Between Meetings and Motherhood

She wanted her own business at six years old. At 26, she quit teaching in the middle of her third year with two months of savings and moved back in with her mom. Now Amariah Murdoch runs INFINITEXEC, an executive assistant agency for founders, and she’s about to map out a five-million-dollar goal out loud.In this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks sits down with Amariah, founder and CEO of Infinity Exec, host of the Mompreneurs Making Moves podcast, and mom to a toddler, for an honest conversation about knowing your worth, surviving a brutal year, and an “anatomy of a big shit goal” where they work backwards from the dream to the first steps.In this episode:* How she went from burned-out teacher to six figures in 18 months* The client who added a few hundred dollars to her rate, and what knowing your worth did for her business* Basic virtual assistant vs. executive assistant: calendar and inbox examples that show the difference* Why her job is to protect a founder’s energy and capacity: cash flow gives you options, and options bring joy* Building a business while postpartum: a client call, then a diaper change* Her hardest year: losing major clients early in 2026 as the family’s breadwinner, and the “screw it” decision that turned it around* How she guards her mornings, plans priorities the day before, and uses time windows instead of time blocks* The anatomy of a big shit goal: $5 million net worth in five years, working backwards from $500K to $600K in agency revenue in 2027* Her plan to buy “boring” businesses like laundromats and gas stations* What it would take to push from $500K to $800K: a niche, tighter systems, a bigger team, and partnerships* Her first steps: lean into her warm network, build partnerships, and finally invest in marketingAmariah is featured in the November issue of Mothered Magazine. Read the full interview at motheredmagazine.com.📲 Find Amariah: infinityexec.com | Amariah Murdoch on LinkedIn and Instagram🎙️ Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder of Mothered Media and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine, a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time.#MomFounder #MomEntrepreneur #BigGoals #VirtualAssistant #ExecutiveAssistant #WealthBuilding #WomenInBusiness #MomPodcast #BetweenMeetingsAndMotherhood #MotheredMedia #MotheredMagazine #DoingBigShit #BusinessGrowth #FemaleFounder #Entrepreneurship Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe

Morgan Everson was pregnant, working remotely, and had no idea how she and her husband would manage childcare. When her friend Britt pitched her a childcare, coworking, and fitness space, she thought: this is a product I would pay for. Her son Jack went through Haven from infancy to kindergarten, and she’s now COO of the company.In this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks sits down with Morgan, co-founder and COO of Haven, about going from one-person consulting to a brick-and-mortar business, and how she’s making Haven repeatable.In this episode:* Why she knew Haven was a good idea: it solved her own problem while she was pregnant with no childcare plan* Her business philosophy: find life’s pain points and build a business around them* The leap from solo consulting to a real building, with licenses, leases, regulations, and kids walking through the door* How early jobs as a sailing instructor, launch driver, and boatyard worker shaped her hands-on approach* Why customer service is the heart of running a childcare business* Getting an MBA part-time with a two-year-old at home, and why she wouldn’t do it again but is glad she did* Grit vs. grace: how a D3 lacrosse mindset met motherhood* How she and Britt work together: Britt ideates, Morgan figures out how to make it repeatable* What franchising really involves: hundreds of pages of contracts, disclosures, and building a “recipe” others can run* Why every location needs an owner who knows the community* Her personal goal: put the phone down at soccer practice and be fully present* Her favorite word, which she warns may make her the only guest to pick itMorgan is featured in the November issue of Mothered Magazine. Read the full interview at motheredmagazine.com.📲 Learn more or bring Haven to your town: yourhaven.com🎙️ Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder of Mothered Media and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine, a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time.#MomFounder #MomEntrepreneur #Childcare #WorkingMoms #Franchising #StartupLife #OperationsLeadership #MomPodcast #BetweenMeetingsAndMotherhood #MotheredMedia #MotheredMagazine #Haven #FemaleFounder #MBA #WorkingParents Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe

She raised four kids as a single mom, won her age group at an Olympic-distance triathlon at 58, and wants Haven to be bigger than McDonald’s. Christy Johnson is a co-founder of Haven, and in this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks talks with her about building community, redefining resilience, and why her big goal is every city.Christy has a master’s in developmental psychology from Columbia, spent years as a personal trainer, and has done seven Ironmans. She was an empty nester in her fifties when she met Britt Riley and joined her in building a childcare company where parents get cared for too.In this episode:* Why drop-and-go childcare left her lonely as a young mom, and the all-in-one model she wanted instead* How a Haven day works: a flexible drop-off window, a workout or sauna, a work block, and being present at pickup* Why even moms who never enroll a child should come in, because loneliness is real* Her take on resilience: “we don’t want to spring back, we want to grow forward”* Why support builds more resilience than survival mode* The gas station story: the mom whose toddler played in a cardboard box, and the tuition Christy quietly paid* From seven Ironmans and two trips to Kona to winning her age group by 34 minutes at 58* Going from too scared to speak in college to ad-libbing a fundraiser speech* Teaching herself startup finance with an online Cambridge course* Her big goal: Haven in every city, the way you can walk into SoulCycle or Soho House anywhere* Her personal goals: one more Ironman at 60, a golf club championship, and an apple orchard with a tree net for future grandkidsChristy is featured in the November issue of Mothered Magazine. Read the full interview at motheredmagazine.com.📲 Learn more or open a Haven: yourhaven.com | Christy Johnson on LinkedIn🎙️ Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder of Mothered Media and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine, a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time.#Ironman #WomenOver50 #MomFounder #Childcare #WorkingMoms #Resilience #WomenInBusiness #MomPodcast #BetweenMeetingsAndMotherhood #MotheredMedia #MotheredMagazine #Haven #Franchise #EmptyNester #FemaleFounder Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe

Britt Riley had a one-year-old, a newborn who refused every bottle, and a career she wasn’t willing to give up. She knew something had to give, and she couldn’t change what childcare costs, because that money pays the people caring for our kids. So she built a way to support the parents instead. That became Haven: licensed childcare for ages zero to five, plus coworking, fitness classes, and wellness services, all under one roof.In this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks sits down with Britt, founder and CEO of Haven and the cover of the November issue of Mothered Magazine, about building a business that treats parents as part of the care.In this episode:* The moment she knew something had to change: a newborn who wouldn’t take a bottle, a toddler, and a career she loved* Why she refused to lower the price of childcare, and what she built to support parents instead* Why Haven is more than childcare: coworking, fitness classes, infrared saunas, massage, brows, and waxing in one place* Her test for every new service: does it save parents time, money, or give them peace of mind?* Why she brought in co-founders from day one, and how to find people who complement your weaknesses* Why having no childcare background was an advantage* Why families are having more kids once they feel supported* Needlepointing instead of scrolling: the hobby she picked up so her daughters would see her put the phone down* Her big goal: every childcare center feels like “family care,” and parents can travel for work and find a Haven there* Why every Haven franchise needs an owner who is the face and heartbeat of the communityBritt is the cover of the November issue of Mothered Magazine. Read her full exclusive interview at motheredmagazine.com.📲 Learn more or bring Haven to your town: yourhaven.com🎙️ Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder of Mothered Media and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine, a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time.#Childcare #WorkingMoms #MomFounder #MomEntrepreneur #WorkingParents #Coworking #FamilyCare #MomPodcast #BetweenMeetingsAndMotherhood #MotheredMedia #MotheredMagazine #Haven #Franchise #ChildcareSolutions #FemaleFounder Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe

Mom Founders: if you’re ready for real business growth with a community of other mom founders around the world, join the Mothered Founders Club. Waitlist is open, doors open mid-November to waitlist members first! Join us https://www.motheredmedia.com/founders-club Imagine speaking to a room of 200 people. You’d talk about it for months, post the photos, and put it on your speaker reel. So why does 200 views on a video feel like failure? In this solo episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks breaks down why mom founders feel so cringe about posting online, and how one reframe can get you to hit publish.Cringe is fear of what strangers think of you, and those strangers aren’t paying your bills. Alexa shares what her first LinkedIn and Instagram posts felt like, why confidence comes after action instead of before it, and why you’ve already done something far more exposing than posting a carousel: you grew and birthed a baby.In this episode:* The 200 people in a room reframe: why 200 views is a packed event, not a flop* The math: five posts a week at 200 views a day is 10,000 new people seeing your business* Why cringe is really fear, and how to find where it shows up in your body* Why a stranger’s opinion shouldn’t decide how you show up in your business* The corporate-to-entrepreneur mindset shift: you can’t care about everyone’s opinion anymore* Why confidence comes from doing, and the “but did you die?” test for posting* Why it took months of daily posting before LinkedIn and Instagram took off* Why most businesses quit around month two, and what 40 weeks of showing up looks like* Your homework: post the cringy thing today, tag Alexa, and she’ll reshare itPosting is easier when someone’s cheering you on. That’s what the Mothered Founders Club is for: a global membership for mom founders who want real business growth together, with collaborations, referrals, partnerships, and other moms who get it. 280+ mom founders are already on the waitlist, and the link is in the description.Join the waitlist, doors open mid-November! Members get exclusive priority access and discounted pricing.🎙️ Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder of Mothered Media and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine, a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time.#MomFounder #MomEntrepreneur #PersonalBranding #SocialMediaTips #ContentCreation #Visibility #MotheredFoundersClub #MomPodcast #BetweenMeetingsAndMotherhood #MotheredMedia #WomenInBusiness #LinkedInTips #InstagramTips #DoingBigShit Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe

Most pregnant women spend months on the registry, the nursery, and the baby shower, then hit the fourth trimester with no plan for themselves. Nina Spears has spent 15 years changing that. She’s a baby planner, birth and postpartum doula, massage therapist, and author of The Baby Chick Guide to Positive Pregnancy, and she thinks you should start preparing for postpartum before the third trimester even begins.In this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks sits down with Nina for a funny, honest conversation about how to prepare for postpartum, build your village, and share the mental load with your partner from the day you see that positive pregnancy test.In this episode:* Why you should treat your third trimester as postpartum prep, and what to do in the second trimester to get ahead of it* How to write a postpartum plan: the pelvic floor therapist, lactation consultant, and mental health therapist to research before you need them* What to put on your baby registry instead of another bouncy seat: meal delivery, house cleaning, a postpartum doula, a night nanny* How to build your village while you’re still pregnant, and what to do if you can’t afford to outsource* Postpartum depression, anxiety, rage, OCD, PTSD, and psychosis: what the perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are and why none of it makes you a bad mom* Why Nina treats a birth plan like a flowchart instead of a wish list* Nina’s experience with placenta encapsulation and why some of her clients swear by it* Nina’s planned home birth: three hours of pushing, a baby coming out crooked, and the EMTs arriving just as he was born* The fetal ejection reflex: why her second birth was completely different* The invisible load starts at the positive pregnancy test, not when the baby arrives, and how partners can carry their share from week one* Why people spend more time on the wedding than the marriage, and more time on the nursery than on parenthood* Nina’s big goal: a full education and community platform that becomes a “nest” for moms from pregnancy through postpartumNina’s book The Baby Chick Guide to Positive Pregnancy is a week-by-week guide with partner tips, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and Walmart.📲 Find Nina: baby-chick.com (2,800+ free articles, her book, birth and postpartum courses, and baby planning services) | @thebabychick on Instagram🎙️ Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder of Mothered Media and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine, a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time. Join the waitlist for our upcoming Mothered Founders Club, for ambitious mom founders globally who want to build businesses together.#PostpartumPlan #PostpartumPreparation #PregnancyTips #BabyPlanner #Doula #PostpartumDoula #PostpartumSupport #MomPodcast #BetweenMeetingsAndMotherhood #MotheredMedia #PositivePregnancy #BirthPrep #MentalLoad #PostpartumDepression #NewMom Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe

When was the last time someone asked you what you want to build — not how you juggle it all, not how you manage it while raising kids, but what you actually want to build? In this solo episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks gets into it: what doing big shit actually means, why your goal isn’t big enough if it doesn’t scare you, and why the biggest things are never done alone.In this episode:* What “doing big shit” actually means — and why revenue and hustle have nothing to do with it* The test: if saying your goal out loud doesn’t give you a pit in your stomach, it’s not big enough* Why moms are constantly given permission to be ambitious — but only a little bit — and why that’s holding us back* How Alexa went from maternity leave coaching to building a global media company to shift the cultural narrative around motherhood* Why working backwards from a scary goal is the only real business strategy* Why the biggest goals are never achieved alone — and why competition is the wrong frame entirely* The Mothered Founders Club: a global community for mom founders to do big shit together — collaborations, referrals, workshops, quarterly goal sprints, and rooms full of women who actually get it* How to join the waitlist today as a founding member (link in description)Your homework: write down your big shit goal — the real one, the scary one — and send it to Alexa on Instagram or LinkedIn. Or comment it below.Founding member waitlist is open now at https://www.motheredmedia.com/founders-club🎙️ Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder of Mothered Media and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine — a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time.#MomFounder #MomEntrepreneur #BigGoals #MotheredFoundersClub #MomPodcast #BetweenMeetingsAndMotherhood #MotheredMedia #MotheredMagazine #WomenInBusiness #MomBoss #FemaleFounder #MomCommunity #AmbitionAndMotherhood #StartupLife #DoingBigShit Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe

She started developing the app just days after giving birth to her third child. Not because she had it all figured out — but because she’d spent years as a massage therapist, prenatal and postpartum doula, and lactation counselor watching new mothers fall through the cracks, and she knew exactly what they needed. So she built it.In this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks sits down with Brooke Orloff, co-founder of Mone Wellness — a comprehensive postpartum platform that brings together evidence-informed education, symptom logging for mom and baby, community forums, and a directory of 200+ vetted women’s health providers, all in one place.In this episode:* What Mone Wellness actually does: articles, videos, logging, community forums, and a provider directory all in one app* Why postpartum education needs to start prenatally — and how Moan is built around that* Her second birth: prodromal labor for weeks, a traumatic delivery, and what it took to process and heal before her third* How her third birth — calm, efficient, and smooth — changed everything, including her recovery* Still breastfeeding her 16-month-old and why she can’t quite bring herself to wean* The identity shift that hit hardest after her second baby — and the fragmentation she didn’t see coming* Starting Mone just days postpartum and why she calls it her fourth baby* Why she went from massage therapy to doula work to lactation counseling — and how each step led to the next* The big goal: Mone as the recommended postpartum resource integrated across OB offices, birth centers, midwifery practices, and doula networks nationwide* Why every birthing person deserves a doula — and what happens when partners are properly prepared for birthBrooke is also featured in the October issue of Mothered Magazine — read the full interview at motheredmagazine.com.📲 Find Mone Wellness: monewellness.com | Available on Apple & Android | @moanwellness on social | Brooke Flynn Orloff on LinkedIn🎙️ Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder of Mothered Media and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine — a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time.#PostpartumSupport #PostpartumRecovery #Doula #LactationSupport #MomPodcast #BetweenMeetingsAndMotherhood #MotheredMagazine #MotheredMedia #NewMomSupport #MomsHealth #PostpartumApp #MomFounder #BirthSupport #Breastfeeding #MaternalHealth Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe

She dropped out of high school at 17, got her GED, and flew to South Africa with a group of strangers. While there, she was handed a three-day-old baby boy whose 14-year-old mother had given birth alone in the woods and fled. Everyone’s heart turned to the baby. Charlee’s went straight to the mom. That moment planted a seed that became Every Mother’s Advocate — a national nonprofit now operating in 17 cities across the US, working to prevent children from entering foster care by wrapping mothers in crisis with support, relationships, and resources before it’s too late.In this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks sits down with Charlee Tchividjian, founder and CEO of Every Mother’s Advocate (EMA) — the October cover of Mothered Magazine — for a conversation about motherhood, mission, burnout, and what it really means to fight for families the system has written off.In this episode:* The moment in South Africa that changed everything — and why Charlee’s heart went to the mom, not the baby* Why less than 10% of children enter foster care due to abuse — and what’s really driving family separation* How EMA works: trained volunteers, professional case managers, and a wraparound model that gets moms from crisis to stability* Starting a nonprofit from a college dorm room at 20 years old — with zero business background* Becoming licensed foster parents before having biological kids — and what watching birth moms fight the system did to Charlee’s mission* The hustle culture reckoning: working 80-hour weeks in the name of a noble cause — and why COVID forced her to slow down* What a 50/50 partnership with her husband actually looks like in practice* Why it might take her longer to get where she’s going — and why she’s made peace with that* From 17 cities to millions of moms: the open-source, app-based model she’s building to multiply EMA’s reach* The big dream: bringing EMA back to where it all started — South AfricaCharlee is the October cover of Mothered Magazine — read the full exclusive interview at motheredmagazine.com.📲 Find EMA: ema.org | @charleetchividjian on Instagram & LinkedIn🎙️ Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder of Mothered Media and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine — a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time.#FosterCare #MomNonprofit #FamilySeparation #MomPodcast #BetweenMeetingsAndMotherhood #MotheredMagazine #MotheredMedia #MomsInCrisis #MomFounder #SocialImpact #EveryMothersAdvocate #WorkingMoms #MomEntrepreneur #MaternalSupport #NonprofitLeader Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe

She didn’t go back to school for a master’s degree in clinical psychology because she had it all figured out. She went because she was in the thick of early motherhood, things were coming up from her own childhood she couldn’t ignore, and she wanted to break the cycle — for her daughters, and for herself. What she built on the other side is the Women’s Center for Healing, a mental health practice specifically designed for women, gender diverse individuals, and the underserved communities who keep falling through the cracks of a system not built for them.In this episode of Between Meetings & Motherhood, host Alexa Starks sits down with Cheryl Przezdziecki, founder and clinical director of the Women’s Center for Healing for one of the most honest, grounded conversations this podcast has had about childhood trauma, reparenting, co-regulation, and what it actually means to break generational cycles while raising daughters.In this episode:* Why motherhood — not a classroom — was what finally launched Cheryl’s mental health journey* What holistic, trauma-informed therapy actually looks like and why it starts by going back before you can move forward* Reparenting: what it is, why it matters, and how to become the inner parent your inner child always needed* The question that changes everything: what kind of parent did you wish you had?* Why your kids mirror your own inner child — and what to do when a certain age or phase suddenly triggers you* Co-regulation with toddlers: why letting them have the meltdown is sometimes the most powerful thing you can do* The mom timeout: going to your own room instead of putting your kid in one* Why children owe their parents nothing — not even a relationship — and what that reframe does for how you show up* Raising daughters to name patriarchy, challenge body image messaging, and never shrink to fit a system* What Cheryl learned about herself raising two daughters through every phase — and what she sees now that they’re in college* Why she built the Women’s Center for Healing: because the gaps in care were too big and the people falling through them too important to ignore* The best advice she gives her daughters right now: if you don’t fit the system, create oneCheryl is also featured in the October issue of Mothered Magazine — read the full interview at motheredmagazine.com.📲 Find Cheryl: thewomenscenterforhealing.com | @thewomenscenterforhealing on Instagram🎙️ Between Meetings & Motherhood is hosted by Alexa Starks, founder of Mothered Media and editor-in-chief of Mothered Magazine — a podcast for ambitious moms building businesses and raising families at the same time.#MaternalMentalHealth #Reparenting #GenerationalTrauma #MomPodcast #BetweenMeetingsAndMotherhood #MotheredMagazine #MotheredMedia #TraumaHealing #MomTherapist #RaisingDaughters #MomMentalHealth #WorkingMoms #MomFounder #BreakingCycles #WomensMentalHealth Get full access to Like a Motherf*cker at likeamotherf.substack.com/subscribe