{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/62597e5a4fd40b00135d1360/6ae501c87fb1a4259cf255e3?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Episode 8: Raising Girls and a Business","description":"<h2>Episode Summary</h2><p>Erica has been growing The Mina Company alongside raising her daughters for so long that she sometimes forgets the baby years are behind her. In this episode, she works through a list of motherhood questions pulled together by her team, covering what has changed now that her girls are 11 and 7, and what that looks like inside a business built around family.</p><p>She talks openly about the rush of after school emotions, the late night conversations her oldest wants to have, and how hard it is to meet a younger and older child where each of them actually is. She also shares how her kids shape the way she leads, why she no longer carries mom guilt the way she used to, and how her team keeps work moving when life with kids gets in the way.</p><p><br></p><h2>What We Cover</h2><ul><li><strong>Parenting a preteen and a seven year old.</strong> What got easier, what got harder, and why Erica is loving this stage far more than the baby and toddler years.</li><li><strong>The 9:00 PM talks.</strong> Why her oldest opens up at bedtime, and how Erica gets ready to show up for those conversations even when she is exhausted.</li><li><strong>Two ages, two sets of needs.</strong> How a very responsible older child can quietly raise the expectations on the younger one, and what Erica is doing to catch it.</li><li><strong>Missing her mom.</strong> How often Erica wishes she could call her mom for parenting advice, and how her close friends fill part of that space.</li><li><strong>What her kids see in two entrepreneur parents.</strong> The ideas, honesty, and self reflection she hopes they absorb, plus a funny moment when her daughter said she works too much.</li><li><strong>When a kid wakes up at 6:00 AM.</strong> How a team that cross trains and flexes with family life keeps the business running without Erica.</li><li><strong>A culture built by a working mom.</strong> Why every call is recorded and why leaving early for a sport or pickup is simply normal at Mina.</li><li><strong>Mom guilt, then and now.</strong> How Erica went from a people pleasing 26 year old to a mom who asks for time, takes retreats, and refills her own cup.</li><li><strong>What her kids taught her about leadership.</strong> Finding her voice, gut checking decisions, trusting her team, and doing what is best for today.</li></ul><h2></h2><h2>Connect with Erica</h2><ul><li>Business inquiries: <a href=\"https://theminacompany.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Mina Company</a></li><li>Personal connection and coaching: <a href=\"https://ericavandersande.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Erica Vander Sande</a></li></ul><h2></h2><h2>Show Notes Keywords</h2><p>Conversations in the Dark podcast, Erica Vander Sande, motherhood and entrepreneurship, parenting a preteen, mom guilt, working mom culture, women led business, raising strong girls, flexible team culture, The Mina Company</p><h2></h2><h2>Subscribe and Review</h2><p>If this episode felt like a conversation with a friend, leave a review or share it with another mom who is doing it all. New episodes of Conversations in the Dark are on the way. Subscribe so you don&#39;t miss what&#39;s next.</p>","author_name":"Erica Vander Sande"}