Ambitious Entrepreneurship + Parenthood: When Two Moms Co-Found a Startup With Sonia Chang

#117 — Ambitious Entrepreneurship + Parenthood: When Two Moms Co-Found a Startup 

What happens when you and your co-founder are both mothers? Can you modify your work schedule without altering your ambition? What type of project is worthy of your precious time and attention? 

Sometimes it takes a while to find the career path you really love. For Sonia Chang, it took a while to settle into and really own that entrepreneurship was something she felt called to do. Today, she is the co-founder of a brand new company called Playfully. She spent 10 years in product management and digital consumer products before she finally jumped into the entrepreneurial waters.

Sonia is the mom of two young kids and has another one on the way and she is thrilled to be working on building products that make life easier for new parents. Today, we talk about how she took a long-term view of her career. Her advice: don't settle for a job or a career that doesn't feel like it's authentically you. It's also okay to be patient and to wait for the right professional opportunity to come along, even if you have to make short-term sacrifices, like staying in a less an ideal job for longer than you had wanted to.

Her background includes a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She has worked for a long time building digital consumer products at companies including Amazon, Zulily, Poshmark and Shutterfly. Just this last year in 2018, she left the corporate world to pursue her longtime dream of becoming an entrepreneur and she co-founded Playfully.

One of the fascinating things about the company is not the product, although we'll talk about the product on the show. The fact that it is co-founded by two moms who work a very different schedule by design: they agree to meet three times a week in-person, but the rest of the work that they do is done in and around their kids.

Listen in as we talk about Sonia'a career path, her partnership, her fertility story and how IVF (in vitro fertilization) is part of that journey and how she navigates co-parenting and why equal partnerships are, to her, one of the fundamental pieces that make entrepreneurial journeys possible.

IN THIS EPISODE WE TALK ABOUT

How Sonia’s first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage and set off a multi-year journey through infertility. The ways in which Sonia reflects with gratitude on her infertility and IVF journey and how that has profoundly shaped and altered the type of parent she is to her children. How Sonia and her partner divide child care and household duties 50/50. How a project manager uses Asana at home to maximize efficiency and enjoyment.

 
FULL SHOW NOTES

Get the complete show notes with episode quotes, photos, and time stamps at http://www.startuppregnant.com/117.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SONIA CHANG  

Sonia Chang is the co-founder of Playfully, a baby and child development app that provides parents quick, fun, expert-backed activities and tips to promote their child’s development. An accomplished product management leader, she has 10-plus years of experience building digital consumer products at companies including Amazon, Zulily, Poshmark, and Shutterfly. In 2018, she left the corporate world to pursue her long-time dream of becoming an entrepreneur and co-founded Playfully. As a mom of two young kids (and another on the way!), she loves building products that make life easier for new parents. Sonia holds a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

The Playfully App Sonia on LinkedIn Playfully in the iTunes store Playfully on Google Play Asana

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE, CHECK OUT

Honest Conversations About the Hard Things — Episode #081 With Co-Host Cary Fortin (The Friendship Series) Prepping for Maternity Leave — Episode #086 With Co-Host Cary Fortin (The Friendship Series) Trauma, Sex, and Somatic Experiencing: How to Better Understand Birth and the Postpartum Periods — Episode #094 With Kimberly Ann Johnson The First Weeks of Parenting: What Nobody Tells You — Episode #104 With Vanessa Van Edwards

EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER

Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Aeroflow Breastpumps. They are dedicated to making the hassle of getting your breast pump a little bit easier—actually, a lot easier! Head to www.aeroflowbreastpumps.com/startup to have them help you qualify for a free breast pump through insurance.

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