The Mami Collective

This week on The Mami Collective Podcast, Paulina sits down with Lauren Dietz to talk about something a lot of moms quietly stress about: what your career looks like after kids.

If you’ve ever felt like motherhood derailed your professional path or made you question your place in the workforce, this conversation is for you. Lauren shares how the skills you build as a mom — managing chaos, prioritizing, negotiating, problem-solving — are not a setback, but actually some of the most valuable professional skills you can have.

Together, Paulina and Lauren talk about career pivots, reentering the workforce, finding flexible work that actually fits your life, and why so many women underestimate their own experience.

This episode is a reminder that you’re not starting over — you’re starting from experience. If you’ve been wondering what’s next for your career after kids, this conversation will help you see your path a little more clearly.

What do you do when motherhood turns into a medical crash course overnight and you’re expected to make high-stakes decisions while you’re still in shock?

In this episode, Paulina sits down with Kellie Koziel, who shares the story of delivering premature twins at 27 weeks in an emergency C-section, the chaos of the NICU, and how her family was suddenly split across hospitals. 

Kellie speaks with a lot of care about the loss of her daughter Sienna on day six, and what it’s like to grieve while continuing to fight for her surviving twin, McKenna, who has faced serious medical needs and ongoing specialist care. 

This conversation is also practice- because Kellie has lived it. You’ll learn:

• How to advocate when your child is medically complex (and why it’s okay to ask more questions, request changes, or switch providers). 
• How to build the care “ecosystem”: specialists, equipment, resources, and what finally helped them feel supported. 
• How palliative care can be a support, not a scary word, and how additional services can improve quality of life for the whole family. 

This one is tender, honest, and grounding, especially if you’re parenting in uncertainty and need someone to say: you’re not crazy, you’re not alone, and you’re allowed to trust yourself.

So many of us don’t realize we need support until we’re already underwater.

In this episode, Paulina sits down with Armi Grace Petersen—occupational therapist, mom of three, and maternal mental health advocate—to name what “not okay” can actually look like in real life (especially for high-functioning moms who keep powering through).

You’ll learn:

• the subtle signs you’re running on empty (even if you’re still getting everything done)
• what postpartum anxiety and depression can look like beyond the stereotypes
• how to stop minimizing your needs (“I’m fine”) and start getting honest support
• what to do next—practical, realistic steps that don’t require a breakdown first

This is your permission slip to stop carrying it alone. You’re allowed to need help AND you deserve a plan.

Follow Armi here: https://www.instagram.com/motivatedotmama/

If you’re building a business and “the legal stuff” keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list, this episode is your reset.

Paulina sits down with corporate attorney + mom Noeli Serna to walk through how to protect your business early (without spiraling)—from choosing a name the right way, to trademark basics, to the contract clauses that come back to bite you when you move fast.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

• Use AI wisely (and why “ChatGPT contracts” can get you in trouble) 
• Know when it’s time to stop treating your business like a hobby and actually get legal 
• Do a quick trademark “knockout search” before you spend money on branding 
• Keep business + personal finances separate (and why it matters) 
• Protect yourself with the right partnership agreement + clean business records 
• Spot the contract fine print that can block subcontractors, trap you in bad terms, or mess with payment 

Noeli also shares what she had to unlearn as a daughter of immigrants, how delegation changed her life as a working mom, and resources for women entrepreneurs. You don't want to miss this!

What does it actually take to build a personal brand that last-while raising a kid, keeping a marriage solid, and still showing up like the main character? This week, Paulina sits down with Yvonne Guidry (aka Spoiled Latina) to talk about the real work behind longevity: how she turned a blog into a platform, landed major brand partnerships, and built the Spoiled Latina Summit into a community thousands of women have walked through. 

They get into the difference between “networking” and building relationships, why the follow-up is where the transaction happens, how to walk into any room with confidence, and what to focus on when you’re trying to get people in seats for your own event. Plus: the mindset shifts, the team lessons, and Yvonne’s nonprofit Jefita Atrevida—giving back to first-gen students and graduating seniors who need support.

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.