Today’s episode about going from one to two kids as a business owner is personal, partially because it’s my second baby’s first birthday (Happy birthday Mabel!)

And since this episode lands on that day, I wanted to share what the last year has actually looked like for me: going from one kid to two, navigating a birth experience that didn’t go the way I expected, and rebuilding my business around the reality of motherhood (not the fantasy version).

This isn’t a full birth story, but I do open up about what I learned the hard way: self-trust under pressure, boundary-setting when it’s wildly uncomfortable, and why protecting my energy is not optional… because it’s part of what my clients are paying for.

If you’re a mom (or future mom) building a business and want to protect your own peace and power as you grow your profits, this episode will hit hard.

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How Going From One to Two Kids as a Business Owner Changed Everything For Me

Going from one child to two changes you in ways no one can fully explain until you’re inside it. It’s not just more logistics or less sleep or double the laundry.

It’s an identity shift. A nervous system shift. A values recalibration that forces you to look at every area of your life and ask, Is this actually sustainable for who I am now?

Today is my second daughter Mabel’s first birthday, which feels symbolic in a way I didn’t fully appreciate until I sat down to record.

The last year has been one of the most difficult and transformative of my life, and it all started with a birth experience that didn’t go the way I expected, planned, or prepared for.

This is not a full birth story. I’ve shared enough details on the podcast itself, and I’m still processing parts of it.

What I want to focus on here is what that experience initiated, because the real impact wasn’t just physical or emotional in the moment.

It fundamentally rewired how I trust myself, how I protect my energy, how I run my business, and how uncompromising I am about my boundaries as a mother and a CEO.

If you’re a business owner, especially a woman or a mother, and you’ve felt the tension between who you were before kids and who you are becoming now, this is for you.

A Difficult Birth That Forced Radical Self-Trust

My first birth was fast, unmedicated, and straightforward in a way that lulled me into thinking I knew what to expect the second time around.

I had confidence in my body, trust in the process, and a care team that seemed aligned and relaxed leading up to labor.

What actually unfolded was a long, medically complicated labor involving high blood pressure, magnesium, stalled contractions, immense physical exhaustion, and intense pressure from parts of the medical system to comply rather than collaborate.

At one of the most vulnerable moments of my life, I found myself having to advocate fiercely for my body, my baby, and my instincts while exhausted, in pain, and emotionally taxed.

There was a moment where I realized that no one else was coming to save me.

No expert, no authority figure, no credential could override the fact that I was the one in my body, the one giving birth, and the one responsible for my child’s safety alongside my own.

I had to trust myself, even when that meant being deeply uncomfortable, upsetting people, and making decisions that went against what I was being pressured to do.

That experience cracked something open in me. Not in a poetic, Instagram-caption way, but in a visceral, irreversible way.

Once you have to stand in your power under that level of pressure, it becomes very hard to go back to second-guessing yourself in lower-stakes situations.

And that realization didn’t stay in the birth room. It followed me home.

The One-to-Two Transition Is Not Linear

The transition from zero to one child is seismic, but the transition from one to two is destabilizing in a different way.

With one child, you can still contort your life around your business. With two, the illusion that you can do everything the same way disappears very quickly.

You’re not just recovering from birth while caring for a newborn. You’re also parenting an older child with their own emotional needs, developmental changes, and reactions to the new family dynamic.

Not to mention balancing sleep deprivation, breastfeeding, hormonal shifts, and physical recovery while still being a partner, a parent, and, in my case, the primary driver of a business.

The past year demanded more from me than any other season of my life, and it forced me to confront some hard truths:

• I can function at a high level even when I’m exhausted, but that doesn’t mean exhaustion should be normalized or ignored.
• My energy is finite, valuable, and directly tied to the quality of my work.
• Not everything that can be done should be done, especially if the cost is my health, my presence with my children, or my long-term sustainability.

Those realizations led to a complete reassessment of how I define productivity, success, and leadership.

Energy Is Not a “Nice to Have,” It’s the Product

One of the biggest shifts that came out of this year is how I relate to my energy. I no longer see it as something that’s secondary to strategy, execution, or output.

My energy is not a bonus. It is part of what my clients are paying for.

When I’m coaching, advising, or leading, the value I bring comes from my ability to think clearly, listen deeply, synthesize information quickly, and offer insight that’s both strategic and intuitive. That requires physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy.

This means that protecting my energy is not selfish. It’s professional.

It also means that I am no longer willing to leak energy into things that don’t serve my clients, my family, or my long-term vision.

This includes over-consuming news cycles, performing opinions online, engaging in reactive discourse, or explaining myself to people who are not invested in my actual work.

I’ve adopted a very clear internal rule: if something drains my energy without increasing my capacity to serve my clients or be present with my family, it’s not worth my attention.

That boundary alone has changed how I show up online, how I structure my workweek, and how I decide what I’m available for.

Why My Business Is Not My Baby (And Never Will Be Again)

This past year also clarified something I feel very strongly about: my business is not my baby.

I understand why that metaphor resonates, especially for women who build something from the ground up.

Before I had children, my business did function as my primary creative outlet and source of identity.

That changed the moment I became a mother, and it changed even more dramatically when I had my second child.

My children are my children. My business is a vehicle.

It exists to support my life, my family, my values, and my calling.

It is important, meaningful, and impactful, but it is not more important than my kids’ childhood, my marriage, or my health.

This distinction matters because when your business becomes your baby, boundaries erode.

Everything feels urgent. Guilt multiplies. You feel torn instead of grounded.

When your business is a vehicle rather than a dependent, you can make decisions from clarity instead of emotional enmeshment.

That perspective is now the foundation of every decision I make.

Boundaries That No Longer Require Explanation

Another major lesson from this year is that I do not owe anyone an explanation for my choices.

I am not impulsive. I research deeply, consider multiple perspectives, and sit with decisions before making them.

And I also trust my intuition, especially when something feels off in my body long before my mind can articulate why.

In the past, I spent a lot of energy softening my boundaries so others would feel comfortable.

I over-explained and justified my choices. I tried to be palatable.

The birth experience stripped that habit away.

When you have to draw a hard line in the middle of a medical crisis to protect yourself and your child, it becomes very clear that comfort and approval are not metrics worth optimizing for. Safety, alignment, and integrity are.

That lesson now shows up everywhere, from how I structure my programs, to how I interact online, to who I choose to work with. If someone needs me to dilute myself, override my values, or sacrifice my well-being to feel satisfied, we are not a fit.

Rebuilding a Business Around Reality, Not Fantasy

Over the past year, I’ve been rebuilding my business with a level of honesty that wasn’t possible before.

I’m no longer designing for an imaginary version of myself with unlimited energy, time, or emotional bandwidth.

I’m designing for the real version of me: a mother of two, a breastfeeding parent, a CEO who values depth over volume, and someone who wants to do meaningful work without being consumed by it.

This has meant simplifying, refining, and being much more intentional about where my energy goes.

It’s meant letting go of models that require constant output, reactive engagement, or visibility at all costs. It’s meant choosing quality over scale and alignment over growth for growth’s sake.

And I trust that the right people will be drawn to this way of operating, while others will opt out. That is not a failure. That is clarity.

What This Season Has Ultimately Given Me

As difficult as this year has been, it has given me something invaluable: unshakable self-trust.

I trust my body and my intuition.

I trust my decision-making, even when it’s fast, unpopular, or misunderstood.

That trust allows me to move quickly, confidently, and decisively without outsourcing my authority or looking for permission.

It also allows me to lead differently. Not louder, not more visible, but more grounded and precise. More anchored in what actually matters.

For the Woman Building a Business and a Life

If you’re in a season where your life is asking more of you, not because you’re failing but because you’re evolving, I want you to hear this clearly: you are allowed to change how you do business to support who you are now.

You are allowed to protect your energy and to set boundaries without justification.

You are allowed to build a business that fits your life instead of contorting your life around your business.

Going from one to two kids didn’t just add more responsibility. It stripped away what was no longer essential and clarified what actually deserves my devotion.

And that clarity is something I’m carrying forward into everything I create next. I hope you’ll join me for the ride.

Share this with someone who needs it!