LEA'S STORY

Someone once told me “If demanding customers, long days, little sleep, high stress and the constant pressure to excel without a manual sound familiar, then you’re either a mother, or an entrepreneur”...

​

... and what if you're both? I'm Léa, a young mother of two boys.

I wear many hats—mother, business woman, friend. I have a wonderful support network but very few truly understand the complexities of the combination of these roles.

 

At 23, I became the first in my circle of friends to embark on the journey of motherhood, and now, at 27, I have two little ones by my side. While my path was intentional, it can be quite lonely, as most of my peers are navigating different landscapes, far from the realms of parenthood.

 

Adding to the layers of misunderstanding is the fact that I appear younger than my age. I've felt the weight of judgmental comments and disapproving looks. I vividly recall a moment on the underground, seven months pregnant, overhearing two women discussing me: "I feel so sorry for the baby ...teenage pregnancies are on the rise ...tut tut tut."

 

The challenges intensify when the lens shifts to the world of entrepreneurship. Conversations about the lack of woman startup founders and the abysmally low rates of VC (Venture Capital) funding for women are being talked about a lot more. Insert 'mother of young children' into the narrative and the numbers plummet even further. As a founder, each morning I wake up driven by the knowledge that we are effecting change and solving tangible problems. Yet, this journey comes with sacrifices, starting with the luxury of maternity leave.

 

I feel incredibly guilty, all the time. It’s a constant question of “am I present enough for the kids” vs “am I working enough on the business?”

 

I've come to realise, though, that much of the pressure I feel is self-imposed. Therefore, I am making a change, to make my role as a founder work for me and to use my unique skill set in the best ways possible. I've just stepped up to Chair the Board, which means I will actively be driving the company's strategic direction but will step out of the day-to-day.

I am proactively engaged in the journey of cultivating kindness towards myself. I’m at a transitional point in my life and deciding not to try and 'do it all'. I have definitely not figured it all out …but I am getting there.

 

-

 

Léa was  originally the co-founder, and now Chairs the Board, of CocoRio, a 2-in-1 offering that intertwines creative experiences with a nanny service to support children’s overall development. Their mission is rooted in immersing children in meaningful creative experiences, fostering their development and emotional well-being, all while providing families with a flexible alternative to traditional childcare.