There’s no clean handoff between work and parenting. It all happens at the same time.

Paula shares how years of frustration over finding snacks her kids would actually eat turned into Sampleit, and what it really took to get there. Not a perfect routine or carved-out hours, but stolen moments between school drop-offs, snack requests, and the constant pull of little people who need you right now.

Paula opens up about the mom guilt that creeps in when you're trying to build something for yourself, how she navigates work when her kids are watching, and why she stopped trying to separate the two. She also talks about the "let me fill you up" approach that became her reset button and what it actually looks like to show up for your business and your family in the same messy hour.

This is what building something looks like when you're also raising someone.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Meet Paula Wise

(01:33) The idea behind Sampleit

(03:40) How motherhood shifted what work felt like

(10:30) "Better for you" vs perfect parenting

(11:45) What flexible work actually looks like day to day

(19:45) Trying to be present while your brain is still working

(26:55) Why working outside the house can feel easier

(28:10) Traveling without your kids and what comes up

(33:03) Teaching independence and modeling work

(35:11) Staying connected while you're away

(39:54) Taking time off as a business owner

(41:54) Save of the week: Empty boxes > toys

Connect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/

Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/

Connect with Paula Wise: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulawise/
Check out Sampleit: https://sampleitbox.com/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com

What happens when the childcare system fails you? You’re a mom, you fix it.

In this episode, Karen Kelly shares how losing afterschool care for her son two years in a row led her to quit her job as a startup president and build a grassroots movement. After a single post in her town's mom Facebook group yielded 75 emails overnight, she mobilized 600 parents, negotiated with local vendors, and helped launch a new afterschool program at a summer camp just 500 yards from her backyard.

Karen opens up about the tension of working in a venture-backed startup culture, where 12-hour days were the norm, and how that clash reshaped her priorities. She also talks about the real struggles of working moms, why the pressure to "choose" is so pervasive, and what it actually takes to find a balance between career and family that's uniquely yours.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Meet Karen Kelly

(02:26) Why Karen quit her tech presidency

(04:36) Mobilizing parents for local childcare solutions

(08:50) What local boards and committees can impact

(10:34) How to navigate the invisible 15-minute mental load

(12:53) Some seasonal struggles of summer childcare

(16:16) Comparisons on global and US childcare systems

(18:53) How to find purpose beyond the mom title

(20:16) Parenting realities within venture culture

(22:42) The struggle of leading tech companies through a pandemic

(25:23) Exploring social infrastructure and human connection

(29:57) The key to managing the full-stack mom identity

(32:39) Building authentic connection through shared failure

(34:55) Facilitating calm and confident AI adoption

(38:09) Save of the week: AI as a buddy and community

Connect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/

Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/

Connect with Karen Kelly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-kelly-daring-greatly/

Check out Launch by Lunch: https://launchbylunch.co/

Check out Built by Karen: https://builtbykaren.com/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com

Balancing a career in tech with motherhood requires more than time management. It requires rewriting the rules.

Margaret Kelsey shares what it really looks like to build a high-impact career while navigating motherhood, divorce, and a beautifully complex blended family. From getting hired eight months pregnant to redesigning her career through fractional work, Margaret breaks down the real decisions behind making work and life actually work without pretending it’s easy or perfectly balanced.

The conversation goes into the hidden dynamics that shape working moms’ careers, including why so many women feel forced to choose, how outdated workplace expectations persist today, and what it takes to rewrite the rules in your own life.

If you’ve ever questioned whether you can have both a meaningful career and a full life outside of work, this episode offers an honest, nuanced look at what’s possible and what it actually takes.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Meet Margaret Kelsey

(00:45) Navigating a nontraditional family structure

(02:47) Moving between full-time and fractional work

(05:07) Getting hired while pregnant

(07:10) Returning to work after maternity leave

(08:23) Building a flexible advising career

(11:16) The importance of role models for working moms

(14:534) Navigating pregnancy and job changes

(19:23) The realities behind workplace bias

(21:54) How "Primary Parent Days" changed everything

(32:38) Rethinking parenting roles and responsibilities

(36:54) Save of the week: Surviving & Thriving

Connect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/

Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/

Connect with Margaret Kelsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-kelsey-104abba/

Check out Kodaris – The Supply Chain Platform: https://www.kodaris.com/

Try Riverside Pro free for a month with code fullstackmoms at https://creators.riverside.com/FullStackMoms

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com