Full Stack Moms

Heather Bell spent years in tech sales as the only woman in leadership, and now works in MarTech at Vector after building her career at OpenTable. After years of watching gender shape who got access to relationships and opportunities on sales teams, she began rethinking what she actually needed from a job to stay in the industry long term. Her search for the right fit included being the only woman in leadership at a security tech company, hiding that she was a mom during interviews, and leaving a role once she realized her sponsor could not take her to the after hours meetings where relationships and opportunities actually got built.Heather shares why she finally stopped trying to be the torch bearer for every woman in the room, and what she looks for now so she's never the only woman or the only working parent in leadership again. She also explains why remote work became less about convenience and more about equity, how she uses the same skills from sales leadership to advocate for her son at school, and why something as small as a company's swag closet can reveal whether its values are real.Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Meet Heather Bell(01:27) Working in tech sales at Vector and OpenTable(05:13) On being the only woman in leadership(07:01) The day she left a company that couldn't sponsor her(07:46) How to find a workplace built differently(13:39) Choosing remote work for the childhood she wanted(14:55) Ruling out companies over the commute(19:22) Being open about motherhood in interviews(21:02) Why Heather refuses to carry the torch alone(33:49) Advocating for her son like a sales leader(36:34) How to build a community with other moms(39:10) Save of the weekConnect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/Connect with Heather Bell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherbell-sales/ Check out Vector: https://vector.co Produced in partnership with Share Your Geniuswww.shareyourgenius.com

What are the baby and kid products that actually make motherhood easier, and which ones are just expensive things you thought you needed?Mallory Lee and Shannon Curran swap their favorite parenting saves, from baby medicine baskets and stretchy pajamas to carriers, strollers, wagons, monitors, and the surprisingly valuable gift of an Uber Eats card. They share the products they kept reaching for, the purchases they would skip now, and the lessons they wish they had known before building a registry that cost thousands of dollars.Throughout the conversation, they compare notes on baby gear, hand me downs, sleep struggles, kid technology, screen time, family calendars, and the everyday systems that help working moms keep things moving.If you're a working mom, new parent, or simply trying to figure out what is actually worth buying for your family, this episode is a candid look at the favorite saves that earned their place in the house.Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Intro(03:08) Building the perfect baby medicine basket(04:58) The baby pajamas that actually last(08:00) The traveling bassinet everyone shared(11:44) The baby gear that becomes essential(16:27) Finding what actually works for sleep(19:43) Which strollers are really worth it(25:22) The baby carrier worth every cent(32:57) Raising kids with less screen time(37:03) Family systems that make parenting easierConnect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/Produced in partnership with Share Your Geniuswww.shareyourgenius.com

Alli Tunell spent years working toward becoming a CMO. Then motherhood changed what the right career looked like.She is Head of Content  at Animalz, former host of the Shifting Priorities podcast, and mom of two. After the transition to motherhood rocked her expectations, she began rethinking the career path she had planned since her early twenties. Her search for the right fit included managing a team during the tech downturn, hiding that she was a mom during an interview, and joining a company where 70-hour workweeks were the norm.Alli shares why accepting that careers happen in seasons gave her permission to choose work that supported her family without seeing it as a loss of ambition. She also explains why flexibility is only part of the equation, how a company’s values shape the employee experience, and why working parents should not have to apologize for how they manage their time.Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Meet Alli Tunell(04:30) Career ambitions before motherhood(06:55) When motherhood changed the plan(08:17) Hiding motherhood in a 70-hour workplace(10:55) Accepting careers happen in seasons(15:57) How to choose work that fits your season(19:22) Growing at home instead of work(22:38) Why the same parenting works differently(27:41) Every postpartum experience is different(34:45) Stop judging how moms prioritize(38:15) Stop apologizing for parenting at work(46:38) Using Brick to unplug togetherConnect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/Connect with Alli Tunell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alli-tunell/ Check out Animalz: https://www.animalz.co/ Produced in partnership with Share Your Geniuswww.shareyourgenius.com

What does it take to build a successful career and scale a business without sacrificing your authentic self or taking life too seriously?Lauren Aquilino, Co-founder & CMO of EMMIE Collective, joins Mallory Lee and Shannon Curran to talk about breaking away from "traditional" agency norms, embracing being a "personality hire" in tech, and using humor and grace as essential strategies for both business and parenting. Together, they reflect on offloading the tasks that don't serve you, why human empathy is the ultimate differentiator in the age of AI, and how to navigate working-mom life when things literally explode, like neon green slime across the living room.Throughout the conversation, they explore overcoming founder fear, building a company culture centered on fun, handling crisis communications, and navigating the daily chaos of motherhood, picky eaters, and chronic illness with a sense of humor.If you're a working mom, founder, or tech leader trying to scale your career while staying true to who you are, this episode offers a funny, relatable, and candid perspective on making it work in public.Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Intro(01:11) Meet Lauren Aquilino and EMMIE Collective(05:15) On crisis comms and navigating PR emergencies(07:01) Boy mom advice and short-lived first loves(08:29) How to build a business vs. maintaining it(11:00) Bringing on a co-founder and scaling a team(18:06) The "Is He Trash?" series and Pretty Funny Business(20:16) Injecting humor and personality into B2B tech(29:58) About gentle parenting and sibling fights(32:15) The great neon green slime explosion(37:43) Saves of the weekConnect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/Connect with Lauren Aquilino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenaquilino/ Check out EMMIE Collective: http://www.emmieco.com Produced in partnership with Share Your Geniuswww.shareyourgenius.com

What happens when the career you worked years to build collides with the identity shift of becoming a parent?In this episode, we sit down with Tamara Hinckley, former Pinterest product leader and founder of Momentum Rising, to talk about the moment many working moms quietly face: wondering if the way they are working still fits the life they want.Tamara shares her journey from building a career in tech, navigating infertility and postpartum depression, and returning to work after having children, to realizing that many ambitious moms are stuck in what she calls “no-moms land.” She talks about why the early years of parenting can create an identity crisis and how motherhood changes the way we evaluate our careers. The answer is not always stepping back; sometimes it means finding work that matters even more.Together, they discuss building community, making intentional career decisions, and creating space to reconnect with who you are in a new chapter of life.Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Meet Tamara Hinckley(06:06) Navigating infertility and motherhood challenges(09:43) Returning to work after becoming a mom(10:50) The “no-moms land” leadership gap(12:17) Building Momentum Rising for working moms(17:53) The identity shift of becoming a mother(25:53) Rethinking career decisions after kids(30:47) How to build a company with purpose(42:09) The journey from product leader, coach, and entrepreneur(44:05) Save of the week Connect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/Connect with Tamara Hinckley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tvhinckley/  Check out Momentum Rising: https://www.momentumrising.com/  Produced in partnership with Share Your Geniuswww.shareyourgenius.com