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