Sascha Mayer Of Mamava On The Self-Care Routines & Practices Of Busy Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders

An Interview With Maria Angelova

Avoiding burnout. Finding time for hobbies like gardening and decorating allows me to stretch a different part of my brain (and sometimes my body). Burnout happens when you do the same thing everyday with little results, but these hobbies allow me the satisfaction of doing something from start to finish.

All of us know that we have to take breaks in our day to take care of ourselves. “Selfcare is healthcare”, the saying goes. At the same time, we know that when you are a busy leader with enormous responsibility on your shoulders, it’s so easy to prioritize the urgent demands of work over the important requirements of self-care. How do busy entrepreneurs and leaders create space to properly take care of themselves? What are the self-care routines of successful entrepreneurs and business leaders? In this interview series, we are talking to busy and successful entrepreneurs, business leaders, and civic leaders who can discuss their self-care practices and self-care routines. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Sascha Mayer.

Sascha Mayer is the co-founder and Chief Brand Officer (CBO) of Mamava, the creator of freestanding lactation spaces for breastfeeding on the go. Sascha is a recognized expert on lactation space design, family-friendly workplace policies, and social entrepreneurial leadership. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two kids, one dog and seven chickens.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! It is an honor. Our readers would love to learn more about your personal background. Can you please share with our readers your personal backstory; What has brought you to this point in your life?

I started working full time on Mamava in 2015 after incubating the concept at the design studio where I worked for more than 20 years in Burlington, Vermont. Prior to that I was a legislative assistant to then Congressman (now Senator) Bernard Sanders where I answered the phone, responded to email messages, and drove Bernie around the state when he was home during recess (among other things). I have always been an idealist believing that good ideas can change the world. After realizing that politics might be a less efficient path to world-changing I turned to design and branding.

What is your “why” behind what you do? What fuels you?

Our mission is to create a healthier society through infrastructure and support for breastfeeding. My kids are now 19 and 16. It has been a long time since I needed to find a place to use a breast pump or breastfeed a distracted infant in public. As my kids grew, however, I could see that the same challenges I had as a young mother were still a problem for my younger colleagues, my sister, the teachers at my husband’s school, etc. I firmly believed we could solve this problem through design. We hear from thankful parents everyday who are able to more easily meet their breastfeeding goals thanks to our pods and mobile app. This is what fuels me — a mission too important to fail.

How do you define success? Can you please explain what you mean from a personal anecdote?

Millions of ounces of breastmilk (AKA liquid gold) have been pumped in our pods which are located in facilities around the country (all 50 states), and a few international locations. We now operate our own manufacturing facility and have 60 employees (and are growing by the day), but my deepest gratification comes from the colleagues who have joined Mamava and believe as much as I do in our mission. They are all more talented and just as committed as I am, and I am humbled by the way they have dedicated themselves to this business. I have heard one definition of an entrepreneur is someone who is really good at getting other people to see their vision and do things they don’t know how to do. I think this describes me pretty well.

What is the role of a growth mindset in your success? Can you please share 3 mindset mantras that keep you motivated, sane, and propel you forward?

When creating a category, working with investors, managing a start-up you are going to get knocked down a lot. If you have a strong mission it will get you through. My three mindset mantras:

1. Seek progress over perfection.
2. Approach the world with bodacious optimism.
3. Remember we each have different gifts for the revolution.

You are by all accounts a very successful person. How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Progressive public policy (lactation accommodation mandates within the Affordable Care Act for example) helped build a business case for Mamava. I am a firm believer that progressive policies can be good for people and businesses, so I continue to support progressive candidates and policies in Vermont and beyond. I am a board member of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and head our public policy committee, and I do as much as I can to mentor other women-owned businesses, and support diversity, equity and inclusion in my business and community.

Can you share a mistake or failure which you now appreciate, and which has taught you a valuable lesson?

In the early days we came very close to executing a 50–50 partnership with a group who was doing our manufacturing and wanted to sell the units while we managed the marketing and design. That deal fell through when the owner of the manufacturing facility was arrested for fraud. As we hadn’t actually inked any contract we were able to get through it relatively unscathed, but It taught me a valuable lesson to vet our partners very, very carefully.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

I’m a pretty quick decision maker when it comes to design. After many years of iterating on our own design concepts for what Mamava pods would be, we hired an architectural/ industrial designer out of house. He had experience designing trade show booths and retail experiences, so when I looked at his first mock-up for a Mamava pod I knew we had a winner.

Applying empathy to innovate is a core tenant of my approach to design and operating the business. When we are developing the pods and new versions of the app we always ask parents to engage with the prototypes. When I travel I pretend I am still a breastfeeding mother. I use the app to find locations and visit as many pods as I can, so I can continue to understand the user experience. I believe context is everything when it comes to user experience. It’s the best to actually talk to people using the pods when I come upon them, but you have to be thoughtful about your approach because for some breastfeeding can be a delicate conversation.

Own your mistakes. You are going to make a lot of them when you are figuring out a business. Your colleagues will respect you and know they can take the risks needed to move the business forward (see progress vs. perfection). There have been a number of times I have put my foot in my mouth or my Slack or email comment has been misinterpreted If it is called to my attention I always address the issue directly and apologize for my mistake.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

The pandemic hit many businesses hard — including Mamava — and had a negative impact on children and working parents. As a result, many women left the workforce. But the pandemic also allowed us to acknowledge that the traditional ways of working were broken and needed to change. I am excited about the future of work. I am redesigning our company work culture with the core tenants of flexibility and thoughtful collaboration. In-person work should be designed for spontaneous human collaboration to help drive efficiency and better outcomes (for some types of work), and stronger connection to the business (engagement and loyalty). We need to eliminate hybrid as worst of both worlds (e.g. commuting to an empty office for Zoom calls with remote colleagues). Here is what businesses need to know:

> Intentional workplace/ workways design is needed to address inequities (in a true hybrid environment you are giving people a chance to contribute in different ways).

> An understanding and acceptance that work isn’t one thing.

> Intentional design takes effort — including time from managers and an investment in resources.

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview about Self-Care. Let’s start with a basic definition so that we are all on the same page. What does self-care mean to you?

I don’t actually love the language of “self-care” as I am very much aware that for many daily survival or just keeping your head above water is the baseline. I know I am privileged to even be considering this idea, and I do feel I have a responsibility to model caring for myself to my children and my employees. To me, self-care is about strategies to avoid burnout and maintain good mental and physical health.

As a successful leader with an intense schedule, what do you do to prioritize self-care, and carve out regular time to make self-care part of your routine?

I try my best to separate worklife from homelife, which is hard because I work mostly remote these days. I have set up my office space exactly how I like it. I am lucky to have a guest room in my home that doubles as an office. I try to cut fresh flowers from my garden to have on my desk every week. At around 8am I head to the room, followed usually by my dach-russel Cletus. At lunch I’ll take Cletus for a short walk. I have a special chair and my favorite art on the walls, but most importantly when I am done with my work I shut the door, and generally don’t enter the space unless I am working. That room gets very little use on the weekends, unless we have a guest!

Will you please share with our readers 3 of your daily, or frequent self-care habits?

Coffee: I have two cups a day (one when I wake up and one in the afternoon). I usually make it myself, but I always take the time to enjoy it thoroughly…. black with a piece of dark chocolate in the afternoon.

Sleep: I’m a good sleeper. No matter how gnarly things get at work (or at home) I know I’ll have a clearer head after a good night’s sleep. I make it a priority.

Exercise: I’m a huge proponent of walking and taking the time to get outside. I have never liked exercising inside, like going to a gym or a yoga studio. For me it is about the fresh air, open vistas, and sunlight. Even during the cold Vermont winters I make it a point to go for at least a two-mile walk daily. This also helps with sleep!

This is the main question of our interview. Based on your own experiences or research can you please share 5 ways that taking time for self-care will improve our lives?

1. Avoiding burnout. Finding time for hobbies like gardening and decorating allows me to stretch a different part of my brain (and sometimes my body). Burnout happens when you do the same thing everyday with little results, but these hobbies allow me the satisfaction of doing something from start to finish.
2. Leading by example. Demonstrating self-care to my colleagues (think Slack posts and Instagram) signals they also should be taking care of themselves. They will be happier, healthier, and more effective at work.
3. Getting outside to get outside yourself. Walking outside allows you to extend your mind to see the world from a new perspective. If we are staring at a two dimensional screen all day we are missing out on the multi-dimensional capacity of our brains.
4. Self-care can be multi-tasking. I like to garden because I can grow healthy food, while exercising my body, and then when I cook it I get the ultimate satisfaction. The same goes for walking the dog — that counts as exercise for sure!
5. Traveling is the ultimate self — care. It separates you from the tasks of your daily life (you don’t have to vacuum at a hotel) frees you to explore, read, or people watch. It also provides you with new perspectives and ideas, and is a great way to reset so you can start back fresh.

Sometimes we learn a great deal from the opposite, from a contrast. Can you please share a few ways that NOT taking time for self-care can harm our lives?

Deloitte’s Women @ Work 2022 global survey found that nearly half of their respondents reported being burned out. The term “quiet quitting“ — which is really about the power of setting boundaries — has gone viral. I’ve experienced times of burnout in my own professional life and have learned to recognize the signs in my employees as well.

What would you tell someone who says they do not have time or finances to support a regular wellness routine?

I think I have demonstrated a pretty inexpensive wellness routine.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

I’d love to meet with Gloria Steinem as I admire as an activist, journalist, and a human who has seen so much in her life.

What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?

I’m on LInkedIn and Instagram (@saschamayermama)

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher, and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness, and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.