Why We Need to Tell More Stories of Women, Parent, Entrepreneurs
Culture change starts with stories.
Almost two years ago, the idea for Startup Pregnant came to me.
But when the idea first arrived, it was to be a book of my own experience.
A story of what it was like to work in the tech startup scene in Manhattan while navigating my pregnancy. A documentation of what I was learning about starting a family and being a 30-something in the world of work and leadership.
I wanted to write about what I felt was both interesting about it (startups and parenting are so similar in so many ways) and what was totally missing from the conversation.
Over time, however, the idea morphed from a book (still in progress) to grow in shape and size. It became bigger than a book, for an important reason. Instead of writing about my own story, I’d started talking to women about their stories, and layered these interviews into the book I was writing. But, like my kid and his clothes he’s constantly outgrowing, the book quickly outgrew the container of a “book” and asked me to make something else.
These interviews needed to be conversations people could listen in to.
I was gaining so much from every conversation, and I knew that I wanted more people to be able to listen in, like I was.
What if we could have these conversations — these intimate conversations about parenting and pregnancy and work and the messiness and joy of it all in a place where you could listen in and join in?
The podcast idea was brewing.
In June this year (2017), I put a call out for folks to help me bootstrap the new podcast. We got our first sponsors over the summer and started recording in August.
The podcast went live with the first four episodes on September 26th, 2017:
(You can listen here: www.startuppregnant.com/podcast)
What we’re doing with the Startup Pregnant Podcast
One thing that’s been so important to me in launching The Startup Pregnant Podcast is remembering how important it is to share a variety of stories and perspectives.
So I’m proud to share that in the first season of the podcast, we’ll hear from foster mothers, gay and queer parents, adoptive parents, single moms, divorced moms, married folks, people who weren’t planning on being parents, people who loved and enjoyed pregnancy, people for whom pregnancy turned everything upside down, those who have struggled silently with infertility for years, women who’ve had abortions, lawyers who suffered from harsh discrimination, first-generation immigrants to this country, and more.
We’ll hear from small-business owners, accidental entrepreneurs, business leaders with runaway successes, people with side hustles, VPs of sales, community organizers, consultants, and many more layers of the entrepreneurial path.
We won’t capture every story in the first ten episodes, but the stories we start with have captured my heart.
This is only the beginning: 100 stories
And we’re only just beginning — I’ve got a goal of sharing at least 100 long-form stories on this podcast as a starting point, and we’ll see where we go from there.
It’s my goal that people who listen in will hear at least one story that reminds them of themselves — so you don’t feel as alone in this world, because you are not alone — and many stories of people for whom you can maybe say, “oh gosh, I didn’t know about this, and now I do.”
The Startup Pregnant Podcast is a radio show that dives into the lives and stories of women starting businesses and starting families. We interview lots of parents from all stripes, and business owners of all types.
Thanks for listening in
The podcast is a joy to make, and a tremendous labor of love. We’ve sponsored Season 1, but if you or a company you know wants to sponsor an upcoming season, send me a note (email is on www.startuppregnant.com) so we can send you our media kit.
The first episodes are available in iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.
And thank you to all of the women, men, and everyone who have taken the time to write in, to tell me what you think, to leave a review, or to share your story with me.
I feel like we’ve hit a really strong pulse because every time I talk about the project, emails and stories come pouring in. We’ve already got guests lined up through December and we’re just about to close recording of Season 1 and start a special series for the new year.
If it connects with you, and you know a friend of yours would love to listen in, send them to the Startup Pregnant Podcast page or shoot them a link straight to the show in iTunes.
Thanks for listening.
