Search Results for: Mompreneur

Mompreneur Spotlight: Sandy Bastien

Sandy Bastien is a wife, mom of five, and entrepreneur. She became a stay-at-home mom after having her second child. Since then she has been committed to self-development and supporting aspiring stay-at-home moms on becoming their best, personally and professionally. Sandy also created the BabaLID, a baby bottle with an attachable lid!

Gugu Guru: How and why did you start your company?

Sandy Bastien: As a busy mom of five children, wife, and business owner, I hated traveling with my baby’s bottle that was missing its lid. I needed a bottle that supported my life as a woman balancing home life and work life without having to spend more time and money. I needed a bottle that gave me more time to enjoy and be present in the moment. I couldn’t find it so I created it.

GG: How do you balance work and family?

SB: I focus more on priority than balance. Some days things in my family are urgent and as a result, my business activities will get less of my attention. Then there are days when my business concerns are pressing and as such my family gets less of my attention. Being aware of that is where the balance really happens. Real balance is knowing that you can’t always give your 100% attention to your business and family at the same time. Give yourself grace, knowing that you are always doing your best wherever your attention is pulled, is what’s most important for maintaining balance.

GG: What’s the best part of being a “mompreneur” and running your own business?

SB: The ability to spend as much time with my family is the absolute best. It’s not always the easiest but I love being available for my children.

GG: What is your top baby product must-have?

SB: FridaBaby Nosefrida and Filters

You can find Sandy’s amazing bottle on Instagram and Tiktok, and follow Sandy on LinkedIn too!

Mompreneur Spotlight: Elina Furman

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Meet Mompreneur Elina Furman. Elina is a Certified Infant Massage Instructor with over 15 years in the baby products industry. She is deeply passionate about spreading awareness about the importance of baby/child massage. In June 2022, Elina officially launched Kahlmi, the first bonding and massage tool for babies/children using acu-touch technology and gentle, low-frequency vibration to help families connect, calm, and comfort.

Gugu Guru: How and why did you start your company?

Elina Furman: My journey with baby massage began with my own experience as a new parent. As a work-at-home mom with a colicky baby, I struggled with postpartum anxiety. As my son grew older, he developed anxiety as well. To help my son with anxiety, I had been working with a few therapists and started doing my own research into studies and discovered that baby and child massage was often used with kids his age. There was mounting evidence that early massage was a strong indicator of healthy social, physical, and emotional development. I wished I had done massage with him when he was little but there was no use looking backward. I started a massage routine with him and found it really allayed so much of his anxiety. That’s when I realized that baby massage was one of the most important practices that served both the parent and the baby equally. I vowed to bring awareness to this ancient practice to help other new parents and further baby massage education around the world.

Soon after I became a certified infant massage instructor and developed Kahlmi, the first baby massager that eliminates many of the fears and barriers to massage that so many new parents feel. By helping to empower and educate families about the importance of two-way physical communication in an ever-increasingly disconnected world, I hope to provide a strong foundation for families built on trust, touch, and love.

GG: How do you balance work and family?

EF: For me as a mom founder, I am always struggling to balance the daily responsibilities of the household and my kids with the needs of my business. Time is always the biggest challenge and I am always working on coming up with efficient ways to get everything done while trying to be available for my family.

For example, my day has to end at 3 pm when I start the driving for after-school activities. I have started to work outside the home on weekends and leaving kids with Dad for a bit so I can complete the endless list of to-dos that pile up every week. It’s an ongoing challenge.

GG: What’s the best part of being a “mompreneur” and running your own business?

EF: The best part of being a mompreneur is setting an example for my two boys and showing them that hard work and risk pay off. They have seen me go from full-time work at the helm of my own baby product marketing agency to taking a year-long break, to the start-up phase of starting and launching Kahlmi and all that entails. While they don’t often show interest in what I am doing, there are moments of breakthrough when they see a new product I have drawn arrive in a sealed factory box and when they recently watched me pitch in a business competition live on stage and win an award. I could see how proud they were of me and that was all the validation I needed to keep going.

GG: What is your top baby product must-have?

EF: I have a few. I love innovative products that solve a real problem for parents. Binxy Baby is a genius shopping cart hammock that attaches to a shopping cart so your baby can be comfortable and kept in eyesight. Tush Baby really solved a big problem for parents in terms of staying close while having freedom of movement. I love Nozebot nasal aspirator. Lalabu is amazing because it solves the issue of being closer to your baby in a more seamless and comfortable way. I am also a huge fan of maternity bras from Davin and Adley.

For more information about Elina check out her company Kahlmi on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook.

Meet the Mompreneur: Jessica Hill from The Parent Collective

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Giving birth and caring for a newborn leaves parents-to-be with many questions. Jessica Hill, founder of The Parent Collective, realized several of her friends in the United States felt unprepared for birth and isolated when caring for their infant. In the UK, where Jessica delivered her children, parents-to-be could ask questions and connect with one another in prenatal classes. Jessica knew American parents needed a similar resource and created The Parent Collective. The Parent Collective provides parents with a safe space to learn unbiased and straightforward information about birth and infant care. We are excited to introduce you to Jessica as she shares details about The Parent Collective and why she is so passionate about this platform.

GG: How and why did you start The Parent Collective?

I had my boys in the UK and benefitted from a prenatal class which helped me and my husband to meet friends who were having babies at the same time. My early days were filled with friends and support and in speaking with moms back home, I was shocked to hear how lonely and isolated they felt, without much in the way of community long after their babies were born. I created The Parent Collective (TPC) in hopes of changing that! TPC is a new take on prenatal and parenting classes that is designed to not only provide the information you need to get through delivery and have a successful transition home with your new little one, but also to offer the added benefits of a social network to lean on long after the classes have ended. As expectant parents, we are all so vulnerable, excited, terrified about the changes that are about to happen to us and that vulnerability makes us open to connections with people who are going through the same things. It’s hard to make friends as adults as evidenced by the onslaught of mommy-tinder apps designed to help connect us as new parents. But with pregnancy as the common thread, it’s so much easier. With TPC classes, our participants develop their modern day village – a support network of couples that helps each other through illness, loneliness, marital problems, and the run of the mill baby drama. Not to mention companionship during those sometimes endless and monotonous days with a newborn.

GG: Where did you come up with the name?

The name was part of a long branding process which involved identifying words that were important to us in describing the business idea. Words like support, network, knowledge and experience. We then brainstormed a bunch of names that conveyed those and settled on The Parent Collective. The process was so helpful because it really solidified our voice and how we communicate our offering.

GG: How do you balance work and family?

I’m not great at it, to be honest! I struggle to turn off but having a flexible schedule helps a lot. I can work until the kids get home, get them settled, fit in a bit more work and then manage the nighttime routine. Because I am juggling the kids, a business, and our home all without childcare, my brain runs constantly and leaves me exhausted by the end of the day. But I wouldn’t trade it – the alternatives all have their drawbacks too. We are all just trying to make it work!

GG: What’s the best part about being a “Mompreneur” and running your own business?

I love seeing a concept that at its core served me so well when I had my babies, taking hold here. It has been a labor (no pun intended) of love and I take pride in seeing The Parent Collective grow. Running my own business means I can be at the bus to pick my kids up or attend the random Valentine’s Day parties (which are always in the middle of the day – what’s up with that!?). I don’t have a ‘boss’ but I feel responsible for making this business as successful as possible – not just for me but for our team in New York City, New Jersey, Long Island, and Connecticut. I am definitely my harshest critic but I love having the flexibility to create a schedule that works for my family.

Meet the Mompreneur: Sahra Cahoon of the Mama App

Mompreneur Spotlight: Jessica Rolph of Lovevery

Mompreneur Spotlight: Leche Libre Plus Size Nursing Clothing Line

Meet the Mompreneur: Sahra Cahoon of the Mama App

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Motherhood can be a long and winding journey, and often our own self-care as mothers can get pushed aside or lost; we’re excited to introduce you to new app for mothers that’s changing the way we take care of ourselves (spoiler alert: and thus, change the way we help our families, too!). Maven Mamas is dedicated to helping mothers on their self-care journey; their app, Mama, sends daily affirmations and encouragement directly to your phone! With the simplicity of a push notification the Mama app offers a simple encouragement each day. Behind each notification is a beautifully designed wisdom with additional self-care empowering resources for mamas. We love that! We’re excited to introduce you to the founder of the Mama app, Sahra Cahoon, as she shares about starting the app and why she’s so passionate about helping moms.

1. How did you decide to launch your business? Tell us a little more about Mama, the app.

Honestly, we needed Mama the app in our own lives (and we both use it)! We were both running businesses and parenting plus trying to figure out how to have any form of self-care and all the while being one another’s confidants and cheer leaders. “Can’t someone just make an app that reminds me that I’m doing a amazing job, that I’m a rock star, and that motherhood is hard and amazing at the same time, and it’s ok to admit that???” This was the conception of Maven Mamas. Two exhausted, passionate, entrepreneurial mamas got together just to have coffee to catch up on life – and two weeks later the plans were coming together for an app to support mamas and remind them how beautiful, powerful and amazing they are. We floated the idea by a few friends and they said, yes, do it! And so we did.

2. You get to see a lot of affirmations and self-care tips every day, what’s one piece of wisdom that really resonated with you personally?

My favorite piece of wisdom is one that I wrote before our third daughter was born, we had no idea how much more true it would become in our home. “embrace the chaos” Sometimes as a mom, wife, entrepreneur, woman, I get stuck in wanting things a certain way or thinking that my house will never again be clean and orderly. We a one month old baby and a 3 year old who has all the sass our lives are never anything but organized (or not so organized) chaos. It is messy and beautiful. Instead of constantly fighting against it I am truly working on allowing it to just be.

3. If a new mama could say just one mantra to herself each morning to help her brave the journey of motherhood, what do you suggest that mantra be?

Breathe, you can do this, just breathe. Our breath is essential for thriving in motherhood. It not only allows that pause that can be exactly what I need in the middle of the chaos. It helps with creating space when things feel overwhelming or out of control. I realize after the last month of not sleeping just how sleep deprivation messes with the mind and when i can remember to stop and take a deep breath, I am less reactive, more present and don’t have to apologize so much because i am just more connected and kind. I also use Brene Brown’s: don’t shrink, don’t puff up, just stand your sacred ground as a mantra when i am going into a group or PTO meeting. It really helps me stay true to myself and not get so wrapped up in the drama of preschool parents.

4. How do you balance work and family?

I don’t, I gave up trying to balance it around the birth of our second daughter. If home life is in balance work life is likely out of wack and visa versa. The thing is at our house we want our girls to know that they are loved and we have time for them. We eat dinner together almost every night around the table with no technology. Sometimes our toddler watches PBS so that I can do a conference call – or write a Q&A for an awesome blog partnership- sometimes i have to wake at 5am to get started before the mom day begins and sometimes I have to skip family dinner to go to hot yoga so that I can stay sane. There are weeks when I travel or my husband is working on a project 10+ hours a day and there are weeks where we visit the museum take a family hike and then make homemade ice cream. Maybe the balance can be seen when looking at the years instead of the days.

5. What’s the best part of being a mompreneur?

The opportunity to create. I love that there are no limits, we dream up new ideas and then figure out how to make them a reality. Working with other mamas, the love and support that mompreneurs show for one another and the incredible things being brought to life from apps to hands-free breast pumps, women are amazing and powerful – including my badass business partner Christy who has such a huge heart and serious business savvy, she is stunning.

Mompreneur Spotlight: Jessica Rolph of Lovevery

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We’ve written about the very cool Lovevery play-gym before, and today we’re sharing an interview with founder Jessica Rolph about being a mom and entrepreneur and balancing it all.

Jessica is an entrepreneur and category creator. Passionate about the importance of early life, she is the Cofounder and CEO of Lovevery, a new child development company helping parents feel confident they are making the most of each learning stage. Jessica also serves on the board of Happy Family Brands, where she was Founding Partner and COO through 2016. Jessica helped launch, build, and lead Happy Family, which is the #1 organic baby, toddler, and kid’s food in the US, with more than 200 SKUs sold in 20,000 stores across 30 countries worldwide. Groupe Danone acquired HappyFamily in 2013. Jessica also co-founded the Climate Collaborative, a non-profit organization helping companies in the natural products industry take meaningful steps to reverse climate change. She is an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow, and was awarded the Park Leadership Fellowship, graduating from Cornell’s Johnson School in 2004. Jessica also holds a BA from Cornell University, where she graduated cum laude. Jessica and her husband Decker are parents to Beatrice (2), Thacher (5) and Leland (7).

How and why did you start Lovevery?

I am passionate children’s health and learning. As founding partner @happyfamily, I fought to keep toxins out of babies’ bodies. And then I started thinking, what are we doing to nourish our babies’ brains? I discovered a doctoral thesis on infant brain development that had all these detailed, nerdy, cool things that I could do with my baby. It felt really natural and simple and I never looked at our toys the same again. @loveverybaby our mission is to help parents feel confident they are giving their children the best for learning and development.

Where did you come up with the name?

It was so hard finding the right name for the company. You come up with an idea for a name, fall in love with it, and then realize you can’t use it because some company in Austrila used it a while back for a toy the lawyers think is similar, but you are convinced is totally different. It is such an emotional process!

In the beginning, my cofounder and used “Smart Baby” as the working name for what we were doing, but we knew it wasn’t right. “Smart Baby” sounds like so much pressure, and we aren’t about just optimizing for intelligence. We want to be broader and more approachable. We want to help parents feel supported, like that nurturing, well read friend who you can trust to do all the research so you don’t have to. We were constantly trying to come up with new names, and finally ended up with Lovevery. Love is such a powerful word, and sums up so much of the parenting experience.

How do you balance work and family?

So much of life is about achieving and doing, yet so much of parenting is about being. It is hard to train myself, even after having three babies, to really absorb the understanding that the only way I will not let this precious time slip by is to learn to be present. My children are so scrumptious, but I admit I often find myself in autopilot mode, or find I’m processing a work challenge in the back of my mind, or wasting energy stressing about the mess and clutter in my house.

I made a resolution this year to meditate 5 minutes a day, and made it through mid February. Now I meditate occasionally. When I do take a few minutes to train my brain to slow down, it helps me take in more moments with my kids, whether they are all losing it or saying something precious.

I’ve also (mostly) let go of any aspiration that doesn’t seem essential at this stage – an organized minimalist house, a zero waste lifestyle, extra commitments, all those emails I am constantly struggling to get to.

When I was still COO at Happy Family, co-founding Lovevery, had an infant, toddler and pre-schooler at home and was trying to be a dedicated wife, mother, daughter and granddaughter, I admit in my attempt to streamline life I consciously deprioritized my friends. It sounds terrible, but I was so maxed out and felt I couldn’t do it all. After about a year I realized it was a mistake. I was lonely and am now working to build more connection back into my life.

Balance at this stage is so elusive, but there are so many moments of joy. I’m trying to be present for more of them.

What’s the best part about being a “Mompreneur” and running your own business?

I feel a deep sense of purpose in my work that drives me. In a good way, it feels like there are no other options for my life path, and having that clarity is really satisfying. The best parts are co-creating with my cofounder and our team.

We took a big bet on an insight, convinced friends and family to invest in us, and then went really deep experimenting and testing and iterating. We spent a year following 25 test families, traveling around the country to test our prototypes and learn and iterate. We were so confident that we could create something that would be of service and meaningful.

And then, as it got closer and closer to launch, I started to get really nervous. We have poured so much of ourselves into this business, it felt really vulnerable. I knew that if it didn’t work at first, that I could pivot and find a way… I’ve been in that struggle with the wrong product at Happy Family and I know there is a way out, but it is so incredibly hard.

And then, once we launched The Play Gym and The Play Kits it all became real, and is so exciting. The response was beyond our highest hopes. The very best part is all the customer love. It is a dream come true for us to see parents enjoy what we worked so hard to create.

Mompreneur Spotlight: Leche Libre Plus Size Nursing Clothing Line

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When Andrea Newberry started breastfeeding her baby, she quickly realized that she was compromising her personal style when it came to nursing-friendly attire. She took it upon herself to create Leche Libre, which makes stylish quality clothing for easy discrete nursing wherever, whenever you and your baby want. The unique design provides zippers down the bust seams to allow you to easily access and control the amount of exposure during nursing. And, we’re super excited to announce that in honor of Breastfeeding Month, Leche Libre has just started a Kickstarter to create a plus size nursing clothing line that’s friendly and very hip. As one mama says, “Leche Libre combines function and form, structure and style and allows nursing mamas something to wear that can be professional, casual, or dressy. A truly versatile and indispensable part of any breastfeeding woman’s wardrobe.” We interviewed Andrea about why and how she developed Leche Libre – check out how she balances mom-life and entrepreneur life below.

You can find Leche Libre on Instagram, and Facebook. Plus, check out their plus size nursing friendly attire Kickstarter and all of the awesome rewards!

How and why did you start Leche Libre?

I was inspired to start Leche Libre after the birth of my two children. I found it really hard to find clothing it was easy to breastfeed in. After having kids, I felt like my whole life changed and I felt really resentful that my personal style had to change as well just to accommodate easy breastfeeding. I saw women everywhere struggling with breastfeeding in public and I felt that the lack of stylish BF specific clothing was directly tied to this problem.

I decided something needed to be done about this. I had just started learning sewing so I started experimenting with altering patterns and making my own clothes. While wearing my dresses, I would often have long conversations with people at parties or on mass transit where they had no idea I was nursing the whole time. I got such positive feedback on my dresses that I decided to go for it and teach myself fashion design and how to start a fashion line! I started small and made 25 dresses, sold out, then made 100 dresses, sold out, made 200 dresses, sold out and just kept going.

Now six sold out runs later and last summer’s successful Kickstarter ($50K raised, 250% of $20K goal) Leche Libre has customers on 6 out of 7 continents. And this summer I’ll be launching via Kickstarter again, the World’s FIRST EVER breastfeeding collection for Plus size women. The average american woman is now size 18 so over half of American women have zero options for breastfeeding apparel. Leche Libre is a mission of passion to empower women to own our bodies

Leche Libre makes clothing which connects women to their inner power and confidence. New moms just did the most powerful thing a human being can do and they deserve to channel that power through awesome fashion. My plus collection will be the fulfillment of Leche Libre’s mission to be body positive. I can now say, if you’re a breastfeeding woman, I’ve got a dress for you, in sizes 0-26.

Where did you come up with the name?

When it came to picking out a name, I was originally stumped. So I gathered up a group of women friends to help me come up with a name. We were playing around with different names. A friend was joking around and mixed La Leche League together with Lucha Libre and got Leche Libre. We thought it was funny, and in a very non-serious way, added it to the list of names.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I loved it. Libre has strong connotations of activism and the fight for liberty and freedom which is very in line with the activism involving promoting breastfeeding especially breastfeeding in public. I feel like Leche Libre is a name which inspires standing up for one’s rights and go out and be a powerful mom. I love that. The name also literally translates as free milk, which is also great. Because breastmilk is free!

A good name should have meaning and when it is layered with meaning, it’s even better. The more I thought of the name, I just knew it was perfect. Its powerful while still being super fun. It has literal meaning as well as sounds cool. So, that’s the name.

How do you balance work and family?

Being a Mom in business, I’ve got to work to keep my priorities straight! Work-a-holism runs in my family, so I work very hard to keep that in check and prioritize my life with my kids first. Both last summer and this summer, I’ve been working on Kickstarter campaigns while having my kids home from school all day. So I’m working REAL HARD on work life balance. I have no additional childcare so I’m hustling to make this work. Basically, I’ve been working in the morning on stuff I have to be home to do and then anything I can do on my phone or with pen and paper, I pack up in the afternoon and take my kids to the pool. I’m the crazy lady at the pool on her phone. People probably think I’m snapchatting or something, but I’m actually following up on emails and exciting things like that. But throughout the day, I take time to go swimming with them and ride bikes. We eat every meal together sitting down. I put them to bed and read them a story almost every night. So I’m around and they know it.

On days when I need to hunker down and get work done, I explain to my kids that this is really important to me and they need to give me my space. I’ve started this business all while being the sole child care provider for my two kids. Next year will be the first year that both kids will be in school all day but for most of the time, I’ve been developing and launching this company with them at home with me 24/7. It’s been incredibly difficult but I’m really proud of doing it. I’ve always been the nutso person bringing my kids to networking meetings with me. People often comment on how independent my kids are and I believe it comes from them constantly seeing my working at my dream and understanding clearly that it’s OK for me to set boundaries for my time for me as well as my time with them. I know my growth in business is slower than it would be if I didn’t have kids. But if I didn’t have kids, not only would I not have this business, but I wouldn’t be living the life I want. So it all goes together. I take the good with the bad and roll with it.

What’s the best part about being a “Mompreneur” and running your own business?

The best part is that I can make all my own rules. I’m REALLY BAD at following the rules others set. So my favorite part is that I’m the boss of my business AND I’m the boss of my kids. Mwa ha ha! Really though, like I said above, I want to live an integrated life, where I have control and work my business into my life with my family and work my family into my business life. I can take an afternoon to volunteer in my daughter’s class and then work at night or I can work at the pool while my kids play. Anyone who is doing it will tell you that the “mompreneur” life is not easy, but in the end it is worth it. I can spend the time with my kids while also doing something meaningful for me. The main thing I have to do is not compare myself to other women who are not at home with the kids. My output will never be as much as if I had 9-5, 5 days a week to work undisturbed by my crazy kiddos. But I know that when I look back on my life, I’ll know the time I spent with my family was the most valuable time of my life and I was there for them in a meaningful way, and I was there for myself in a meaningful way by honoring my creating and intellectual need to do meaningful work.

Check out some other Mompreneur Posts you may have missed:

Mompreneur Spotlight: Haylie Duff + Jessica Frank of Little Moon Society

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Little Moon Society is the labor of love between two lifelong friends, actress and lifestyle expert, Haylie Duff and veteran children’s clothing designer, Jessica Frank. The moment these two became mothers, they knew they wanted to raise thoughtful and unique children; Little Moon Society was born from that ideal. Each piece in the Little Moon Society collection is handmade in Los Angeles, California, using only the highest quality materials. Children express themselves through play, so wearability and durability are at the heart of each article. Like the constantly changing phases of the moon, children are always evolving. Haylie Duff and Jessica Frank are here to chat about being mom-bosses and how and why they started Little Moon Society.

You can find Little Moon Society on their website, Facebook, and Instagram.

How and why did you start Little Moon Society?

Haylie and I have been best friends since we were teenagers. Haylie is such an incredible business woman, having her hand in so many different ventures: Real Girls Kitchen, acting, blogging, being an author – that design was just a natural next step for her. I have a lot of experience in design and have been in the kids clothing space for a decade now. Before we started Little Moon Society, I gave Ryan, Haylie’s 2 year old little girl, some clothing from my last brand. Haylie fell in love, and felt inspired to see where a joint partnership could take us, and the rest is history.

Where did you come up with the name?

Choosing our name was a true collaboration. We were hanging out one evening, talking about our love for all things moon and stars. We kept going back and forth, and thus Little Moon Society was born. We really wanted a name that would reflect all the phases of a child’s personality and the moon has always reflected that feeling for us.

How do you balance work and family?

I don’t know if it’s as much of a balance as it is a juggling act. Our kids are our #1 priority, and everything else comes second. We’re lucky because our kids are also best of friends, so we can get together and have the kids play while we work. It’s amazing what mamas can get done in an hour or two!

What’s the best part about being a “Mompreneur” and running your own business?

The best part about being a mompreneur is making our own rules and our own schedule. We don’t feel that there is a separation between our business and parenting our girls. Our children inspire every aspect of our business. Our designs come from what we wish for in their closets. Our fabrics come from what they feel is most comfortable and cozy on their little bodies. Our manufacturing decisions come from our love of supporting local businesses (our manufacturer is a family owned and operated business!). My 3 month old daughter Sloan comes with us to every meeting and appointment. It’s such a blessing for me to work and still be able to be with her full-time. Haylie’s daughter Ryan was a big inspiration for our summer collection and one of our models. She wears the pieces from our collection every day and we love how comfortable she looks playing and running around in them.

Little Moon Society is a reflection of our personal passions and beliefs. It’s important to us to give our children the best of everything – love, food, clothing, and so on. LMS was founded on this philosophy – the highest quality materials, made with love and care in Los Angeles, with pieces kids will love to wear and moms will love to dress them in

Mompreneur Spotlight: FAB Mom Jill Simonian

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Affectionately known on-air and online as ‘The FAB Mom,’ Jill Simonian is the Parenting Lifestyle Expert for CBS Los Angeles news and author of The FAB Mom’s Guide: How to Get Over the Bump & Bounce Back Fast After Baby — a personal, practical and motivating guide with celebrity stories and expert lifestyle tips to boost first-time moms’ mind/body/spirit confidence and capability for that ‘bumpy’ year of new motherhood (F-A-B = Focused After Baby). Jill is a contributor for NBC’s TODAY Show’s Parenting Team and Mom.me and has often appeared on TODAY Show, Hallmark Channel, HLN, KTLA Morning News Los Angeles and more.

Connect with Jill on TheFABMom.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Gugu Guru: How and why did you start FAB MOM? Where did you come up with the name?

Jill Simonian: I wish I could say I was so creative to come up with “The FAB Mom” on my own, but it was literally the ONLY URL that was available for purchase when I first started blogging back in 2010! I remember typing in every possible blog name I could think of and “taken” kept coming up. I finally thought of ‘fab’ (because it was such a buzzword back then) and it turned out to be available… so I took it. I initially thought I’d write about fashion and entertaining after becoming a mom — you know ‘fabulous’ things — but soon found that most of what I was writing about had to do with me trying to stay motivated, creative and focused after having a baby. Turns out, the URL that found me was right on — FAB really does mean ‘focused after babies,’ which is what my new book for first-time moms The FAB Mom’s Guide: How to Get Over the Bump & Bounce Back Fast After Baby is all about. Staying focused and committed to bouncing back from bad days, confused parenting moments and the every day chaos of mom-life is something that we all must cope with and conquer.

GG: How do you balance work and family?

JS: Still trying to figure this one out (lol). Here’s one rule that I’ve learned the hard way this last year: Do not try to be a stay-at-home mom and working-mom at the same time! It sounds crazy, but that’s what I tried to do when I first got my job at CBS Los Angeles news in February 2016. I’d been a work-at-home mom (blogger/brand-ambassador) for years, but failed to realize that starting a new job on television and writing a book at the same time added up to full-time working hours. Sure, the time I could do my work was fairly flexible, but the responsibilities took time away from me being able to volunteer at my girls’ schools, cook dinner every night and organize the house like I used to. Whenever your time gets filled with something, you must account for the time you’ve lost in other areas — we cannot do it all at the same time (that’s not sexist, it’s just common sense). I also learned to do one thing at a time — multi-tasking does NOT work.

GG: What’s the best part about being a “Mompreneur” and running your own business?

JS:I do love the flexibility. Being more available for my kids is also very important to me. I’m a big believer in moms continuing to work after having kids (we need goals and accomplishments too!) but I’m also unwavering in my belief that the mom should be the kids’ primary caregiver. Don’t get me wrong — dads and sitters and grandparents are loved and needed and incredible, but no one can do what ‘mom’ can do when it comes to raising kids and giving them the security, guidance and discipline they need to grow into capable adults.

Mompreneur Spotlight: Samantha Rudolph of Babyation

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Samantha Rudolph actually came up with the idea for Babyation before she ever had a baby. She was reading a New York Times article that was lamenting the current state of breast pumps, and she was appalled at how little they’d changed over the years. She turned to her engineer husband and asked if he thought he could build something better. And from there, Babyation was born. Samantha is here today to discuss how she runs her own business and balances motherhood; she has a little one of her own now, Exton, and is so excited to bring a better breast pump to the market! You can follow Babyation on their website, Instagram, or Facebook.

GG: How and why did you start Babyation?

SR: I certainly never saw this one coming! They say necessity is the mother of all inventions, and in my case, it was the prospect of being a mother that prompted this business. A few years ago, I stumbled upon an article that highlighted the shortcomings of breast pumps. Even though a family wasn’t yet on our radar, I knew at some point I wanted to a) be a mother, b) continue working, and c) feed my hypothetical baby breast milk. I had zero knowledge of breast pumps prior to reading this piece, and I was horrified by what my future would look like. Lucky for me, I’m married to a gifted engineer who immediately said, “I can build something better.” And thus, Babyation was born!

GG: How do you balance work and family?

SR: Well, it helps that I absolutely love what I’m doing — both personally and professionally. I wouldn’t trade my baby or Babyation for anything. Co–founding this company is a privilege, and I am acutely aware of how fortunate I am. But, starting a business isn’t for the faint of heart — especially if you have a family. The pressure to succeed is extraordinary.

I do think there’s this misperception that often comes with being a mompreneur or running a business. Yes, I have a ton of flexibility in my schedule, and yes, I get to spend more time with my son than I would if I had a more traditional office job. I don’t ever take that for granted. Exton is the best thing I have ever done, and the title I am most proud of is Mom. I very clearly have that priority established in my life, and I make no apologies for it.

I also know that I don’t feel like myself unless I’m working and creating something from scratch. That is a very personal decision, and I completely support a woman doing whatever is right for her and her family. But for me, I’m a better mom because I work, and the flip side of a flexible schedule is that every second I’m not working on Babyation is a second I get behind in something. That’s just the reality. So for me, I make other trade offs. I refuse to shortchange my son or my startup. That means that I sleep very little. I no longer work out. I don’t see my friends as much as I would like. Laundry piles up, and the cleaning doesn’t get done. There are only 24 hours in each day, and I have to prioritize.

I’m well aware that this delicate balance only works because of the people around me. My husband, who is also my business partner, is an amazing dad. I can leave town on a business trip and not for one second worry about Exton. We moved in with my parents when we got serious about making Babyation a success. It allowed us to both commit to the company full-time without worrying about keeping a roof over our heads, and it gave us two more sets of hands to help with the baby. There is absolutely no way we could do this without them. When we’re successful, it will be in no small part due to them.

GG: What’s the best part about being a “Mompreneur” and running your own business?

SR: I have the best and worst boss in the world!

Kidding aside, the best thing about running THIS business is the incredible moms I have encountered. I am inspired by every single interaction I have. I can have the worst day ever, and then I read an email or a Facebook message about how this will change someone’s life. That’s just humbling. Something I’m doing can have a tangible impact for someone. She might be able to feed her baby breast milk longer. She may have the tool she needs to grow in her career. She might be able to feel like herself by getting out of the house. I don’t for one second forget who I am doing this for. And that makes every sacrifice, every setback, and every tradeoff worth it.

Mompreneur Spotlight: Stephanie Greunke of Healthy Mama, Happy Baby

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It’s no secret that Gugu Guru is a big fan of the Whole30, so when we got the chance to interview the mama behind the Whole 30’s Healthy Mama, Happy Baby program, we were beyond excited! Stephanie Greunke is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition who specializes in women’s health. She is a certified personal trainer and prenatal and postnatal corrective exercise specialist. Stephanie guides and supports women locally and globally through her web-based private practice, RockYourHormones.com. She also hosts a podcast called Real Food Mamas, which is available for free on iTunes and Stitcher. Together with Melissa Hartwig of the Whole30©, Stephanie created Healthy Mama, Happy Baby, a virtual pregnancy handbook consisting of a series of short videos with comprehensive information meant to guide women throughout their entire pregnancy. Read below to learn more about Stephanie Greunke.

GG: How and why did you start Rock Your Hormones, and how did the Happy Mama, Healthy Baby program come about?

SG: I originally started Rock Your Hormones to support women dealing with a wide variety of women’s health issues (such as PCOS, hypothalamic amenorrhea, endometriosis, and infertility). As I started helping women heal their bodies and resolve their hormonal complaints, they ended up getting pregnant! I then switched my focus to prenatal/postnatal health to continue to provide optimal care for the women in my practice. I love educating women on how to optimize their diet and lifestyle to support a healthy, enjoyable pregnancy and postpartum. I empower women with the information they need to make the best choices for themselves and their family when it comes to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

During my first pregnancy, I realized how much misinformation was out there when it came to pregnancy. I kept reading conflicting information and became frustrated that women were confused about what to believe and were scared about veering off from the conventional path, even if it didn’t feel right. Melissa Hartwig of the Whole30 had a very similar experience to mine and we decided together to create something different. We created a virtual pregnancy handbook that replaces the conflicting, fear-mongering information currently available to pregnant women with a common sense, open-minded, positive approach to pregnancy. We continue to update the program with the latest evidenced-based recommendations and support the women on a daily basis through our private Facebook community.

How do you balance work and family?

I do my best to keep them separate. When I’m with my kids, I’m WITH my kids. When I’m working, I’m working. I used to try and tackle a quick e-mail or two while my son was independently playing, but found that I would easily become frustrated if he needed my attention before I was done. I felt that wasn’t fair for either of us, so now my computer stays in the office and I set my phone on a table far enough away from our play area, so I’m not tempted to check social media during playtime.

I hired a nanny when my first son was about nine months to give me more time for work. It was important for me to spend the first six plus months with him, but as he approached his first birthday, I was ready to add more work hours to my day. Starting when he was a year and a half, I had him spend Monday – Friday morning with our nanny in order to give me time to work on my business. I picked him up from the nanny, feeling refreshed and productive, so I could spend the remaining day present with him.

I just had a second son in October, and lucked out with a great napper. Since I’m not ready for him to be with a nanny, I use his naptimes to work. I have to be extremely organized and focused because my work time is condensed. I pick no more than three tasks to accomplish each day, and say “no” to a lot of business opportunities. I give myself grace with my business knowing that this is a short season, and I will be able to put in more work hours once he’s a little older. As long as I’m doing a little bit every day to maintain my business, I’m happy. And if mama’s happy, everyone is happy.

What’s the best part about being a “Mompreneur” and running your own business?

I love having a flexible schedule. With young kids, they are bound to get sick (a lot). Even with all the nutrition/wellness tricks in the world, their immune systems are constantly being challenged and it’s a good thing for them to get sick every now and then. Being able to take a “day off” without having to check in with a boss and enjoying the extra snuggles makes being a mompreneur the best option for me right now.

In addition to being a mom, I’m a military wife. We move every couple of years, so having a virtual private practice and online program is such a blessing. I don’t have to worry about starting and quitting jobs every few years because everything is online.

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