Women and Work
The workplace can feel very different for women than for men. Women often feel they have to prove themselves, that they’re evaluated by how they look, or that their opinions are not respected. They feel Mom Guilt for leaving their kids while they pursue a career and worry about taking a job that fuels their passion instead of their pocketbook. We examine these real life challenges of women who are climbing the corporate ladder, growing their own business, and navigating the complex juggle of work and family. We explore how women like you can make work fit your life, not the other way around.
Women and Work
53: Struggles After Maternity Leave
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You can be building a company, raising capital—and still be underestimated.
That’s what happened to Abbey Donnell, Founder & CEO of Work&, as she navigated fundraising while becoming a mother—sometimes literally in labor while closing deals.
She quickly realized that women are often asked to prove themselves with results, while men are trusted on potential. Instead of backing down, she learned to reframe the narrative, push through biased questions, and find investors who truly understood her journey.
Now, she’s building solutions that level the playing field for working women—starting with the workplace itself.
What’s one bias you’ve had to overcome in your career?
Struggling to find the right child care? Get a video interview of your ideal nanny at https://www.momsub.com/child-care-options
Women and Work is proud to begin our second year of weekly episodes showcasing female leaders every Tuesday at 12 pm Central Time.
If you want to explore how a mother's suite could help your company support wellness and working moms in compliance with FLSA regulations, go to https://www.workandsolutions.com/.
#WomenAtWork #FemaleFounders #WorkingMoms #Leadership #Entrepreneurship
I actually uh signed my first term sheet while contractions for that labor was were kicking in. So, you know, and that particular investor has been a phenomenal partner and they get it and they, you know, um I've got I've had three kids now. Um three b three actual kids plus the business. Um like they they get it and they didn't see that as a a threat or a weakness um, you know, to my ability to run the company. So it's about finding the right fit. Um but you just have to, you know, kiss a lot of frogs first.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to Women and Work, the show where we take an inside look at how women are overcoming our own unique challenges as we grow our careers or build a business while nurturing relationships and family. I'm Diane Mocha, founder and CEO of MomSub, the childcare app that connects you to a substitute mom. And I want you to know that work can fit your life. Each week we meet a woman who has done that. And today I'm with Abby Donnell. She is the founder and CEO of Work and. Work and powers and protects workplace wellness rooms from lactation to telehealth and helps improve the employee experience while reducing risk for employers. A big mission there. Thanks for being here, Abby. Thank you so much for having me. So it looks like you started your career as a writer and a teacher. These are some typical roles, right, right, for career women. And then you moved into tech, a male-dominated space. I just watched the movie about Whitney Wolf last night. So we know the landmines associated with women being in tech. And I wonder through all the different things you've done in your career, what do you think has been the biggest challenge, specifically because you are a woman?
SPEAKER_01Ooh, uh great question. I would say um, you know, we're we're a venture-backed um company. And I would say the specifically because I'm a Mullen, the hardest part has been fundraising. Um, I think the access to capital for women, it's a much harder road than um for men.
SPEAKER_00Yes, and I couldn't agree more. I'm uh in the process right now for momsub of uh building around. And, you know, I've been hearing and seeing all about, you know, the less than 3% of funding that goes to women. And, you know, when you confront people about this, sometimes they say, well, there's not very many women in the space, but that's not true as more and more women get involved. I think sometimes the issues that are particular to women are not experienced by men. So even if they can understand them, relating to something because you've actually gone through that is is different. Now, of course, fundraising is hard in general. You know, there's a small percent of companies that get funds at all. So, how did you feel that you were um not getting what you needed? Was it that the the doors weren't opening? Did you even not have access to even get to those doors? Were people listening to pitches and then not um wanting to fund this because it's not in the traditional realm of, you know, sort of male-run companies? Because obviously someone's not gonna just come out and say, I'm not gonna fund you because you're a woman. And so, how did you perceive those barriers and how did you overcome them?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think it's a mix of the type of questions and sort of screening you have to go through and the willingness for investors to write a check without proof points versus men. But you know, I think um women have to demonstrate results first and then people kind of believe it versus a lot of um men are able to raise on the idea and the promise. Um so I think that's part of it is like um, you know, if you look at who's getting funded and at what stages, women have to bootstrap longer and show very specific results before they can get some of the attention that others get just at, you know, with the idea and the napkin. And then I think the other piece, which I learned very early on, how to adjust to is the type of questions. Um, you know, I think um and there's a lot of data out there on this, that, you know, men are given questions that are aspirational. Well, how are you gonna do this? And what is it gonna look like like this? And women are given questions that are um automatically defensive. It's you know, well, what you know, um, it's much more about like defending your position and you and learning to kind of tape the question, pivot the answer so that it's the type of question that the men would get, the more aspirational type of question. Um and weaving in a lot of data, um, I think is kind of how I've learned to adjust to it. But at the end of the day, you're still fielding a different type of question.
SPEAKER_00Interesting. I I've read that, but to hear you explain it sort of opens my eyes to it and knowing that it's realistic that this is happening. Yeah. Did you find that you could reframe and say, you know, well, of course we've thought of that contingency and we have insurance in place to take care of that? Um, but the more important picture is um this will help us in order to scale because we expect to get to, you know, a million users or whatever. Like, are do you do that and then you know, data kind of to gets you there so that you can keep reframing them, or do you find they keep going back to those kinds of well, what if, what if type of things?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it depends on the investor, honestly. And there's different levels of sophistication, you know, just with anything, um, but with different types of investors. And I mean, I think sometimes, you know, just even the types of questions like I I have certainly got the questions like, well, how much of your time do you actually dedicate to this? And like all of my time. Like, like I think there's an assumption that it's this sort of a side hustle or hobby. And it's like, no, no, no. This was my first baby. I I started this company actually before I had kids. I was pregnant with my first, as I was piloting. I um got, you know, got this customer on day, I think, five postpartum. And I literally was like there in person. Um, I was like, oh my God, I have to go meet this potential customer. I'm not gonna miss this opportunity. I'm like still in a diaper putting on like maternity work clothes, and my mom and husband have the baby in the car circling the office building for my 30-minute meeting. So it's like, because that like that's all I could like, you know, cobble together for that meeting. But we're like, I've given everything to it. But I think, you know, I get that question. I'm like, I I all my time, you know, obviously, like I have a family and I sleep and stuff, but like this is my full focus. And then they'll say, well, but like give me like how many hours do you think do you think you get? So there's this like once again, like they don't ask men that right, exactly. Um, and so just being prepared to kind of answer questions like that that you shouldn't have to. Um, but that that's what I've found while while fundraising.
SPEAKER_00Do you share that story? I mean, I love that story saying this was my first baby, because I say my kids are grown, this is my baby now. And um, and especially about that first customer. And, you know, I mean, five days postpartum, that had to be crazy how you were feeling. And um, but you were there, you showed up, you know.
SPEAKER_01I mean, and once again, it's about finding not every business is venture backable. Um, I think, you know, it's also about finding your right investor. Um, I actually uh signed my first term sheet while contractions for that labor was were kicking in. So um, so you know, and that particular investor has been a phenomenal partner and they get it, and they, you know, um I've gone, I've had three kids now. Um three three actual kids plus the plus the business. Um so like they they get it and they didn't see that as a threat or a weakness, um, you know, to my ability to run the company. So it's about finding the right fit. Um, but you just have to, you know, kiss a lot of frogs first. Wow.
SPEAKER_00Wow, you were having contractions.
SPEAKER_01I was just going into labor. I was like, I gotta get this done.
SPEAKER_00And was were any of those um uh initial fundraising partners specifically focused on women founders?
SPEAKER_01You know, that is one, yep, that one. That first one, the lead. The lead, that first one. Can you share with us the that who that uh the Artemis Fund? They're wonderful, women focused, women run, um, great group of people. Um, and they've uh obviously I'm I'm certainly biased, but I think they've um invested in some some great companies and their team, they invest in their team, you know, their team is quality and uh I have a lot of respect for them.
SPEAKER_00Wow. I recently wrote a post on LinkedIn about this idea that instead of just waiting and complaining and hitting our head against the wall because there's so little funds that go to women, how about if we focus on execution, getting filthy rich, being the investors ourselves after we have success and helping pay it forward?
SPEAKER_01I think you're starting to see a lot of that, or at least a lot more of it. Um, and what I like about that too is that um then uh and I think male or female, um any investor who has been there and done it is uh a lot better of an investor just because they ha have a true understanding of being an operator and running the company versus those who haven't yet. Um and so I think that's essentially, you know, um not only are we getting more women uh making the decisions and investing in other women, but you're I think uh like a triple threat in that you know you're making the right kinds of bets and also you're able to advise in a way that really helps.
SPEAKER_00Yes. And understand the problem from the perspective of someone who's experienced it, right? Right, right, right. So you said that you felt like you had to show traction, be you know, maybe it in a way that men didn't in all cases. So what kinds of traction did you have when you started, you know, getting that interest from the right people? Was it revenue? Did you feel like you had to hit certain certain numbers?
SPEAKER_01Uh it's honestly that I think that varies quite a bit, um, depending on what the business does, uh, you know, the goals and who the investors are. I I I mean, at the end of the day, sales and revenue is always king, as you know, so I would say that's always been a North Star. Um, but there are certain contracts that, you know, have um I guess a lag for cash flow to kick in, for example, or uh, but that are logos that are, you know, incredible to have. And so it's a mix of that, um, I think, you know. So we we've been very fortunate that um we got we got some really great customers, um, some really great logos right off the bat. Um, and then um, you know, I've continued to grow that portfolio.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Did you have any connections? Uh it's not like you had worked in HR or anything for years. Um, you know, how were you getting through to those big companies? And, you know, what was getting you in the right rooms? Yeah. Who did you go to? You know, I I found myself going to AR HR sometimes is more of a challenge than going directly to the CEO if you can get through to them. What worked for you?
SPEAKER_01I know HR is stretched thin, which is part of the value add we provide, you know, relieving their burden. Um, but actually our path is um was was not direct to HR. We um so I started the business when my background was in marketing and brand strategy. I was working at a boutique uh firm at the time, and so I had all sorts of contract uh clients, excuse me. Um, so everything from large energy companies, large healthcare companies to small nonprofits or, you know, um just small, small companies. And I started to see this problem around the mother's room. Um, once again, it was before I had kids. Um, but it it was like lifetiming. I was working full time, I was getting my MBA in the evenings at Rice. I um I had all these clients, all these friends starting to have kids, go back to work, hit this exact same wall or you know, uh struggle around the mother's room. And I it was just lifetiming, I think. I looked around my own office, open floor plan, glass walls, uh, mostly male coworkers, and I the company culture was very supportive, but I was like physically, there there's no way if I want to do this, which I do, um, would be able to do it. And so I one of my uh clients at the time was a real estate investment company. Um and so I knew enough about commercial real estate, but in particular office um to be dangerous. I saw how spaces were becoming amenitized, you know, um, shared conference facilities, shared uh, you know, fitness facilities. Um and so I I just went and pitched them. I was like, look, you can amenitize the mother's room. You can take this, it's a small footprint, it's a very small space. Every building has some sort of small space they don't know what to do with. Um, and you can create this value add for the entire stack, um, use it as a leasing tool, but every then every company in the building gets their compliance check mark and a much better experience for the employees because they can just step out of their office suite, go to this mother's room that has everything, all the equipment, supplies, sanitizing, refrigeration. You're never without a part. You're, you know, you've got the privacy, security, all of that. Um, and so they're like, we love it, let's go. So we got our start with landlords. Um, and then, you know, other landlords saw it and we started growing like that, um, which is about the time, you know, as we got those additional contracts, that was about the time we started uh raising capital. But um, but what the other thing that happened is that all of these big companies that were in these buildings, their employees started using it instead of the small closet that they had in their office. And so the those companies started coming to us and saying, hey, how can we do this across the board for our company? But also, you know, you've had such great results. We've we've proven the impacts in the ROI as far as mothers staying in the workforce, breastfeeding rates, et cetera. There can you do the same thing for general wellness that you've done for mothers? Um, because there's all these other reasons people commandeer the mother's room, um, right? There's like all of these other needs. And so um it was about that time that we rebranded the company because we originally were working mother. Um we rebranded to work and because we now solve for all of that. Um, and we started growing with enterprise customers. So it's, you know, sometimes we're brought in through HR, other times, a lot of times it's through facilities or the CFO. Because to your point, they see the ROI. Um, and they and it ties together compliance, HR operation. It it kind of ties together so many things that were brought in through any three of those openings.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Was there ever a point when you were working mother that you got pushback from investors, from advisors, from others to say, working mothers to niche, you know? Oh, yeah. And then you felt that push that maybe was a little bit against you. Like, no, we want mother to, you know, and I'm just saying this hypothetically, to be in the name because there's too many people that just ignore the challenges of being a working mother. And and then did you feel a little disappointment and having to brand bigger, you know, in order to vacate everyone? Great question.
SPEAKER_01Um in yes and no. So growing the scope was always part of the plan. Um, when we, when I was doing the original research um, and I was talking to all these employers about their mother's rooms, they would come, oh, we have this, it's a multi-purpose wellness room, and they'd take me over there and someone's in there resting because they have a headache, or they're in there taking a call, or there are all these other reasons. So we always knew that in order to serve moms best, we had to also make sure we were addressing all of these other needs because that would like because that's how you could create safe spaces for moms and safe spaces, you know, for all the other wellness. So we knew we always knew that our roadmap would involve more. Um, but the urgent piece was the mother's room, right? And so, and it was also the piece that was uh really tied up in compliance. And so when we were thinking about the company name, um, you know, of course, we had all these different discussions and ideas and thoughts. We went with work and mother because it was so literal. And people had a misconception that probably still exists today, that when moms go pump, they're getting this break. And and we didn't want to like call the mother's room something like fancy or fun or hang outy or what whatever, because people it would only reinforce that. And we know how hard moms are working at work, especially if they're also pumping. We know that even if you are taking a quote unquote break for five minutes to breathe, you are still working double time here and you are still like uh showing up 100% at your job and for your kids and you know, 100% press pumping, et cetera. So we wanted something just very literal that enabled us to see moms, support moms, solve for compliance, but keep the door open to grow in the future. And that was so we, you know, kept the work in at the beginning. And now, you know, we still we still have work on mother under that umbrella, but we also have work in well-being. Okay, makes sense.
SPEAKER_00So I pumped in a bathroom. And I was a television reporter for 15 years. I was at a CBS station and eventually, and I would feel very depleted. I still remember this all these years later, right? My kids are in their 20s, and I just remember feeling like, ugh, you know, like you just ran a marathon or something, you know, when you're after you're done nursing or pumping, because it's like your body is producing something that's being extracted from you. Right. You know, it's not like you're shedding something, it's like something that is powerful that your body just created is is is coming out and being pulled out. And and so I remember at a certain point going to somebody that I felt might be uh open to understanding. He was a dad. And I said, You have an office. You're one of the few people in the entire newsroom that has their own office. Can I use your office to pump in? And he said, Of course. So, of course, you know, like so many women, no one was gonna offer it to me. I had to speak up and I had to endure this, it was kind of beyond discomfort. I was worried about the sanitation and everything else, you know, um, of doing this. And then when I asked, I got that. But it was, of course, not a dedicated space, you know. It was, if he was on a call, I was like, okay, you know, I'm gonna have to go out on a story. I guess today's the bathroom day again, you know. I can't go in there while he's, you know, doing whatever. But it, but yes, you know, women often won't necessarily ask themselves. They're getting um better about it, but it's because they're busy mentally doing all those other things that you talked about. When you start having to prove yourself in these meetings in a way that men often don't, I hear this over and over from women I interview who are in the workplace in their careers, rising up the ranks. And just constantly like, I see a man get promoted ahead of me who doesn't have, you know, half of the metrics that I have, you know, but I'm but he's in there every time he does one little thing, like kind of bragging about or however you want to describe it in the meeting or whatever. You know, women have to kind of stand up for themselves, let others know what they're doing, and this double whammy of I feel like I have to do twice as much as the men to prove I'm half as good. And so this is just a common theme I still hear to this day. Yeah. Women feeling like they have to do that, and women of color even more so. And and so, you know, how does what you do address in any way some of these deeper feelings and obstacles that women are facing as working career women in the workplace?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, so one of our entire goals um uh with what we're doing is to um essentially level the playing field in the office um for mothers, for women, uh, for any for all really, because right now I think to your point, um there's such this burden on moms to fight for this room or the spaces or the break. Um and yet no one bats an eye if someone needs to take a call for telehealth or to um lay down from a migraine or any other kind of health and wellness needs. So our philosophy when we are working with these companies is that Um, you know, best practice is actually to have two separate rooms, a mother's room and a wellness room. And then our platform um helps with all the booking and it's all anonymized. So no one knows, you know, unlike trying to book something on the Outlook calendar, for example, where everyone can see your name and who's going there, ours is all anonymized. So you only you can only see when there is availability within these rooms. And then only the person who's booked it is able to open the door at their time. Um, so it really protects not only the privacy but the safety of everyone. Um so best practices have two, but if there's only one, then our platform helps prioritize the legal, you know, uh obligation of uh preserving the space for the moms, but then it can release, you know, extra space for any other wellness needs. By doing this, by having this as the default and the physical spaces already set up in this manner, then no mom is having to like go champion for anything. They just get to show up for work, you know, just like everyone else. Um, and then for the employer, by configuring it this way and with our platform, um, they can still make sure the spaces are working, you know, to the max of their ability, like to support everyone. And so our whole goal is to make the built environment and then the digital resources that support people um as welcoming to every individual employee as the policies are. Because right now, a lot of these companies, they put policies in place, right? But if you show up to the office, and especially with more and more return to office, you know, pushes, and the physical environment is not actually um conducive for a mom to be there or for someone with a health condition to be there, then it doesn't matter how progressive the policies are or how welcoming the policies are, it's not gonna work. Um, so we sort of get to bridge this gap and create um the physical infrastructure and the digital support resources. Um, because one other thing we do actually is as people are using the spaces, we're able to um match them with digital support resources based on their exact needs. So for a mom who's pumping, you know, if they need a uh lactation consultant, a virtual lactation consultant, or we have a breastfeeding guide that is specifically tailored to working moms or mental health resources, um, you know, our platform has an AI health concierge. It can check in on you, it can then suggest resources maybe that your company already has and you know is covered by insurance. So once again, you're not having to go spend time figuring out, you know, I have this need, what what do I do about it? It's just making it so much more efficient. So our whole mission is to have all of that just as a given in the workplace so that everyone can show up. It's a a level playing field, um, and it really sets everyone up for success in both of their roles.
SPEAKER_00Wow. And you know what, they don't have to, as you said, worry about having to champion this themselves because you're their champion. Exactly.
SPEAKER_01I love it. And it's fun for us, right? Like it's, you know, building a company is so hard, especially as you know, as you know, um, you're growing this company, you're growing a family, trying to get a few hours of sleep wherever you can. Um and then um, but to get these testimonials and like, you know, messages of thanks to employees that we've been able to impact is um what truly makes us keep going.
SPEAKER_00Why do you think it's important for it to be anonymous? And does the company require you to give them reportable data? And like if somebody is having a migraine every day, is the company ever going to be able to use that metric to say, you know, we're reducing staff, and they use that as some means to determine who is going to be reduced?
SPEAKER_01Um, so there they're at some level of HR, they can determine uh who's in the room because in case of emergency, for example, but it is not um it is not just clear at the outright, you know, post it on a board. And then for all employees, like the way people mostly manage it now is they write their name on a clipboard on the door or they put it on the outlook calendar for every or like reserve the room and everyone can see it. So in in our platform, uh to a degree, the employer can see, you know, um booking data if they need it, because once again, for safety, that that has to be in place. Um, but all of your coworkers cannot. So anyone in the office cannot see who's booked the room. And then with regards to any of the support resources, the AI health concierge, all of that is completely anonymized. Like your employer can't see any of that. Oh, um, and so that so the employer gets KPIs, like how many times are there rooms being booked? Um, you know, but um, but any kind of um questions around health or wellness, any of that never goes to the employer.
SPEAKER_00And I love how you said you want it to be a situation where this becomes universally accepted and implemented, that these kinds of, you know, amenities and their necessities really for working women to do your best work, right? To be productive and do your best work are are there. And and we feel the same way about childcare resources, even though childcare isn't right there in the workforce. If you have a platform that gives you access to childcare so it doesn't become a huge burden and challenge in your life, um we think it can do the same thing. So, you know, our we have a similar um mission in terms of this should be standard and not just the exception. And it's growing, but it's still of a small fraction, you know. In terms of like any kind of childcare benefit, whether it's a company paying for a subscription or company doing all the way up to building a facility, it's you know, like a quarter of companies. And they're mostly these big, large companies and you know, that think, oh, okay, you know, we can put this expenditure. But there's a lot of ways companies can do some of these things without it being a huge expenditure. In your case, they're not having to build these rooms. You you said oftentimes the room exists, it's just repurposing it, you know, maybe helping them with how it's an enhancement to the purpose.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, exactly. So, I mean, and we also, for those that don't have rooms, we have pods um that just nice, you know, show up and you plug them in. It's great. They're fully equipped and everything. Um, and they're very nice inside, very comfortable. Um, and then um we also still work with landlords. Um, we're, you know, we're working with some of the nation's top landlords that provide it on a building level. Um, and what I love about that um is that first of all, sometimes tenants, even within the building, companies that office within the building, still choose to enhance their room in their stack. So that so then, you know, their employees get to choose. Like they can either go to that room right there or they can step out and go to the you know, larger facility that serves the building, which um offers them a nice level of privacy. Um, but the other thing I still love about working with landlords is that um when you talk about normalizing it and making it part of like the permanent infrastructure, you know, a lot of our landlords, there's signage. So which way to the building gym, which way to the mother's room? It makes it like that is just a normal part of the day and the needs and you know, the infrastructure now. And I think there's something so powerful in seeing that. Um, I've always suggested um to moms, and I will continue to shout it from the roof, rooftop. Small nuances make a big difference in how we speak about things and you know, position things. And I always encourage women if they are at a conference, if they are at like um, you know, interviewing for a job, uh, if they are at a meeting elsewhere, et cetera. It's not do you have a mother's room? It's where is it? Where is it? Nice.
SPEAKER_00I love that.
SPEAKER_01Put the onus on them. They are supposed to provide it and don't put it on you to like try to figure it out.
SPEAKER_00Just like when we go into a bathroom now, we expect to see a changing table, right? Yes, that's right. Right. And so speaking of that, I want to know in your own life, you have three children, you've been a working mom running your company that whole time. How did you personally deal with childcare? What was your ideal that you thought was gonna work out, you know, and did it like one, two, three, that's it, and I'm done? Or what was there more steps than you expected? Did you try different things? What worked, what didn't?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So um now I guess, you know, to the to the point of how much time do you dedicate to this? Um, when I first started, I was like, okay, I'm gonna have childcare on Tuesday, Thursdays, and my mom will watch um him on Wednesdays, and I'll take the other two days of work like while he naps and stuff. And um did I learn very quickly that that was not gonna work?
SPEAKER_00Um None of you want to work full time.
SPEAKER_01Oh my goodness, no, it was um it was rough. And and you know, to to all those out there trying to cobble it together, I feel you because I have ne I am never more physically exhausted and stressed than when I'm trying to do the juggle at the same time. Like if school is canceled and I or if our like we so to answer your question, we are very fortunate we have a full-time dating. Um, I also am extremely fortunate to have an incredible village here. Um I've got family that live blocks away who also have kids. I, you know, um, so we we just have an amazing an amazing village. Um, and I also, you know, picked a partner. My husband is um, he has a very demanding job. Um, but uh I hold him to a very high standard as well as like how much he does. So like we, you know, um like I think if you are trying to build a company company while raising a family, it is vital that you pick the right person to do that with. Um so we have a full-time nanny, which is great, but there are days when, you know, if she is sick or you know, we've I've got an unexpected, you know, a sick kid at home or or what have you, where I am juggling both at the same time. I that takes more out of me. That is more taxing than like kind of anything I can think of, honestly, because to try to split your focus, make sure this is okay, you never like it is so hard. So to any moms out there that are trying to do that at once, I feel for you and I um just want to give you a hug because that is maybe the hardest role.
SPEAKER_00Um yeah, and we're all trying to do that every day, but you try not to do that at the same time. So I wonder, how did you find your nanny? Was it easy? You know, you got a referral and it was the first person that you talked to. Did it take quite a while? Did that original person stay with you long term? You know, how old are your kids now? Yeah, did you have to go through to find the right one?
SPEAKER_01So our original nanny um was only part-time. So that, you know, that so we did have to find someone else because she couldn't do full-time. She's a student. Um, and I just got so lucky. I am still like so thankful for this. One of my friends had this nanny who was also part-time. So she originally started, you know, with the the other three days we needed. Um, and she actually, her kids were like getting older. So she ended up kind of like transitioning to full-time for us. And it was wonderful because I this was a close friend's nanny. So I already trusted her betting. Um, she gave me a lot of like kind of um insights in how to how she set things up for success. And then, so I felt very comfortable with her at the start. Um, and that happened around the time my oldest was about six months old. Um, and so my oldest is now almost seven. So she's been with our family for so long that she's truly just part of the family. And it's such a luxury because uh, like not only the privilege to be able to, you know, have that luxury of having Anfill Nanny, but also that we found someone that has been such a great fit for our family and has stayed with us this long because she knows us. I mean, she I don't have to leave a bunch of notes at this point. Like I like here's what I need from you, and here, you know, and and our kids love her. So she's wonderful and she makes our world go round. At the same time, my co-founder, RCO, um, I've watched her go through multiple uh nanny searches. So I have seen how hard it can be. And, you know, um, you know, you have a great fit and then that person's circumstances change, and then you have to do start all over again, or you find someone and they're not a great fit, and you've like it is so hard. Um, and so I've seen um what people, you know, I've seen firsthand up close personal what people have gone through to find the right fits for their childcare, um, whether that is daycare or nanny or other, you know, built-in village, and it's tough.
SPEAKER_00Yes, and then that's why we exist to do that mental work.
SPEAKER_01And and I am so thankful for you for anyone out there trying to support the childcare uh endeavors because um it is truly the um it it's it's what makes it possible. I mean, you cannot do the rest. So it is truly maybe the most important thing. And you want whoever's looking at after your kids to be like, I mean, you you want quality there.
SPEAKER_00Of course. They've got to be trusted, they've got to be reliable, so then you don't have that anxiety that isn't gonna work out. And even in the rare instances when you have someone great, and like you said, something comes up unexpected, that's why we not just find, but we manage week to week because that that re alleviates that mental load. So I want to know one more thing, you know, all this journey of um of being a working mom, starting this company before you had kids, this idea, seeing it grow, the funding, all these pieces. If you could go back to one thing, knowing then what you know now, what is the one thing you would change?
SPEAKER_01Well, that's a great question. Um I think I would change. Um, I mean, first of all, I'm not a big, I'm not a big regrets person. I'm not a big I'm I like to let learn from lessons and move on, um, not waste energy there. But if I could change something, I think I would have changed um the funding strategy of the company. Um, I think um I think venture capital is such an interesting industry, and there's been so much change within venture capital over the past five, six years. Um and I think that changes kind of how you think about growing the business too. Um, so I've learned a lot of lessons in that, and I think I I I'm not saying I wouldn't have done venture capital, I think I just would have approached it a little bit differently and with a different um understanding of like uh what it meant from a growth standpoint of the company.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you for that and for all of these insights you revealed today on this episode of Women in Work. If you were inspired by today's story, remember to share it with a friend, leave a review, and subscribe to meet our next amazing guest. If you or anyone you know is struggling to find the right child care, check out MomSub's free webinar that guides families through the steps to find and keep trusted care at momsub.com slash webinar. That's momsub like a substitute mom. You can connect with momsub on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Our mission is for you to discover what you want in life, pursue it with intensity, reach out for help when needed, like we do when we seek childcare, and then fulfill your dream, reducing your stress, guilt, and self-criticism, and increasing your calm, confidence, and clarity along the way. Remember, your career, your choices, and your success are yours to define. Keep pushing boundaries and spreading your love and encouragement to other women who need it.