This week I applied to @thefoundersfund holiday wish list initiative for Giving Tuesday (December 1st) with @tease_tea. I asked for a standing desk because while I have a 'regular desk', I rarely get to use it unless the kids are asleep/napping/being looked after by another adult. BUT during the pandemic, I've been looking after them on weekdays and since September I've been attempting to do remote school with the big kid, while entertaining the little one. Getting my work done usually happens during weekdays on my laptop standing at our kitchen counter, on the wall ledge between our living room and kitchen or using my mobile phone while they play in our backyard. To use my desk in our home office, I get up early/stay up late and login on weekends. I'm good at multitasking, time blocking and batching my tasks but my body could use a bit more support when it comes to working from home than our counter is currently providing. A standing desk has always been on my wish list, even when we didn't have a home of our own. Right now as a bootstrapping founder with two kids under age five running around as I attempt to work from home, I have other priorities and my money is going toward tech supplies and software. Trying to stay scrappy but practical – have you tried to record and edit a podcast episode with a toddler on your lap? ? #mixingbabiesandbusiness #foundersfund⁠ #badforbusiness⁠ #givingtuesday2020⁠ #givingbacktothecommunity⁠ #wishlist P.S. Visit their IG page to access the Wish List link to enter before December 1st – good luck! ?

MIXING BABIES AND BUSINESS PODCAST ?? // SEASON 1 // EPISODE 3 // PT 2 OF 3 Managing expectations, freelance work and parenting in a pandemic with Frankie Tortora ? A.K.A. Protecting the things you've built in 2020, while also trying to create boundaries with your kids and attempting to explain to them just because you don't have back-to-back Zoom calls with coworkers you're STILL working. ? Part 2 of our chat with Frankie Tortora, a freelance graphic designer, mum of two and founder of Doing It For The Kids (@doingitforthekids_) - a community by and for freelance parents is now available for download. ? Listen to the full episode at the link in our bio and here: mixingbabiesandbusiness.buzzsprout.com ? Part 3 and our final episode with Frankie is out next Tuesday, where we chat about working from unconventional spaces (like your car) and how she's investing in herself during these times. ? We're now listed and streaming on Spotify, Apple iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and all the usual podcast places! ? Please leave us a review if you enjoy the podcast and share it with other parents in your network. ?? Learn more about #mixingbabiesandbusiness Sign up to our free newsletter for parents interested in entrepreneurship, flexible and remote work with kids at the link in our bio or here: mixingbabiesandbusiness.com Thanks for listening!

MIXING BABIES AND BUSINESS PODCAST ?? // SEASON 1 // EPISODE 3 // PT 2 OF 3 Managing expectations, freelance work and parenting in a pandemic with Frankie Tortora. ? Listen to the full episode at the link in our bio and here: mixingbabiesandbusiness.buzzsprout.com ? We're now listed and streaming on Spotify, Apple iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and all the usual podcast places! ? Please leave us a review if you enjoy the podcast and share it with other parents in your network. ? SHOW NOTES Our first interview is with Frankie Tortora (@francescatortoradesign), a freelance graphic designer, mum of two and founder of Doing It For The Kids (@doingitforthekids_) - a community by and for freelance parents. Frankie is also co-host of DIFTK The Podcast with Steve Folland, recipients of Bronze Best Business Podcast at the British Podcast Awards 2020. Our conversation took place in August before we knew if the kids were going back to school and between the ever-changing lockdown restrictions in Canada and England. This is the second part of our chat with Frankie, stay tuned for the third and final part over the coming week where we talk about working from unconventional spaces, including your car and how she's investing in herself during these times. ? THINGS WE TALK ABOUT: • Launching a business in early 2020 and pivoting • Moderating an online community during uncertain times • Protecting what we've built during the pandemic • Hitting the reset button as a creative professional and a parent • Setting boundaries with your family when you're working from home • When your kids don't understand what you're doing • But said kids also want to use your tech gear ?? Learn more about #mixingbabiesandbusiness Sign up to our free newsletter for parents interested in entrepreneurship, flexible and remote work with kids at the link in our bio or here: mixingbabiesandbusiness.com We’re always happy to hear from you! Send us your feedback and share your work from home with kids stories via email at: contact[at]mixingbabiesandbusiness.com Thanks for listening!

Hi, my name is Amy, I'm a mum of two kids under the age five, my husband and I are both currently working from home (like many of you) and attempting to remote school the big kid, while entertaining the little one. Nice to meet you! ? On doing things that scare me: I get nervous public speaking. Big crowds or small rooms, it's better if I've memorized my lines, act the part or am forced to completely wing it. Anything in between could go pear shaped. BUT I've been writing, speaking, organizing events + building a community around normalizing bringing children into business settings since becoming a parent in 2016. It doesn't get 'easier' but I do have a system I use to get over myself and just do. the. thing. It seems less scary in hindsight and having fun kiddo co-pilots does often help to distract me...in good ways and bad. ??‍♀️ I keep on doing what I do because I believe parenthood and professional development don't have to be mutually exclusive. To continue creating things based on my belief, this week I launched my very own podcast called Mixing Babies And Business™. It features mini episodes where I'm interviewing inspiring guests as we cover all things business, flexible and remote work with kids. Unlike my public speaking opportunities, I don't have to babywear or juggle a kid on a hip as I record our chats. However, I've been hiding my microphone because both kids like to practice their voiceovers in our home office. Might include some outtakes as bonus content, might not. Throwback for you: This photo was taken during my 'Baby In The Boardroom' talk I gave for CreativeMornings Ottawa in April 2019 at the Ottawa Art Gallery, alongside my at the time 10-month-old and almost three-year-old kids. It was only five minutes long but involved much swapping of the mic, baby carrier, kids, toys and speaking notes during the session, as we were in front of our largest crowd yet – approximately 200 guests. Complete with lots of chairs, bright lights, video recording crew and a giant screen. ? (Continued in comments)

MIXING BABIES AND BUSINESS PODCAST ?? // SEASON 1 // EPISODE 2 // PT 1 OF 3 Managing expectations, freelance work and parenting in a pandemic with Frankie Tortora. ? Swipe for a preview clip of our chat. Listen to the full episode at the link in our bio and here: mixingbabiesandbusiness.buzzsprout.com ?We're now listed and streaming on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple iTunes...with others coming soon! ? Please leave us a review if you enjoy the podcast and share it with other parents in your network. ? SHOW NOTES Our first interview is with Frankie Tortora, a freelance graphic designer, mum of two and founder of Doing It For The Kids - a community by and for freelance parents. Frankie is also co-host of DIFTK The Podcast with Steve Folland, recipients of Bronze Best Business Podcast at the British Podcast Awards 2020. Our conversation took place in August before we knew if the kids were going back to school and between the ever-changing lockdown restrictions in Canada and England. This is the first part of our chat with Frankie, stay tuned for the next two episodes over the coming week where we talk about all things community, creativity and parenthood. ?THINGS WE TALK ABOUT: • Sharing the drudgery and being real as a freelance parent • Parenting and attempting to work from home during a pandemic • Switching back and forth between unpaid and paid work • A podcasting tech glitch • Why you need firm email responders • Setting hard boundaries with our time and availability • Adjusting our plans for 2020-2021 and letting it go ??Learn more about #mixingbabiesandbusiness Sign up to our free newsletter for parents interested in entrepreneurship, flexible and remote work with kids at the link in our bio or here: mixingbabiesandbusiness.com Thanks for listening!

Learning new things in 2020, like how to record, edit and produce a podcast: Welcome to Mixing Babies And Business! ?? Amy Lynch here, I'm your host and spent the last part of this summer and the beginning of fall, chatting with inspiring entrepreneurs and community builders, who also happen to be parents of school and preschool age children. I set up a creative (not entirely soundproof) studio in our home office, scheduled interviews during nap and 'quiet' time for our kids and experienced many tech fails every time I hit record. Thankfully, the people I spoke with are humble, helpful and here for what I'm trying to create, which is another form of parent-friendly professional development. Season 1--if you want to get all official--launches this week and includes timely conversations about all things entrepreneurship, flexible and remote work with kids featuring: ? Frankie Tortora @doingitforthekids_ ? Tanya Hayles @thetanyahayles ? Kevin Bourne @kbtheboss_ ? Karla Briones @karlabriones Each interview is split into three mini episodes (between 10-15 minutes for listeners tuning in during nap/play/middle of the night feed times) and will be released every Tuesday and Friday for the remainder of the year. Thanks for your patience as I continue to figure out how to podcast from home with kids! I appreciate you listening in and if you enjoy what you hear, please share it with the fellow parents you're connected with. ? Tune into the full podcast trailer at the link in bio or here:

Join us on Wednesday, November 25th for a free parent-friendly professional development event with Sheena Brady and Solange Tuyishime! ?? Link in bio to register and here:

UPDATE: Our next virtual event is rescheduled for Wednesday, November 25th from 10-11 a.m. FREE to attend, link in bio to register or here: babiesbusinessbreakfast.com/events Confirmed guest speakers to be announced shortly! ? ------------------------------- A business mastermind where you can bring your kids! Because many of us don't have the option right now to do anything other than spending time with our family while trying to squeeze in work, meetings, calls...networking hasn't exactly been top of mind. ? We've been bringing our kids into business settings since 2016 and hosting parent-friendly professional development events since 2018, everything we do is designed with yours and your family's needs first. Join us for this the online event and if you can't attend live, we'll send out the recording afterward. We're also exploring offering virtual coworking and networking sessions to keep us all connected during these times. -------------------------- To learn more ? SUBSCRIBE to our free bi-weekly newsletter for future parent-friendly business news, events, opportunities and resources---next edition goes out this Friday! ? Special thanks to our (virtual) venue sponsor @coursbayviewyards, home of @investottawa. #babiesbizbreakfast #byobaby #startupyoung #parentpreneur #flexiblework #futureofwork #remotework #wfhlife #microlearning #professionaldevelopment #parenthood

It's that time again: Parent-friendly business and entrepreneurship news, events and resources for you ?? Check out our latest newsletter...they're sent bi-weekly on Fridays (exact time of day depends on how our week with kids is going, you know the drill). Links in bio to RSVP for our next FREE event on October 28th; subscribe to our FREE newsletter, next one goes out October 30th ?; podcast launching soon...stay tuned for details! #futureofwork #startupyoung #BYOBaby #remoteworkwithkids #flexiblework #babiesbizbreakfast

Tomorrow we're hosting our first FREE online parent-friendly professional development event between 10-11 a.m. EST on Wednesday, September 30th. We're discussing Business Funding + Financing Options with Nolan Beanlands, Executive Director of Capital Angel Network and Sarah Pick, Business Development Manager & Team Lead, Ontario, Futurpreneur Canada. While we can't recreate our usual pop-up children's play area or provide you with coffee, tea, croissants and other treats, we are doing our best to convert the experience into a virtual one where you can: – Connect with like-minded parents – Learn something new in a short period of time – Invest in YOURSELF (at a parent-friendly event time) – Show up as you are (bring your kids–or don't–no pressure!) Who is it for? Founders, freelancers, remote workers and potential career changers who are also parents (moms AND dads, parents-to-be welcome too!) who want to learn how to mix business and babies. Those who register will receive children's activity ideas in advance of the 10 a.m. session, two separate presentations focused on business financing and angel investing opportunities from our guest speakers, time for audience Q&A and networking. We're based in Ontario, Canada and the guest speakers are Canadian organizations but the information is relevant regardless of your location. If you're a parent, you're welcome to join us from other locations and timezones! This event will be recorded and the resources will be sent to all registrants within 72 hours of the event. Join Our Movement. Bring Your Kids. RSVP before 6 p.m. EST tonight to receive access to all of the above! Eventbrite link is in our bio. ?? You'll also find a few other links to flexible work freebies and our bi-weekly newsletter if you're interested. Thanks for reading, hope to connect with you (online) soon! - Amy (+ Family)