Work Like a Mother

The Snuggle Me Organic was born when Mia Carr struggled to juggle twin newborns and a 2 year old. Desperately needing an extra pair of arms, Mia and her mother in law started sewing prototypes of a pillow that would simulate the touch of a parent. The idea exploded into an extremely successful family run business. Yet what continues to make Mia so successful is her authenticity and her deep connection with her brand’s amazing community of moms. As a mom of 7, Mia gets it, she’s been through it, and her gift of words to convey that connection on social media propelled the brand to its success. 

When the reality of COVID set in last March, we were all trying to figure out how we were going to cope without childcare in addition to the stress and anxiety of living through a scary pandemic. Dr. Kelly Fradin, a pediatrician and mother of two, watched many parents panic and wondered how she could help. As we were all bracing, doing less and gearing up for the worst, Dr. Fradin decided to write a book, Parenting in a Pandemic, as a guide to help us all through the unknown. Dr. Fradin remains a reliable source of scientific data based advice for parents through her Instagram @adviceigivemyfriends. This episode is full of practical advice and tips for parents trying to navigate trips to the grocery store, playdates, the playground, childcare, cousin visits and so much more. 

When Dr. Christine Koh wrote her minimalist parenting book 8 years ago, little did she know how relevant it would be for all of us today. The pandemic didn’t give us a choice- it forced us all to slow down, look inward and do less. Now, many parents and families are starting to resurface after an incredibly trying and challenging year and are trying to navigate how to find the new normal. Dr. Koh’s advice is more relevant now than ever- optimize your time and your life so you’re not feeling so bound to the details and so you can actually live and enjoy the time with your family. Find your level of chaos and crazy and just take it down a notch. 

In her groundbreaking debut The Three Mothers, scholar Anna Malaika Tubbs celebrates Black motherhood by telling the story of the women who shaped three civil rights icons. Anna’s book shines a light on the mothers of Martin Luther King, Malcom X and James Baldwin as activists- fighting racism and inequality and as humans- raising black boys with joy and resilience. Throughout this journey of researching and writing the book, Anna herself became a mom. And she is a force. Anna connects to these three women through their shared experience as Black women, as mothers and as humans. 

The daily struggles of working parents existed long before the pandemic, but now it’s impossible to ignore them. We’re so inspired by our friends over at Neighborhood Villages for partnering with Kristen Bell and Gloria Riviera to launch the No One is Coming to Save Us podcast. It’s a 4 part-series that breaks down how we’re all breaking down: parents, teachers, child care providers and how we can get ourselves out of it NOW because we can’t afford to wait. 

As a pediatrician, Dr. Harvey Karp spent countless hours at appointments listening to the joys, concerns and desperations of new parents in the earliest and most vulnerable stages of parenting. What did they need more than anything? Sleep. The medical research was clear- sleep is essential for newborns and their parents. Dr. Karp set out to help both newborns and parents get more of it. He invented SNOO, a responsive baby bassinet that recreates the environment in the womb, while keeping babies safely on their backs all night long. Dr. Karp has dedicated his life’s work to empowering parents by helping them and their babies get more sleep. Now he’s on a mission to make SNOO more accessible through a rental option, health insurance and through partnerships with employers so every new parent can sleep more.

You can’t remove “mom” from the founding story of Slumberkins. Best friends and behavioral-health experts Callie and Kelly were on maternity leave at the same time, and spent a lot of those early months together, leaning on each other for all the support that new moms need. And then During all those long walks and nap times, they had an idea. What if they created characters and stories to teach social-emotional skills to young children? With a tiny bit of seed money and childcare help from Kelly’s parents, the two started sewing, and Slumberkin’s was born. What started as a passion project has blossomed into a full-blown world of educational wonder, with sales and success surpassing their wildest dreams, and a big-time TV series currently in production. 

Throughout her pregnancy, Liz didn’t think twice about her return to work plans. She’d take the 3 month maternity leave, and return to an advertising job that she loved. Baby came, 3-month maternity leave came and went, but Liz wasn’t ready. But she also wasn’t ready to stay home full time either. Looking at her baby girl, she felt compelled to do something that would leave a positive impact in the world. At the suggestion of a friend, Liz made a major career move with a baby at home, from the world of advertising to the world of diapers. She was buried in them at home, and she knew there had to be a better, more sustainable way. 

Veronica had just released her third album and was a rising star in the club music scene when she got pregnant with her son. Her career was taking off, and people saw her as one of the divas of the 1990’s club music scene so she had every intention of recording more albums. But it didn’t quite work out that way. CJ was diagnosed with autism at a very young age. So Veronica took on new roles as a full-time caregiver and a tireless advocate for autism awareness. But she also mourned the career and dreams that she had envisioned for herself. In today’s episode, Veronica opens up and shares how she’s managed to pursue her own creative passions while being the primary caregiver since her husband Chris has a demanding Broadway career starring in Hamilton. 

For professional athletes, there is never a “good time” to have a kid. Elana Meyers Taylor, an Olympic bobsledder, weighed the decision with her husband. The thought of taking significant time off from training and competition for pregnancy and postpartum recovery was daunting, even potentially career ending. But Elana always wanted to be a mom. Though she struggled to get pregnant, fertility treatment wasn’t an option because hormones were illegal by drug testing regulations. After 2 years, Elana got pregnant. Elana’s pregnancy was relatively uneventful, by her standards anyway - as she juggled training and routine doctors appointments. Elana was induced at 36 weeks and after 8 days in the NICU, Nico was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Elana and her family didn’t skip a beat. Less than 12 months later, Elana returned to the track and Nico was at the bottom waiting for her after her race.