Bri is making to ensure her business aligns with her evolving priorities.

Mentioned in the Show:

• Brighten Made – Bri's design studio specializing in branding, website design, and packaging
• Brighten Made Digital Products – Templates and resources for designers
• The Brighten Blueprint Design Course by Bri Summers

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram