Before it all changed, we hired an adoption family therapist. As two co-founders, we realized we hadn’t outlined how parenthood would change our working relationship.

JD and I sat opposite of each other, he on an overstuffed comfy couch, me on a rigid, upright chair. The seats were a good representation of our personalities, that is, of course, until I started to cry.

The meeting had gone very well until the therapist asked how we pictured life once we adopted a child. Oh, we’ll figure it out, I said.

“No, I disagree,” JD softly replied, averting his gaze. “I don’t know our future child, but I want to make sure that we listen to what he or she needs, even if it means things changing for our working relationship,” he said.

He went on listing things that I, as CEO, would continue to do, perhaps without him at my side.

Speaking events. Travel for meetings. Consulting sessions with an ops assistant, instead of him. Team retreats. The list went on.

That’s when I started to cry.

The worst part was that I agreed. He was right. The therapist asked us to list our non-negotiables as co-founders and as co-parents, what we needed to feel supported and empowered.

It remains one of the best things we’ve done for our relationship.

At the end of the session, I accepted that my title as CEO wouldn’t change, but the responsibilities would in light of JD shifting some of his responsibilities to others on the team. It felt like a jagged pill to swallow, but I knew it was best.

A bit later, we received 24-hour notice that we had been placed for adoption for a baby girl in Las Vegas, and on February 2, 2020, she was placed in our arms.

We were utterly obsessed with Luna Sol.

Due to complications, we had to stay in Nevada for almost a month, so we found ourselves setting up a makeshift office in our hotel room so I could continue working. In between meetings, I’d feed, bathe, and swaddle her, and she was surprisingly CALM.

We quickly referred to her as our angel baby.

In late March 2020, we were scheduled to meet with our leadership team in Arizona…would I go alone?

JD proposed the trip as a test to see if Luna would travel well, and the next thing you know, I navigated the meeting with my daughter strapped to my chest, and my co-founder at the table.

Since then, we’ve decided to travel together as we continue to build the business, each of us carrying different responsibilities.

For example, last week we returned to Las Vegas to celebrate our family anniversary on Sunday (02.02), and I set up a makeshift office to take meetings and host a promotion on Monday (02.03).

I’m writing this to simply document my journey as an entrepreneur, not a female entrepreneur, mompreneur, femmentrepreneur, boss babe, or girl boss. I’m writing just as a builder who’s building on her own terms, in her own way.

And that? The gift of building a business that fits your life? Well THAT has been the greatest gift on my professional journey thus far.

I hope the same for you.

j*

P.S. This was a very personal look at my life and business by way of words, but if you’re looking at improving your non-verbal leadership and communication, you do NOT want to miss the conversation I had with Blake Eastman on my podcast —> ***Nonverbal Communication Secrets That Drive Sales and Build Trust with Blake Eastman.***