Alicia

Unlocking Longevity: How Our Ovaries—and Whales—Might Hold the Key to Longer, Healthier Lives

It’s been a drumbeat in the headlines lately: Menopause. Is it a moment or a movement? I’m not sure yet, but I do know that as a woman at 42, the research and options for most symptoms are abysmal. It impacts our quality of life, though longevity is all the craze. As I planned for another spin on the topic, our last menopause episode being the most popular in the past year of the launch of MomShine, I thought to myself: What are we missing in this natural process of life that hasn’t already been talked about?

As a woman in my 40s who has finally figured out how to abide by most well-being rules to feel your best (i.e., increasing activity levels, lowering stress, building muscle, minimizing toxins), was I still on a path to not feeling healthy? Could the key to longevity and a higher quality of life be in tandem and reside in an often-overlooked body part—our ovaries? New research suggests that the health of our ovaries not only governs our reproductive abilities but could also play a crucial role in how well we age. Imagine that. I hadn’t given my ovaries that much thought besides cursing them monthly and thanking them for my three beautiful angels. 

But science is revealing that these organs are more than just the bearers of future generations. Emerging studies, such as one highlighted by the National Library of Medicine, show that reproductive factors, notably fertility and fecundity (*the ability to produce an abundance of offspring), are significantly associated with increased female lifespan. The concept is simple yet powerful: by understanding how our ovaries function and change as we age, we might be able to enhance our quality of life and longevity.

A Rare Mammalian Phenomenon: Menopause and Its Impact

Human females are part of a very exclusive group in the animal kingdom—one of the few species that experience menopause. Whales, especially the Bowhead whale, share this trait. These majestic mammals live upwards of 250 years, and research is pointing to their ovarian health as a significant factor in their extraordinary lifespan—maturing sexually at around 10 to 15 years of age and remaining reproductively active past 100 years of age. 

What makes the Bowhead whale’s reproductive system so unique? It appears that they’ve evolved their ovaries to remain functional for a much longer portion of their lives compared to humans. In contrast, women lose most of their ovarian function by age 51, with the onset of menopause on average.

Could there be lessons in this for us? Dr. Deena Emera, an evolutionary geneticist, is leading groundbreaking research into how studying the ovaries of whales might offer insights into delaying menopause or maintaining ovarian function for longer quality of life in humans. Her work focuses on the Bowhead whale, which has found ways to sustain its ovaries. This finding has opened up a world of possibilities for advancing women’s health.

Extending Menopause: A New Horizon in Women’s Health

As scientists like Dr. Emera dive deeper into ovarian research, there is a growing movement in science to explore how delaying menopause might revolutionize women's health outcomes. Dr. David Sinclair, a Harvard professor of genetics, is pushing the boundaries of aging science. His research into epigenetic reprogramming—where cells are essentially "rebooted"—could pave the way for rejuvenating aging tissues, including ovaries. Dr. Sinclair and his team believe they can reverse aging by restoring lost cellular information.

This is exciting news for women everywhere, offering the promise of better health and more vibrant lives as we age. Not only could delaying menopause give women more flexibility with fertility, but it could also improve the quality of life by reducing age-related ailments. Initiatives like the Global Consortium for Reproductive Longevity and Equality are already funding research to make these breakthroughs a reality.

Why It Matters Now

Women have been suffering age-related illnesses at higher rates than their male counterparts. A few of those rising statistics that I’ve learned through my interviews and research include:

• The lifetime risk of Alzheimer's disease is higher for women than men, and women are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer's than men.
• The majority of 10 million people in the US with osteoporosis are female; only 1 in 5 of all cases are male.
• According to the American Lung Association, “Lung cancer diagnoses have risen a startling 84% among women over the past 42 years while dropping 36% among men over the same period.”

Women, on average, live longer than men (*nearly six years longer on average), making an increase in certain diseases more likely. But could there also be a correlation between the drop in hormones and the deterioration of many of these health conditions that we feel first-hand? 

After all, estrogen is a primary mover in women's bodies, with receptors in our gut, brain, and many other places—I learned from Claudia Levine, Founder of Pausology, in our recent episode and on her 3-hour course and program dedicated to helping women understand the basics as they enter into menopause. It’s no wonder women are evaluating hormone replacement therapies and other options to see if we can curb these alarming odds of health risks as we age and are in a plight to live our best lives.

What Can You Do to Boost Ovarian Health?

While the science of delaying menopause is still emerging, there are steps women can take today to prioritize their ovarian health. Keys include maintaining a balanced diet, staying active, and regularly consulting with a healthcare provider about reproductive health. Working with a physician who understands the intricacies of ovarian aging can make all the difference.

As we await further advancements in longevity research, staying informed and proactive about ovarian health is vital to ensuring that women can live longer and thrive through every phase of life. It’s also important to push our healthcare system to partner with women more and support more research. 

The next frontier in longevity may be closer than we think, and it could start with understanding—and protecting—our ovaries.

*This article was inspired by a recent MomShine podcast episode featuring experts like Dr. Claudia Levine and evolutionary geneticist Dr. Deena Emera—the episode will launch on October 18th, for World Menopause Day.

by Alicia

The Mompreneur Playbook: How Annabelle DeGrazio Went from Lawyer to Building a Million-Dollar Celeb-Loved Candle Company

Annabelle DeGrazio didn’t just build a business—she started with a mission to make people happy and bring back the art of thoughtful gift-giving. Her candle company, now loved by celebrities and featured in glossy magazines, started with a clear vision, passion, and thoughtful steps. And, of course, there are challenges along the way. For moms with dreams of starting a business and capitalizing on their next big idea, here’s how Annabelle’s journey can serve as a blueprint for success.

Step 1: Make Your Main Goal Top of Mind 

Annabelle prioritized creating a luxury candle brand that offered something unique to the market. Her goal wasn’t just to make candles; she wanted her products to evoke feelings of luxury and comfort. Before starting your business, define your goal—whether it’s creating a product that’s high-quality, accessible, or niche—and let that guide every decision you make. Keeping your main objective front and center will help ensure your brand remains true to its core mission all along the way.

Step 2: Get Proof of Concept Before Launching 

Annabelle didn’t dive in without testing the waters first. She sought feedback from her network and tested her candle concepts at small events to gauge interest and refine the product. Before getting started, she even went to tradeshows with her prototype to test laser-engravers. Proof of concept is essential—it gives you the confidence that your idea resonates with your target audience before investing significant resources. Whether it’s running a small batch or starting with pre-orders, make sure your concept has legs before scaling it up.

Step 3: Build a Sustainable, Eco-Conscious Company 

From the beginning, Annabelle considered her business's environmental impact. She chose sustainable ingredients and eco-friendly packaging and worked with manufacturers who shared her values. Today’s customers, especially celebrities and influencers, are drawn to brands aligning with their sustainability commitment. A McKinsey stat shows that 63% of all consumers surveyed consider a brand’s promotion of sustainability an important purchasing factor for products. Consider how your product can be made with the environment in mind and how to highlight that to your audience.

Step 4: Put Your Unique Spin on Your Product 

The candle industry is saturated and a $3.5 billion industry. But Annabelle set herself apart by adding a unique twist—luxury fragrances inspired by nature, wrapped in minimalist yet elegant packaging. She found a way to express her vision through her products, which made them instantly recognizable. Ask yourself: How can you make your product stand out? Whether in design, materials, or branding, your personal touch will make it memorable.

Bonus Tip: Add Community or Personalization 

Annabelle’s brand doesn’t just sell candles—it sells an experience. She invites her customers into a community where they can personalize their purchases or connect over shared values, like sustainability or self-care. She encourages brands to think outside the box when personalizing products for their customers. For one large hospital, she even helped them personalize the tops of the candles for patients. 

Consider how you can foster community and inspire your base through a thoughtful product. That interaction with businesses and consumers alike is key to her business, and personalization sets her company apart from the rest to connect customers with her brand.

Step 5: Reach Out to Influencers in a Cost-Effective Way 

Annabelle’s candles caught the attention of influencers, but she didn’t blow her budget on big celebrity endorsements right away. Instead, she leveraged micro-influencers and offered her products as gifts in exchange for posts and reviews to their like-minded audience. This built buzz around her brand and got her candles into the hands of some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Find influencers who align with your brand’s values and reach out in ways that won’t break the bank.

Step 6: Start Small and Scale Up 

Annabelle didn’t try to become a global brand overnight. She started with small batches, refined her product, and scaled her business as demand grew. By starting small, she could stay focused on her original goal while being nimble enough to adjust. As your business grows, always keep your main goal in mind and make thoughtful, measured decisions that will allow you to scale effectively. She still leverages her background as a lawyer to make intelligent business decisions in hiring and employee culture as she scales.

Final Thoughts: How Annabelle DeGrazio’s Entrepreneurial Steps Can Apply to You

Annabelle DeGrazio’s journey is inspiring. Following these steps, you can create a business that aligns with your values, captures your passion, and grows with intention.

Subscribe to listen to the full episode on Thursday, 10/3, and for more of Annabelle’s top tips and tricks for mompreneurs to scale strong businesses.

by Alicia

What the Women's Health PAC Conference Taught Me About Supporting Women’s Health

This past week, I attended ​the bipartisan Women’s Health Political Action Committee (WHPAC) event on September 12th in San Francisco to support this critical movement. The evening started with cocktails and appetizers, leading to an impressive lineup of guest speakers who shared their passion for women's health.

WHPAC speakers

• ​Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell is Founder and Chief Medical Officer - Beyond Clinical Walls & Urgent Care Medical Director - Saint Mary's Health Network
• ​Joanna Strober is the CEO & Founder of Midi Health 
• ​Elizabeth (Busy) Burr was Interim CEO of Rite Aid and is a Board Member of SVBFG, Mr. Cooper, and Satellite Healthcare/WellBound

Why Support Women’s Health PAC? 

For years, women have largely been excluded from scientific research, studies, and considerations, which has led to our current position. In one interview I conducted on Menopause alone, CEO Donna Klasson of a leading women's health organization said, “Part of it is not knowing that options are limited because women have generally been understudied, under-researched, and not enough money has been dedicated to studying menopause.” That's why more needs to be done to promote education and understanding of women's health.

The movement hopes to make women’s health a national priority. By supporting WHPAC, you champion efforts to increase funding for women's health research, improve access to healthcare for women of color and those in rural areas, and address barriers in maternal and menopausal care for women. There needs to be more to promote education and understanding of women's health. 

The ultimate goal of WHPAC is to drive positive change, equalize gender disparities in medical research and healthcare solutions, and promote education and understanding of women's health issues throughout the lifespan from head to toe. Co-founders include ​Liz Powell, Jodi Neuhauser, and Candace McDonald, and co-leads of the San Francisco PAC are Allison Lewin, Diana Lyman, and Neda Razani.

4 Things I Learned at San Francisco’s Women’s Health PAC 

1. Certain cancers are on the rise in women, in particular

Burr shared a personal story of her wife’s struggle with ovarian cancer. It took her life in 2 years and was virtually undetectable due to its origin of starting in the fallopian tubes.  Another alarming rate of diagnosis for women is lung cancer. According to the American Lung Association, “Lung cancer diagnoses have risen a startling 84% among women over the past 42 years while dropping 36% among men over the same period.” Burr’s thought is whether it could be household cleaning products that women are taking more of the labor to do around the house or is it something else? 

Commonwealthfund.org shows that in 2020, at the start of the pandemic, 53 million Americans (more than 20% of the population) acted as caregivers to an adult or child with disabilities. That is not surprising given the circumstances at the time, but more than 60% of these people were women. Around the world, up to 81% of all caregivers for older people are female. This could be just one of the many factors showing increases in health challenges and increases for women.

2. Black women experience a maternal mortality rate of 3X  

Dr. Bayo led a powerful talk about her experience after birth, and her TEDx Talk was rated one of the top-viewed videos in 2023 and has been viewed nearly 42 million times. Watch it here to hear what happened, but essentially, doctors brushed off her pain and symptoms post-birth of her second child when, in fact, she was experiencing internal bleeding. She could have died if her husband hadn’t rushed her to the OR just in time.

Why does she think this could have happened, especially to a doctor with all the resources to help her, and how could this have happened to women’s tennis pro Serena Williams, too? Unconscious bias. We all have it, but when it impacts big issues and becomes a systemic problem to treat patients for preventable symptoms, that’s when more work needs to be done to change certain interwoven perceptions that are not accurate.

3. It will take bipartisan efforts to move the needle for women’s health 

Strober asked participants how the DEA is voting on laws without realizing the impact on women. One meaningful one, for instance, is the rollback of virtual telehealth visits for prescriptions and its effects on women getting certain meds like Gabapentin, Ativan, Lunesta, etc. To read more, see her post on LinkedIn and be sure to sign the petition.

Also, consider joining the Women’s Health PAC founder's circle. It involves both sides (Democratic and Republican) coming together to make progress on key issues. Do your homework to understand the issues at play and how you can support and help. The event closed, reminding the audience of important upcoming dates—an online event to elect the democratic side in women’s health matters on September 16th. On the 26th, the Republican “Wonder Women PAC” will host an event. This article on what’s at stake in this election also highlights the different policy approaches.

4. New products are coming to support a more proactive, instead of reactive approach to women’s health

Brendan Foley is another awesome person to know who is leading women’s health options, care, and products to help. He attended the event, and Foley started Eve Wellness, a 3D ultrasound—a free screening that can be done within an hour. They’re on a mission to fill the void in breast cancer screenings. 

Michelle Agudelo, the founder of Haus of Flow, changed careers when she experienced first-hand how overwhelmingly overlooked menstrual education has been globally. Today, she teaches girls, women, and companies the benefits of cycle syncing. She provides comprehensive education about the menstrual cycle and how to address underlying symptoms so they can enjoy their periods. Michelle sees the WHPAC as a way to focus attention, bi-partisan support, and capital on something that affects the nearly 60 million women in the United States who are of reproductive age. 

To attend future women’s health events, visit Women’s Health PAC to learn more. Sign up to support, educate yourself further with an election, and help prioritize women’s health. Also, listen to our episode on how to get in front of menopause symptoms with new help for 30’s+, and stay tuned for more. There is so much we can do to improve women’s health in America, and I love being a part of and seeing organizations like this that are just getting started.

by Alicia

Give Yourself Permission: 4 Questions to Allow Yourself to Live a Happier, Wealthier Life

Are you tired of shame, blame, regret, and fear of failure holding you back from ultimate happiness and wealth? Kim O’Hara, the host and author of Gone with the Gunk: Permission to be Happy and Wealthy Women, believes it’s time for women to permit themselves to celebrate, inspire, and bask in a new paradigm! 

Life is too short to suffer in silence. This panel brought women together, and I was honored to participate. We talked about how to clear the gunk in your life. It was hosted at the beautiful NeueHouse in Venice Beach on August 29th. The main goal: 

Allow women to give themselves permission to live happier, more prosperous lives.

Expert Insights on Granting Yourself Permission

About the Host:

Kim O’Hara is a book coach in Los Angeles who spent years in television before becoming a book coach. She’s the author of the self-help book No Longer Denying Sexual Abuse: Making the Choices That Can Change Your Life. She has contributed to the LA Times and prestigious literary journals as an essayist. She writes a weekly Substack column, "I Give You Permission," based on her up-and-coming book, Gone with the Gunk: Permission to be Happy and Wealthy Women.  

About the Panelists (from left to right):

I talked about my life for over a decade, building two successful startups (Glassdoor and Lever) as a journalist, brand builder, and content marketer. Upon the birth of my third, I felt lost and took the plunge to build a venture and podcast, MomShine—while still writing in tech and honoring that side of myself.

Jae Wu is a lifelong entrepreneur who owns a residential real estate business in West Los Angeles. She loves the life she has created and enjoys sharing how she conquered life’s challenges to fulfill her dreams. She is the mother of 2 amazing boys, happily married to her husband of over 20 years. She enjoys staying physically active through beach volleyball, pickleball, running, and almost anything that involves movement. 

Allison Andrews Canter was wired for success from a young age and chased every opportunity she could. This led her to create San Diego Fashion Week, the longest-running and biggest independently owned and operated fashion week. She did all this while raising three little kids and authoring the book Ownership. In Ownership, Canter encourages you to get out of yourself, reach for the ultimate soul version of yourself, and inspire those around you to improve. 

Before starting her coaching and consulting practice Becoming Better Together, Jen Mayer led Teach For America’s national Staff Learning and Development team, which designed and facilitated leadership and liberatory-consciousness-based work for more than 1,700 people.

4 Questions Central to Giving Yourself Permission

1) How can you stop fearing failure and make friends with your past to live a more fulfilled life?

If you want to be an entrepreneur, I hate to break it to you, but there is a lot of failure along the way. There can be some things you view as failure where you shift your thinking not to fear it so much but embrace it. I love how Dr. Emmett Miller referred to losing in this episode about Becoming Your Best Self.  He turned that thinking into a simple analogy you can teach your kids. 

You Either Win or You Learn 

With that one simple shift, you can change how you look at failure so it’s not a fear but a welcome partner on your journey. There is always something to learn, even when things don’t go your way. Rewriting outdated scripts and learning resilience empowers you to succeed and view each milestone as a learning instead of a loss.

2) Is there a way to put shame, blame, and worry in the trash?

According to Allison on the panel, shame, and worry can be tools to self-reflect and look at something else to help guide you on a better path. If you aren’t regretting some things to some extent, you aren’t growing, and those signs could be something to look deeper into for answers. So, regret could be your tool and catapult your growth. As busy moms, you can worry all day and regret many things. That’s why there’s repair. 

But shame should be put aside to protect women’s health. So many women don’t look into health problems because of the shame we are taught at young ages, and it doesn’t serve us. Instead, we often suffer in silence when we’re told the symptoms are normal and a part of our everyday lives. 

I like how Gemma Allen discusses it in this Forbes article with Dr. Mary Claire, a doctor, and influencer in this space with over 3 million followers. She writes, “Menopause is finally coming of age via a generation of women refusing to accept stigma and generalizations and instead demanding an inclusive, shame-free system that is as broad and nuanced as the lives and experiences of those it serves.”

3) How can you be ok not knowing the outcome when granting yourself permission?

As women, we overanalyze, thinking we are supposed to know the return on investment (or ROI) of everything we set out to do. We are under societal pressure to perform and not fail because we have been pushing upstream in mud for so long. As the moderator and host, Kim assured us that the best accomplishments are when we dive in without knowing the answers and instead follow our hearts. 

For me, it was wanting to quit a year into MomShine and then waking up to the show being honored multiple times by the Communicator Awards. I still don’t know the outcome, but stick with it if you feel called to something! You do have to enjoy your journey and compete with yourself daily as your barometer of success. Only by embracing the struggle can you be ok with whatever the outcome might be.

4) How can women feel more powerful and not give power away?

Jae drove home a strong message in her response to this question on the panel. Her adversaries and critics constantly commented on her energy and overconfidence. Her reply: “I shouldn’t have to make myself smaller, so you feel more comfortable.” I couldn’t agree more with this statement. Women should own their confidence and positivity in their day-to-day lives and tune out the external noise that doesn’t serve them. The more you can tap into your power and own it, the less others will feel enabled to take it away.

I also believe in ruthless prioritization as a busy mom. How can you become a “one less thing” gal and take something off the never-ending list of to-dos? How can you shift and simplify to focus only on what will catapult your growth? These areas fire me up and inspire me to continue interviewing experts and pumping out great content for MomShine—helping simplify all the daily things busy moms struggle with!

MomShine is Here to Help You Prioritize Yourself for Success and Happiness

Follow the MomShine show for more clips from the panel, and subscribe to our newsletters to learn more. I’d love to see this intimate panel and discussion in the Bay Area soon, so stay tuned for more! It was a night where women left feeling connected, enabled, and more powerful to say no and give permission to grow, change, and learn on their journeys to success and happiness.

by Alicia

How to Get the Support Working Mothers Need to Stay in the Workplace

Getting the help and support you need to stay in the workforce is a key ingredient to keeping your calm and vital to a mom’s success in the workforce these days. Unsurprisingly, in a recent report by Motherly, of the nearly 6,000 mothers surveyed, 66% have considered stopping working outside the home because of the stress and cost of childcare.

I needed an expert in this area as I tried to grow a business and consult for clients to fund that business with limited childcare, endless kid activities, and housework to tend to. So, I pulled in Jenna Hermans for an exclusive interview on how to get the family support you need to keep in the workforce and not let go of your passions.

Jenna is the author of Chaos to Calm, Co-founder of her and her husband’s organization, Be Courageous, and mom to four thriving kids. During our interview, I uncovered her master tricks for getting your needed support.

1. Negotiate what you need from your partner as a working mom

In our interview, Jenna emphasizes the importance of negotiating responsibilities with partners. She describes how she and her husband agreed to share household duties more equally to alleviate her burden. Many studies show that sit-downs or date nights each week can make a big difference to your partnership and stress levels, and I’ve learned this myself firsthand. 

According to The Adventure Challenge website, “The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that couples who had a regular date night reported higher levels of intimacy, passion, and commitment. This study also found that date nights were associated with lower levels of stress and a higher quality of life. I can confirm that when my husband and I sit down away from the kids and talk through logistics in a calm space, the chaos of our week becomes a lot lighter.

2. Moms Supporting Moms! Lean on external support systems 

A recent Gallup study showed that only 21% of mothers who wish they had more help daily feel comfortable asking for support when needed. This is surprising but relatable. It’s hard to ask for help, and as a busy mom and woman, I found it hard to lean into female-led communities, but I needed to when I transitioned my career to something more sustainable. 

But why do nearly four in five (79%) say they do not feel comfortable asking for help when needed? Jenna pointed out in our interview that it’s key to have external support, such as childcare and help from family members. She notes that having reliable childcare allowed her to continue working without being overly stressed about her children's well-being. I can also say that leaning into female support systems like Hey Mama also helped me maneuver bigger areas or hurdles related to knowing what to prioritize as it related to my kids and workload when I got stuck.

3. Supporting working mothers relies on open communication across the entire family

Maintaining open communication within the family is crucial. Dr. Becky discusses this in her podcast with Chris Duffy on How to Be a Better Human, emphasizing that repair is the highest priority and building block you could focus on with your kids. She notes, “A repair looks to open up a conversation. It looks to change the direction of a conversation. It is actually an opportunity to learn a lot more.” 

Jenna also mentions this and how discussing her work commitments and expectations with her family helped them understand her needs and provide the necessary support. Families need to work together to divide and conquer, and this helps build on those life skills in the future.

4. Seek out flexible working arrangements with your employers for working moms

Jenna talks about the benefits of flexible work arrangements, which allowed her to balance her professional and personal life better. Flexibility in working hours and the option to work from home can make a significant difference. A recent hybrid workspace and technology report shows that 97% of tech companies offer work location flexibility for their employees. 

This could be due to the nature of tech and its allowing for more work-from-home capability, which lends to easy collaboration tools, or the fact that the model has been tested in many industries and has not stunted productivity. Either way, flexibility is needed for a busy mom’s success in the workplace, as is open communication, support systems, and a solid partnership all along the way.

5. Model and practice vulnerability

Modeling vulnerability in senior roles is a powerful leadership approach that fosters trust, connection, and authenticity within teams. When leaders openly acknowledge their challenges, uncertainties, or mistakes, they become human, more relatable, and approachable.

When I asked Jenna how to break down the divide sometimes to enable more women in leadership to mentor junior employees within companies, it all came down to modeling vulnerability. If it’s modeled at the top, more women are likely to follow suit and connect instead of competing in the workforce with one another.

Check out my full interview with Jenna on the MomShine podcast and use these strategies to help maintain a successful career and family dynamic simultaneously.

by Alicia

Mompreneurs are Creating Maternal Job Satisfaction by Monetizing Big Ideas

Balancing nurturing your children and maintaining personal fulfillment can be challenging for moms. The desire for job satisfaction often lingers in the background, especially for those who have put their careers on hold to focus on motherhood. 

However, there is a way to spin the entrepreneurial lens as it being an exciting opportunity to combine your passion, skills, and experiences into a venture that not only brings financial rewards but also deepens your sense of accomplishment, especially if that idea is exciting to pursue while juggling mom obligations.

Expert Mompreneurs Take Note

I pulled in an expert to interview on this topic. Melissa Llarena is a supermom who took the risk and ended up with an Amazon best-selling book, The Fertile Imagination: A Guide to Stretching Every Mom’s Superpower for Maximum Impact. She also holds a psychology degree from New York University, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate, which she is training to become a meditation practitioner. 

This article on our interview will guide you through unlocking your superpowers to monetize your next big idea, leading you to maternal job satisfaction.

1. Discover your passion and skills throughout motherhood

The first step in this journey is to identify what you’re passionate about and the skills you possess. Your life as a mom equips you with unique insights, multitasking abilities, and a deep understanding of family dynamics. According to Melissa, “These invaluable experiences can be the foundation of a business idea that resonates with other mothers or families.”

Reflect on what excites you and what you’re naturally good at. Do you have a knack for organizing, a talent for creating educational content, or a passion for healthy cooking? Your interests and abilities are the starting points for creating something meaningful in the market. 

2. Research and validate your idea before embarking on monetizing it

Once you’ve identified a potential idea, it’s essential to research the market. This involves understanding the needs of your target audience, analyzing competitors, and ensuring a demand for your product or service. 

Engage with communities of mothers, both online and offline, to gather insights. Join forums, social media groups, or local mom meet-ups to discuss your idea and receive feedback. This process will help refine your concept and ensure it addresses a real need.

3. Create a plan and set goals as you build your business as a mom

The next step is to create a detailed business plan with a validated idea. This plan should include your mission statement, target audience, marketing strategy, and financial projections. Melissa shares many valuable business resources and creative ideas on her weekly podcast, the Mom Founder Imagination Hub podcast. Ultimately, setting realistic, attainable goals is crucial in keeping your business on track and measuring your success over time.

As Melissa points out in our interview, your time is precious as a mom, so it’s important to prioritize tasks and set achievable milestones. Whether setting up a website, launching a product, or acquiring your first customers, breaking your goals into manageable steps will help you maintain momentum and stay focused.

4. Leverage technology to scale your business as a mompreneur

In today’s digital age, technology offers numerous tools and platforms to help you scale your business. From social media marketing to e-commerce platforms and online learning resources, technology can streamline your operations and expand your reach.

Invest time learning about these tools and how they can benefit your business—for example, using social media to build a community around your brand, setting up an online store to sell your products, or creating a blog or podcast to share your expertise. These avenues not only help grow your business but also connect with other like-minded moms who can support and promote your venture.

5. Balance work and family life in realistic ways

One of the most significant challenges of running a business as a mother is finding the right balance between work and family life. It’s important to set boundaries, manage your time effectively, and involve your family in your entrepreneurial journey. 

Incorporate flexibility into your business model, allowing you to adjust your work hours according to your family’s needs. This might mean working during a nap, getting up earlier, or carving time in the evenings after bedtime. Melissa points out that the ultimate goal is to create a business that complements your life as a mother, not one that overwhelms it.

6. Seek support and collaborative groups like local mom groups and other mompreneurs

Building a network of support is essential for success. Surround yourself with people who understand and encourage your entrepreneurial journey. This could be a partner, friends, family members, or other mompreneurs who share your goals and challenges.

Collaboration is another powerful tool. Partnering with other mothers or businesses can help you reach new audiences, share resources, and develop innovative products that don’t exist yet in the market. Working together can lighten the load and make the process more enjoyable and less isolating.

7. Celebrate your Mompreneur wins

Finally, it’s crucial to celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem. Recognize your progress and reward yourself for your hard work and dedication to your business. Celebrating your wins boosts your morale and motivates you to keep pushing forward.

Remember, creating maternal job satisfaction is about aligning your work with your values and lifestyle. By monetizing your next big idea, you can build a fulfilling career that brings financial rewards and enriches your life as a mother.

Final Thoughts on Monetizing Your Next Idea for Maternal Job Satisfaction

Monetizing your next big idea is more than just about making money; it’s about creating a meaningful venture that reflects your identity as a mother and a professional. By following these steps, you can unlock your mom superpowers, find job satisfaction, and achieve a harmonious balance between your work and family life.

Listen to our full episode and interview about Unlocking Your Superpowers to Monetize Your Next Big Idea here or on Spotify! 

by Alicia