This week on The Mami Collective Podcast, Paulina sits down with Chicago event planner, coach, and multi-business owner Marisa Carrillo for the kind of conversation every ambitious mom needs in her back pocket: how to build a business that actually supports your life — not consumes it.

Marisa gets real about what people romanticize about events (the pretty photos) vs. what’s actually happening behind the scenes (emotional labor, all-nighters, decision fatigue). She breaks down the systems and boundaries that keep her booked, paid, and sane — including her PTBR framework (priorities, time blocking, boundaries, and rest), why undercharging will literally train people to value you less, and how to raise your rates without spiraling into people-pleasing. 

If you’ve been doing “the most” for “not enough,” consider this your sign: we’re building smarter this year.

Follow Marissa here: https://www.instagram.com/ris.events/

What if success isn’t “more”-it’s what matters most right now? Ashley K. Stoyanov Ojeda joins Paulina to talk about redefining success through fertility struggles, postpartum anxiety, and the whiplash of returning to work as a new mom.

Ashley shares the mindset shift that helped her stop letting one goal consume her life, plus how she’s restructuring her business to protect time, peace, and presence. You’ll walk away with a grounded way to “fill your cup,” choose the right projects, and build a life where you can be a mom and still be you.

This episode is a real reintroduction to Paulina Roe and the why behind The Mami Collective, without the highlight reel. Paulina shares the fear she had becoming a mom, the pressure to “tone it down,” and the truth she wishes someone said sooner: you don’t have to disappear to be a good mom.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for wanting more, worried you’d lose yourself in motherhood, or found yourself shrinking to fit what people expect, this one is for you. Paulina breaks down what this community was built for, what you’ve created together, and where The Mami Collective is headed next: more intentional rooms, deeper connection, and programming that actually supports moms building real lives.

Because you’re allowed to want both, and you don’t have to do it alone.

There’s a narrative that motherhood makes dating harder, lonelier, or impossible. Bela Gandhi is here to shut that down.

In this episode, Paulina and dating coach Bela Gandhi unpack what dating actually looks like after kid-from single moms navigating the apps to married couples trying to stay emotionally connected in the chaos of real life.

They talk about pacing relationships, why dating funnels matter, how to protect your time as a parent, and the red flags moms should stop ignoring. Plus: why long-term love isn’t about fireworks—it’s about showing up.

Inside this episode:

• Why dating apps aren’t the enemy (and how to use them wisely)
• How single moms should pace new relationships
• When kids should meet a new partner (and why waiting matters)
• The truth about guilt, grief, and starting over
• How emotional safety fuels intimacy in marriage

Honest, practical, and deeply validating-this episode is for moms who want partnership without settling.

This is a how-to episode for ambitious moms who are tired of the same old advice.

If this year felt heavy, Paulina breaks down exactly how to rebuild hope in a way that creates identity, purpose, and real community—without adding chaos to your calendar.

You’ll learn how to:

• Get in the right rooms (micro-events and real connections, not networking theater)
• Choose one identity-forward goal for the next 90 days
• Build local mom-to-mom relationships you can actually use (text, meet, collaborate)
• Learn practical skills (LLC, taxes, grants, flexible work) even if you’re “not ready yet”
• Protect one recurring window of time that belongs to you
• Find real-time honesty, not just highlight-reel success stories
• Plug into purpose-driven community through service and mutual support

No spa talk. No “just be grateful.”
Just a step-by-step reset for moms who still want more—and are ready to move.

I’m grateful to have you here. Being a mom and going after your dreams isn’t easy, but you’re doing better than you think. Keep going — you’ve got this.

Let’s stay connected:
@mamicollective | @paulinaroe

See you next time — stay inspired.

If your brain is half-wrapping gifts and half-spiraling about money… this episode is for you.

Paulina sits down with Jennifer Molina—Guaranteed Rate lender, mom of two, and an Ecuador-to-Chicago powerhouse—to talk about what it actually looks like to build stability (and real wealth) while raising kids, paying for childcare, and trying to keep your life from turning into one long to-do list.

You’ll hear Jennifer’s story (immigrating at 8, corporate finance, then finding her lane in lending), plus the most useful homebuying guidance for busy moms:

• Why you should talk to a lender before you start Zillow-ing at midnight
• What “being ready” really means (spoiler: it’s not perfection)
• How credit strategy and down-payment support can change the timeline
• Why Jennifer’s wealth-building hill to die on is multi-unit properties
• What the winter market can mean for leverage and negotiating power

Bottom line: you don’t need to know everything—you need a plan and a team you trust.

Want to connect with Jennifer? Find her on Instagram @HomeLoansByJennifer or text 773-697-1111.

I’m grateful to have you here. Being a mom and going after your dreams isn’t easy, but you’re doing better than you think. Keep going — you’ve got this.

Let’s stay connected:
@mamicollective | @paulinaroe

See you next time — stay inspired.

In this episode of The Mami Collective, Paulina sits down with Amanda Goetz — mom of three, author of Toxic Grit, and host of the Ambition 2.0 podcast — for a grounded, real-talk conversation about ambition, motherhood, and why “having it all” is a broken script. They unpack why mom guilt shows up so loudly, what it really means to choose intentional imbalance, and how to stop letting other people’s projections dictate how you show up in your own life.

Amanda shares her “stovetop” framework for deciding which parts of you get the front burner in each season, how to bring back the parts of yourself you’ve written off (yes, including your inner goddess), and why taking care of yourself is actually one of the most loving things you can do for your kids.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What toxic grit looks like in real life — and how to trade it for intentional ambition
• How to use Amanda’s stovetop method to decide what gets your energy in this season
• A reframe on mom guilt and the pressure to pick a lane between work and home
• Practical ways to put yourself back on the list without feeling selfish
• How to revive the parts of you that got buried under motherhood, survival mode, or other people’s expectations

If you’ve ever felt torn between being a “good mom” and a “driven woman,” this episode will make you feel seen, less alone, and remind you that you’re allowed to be many things at once.

Follow Amanda here: https://www.instagram.com/theamandagoetz/?hl=en

I’m grateful to have you here. Being a mom and going after your dreams isn’t easy, but you’re doing better than you think. Keep going — you’ve got this.

Let’s stay connected:
@mamicollective | @paulinaroe

See you next time — stay inspired.

What happens when the best and worst moments of your life collide in the same week?

In this episode, Paulina sits down with Kera Sanchez, educator, military spouse, mom of two, and founder of Get Griefy Magazine, to talk about navigating grief while you’re in the thick of motherhood. Kera shares the story of losing her mom unexpectedly while her newborn was in the NICU during COVID, and what it looked like to plan a funeral from a hospital room while solo parenting and trying to hold it together for her family.

Together, Paulina and Kera get into:

• How grief actually shows up (beyond the neat “5 stages” we’re taught)
• The overlap between grief and depression, and when it’s time to get help
• “Living losses” like infertility, NICU stays, estrangement, and big life pivots
• Talking to kids about death without weird euphemisms
• Grief spikes around holidays, birthdays, and big milestones
• Keeping a parent’s legacy alive through traditions, stories, and tiny everyday rituals

This is a conversation for any mami who’s ever tried to parent, perform, or just get out of bed while her heart is breaking. It’s tender, honest, a little woo-woo, and full of the kind of dark humor that keeps you afloat when life makes zero sense. 

I’m grateful to have you here. Being a mom and going after your dreams isn’t easy, but you’re doing better than you think. Keep going — you’ve got this.

Let’s stay connected:
@mamicollective | @paulinaroe

See you next time — stay inspired.

This week, Paulina sits down with Dr. Maggie Grothe- mom of two under three and founder of Root Dental in Algonquin, Illinois- for the kind of conversation that feels like a deep, grounding breath. They talk about what it really looks like to open a dental practice from scratch with a baby on your hip, why her “you got outbid” text in the hospital became her villain origin story, and how having a career can actually make you a better, more present mom.

And because she’s a dentist, we go there: when kids really need their first dental visit (hint: it’s earlier than you think), what to know about fluoride and “holistic” care, why purees and all-day snacking might be quietly wrecking your family’s teeth, and simple swaps that protect tiny smiles and yours. 

If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I allowed to want more for myself and my kids at the same time?”- this episode is your reminder: you’re not selfish, you’re building something. For you, and for them.

Follow Dr. Maggie Grothe here: https://www.instagram.com/gorootdental/

I’m grateful to have you here. Being a mom and going after your dreams isn’t easy, but you’re doing better than you think. Keep going — you’ve got this.

Let’s stay connected:
@mamicollective | @paulinaroe

See you next time — stay inspired.

In this episode, Paulina and Dr. Esther Zeledon are breaking down exactly how to figure out why you’re actually meant to do-in a “here’s the step-by-step so you stop sitting on your calling” way. This is the episode for any mom who’s tired of feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like she’s waiting for the “right time” (spoiler: it doesn’t exist).

Esther walks us through the same exercises she uses with everyone-from first graders to CEOs- including the question that exposes your purpose instantly:

“If you had $40 billion to fix one global problem, what would you do — and what are the 3–5 steps you’d take to do it?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• How to figure out your MVP-your mission, vision, and purpose-without overthinking it
• How to turn your dream into a real plan instead of a cute Pinterest board
• How to break the generational patterns that are low-key running your life
• How to stop projecting your dreams onto your kids and actually support the humans they’re becoming
• Why motherhood isn’t about controlling their path-it’s about facilitating their greatness

Follow Esther here on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/be.act.change/

I’m grateful to have you here. Being a mom and going after your dreams isn’t easy, but you’re doing better than you think. Keep going — you’ve got this.

Let’s stay connected:
@mamicollective | @paulinaroe

See you next time — stay inspired.