How Motherhood Collided with My Startup, and the Maternity Leave I Never Took.
When I became a mom, I also became a founder in launch mode. Not by design, just by timing.
Two months postpartum, I was breastfeeding at 3am with one hand and responding to customer messages with the other. Between diaper changes and pitch decks, I was trying to grow Loba — the beautiful, smart supplement organizer and app I designed to help women feel good about needing to take pills and supplements.
We had momentum. Media coverage. Early customers. The kind of excitement founders dream of. And yet, I was running on fumes.
I never took a proper maternity leave. Instead of rest, there were investor calls. Instead of slow mornings, there were product deadlines. Instead of peace, there was always performance.
👶 Motherhood has a way of stripping you down to what matters.
🚀 Building a startup does too.
Doing both at once taught me everything I didn’t know about my resilience. 💪
💡 I wrote about it all (the raw, unfiltered version) on my new Substack account: https://lnkd.in/dy6-VANj
Looking back, I can see how much I learned about leadership, ambition, and what I’m no longer willing to sacrifice in pursuit of success.
I know a number of woman who can relate with this experience, many of whom I met along the way.
💬 To the moms building businesses, dreams, and families at the same time — what did your version of “maternity leave” look like?