What does it take to build a successful career and scale a business without sacrificing your authentic self or taking life too seriously?

Lauren Aquilino, Co-founder & CMO of EMMIE Collective, joins Mallory Lee and Shannon Curran to talk about breaking away from "traditional" agency norms, embracing being a "personality hire" in tech, and using humor and grace as essential strategies for both business and parenting. Together, they reflect on offloading the tasks that don't serve you, why human empathy is the ultimate differentiator in the age of AI, and how to navigate working-mom life when things literally explode, like neon green slime across the living room.

Throughout the conversation, they explore overcoming founder fear, building a company culture centered on fun, handling crisis communications, and navigating the daily chaos of motherhood, picky eaters, and chronic illness with a sense of humor.

If you're a working mom, founder, or tech leader trying to scale your career while staying true to who you are, this episode offers a funny, relatable, and candid perspective on making it work in public.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Intro

(01:11) Meet Lauren Aquilino and EMMIE Collective

(05:15) On crisis comms and navigating PR emergencies

(07:01) Boy mom advice and short-lived first loves

(08:29) How to build a business vs. maintaining it

(11:00) Bringing on a co-founder and scaling a team

(18:06) The "Is He Trash?" series and Pretty Funny Business

(20:16) Injecting humor and personality into B2B tech

(29:58) About gentle parenting and sibling fights

(32:15) The great neon green slime explosion

(37:43) Saves of the week

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

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

Connect with Lauren Aquilino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenaquilino/

Check out EMMIE Collective: http://www.emmieco.com

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com

What happens when the career you worked years to build collides with the identity shift of becoming a parent?

In this episode, we sit down with Tamara Hinckley, former Pinterest product leader and founder of Momentum Rising, to talk about the moment many working moms quietly face: wondering if the way they are working still fits the life they want.

Tamara shares her journey from building a career in tech, navigating infertility and postpartum depression, and returning to work after having children, to realizing that many ambitious moms are stuck in what she calls “no-moms land.” She talks about why the early years of parenting can create an identity crisis and how motherhood changes the way we evaluate our careers. The answer is not always stepping back; sometimes it means finding work that matters even more.

Together, they discuss building community, making intentional career decisions, and creating space to reconnect with who you are in a new chapter of life.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Meet Tamara Hinckley

(06:06) Navigating infertility and motherhood challenges

(09:43) Returning to work after becoming a mom

(10:50) The “no-moms land” leadership gap

(12:17) Building Momentum Rising for working moms

(17:53) The identity shift of becoming a mother

(25:53) Rethinking career decisions after kids

(30:47) How to build a company with purpose

(42:09) The journey from product leader, coach, and entrepreneur
(44:05) Save of the week

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

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

Connect with Tamara Hinckley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tvhinckley/

Check out Momentum Rising: https://www.momentumrising.com/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com

What does it really mean to be a modern dad? And how is this generation reshaping parenthood alongside demanding careers?

Mallory and Shannon explore the data behind today's millennial dads, sharing surprising research on hands on parenting, paternity leave, identity, and why fathers are playing a bigger role at home than ever before. They reflect on their own families, workplace culture, and the partners who make ambitious careers possible. They also share insights on childcare trends, flexible work, parental leave, mental load, parenting research, family traditions, and raising children as equal partners.

Whether you're a working mom, working dad, or simply figuring out how to balance career, family, and everything in between, this episode is a reminder that parenting works best as a team.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) How millennial dads define their identity and career balance

(02:33) The data behind modern hands-on fatherhood

(08:41) Equality in identity and modern parenting expectations

(12:04) The changing culture of diaper duty

(18:18) The rise of paternity leave and workplace shifts

(22:52) Parenting out loud and changing workplace norms

(24:56) Building family traditions and predictability for kids

(27:32) How modern dads actively research better parenting strategies

(36:11) Saves of the week

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

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

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com

What does burnout really look like when you love your job, but your family is paying the price?

Mollie Bodensteiner, VP of Revenue Operations at ZoomInfo, shares the moment she realized her career had taken too much from life at home, and why stepping away from a role she loved became the right decision. Together with Mallory Lee and Shannon Curran, she reflects on ambition, burnout, shifting priorities, and learning to redefine success without letting go of a meaningful career.

Throughout the conversation, they explore working mom guilt, protecting personal boundaries, building healthier work environments, leadership through leverage instead of overwork, and the ongoing challenge of balancing career growth with being present at home.

If you're a working mom navigating burnout, ambition, identity, or trying to build a career without sacrificing what matters most, this episode offers an honest perspective that will resonate.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Intro

(01:05) Meet Mollie Bodensteiner

(02:26) Recognizing burnout beyond the workplace

(03:53) When career success starts affecting family

(07:23) Knowing when it's time to make a change

(10:17) Finding a workplace that values family

(11:12) Why mom guilt never fully goes away

(13:36) Business travel and feeling absent at home

(16:19) Burnout, self care, and impossible standards

(20:05) Letting your kids decide what matters most

(27:19) Setting boundaries that actually stick

(29:35) Breaking promises to yourself leads to burnout

(35:02) Why great leaders stop trying to do everything

(37:10) Saves of the week

Connect with Mollie Bodensteiner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molliebodensteiner/

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

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

Check out ZoomInfo: https://www.zoominfo.com/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com

What happens when we stop focusing on the career costs of motherhood, and start looking at what value it actually gives us?

Alexa Starks, founder and CEO of Mothered Media and Editor-in-Chief of Mothered Magazine, talks about her journey through systemic advocacy, launching a magazine, and building a business while raising two toddlers. Alexa opens up about launching the groundbreaking Maternal Strengths Report, proving the undeniable ROI of motherhood on leadership, and balancing corporate redesign with parenthood.

In this conversation, Alexa shares insights on mental load, proximity bias, return-to-office mandates, parental support villages, scaling a business, and the confidence that comes with proving the worth of working moms. \

If you’re a working parent navigating ambition, mom guilt, identity, or the constant juggle between career and home life, this episode will hit close to home.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Meet Alexa Starks

(01:16) Founding Mothered Media and shifting the narrative

(02:54) Starting a business while having toddlers

(05:57) The logistics of an odd-numbered family

(08:34) Relocating to Europe and parenting without a village

(12:17) Pivoting to systemic advocacy and corporate research

(14:37) Quantifying maternal strengths and leadership ROI

(19:31) Dismantling manager bias and the return-to-office push

(26:45) All about macro trends, Zoom fatigue, and thoughtful flexibility

(33:59) Writing a bestseller and National Working Motherhood Week

(36:44) Saves of the week

(42:03) Fear of failure and pushing past the confidence gap

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

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

Connect with Alexa Starks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexastarks/

Check out Mothered Media: https://www.motheredmedia.com/

Check out Mothered Magazine: https://www.motheredmagazine.com/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com

What happens when corporate ambition, the chaotic realities of postpartum recovery, and the search for modern community collide?

Mallory Lee and Shannon Curran get into it with the raw, unfiltered moments of building tech careers while raising toddlers. From the surreal experience of traveling for business while orchestrating a complex village of family childcare, to navigating the unspoken boundaries of modern parenting, they discuss what it actually takes to make it all work in public.

In this conversation, they share candid insights on surviving a grueling 73-hour labor, the bizarre juxtaposition of corporate tech culture at President's Clubs and wellness social spas, and the generational gaps that show up in everyday office life. They also reflect on why hyper-independence might be breaking our parenting boundaries, and how letting go of total control is often the only way to gain a true community.

If you’re a working parent balancing professional travel, navigating the postpartum aftershock, or just trying to survive the constant pull between career and home, this episode will hit close to home.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Welcome to Full Stack Moms

(00:57) Baby microphones and toddler karaoke concerts

(02:41) Unexpected déjà vu at a Boston hotel

(04:58) Rethinking networking with a wellness spa event

(06:57) The awkward reality of Presidents Club trips

(10:05) How to coordinate childcare for work travel

(12:19) The reality of repeat C-sections and difficult pregnancies

(14:39) Weeks of false labor before delivery

(17:15) The reality of recovering from a C-section

(18:35) What it's really like inside the operating room

(20:00) When boundaries conflict with having a village

(23:56) Kindle recommendations and reading fiction again

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

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

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com

Suzanne Slaughter is rethinking how careers work for a generation of parents, caregivers, and high-performing professionals who want flexibility without stepping away from their skills.

She is the CEO and founder of Groundwork, a marketplace connecting experienced talent seeking part-time or fractional roles with early-stage startups that need high-quality operators without committing to full-time hires. What started as a simple idea shared on LinkedIn quickly turned into a rapidly growing network of thousands of candidates and companies looking for a better way to work.

In this episode, Suzanne shares how becoming a mother led her to question traditional career paths, why “career breaks” are often misread by employers, and how AI is accelerating both the need for and acceptance of flexible work. She also breaks down how Groundwork is building a new hiring model by surfacing off-market talent and helping startups confidently hire part-time professionals who are just as capable as full-time operators.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Meet Suzanne Slaughter

(01:16) Why Suzanne built Groundwork

(04:25) Why startups embrace fractional talent

(06:27) Fixing fractional work's branding problem

(09:08) How Groundwork matches talent and startups

(15:56) Building a two-sided marketplace

(17:59) Word-of-mouth drives Groundwork's growth

(21:11) Career seasons in the AI era

(25:11) Save of the week: Summer bucket lists and parenting saves

(29:43) Groundwork's mission for working parents

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

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

Connect with Suzanne Slaughter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-slaughter-3aa15557/

Check out Groundwork Careers: https://www.groundwork.careers/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com

What happens when twin motherhood, career ambition, and entrepreneurship collide?

Melissa Chandler, communications leader and founder of her own consultancy, shares her journey raising twin boys while launching a business after nearly two decades in tech. She opens up about becoming a mother later in life, balancing work and family, and creating a parenting partnership without a default parent.

In this conversation, Melissa shares insights on mom guilt, childcare decisions, raising twins, advocating for a child with additional needs, and navigating the special education system. She also reflects on the lessons motherhood has taught her about resilience, leadership, and embracing uncertainty.

If you're a working parent navigating career changes, entrepreneurship, or the constant pull between ambition and family, this episode will hit close to home.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Meet Melissa Chandler

(04:42) Finding out she was having twins

(09:28) On having twins naturally

(13:19) Why Melissa waited until 36 to become a mom

(18:39) When grandma moved in to help

(20:38) The day an au pair was called mom

(21:50) What it’s like parenting a child on the spectrum

(22:54) How early intervention changed her son's future

(24:27) Why special education radicalized Melissa

(26:53) Becoming a resource for other parents

(28:27) From survival mode to thriving at five

(31:58) Save of the week: Melissa's dance recital parenting lesson

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

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

Connect with Melissa Chandler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mnazar/

Check out MNC Consulting: https://mncconsulting.co/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com