AND/BOTH Podcast - Real Conversations, Shared Experiences, and the Community You've Been Missing

Dr. Ashley Blackington
  • 5.0 (14)
  • PARENTING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Hear from moms in all different scenarios doing their absolute best to honor themselves as individuals in a world that would prefer, as mothers, we not. ⁠ ⁠ Hear from moms who are trying to figure out what that "something" is after the life altering transition into motherhood.⁠ ⁠ Hear from moms that say "I know I need to do something for myself and this is what it is, but it feels impossible to do it"⁠ ⁠ What is the AND/BOTH that you are juggling with motherhood? Career, hobbies, entrepreneurship, new identity, new activities, new passions and interests?⁠

  1. FEB 6

    114. What Happens When You Stop Waiting for the “Right Time” with Danielle Alvarez

    What does it look like to make a huge life pivot in the middle of raising small kids—and during a global pandemic? In this episode, Ashley talks with Danielle Alvarez, a mom of three who walked away from the business she’d spent years building and went to law school with a six-, five-, and one-year-old at home. Now a corporate attorney with her own small business-focused firm, Danielle shares what it really looked like to start over, and how she made room for ambition without sacrificing everything else. This is a conversation about redefining success, letting go of timelines, and figuring out what actually feels right—instead of chasing what’s expected. Whether you’re in the middle of a pivot, thinking about one, or just trying to hold your own dreams alongside your real life, this one’s for you. We talk about: – Making a big life change when the timing isn’t ideal – Doing things differently than the “traditional” path – Ambition, burnout, and the pressure to do it all – Parenting while building something new – Starting a business that reflects your values – Letting go of old expectations (and other people’s opinions) Connect with DanielleLinks + Resources: Website: sblslaw.com LinkedIn: Danielle Alvarez, Esq., MBA Email: danielle@sblslaw.com Connect with Ashley: Website: https://www.ashleyblackington.com Podcast website: https://www.andbothpodcast.com/ Dovetail® App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dovetail-app/id6744341822 Instagram: @mydovetail.app LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/

    55 min

  2. JAN 30

    113. You’re Allowed to Want More Than Survival, with Iconoclast founder, Sarah Smith

    Burnout doesn’t always show up as falling apart. Sometimes it looks like holding everything together for too long. In this episode of AND/BOTH, Ashley sits down with Sarah Smith — founder of Iconoclast Innovations, mom of two, and self-described iconoclast — for a deeply honest conversation about motherhood, mental health, and rebuilding yourself after burnout. Sarah shares her experience navigating postpartum anxiety and depression during the pandemic, being laid off multiple times, starting a business while pregnant, and learning how to advocate for herself in a system that often loses sight of mothers after birth. Together, Ashley and Sarah talk about identity shifts after becoming a parent, why burnout is information (not failure), how community and support can be lifesaving, and what it really means to choose yourself and your family — even when it’s messy. This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered: Why does this feel so hard — and am I the only one struggling? You’re not alone. And you’re not doing it wrong. Connect with Sarah: Website: https://iconoclastinnovationsllc.com/ Connect with Ashley: Website: https://www.ashleyblackington.com Podcast website: https://www.andbothpodcast.com/ Dovetail® App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dovetail-app/id6744341822 Instagram: @mydovetail.app LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/

    55 min

  3. JAN 23

    112. School Vacation, Summer Camp, Half Days: Booking Care Coverage Feels Impossible, Amy Kiska is Building Recess to Fix It

    What do you get when you mix startup experience, mother-of-a-newborn energy, and a deeply broken system for working parents? You get Recess. Amy Kiska is the co-founder and CEO of Recess, a platform parents are calling “the Booking.com of kids’ activities.” In this episode, she joins Ashley to talk about building a tech company while parenting a newborn, the invisible mental load of managing care coverage, and the bold decision to solve a problem most people don't recognize until they’re drowning in it. Amy shares what it took to launch Recess, including fundraising 10 days postpartum, and how she’s designing a business that helps families and providers thrive. This conversation covers: The truth about camp registration (and why it feels like the Hunger Games)How Recess supports both parents and activity providersThe underestimated power of mom-foundersBuilding a company without pretending you’re doing it aloneAnd why some of the best ideas are born in the bath 🛁 Connect with Amy: Website: hello-recess.com Social media @hellorecess on Instagram and TikTok Connect with Ashley: Website: https://www.ashleyblackington.com Podcast website: https://www.andbothpodcast.com/ Dovetail® App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dovetail-app/id6744341822 Instagram: @mydovetail.app LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/

    53 min

  4. JAN 16

    111. Making Fertility a Dinner Table Topic: Motherhood, Startups, and Access to Care with Samantha Diamond

    What if fertility and reproductive health were treated like skincare or mental health, something we talked about before it became a crisis? In this episode of AND/BOTH, Ashley sits down with Sam Diamond, co‑founder of Bird & Be, to talk about building a clinically‑backed fertility company in the middle of a global pandemic, and why proactive, inclusive fertility care matters more than ever. Sam shares the deeply personal experiences that shaped Bird & Be’s mission, including miscarriage, fertility treatment, and the gaps she saw in education, access, and support for both women and men. Together, Ashley and Sam explore why fertility conversations are still too reactive, how male fertility remains stigmatized, and what it looks like to build a company rooted in science, ethics, and care. They also talk about: Launching a startup during COVID — and why at‑home testing was harder than expectedWhy male fertility must be part of every fertility conversationThe shift from “cute” branding to clarity as Bird & Be entered retailWhat it took to land Bird & Be in Ulta — and why placement matteredHow early education and testing can shorten or even prevent long fertility journeysWhy women are not “small men” — and how research still fails women’s bodiesBlending motherhood and entrepreneurship without pretending it’s balanced This is a conversation about health, agency, science, and building systems that actually support people, not just sell to them. Connect with Sam: Bird&Be site: https://birdandbe.com/ Connect with Ashley: Website: https://www.ashleyblackington.com Podcast website: https://www.andbothpodcast.com/ Dovetail® App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dovetail-app/id6744341822 Instagram: @mydovetail.app LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/

    54 min

  5. JAN 9

    110. Why Venture Isn’t the Only Path: Sustainable Startup Life with Theanna founder Nomiki Petrolla

    This week on AND/BOTH, I’m joined by Nomiki Petrolla, founder of Theanna and a mother of four who is reshaping what early-stage entrepreneurship can look like for women in tech. Nomiki has spent 15 years in the tech world, sitting beside founders, engineers, and venture-backed teams, often as the only woman in the room. That experience eventually led her to build Theanna: a platform designed to support women tech founders from idea to launch. In this episode, we talk about: Why women are turning to entrepreneurship not out of ambition alone, but out of a desire for agencyThe realities of building a startup with four young kidsHow AI is completely changing what’s possible for early-stage foundersWhy venture capital isn’t the only — or even the most aligned — path for most entrepreneursThe difference between building your first business for money and your later ones for meaningHow motherhood sharpens clarity, decision-making, and boundariesWhat Nomiki is noticing about the next wave of women building techSustainable entrepreneurship vs. the unicorn mythology we’ve all absorbed It’s a conversation about choosing your own path, understanding your season, and building something that fits your actual life, not a version of life you’re supposed to pretend you have. Connect with Nomiki: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn: @nomikipetrolla Theanna: @theannaio Connect with Ashley: Website: https://www.ashleyblackington.com Podcast website: https://www.andbothpodcast.com/ Dovetail® App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dovetail-app/id6744341822 Instagram: @mydovetail.app LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/

    53 min

  6. 12/19/2025

    109. A Pause, A Recap, and A Reset for the New Year

    In this solo episode, I’m taking a moment to pause, look back on Season 9, and share what’s coming as we head into a new year and our tenth season of the AND/BOTH podcast. This season brought so many meaningful conversations on the mental load, the realities of modern motherhood, how we build community, what comfort and safety look like in hard seasons, and the ways we try (and often fail) to carry less than we’re used to. We also continued our roundtable series, with thoughtful, deeply resonant conversations about grief and holiday burnout that so many of you reached out about. I talk through: The themes that kept surfacing across episodesWhat these conversations revealed about burnout, expectations, and the pace we’re all trying to keepThe “colander list” moment with my friend Meg and why it hit me squarely in the chestWhat it’s been like to grow a tech company, run a podcast, and raise four kids during a very full seasonWhy we’re taking a short break before Season 10What you can expect when we return in the new year And I share an invitation: if you’ve listened to the show and haven’t yet heard your version of motherhood reflected, I would love to bring more voices and stories into the mix. You can submit a guest interest form at andbothpodcast.com. We’ll be back in January with Season 10—rested, reset, and ready for the next chapter. Wishing you a holiday season with at least one hot coffee, a moment of actual rest, and something small that fills your cup. Connect with Ashley: Website: https://www.ashleyblackington.com Podcast website: https://www.andbothpodcast.com/ Dovetail® App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dovetail-app/id6744341822 Instagram: @mydovetail.app LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/

    16 min

  7. 12/12/2025

    108. The Messy Middle of Entrepreneurship: A Conversation with Villain’s Lauryn Warnick

    This week on AND/BOTH, I’m joined by Lauryn Warnick, CEO and founder of Villain Branding. Lauryn shares how she went from film school to tech startups to leading a verbal-first brand consultancy—and how the business has grown and shifted alongside marriage, motherhood, and the many seasons real life brings. We talk about: Building a business that doesn’t pretend life at home is pausedWhy B2B storytelling has more impact (and heart) than most people expectWorking with a spouse and figuring out routines that actually workThe pressure of being the primary income earner while raising young kidsMoving away from “balance” and toward navigating what each season asks of youThe Disney moment that unexpectedly reframed flexibility, boundaries, and perspective This episode is full of the conversations that don’t always make it into the highlight reel—how we work, how we parent, and how we keep adjusting the picture as life keeps changing. Connect with Lauryn: Website: www.villainbranding.com LinkedIn: Lauryn Warnick Connect with Ashley: Website: https://www.ashleyblackington.com Podcast website: https://www.andbothpodcast.com/ Dovetail® App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dovetail-app/id6744341822 Instagram: @mydovetail.app LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/

    58 min

  8. 12/05/2025

    107. Caregiving, Careers, and the Rise of Blended Teams: Rethinking Stability with Brea Starmer

    In this episode, I’m joined by Brea Starmer, founder of Lions & Tigers, a company she started after being laid off while seven months pregnant and serving as her family’s primary income. What began as survival quickly became a new way of thinking about work: flexible, skilled, sustainable, and built around real life. We talk about the myth of stability in traditional employment, why so many women and caregivers are pushed to the margins, and how blended teams and fractional work are giving people more agency than ever before. And of course, we talk about the real-life side of it all- parenting, logistics, exhaustion, boundaries, and the seasons where everything feels like “a lot”… and also deeply purposeful. In this episode: The layoff that sparked Lions & TigersHow Brea built her own maternity leave through freelance workWhy blended teams are becoming essential in enterprise companiesHow AI, caregiving, and shifting workplace norms are reshaping careersWhat it actually looks like to build a business while raising three kidsThe skill of knowing what’s worth your time (and what you can let fall through the colander) Connect with Brea: Lions & Tigers: lionsandtigers.comWorkforce Reimagined studyConnect with Brea on LinkedIn Connect with Ashley: Website: https://www.ashleyblackington.com Podcast website: https://www.andbothpodcast.com/ Dovetail® App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dovetail-app/id6744341822 Instagram: @mydovetail.app LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/

    56 min
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5
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14 Ratings

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Hear from moms in all different scenarios doing their absolute best to honor themselves as individuals in a world that would prefer, as mothers, we not. ⁠ ⁠ Hear from moms who are trying to figure out what that "something" is after the life altering transition into motherhood.⁠ ⁠ Hear from moms that say "I know I need to do something for myself and this is what it is, but it feels impossible to do it"⁠ ⁠ What is the AND/BOTH that you are juggling with motherhood? Career, hobbies, entrepreneurship, new identity, new activities, new passions and interests?⁠

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