Building Again, With Babies and Balance
Starting over has made me stronger, both as an entrepreneur and as a mom. It’s a reminder of why I started creating here in the first place: to grow a community and talk about what it really means to begin again. I’ve learned so much from building businesses, but honestly, my kids might be my best teachers yet.
My first business was born from pure passion, a deep love for dogs and animals. I poured my heart into designing and manufacturing pet products that made their lives better and brought a little extra style and joy to the people who loved them. That passion grew into a full-fledged business.
It began right out of college with only a few thousand dollars, a handful of prototypes, and absolutely no idea what I was doing. I showed up at every small business willing to take a chance on me, every local event, and countless charity fundraisers because dogs have always been near and dear to my heart. I learned how to pitch, took every “no” as a lesson, and just kept putting one foot in front of the other.
After a few years, those same products were sold in more than 1,800+ stores worldwide, including Petco, PetSmart, HomeGoods, and countless catalogs like Frontgate and The Company Store, as well as online retailers such as Wayfair and Chewy, and small dog and cat boutiques across the U.S., Europe, England, Australia, and Brazil. My products were featured in Vogue, Modern Pet Magazine, Country Living and dozens of other publications, and I was honored to be named Female Entrepreneur of the Year and recognized in the Top 40 Under 40 Entrepreneurs in the Pet Industry.
It was surreal. I was young, brave, scrappy, and completely determined. And this all came together within 5 short years.
Then the world stopped during COVID, and soon after, my world beautifully shifted, my son was born in 2020 and my daughter shortly after in 2021. I now had two babies, a full heart, and a new rhythm of life. I paused my business because I was partially forced to with the shutdown, and also to focus on family, and it was absolutely the right choice (looking back at it all now).
And while my love for animals will always be there, I have another passion now, my kids. My babies. They are my world. They’re the greatest thing I’ll ever invest my time, love, and energy into. They’ve changed the way I see the world and reminded me why I love creating and building in the first place.
Lately, I’ve felt something stirring again, that familiar spark.
The one that whispers, you’re not done building yet.
Now I’m here, juggling school drop-offs, snacks, nap schedules, and deadlines, creating The Mom Society, my new chapter. It’s not just a Substack. It’s a community for moms who want something more again, not instead of motherhood, but alongside it.
Starting again feels different this time.
Slower, wiser, and (hopefully) more intentional.
But the same rule still applies: show up, even when it’s quiet.
Now, as I step into this next chapter, building The Mom Society, I’m blending what I know about business with what I’ve learned about life: that growth doesn’t stop when motherhood begins. It just shifts. It deepens.
I want to take everything I’ve learned, the wins, the failures, the pivots, and use it to help other moms rediscover their spark. Whether it’s a side hustle, a new passion, a creative hobby, or a career pivot, I want this space to become a community that encourages moms to dream again, to build something for themselves, while raising their families, and to know that it’s never too late to start over.
To the moms creating, dreaming, and starting something new, I see you. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to begin.
And if you’re already walking that road with me, I hope you know: you’ve got this. 💛