Startup Parent Sarah K Peck

#223 — If you struggle with people-pleasing, perfectionism, or you prioritize everyone else before yourself, chances are you’ve been subjected to “Good Girl Brainwashing.”
Lisa Carmen Wang, founder of the Bad Bitch Empire, joins Sarah K Peck to talk about good girl brainwashing, learning to speak up, and challenging societal norms that limit women's power. In this episode, Lisa shares how to identify the messages that keep women quiet and small, what to do about them, and how to become—in her words—“A Bad Bitch.”
If you want to become a leader and you want to create an impact in this world, then listen to this episode—because your “good girl” training is doing you a disservice. Lisa discusses the harmful effects of perpetuating a system driven by fear and scarcity, and she advocates for a new world order where powerful women lead unapologetically, collaborate, and break free from the competitive zero-sum game that keeps us small. If you want to step into your leadership and your power, then divesting from the good girl messages is imperative.
In this episode, Sarah and Lisa talk about:

What “good girl brainwashing” is and how to combat it.

Identifying your values, knowing your “anti-values,” and how they influence your boundaries.

What Lisa learned from exploring her passion, anger, and healing with plant medicine.

How technology has given women the freedom to think differently about parenting timelines.

The power of ceremony, celebrating yourself as a woman, and Lisa’s egg-freezing shower.


Discover how Lisa is empowering—and financing—women to help them unleash their full potential in a system that thrives on their fear and insecurity.
Lisa shares her journey from being a good girl to becoming a bad bitch, and why she created the Bad Bitch Empire to help other women reclaim their power. You’ll hear about Lisa’s journey from world-class gymnast to Ivy League graduate, her experience leaving Wall Street to become an entrepreneur, and why she isn’t sure about becoming a parent.
SHOW NOTES
Full show notes at startupparent.com/223

When we first launched The Startup Parent Podcast in 2017, we did a series on some of our core values and guiding principles. Many of these core values have stood the test of time and helped to guide us over the last five years. Please enjoy revisiting this core values episode from earlier in the life of the podcast.

Core Value: Life is Not All Hard Labor. 
 
Show Notes: startupparent.com/016

#221 — Who does your body belong to?
In this episode of the Startup Parent podcast, host Sarah K. Peck is joined by author and educator Amanda Montei to talk about Amanda’s latest book, Touched Out: Motherhood, Misogyny, Consent, and Control. Together, they delve deep into a conversation about societal norms, feminism, and the complicated relationships women have with our bodies.
Amanda doesn’t shy away from talking about topics others prefer to avoid, like female sexuality, pleasure, and the culture of consent. This conversation is crucial for those navigating motherhood, societal expectations, and body autonomy — and raising the next generation to do better.
Sarah and Amanda discuss:

The contradictory rules that govern women's bodies: Amanda digs into the complex demands women face, from being sexual beings while limiting their pleasure to conforming to beauty standards.

Navigating consent: Society expects women to always know what they want and bear the responsibility of saying no. However, saying no isn’t always straightforward.

The unspoken rule about female sexuality: Women are often expected to prioritize men's pleasure and reproduction, leaving little room for their own satisfaction.

Amanda's journey: Raised in a world catering to the male gaze, Amanda grappled with the tension between liberation and acquiescence to misogyny.

Parenting in the #MeToo era: #MeToo has transformed parenting, emphasizing the importance of discussing consent, pleasure, and autonomy.

Unveiling misogyny: Early experiences often shape women's understanding of their bodies and intimacy, emphasizing male enjoyment over their own pleasure.

Opening your eyes: Unlearning misogyny is gradual, starting with recognizing systemic issues shaping perceptions of women's bodies and experiences.

Connecting the dots: Amanda highlights the links between motherhood, misogyny, consent, and control, all revolving around the governance of women's bodies and experiences.


It's vital to deconstruct these beliefs if we want to avoid perpetuating harmful norms and indoctrinating the next generation into a culture of power imbalances and violation; this episode is a must-listen for anyone who has been gendered and socialized as a woman.
Join Sarah and Amanda as they explore the transformative potential of redefining societal narratives.

SHOW NOTES
Full show notes at startupparent.com/221

SHOUT OUT TO OUR EPISODE SPONSOR:
Wise Women’s Council?
One of the things we talk about with Amanda in this episode is how saying “no” or speaking up is more complicated than “just say something.” Our conditioning often kicks into gear before we’re even aware of it, and it’s after the fact that we unpack the guilt and regret and would’ve could’ve should’ves of the situation.
The WWC has given me a sacred space to be vulnerable, unpack situations that I’m struggling with, and find support from a whole crew of incredible humans navigating the same messy intersections of motherhood, entrepreneurship, partnership, friendship — and just trying to be a better human.
It’s rare to find people like the ones I’ve met in the WWC, and to connect in a space like the one SKP has created over the last five (!) years is so special.
Applications for the next round are officially open until September 14, so head to startupparent.com/wwc to submit yours. I hope to see you at Orientation!

When we first launched The Startup Parent Podcast in 2017, we did a series on some of our core values and guiding principles. Many of these core values have stood the test of time and helped to guide us over the last five years. Please enjoy revisiting this core values episode from earlier in the life of the podcast.

Core Value: Work-Life Balance is a Myth. 

Show Notes: startupparent.com/015

#219 [REPLAY] — What if you’re a total night owl? For today’s guest, she loves to stay up late. Her best hours of work are often in the wee hours, often way past midnight. “I love sleeping in until 11 am or 12 pm or even later,” she said, and she built a very successful 30-person, award-winning digital strategy organization company this way. Then she had a kid.
Most parenting blogs will tell you that kids are early risers, that you’ll never sleep again, and that you have to become a morning person.
Sure, most kids wake up early. That’s pretty solid in the literature – the majority of kids wake up somewhere between 6 am and 8 am. But what’s not talked about is how the heck to deal with this, and how you can get more sleep, especially if you’re a night owl.
That’s why today’s guest is so interesting—she went against the parenting trends and decided that being a morning person wasn’t going to work for her. She didn’t give up sleep, either, and she kept working into the wee hours of the night.
Shama Hyder is a digital strategist, speaker, and bestselling author. She is the CEO of Zen Media, a global marketing and digital PR firm. She has been named the Zen Master of Marketing by Entrepreneur Magazine and the Millennial Master of the Universe by fastcompany.com. She has been honored at the White House and the United Nations as one of the top 100 young entrepreneurs in the country. She has been named one of the top 25 entrepreneurs by Businessweek, one of the top 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs by Inc. Magazine, and to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list of movers and shakers in 2015.
Listen to hear how Shama Hyder figured out a different way to do the parenting morning, childcare, and run her successful media company—and yes, she kept sleeping in until 11 am most days—because she knew she could make a schedule that would best fit her, rather than trying to force-fit her work and parenting schedule into the 9-to-5 model.
Here’s how she did it.
This episode was originally recorded in July 2020 and published as Episode #163.

#218 [REPLAY] — Danielle LaPorte’s intuitive nature informs her parenting style, and she shares her spirituality with her son. In this interview, host Sarah K Peck asks her to talk about her parenting journey. She shares that it began with an overwhelming desire to be a mom, that, when it arrived, she immediately followed even though it didn’t fit into her predetermined life plan.
Danielle’s next-level understanding of consciousness is the foundation of her parenting philosophy, a philosophy that includes truth bombs like: no shaming, no lying, no psychological game playing, and no pushing your child to be what YOU want. Rather, Danielle encourages parents to pay attention to what their children love, and who they are from the beginning, even as infants.
Today Danielle shares her parenting and entrepreneurial journeys, explaining how the two paths coincide and developed together. She offers her insight on parenting, speaking to the phases, the physical exhaustion, and the decisions of what to share (and not share) with your kids.
Sarah asks Danielle about the solitude of entrepreneurship and solo parenting, the significance of cultivating adult female friendships, and the value of meditation and pleasure in living a full life. Listen in and learn how to develop a parenting style that is informed by your belief system and honors your child’s soul.
This episode was originally recorded in February 2018 and published as Episode #034.