Episode 11. Tamika Auwai Transcript

Tamika Auwai (00:01):

When you burn out with the baby is like another kind of burnout. Like you, if you had burnout before. Burnout out with children is like a whole different piece because guess what? You can't just lock yourself away in a cape.

Tianna Tye (00:18):

I'm Tianna Tye, first time mama, entrepreneur, and speaker. And if you're hearing this right now, I am so excited for you because you are officially a part of a community unlike anything that's ever existed before. Here we welcome the weird cravings, the constant napping, and the high achieving spirit that us business owners are known for. Here we are pulling back the curtain on what it's really like to grow a human while running a business at the same time. Now, let me be clear, I am not the expert here. Crazy words coming from an Enneagram five. I'm just a first time mama who did something that I'm extremely proud of. I asked for help. I tapped my network of powerful business owners, authors, and generally just incredible humans who have been there before. Whether they unexpectedly had their first kid just a year into business or started their family after their company hit seven figures plus, or maybe they were just in full planning mode trying to conceive, they are dishing it all. So get ready for real conversation in a look at these personal journeys that are going to leave you expecting not only a baby, but a powerful evolution of self. This is The Expecting ceo.

Tianna Tye (01:36):

Hello. Hello. I am super, super excited because today we are joined by another lovely woman who honestly has kind of been through it, y'all. And so y'all know that when it comes to these conversations, I get to be a little bit selfish and pick the brains on all of our behalfs of some of the women who have successfully navigated even with their own little bumps and challenges in a season before us, right? So today we're joined by Tamika Hawaii and I'm actually just gonna turn it over to you immediately so that you can tell everybody a little bit about yourself, about your business, like whole shebang. Come, just paint the picture for

Tamika Auwai (02:10):

Us. Yeah, for sure. Happy to, happy to be here. Happy to share the wisdom that like I wish someone had told me one time, <laugh>, where I went down this road. Today I am the CEO of Aisha Creative. We are a four year old agency that serves coaches, mentors, and teachers. We help them specifically to pre-sell their programs using nurture content that turns more new leads into new clients. So that's the what I do. Outside of the biz, I have two children. I have a six year old and a 12 year old. So my, my, my post you know, <laugh> postpartum, it's just a little bit delayed, but I, I feel like that can, can bring some wisdom as well. But they're a lot of fun. They are very stereotypical male and female children, which means that sometimes they don't get along very well and they're very, You've got a Pisces and I've got an aquarium.

Tamika Auwai (03:01):

So again, sometimes they don't get along very well, but I love them dearly. I live out in Ontario, Canada with my husband and my, and, and our two children. And what else can I share? We, you know, I've been growing the agency, as you can hear, the agencies younger than the children rights, the agencies for the kids are six and 12, but I've been an entrepreneur. I've been in business for thir 12 years now. So you can hear that I started my first business when my first child was, you know, really small, just under one. And so there's plenty that I can share on that front cause it's not always a great idea. But that's, that's a little bit about who I am in the world from a business perspective, you know, and really the agency is the first business that I grew with, and I to having a team support me everything. Before I was kind of like solo consultant, principal consultant, maybe had a couple of contractors. And, and I, I attribute that actually to being a mother and having made mistakes in the past around my capacity and growing a business. And so it's kinda, you know, when you know better do better, Maya Angelou says. And so the version of my business that I get to be in the world with today, you know, was, was born from I think some of the challenges of being a mother and running your own business.

Tianna Tye (04:22):

Wow. So, you know, I didn't know any of this, obviously, like I come into these conversations just as blind as everybody else. So I find that really interesting and I love the fact that we can kind of dig into, okay, so what actually happened with business number one when we were raising baby number one and then conceiving baby number two and how that actually impacted your direction for Orisha Creative, like you mentioned. So can you kinda paint the picture for everyone around, I guess? So you said you started that first business when your baby was a little bit less than one. How did that Yeah, tell us about that.

Tamika Auwai (04:57):

Yeah, so I mean, here's, like, the thing that I think is important to hear is that I, I, I always had visions of being an entrepreneur running my own business, and I was corporate all the way. I, you know, kind of did the, did the thing, went to, you know, business school had a marketing career but in oh eight when the economy dipped, some call it recession, I think we're still not sure. But anyway, the economy dipped something fierce, and I was laid off from a contract role that I had taken on, and I found out that I was, and I can never remember which one happened first, but it was either, I found out I did the stick in the office bathroom a couple days before I was, I, I think it was that way. I think I found out I was pregnant.

Tamika Auwai (05:37):

And then just a couple d literally a couple days I got a pink slip to be laid off. Yeah. So deep breaths, What the hell, I mean, I'll say it worked in my favor in a couple of ways. Way number one was that it was a contract through the government. I doing communications and, and marketing for a municipal division of the municipal government. And so they paid out the full contract, right? They're not gonna take any chances. They're not going down any potential lawsuit road. They're like, Here's your money, you know, here you go. And so I had a paid maternity leave basically where I had no work to do and money available. And so I did cool things like run around and try all of the, for my Canadians, poutine french fries with gravy and, you know, and so I went to all the different restaurants, tried all the different poutines and just had myself a great time.

Tamika Auwai (06:27):

And then also being Canadian I had a paid maternity leave because I had been working traditionally previously. And so I had, you know, the, the one year maternity leave, what looks amazing from the outside, and I certainly agree it's better than nothing. What they pay you on maternity leave is a very small fraction of what you're actually making corporate, right? So it's, you're not getting your full salary, right? You're getting, you know, what does it work? I think it's like 40% or something like that of what you've been earning. And so, yeah, that's a long way of saying that, you know, I went for a period of like having all the money, having all the things, having all the relaxation to eventually realizing that maternity leave is coming to an end. My salaries have been reduced over the past kind of year.

Tamika Auwai (07:08):

And also the marketing jobs that are available right now are like few and far in between. And the salaries they're offering kind of look like what I was making when I first graduated. Like, they were real pitiful. You know, marketing is the first place to go. Marketing is the place where they're like do y'all really do anything? We're not, we're not sure <laugh>, right? So I had this decision to make whether I was gonna, you know, find daycare and pay, you know, the equivalent of another salary to, to daycare cuz daycare is really expensive out here or with this job that again, is not paying me all that well and have to leave my sweet baby angel, right? New mom, you know, brand new mom. And we had so much fun during, you know, mat leave. We were like very bonded, very attached.

Tamika Auwai (07:50):

And that I, I used that sort of window as a like, is this the time to start my business? And in hindsight, I think, no, it was not the time to start my business. <Laugh>, I'll just be straight up honest. Like, I mean, it would've been really tricky to balance daycare fees and a lower salary and everything else. But what I will tell you is that like with postpartum, like you don't, you know, the babies out, even if you're having a wonderful time, even if you are not experiencing any sort of postpartum depression or any of those other pieces, it's just such a huge life transition that to also transition outta the workforce and into running your own business. Like, just straight like that for me, you know, and I can't speak to everyone's experience, but for me, a buffer would've been helpful.

Tamika Auwai (08:33):

I think, you know, hindsight, if I had, you know, gotten any old j o b and just like got my wis about me to really think about things a little bit more logically and really, you know, with a game plan in mind, I think, cause I, I really was in a place of, you know, and, and I'm curious of like, you know, anyone listening can relate to this. Like when you're expecting, there's like, there's like, I don't know if it's like what's happening in your body, but there's like a creativity that like, you, you know, you get ideas and you get, So I was really led by like passion and excitement. And I created this business that was very much a creative outlet, but it did not have a, you know, really smart, tangible business plan to monetize it. And like, you know, little things like thinking, and I'm a marketer, y'all, so like, but like certain aspects just really like alluded me.

Tamika Auwai (09:18):

I was like, Oh yeah, yeah, of course this is gonna work. And it was amazing. I mean, I, you know, essentially like kind of pioneered popup shops in the Toronto area before people were, you know, using real estate to do these sort of popup fashion events and stuff like that. I started doing them and I remember having realtors call me and be like, You wanna do what with our space now? But essentially, you know, was supporting the the fashion startup brands and connecting them with more established retailers and, you know, kinda doing PR initiatives and communications and that kinda thing. So I had a event marketing and PR firm essentially for startup fashion brands. But here's the thing, like the passion was there and I was so excited. But all the things that I didn't think about running an event based business, when you have a one year old deal, like, do you wanna be outta your house?

Tamika Auwai (10:05):

<Laugh> out networking and doing all these things, like, not so much. And blessed my husband, he was like all for the passion and you know, supported and, and we made it happen. But it's like, I'd be out there, you know, at an event and also like, ma boobs are hurting cause I'm breastfeeding, or I'm like, you know, Oh, I didn't get to say goodnight to my baby girl tonight, or like any of these pieces. Not, so it was like already from like a depleted sort of guilt kind of place. And then also, you know, being out of the workforce prior to that, right? I like my lens in terms of like what my value was and what it actually like. I didn't do the research that needed to happen to really even set up pricing in a business model, you know, that kind of made sense.

Tamika Auwai (10:43):

So essentially that first business, like it, it kind of crashed and burned a little bit. Not in the, at word success. Like I, you know, had like 200, 300 women at events. It was on national TV in Canada, all these very cool things, but none of them like pay for diapers, right? So <laugh> diapers are expensive, y'all. So, you know, it was, it was one of those things where it just, it really wasn't sustainable. And it's kinda like I was in this place of like, you know, watching my little grand bless her again, she's like a sweetie. And just like one of those real chill babies. My son, I'll tell you the story of him is not that, but she was like very chill, very relaxed, but like, still, I'm like watching her kinda like play into own thing. And I'm like, you know, trying to hustle and figure out the next, you know, event that I'm gonna, you know, go to or plan or, you know, what have you.

Tamika Auwai (11:28):

I just, I found myself exhausted a lot of the time. I found myself like feeling guilty a lot of the time. And then most importantly, I just, like my money lens was not on correct, because I just didn't take that time to stop. And so I was like, am I, is what I'm doing really, really like any better than getting a j o b? Like, I, I probably, so hindsight I probably would've gotten the j b and what that actually did. You know, being, having that business and kind of holding on for it too long, I will also say and just share that, like, it actually, the reason that I have this six year gap between my children was not on purpose at all. Like, we never expected that we would like wait that long, but just financially it didn't make sense. You know, again, with my business kind of like struggling or kind of like, are we gonna be back now?

Tamika Auwai (12:14):

We're gonna have two kids in daycare, you know, and ends are still not, you know, not making it where I want it to, where I want it to be. Right? So one of the things that it did, and I I think this is like, if you're in your, you know, this is your first child and you're kind of thinking about like, you know, timing and everything else, like it really serves you to have your money, right? So if your business is young and new and it's not financially, you know, stable yet that may impact, you know, what happens next in terms of how you have your children, right? And, and you know, I I, I can't see myself now having kind of like two under two or anything else like that. It was how it was and it was perfect and everything else. But there are times when I look at these children in two very different life stages and I'm like, Oh, it would be nice if you guys could like, like each other today instead of in, you know, 15 years because, you know, at six and 12 and then like a very boyish type boy and a very girlish type girl.

Tamika Auwai (13:03):

Like, they literally, it's like this all day, right? Like anything that we, we haven't, we haven't done Disney or anything like that yet. Cause my husband and I like, it's like we'll be on two different vacations. Like one of us will be over there, one of us will be over there. It's like there's no, you know, there's no get friends on the same page, right? So, and that's kinda a little bit about the first, the first the first child.

Tianna Tye (13:28):

Each episode I'll be pulling a card from the expecting CEO affirmation deck just for you. And today's card says, I trust that my path as a parent will serve to enrich my path as a business owner. You can get your hands on your own deck or gift it to the expecting CEO in your life by visiting www.theexpectingceo.com/affirmations and fund bonus. We're giving the podcast family 10% off. Just use the code E C E O show and you can snag yours for 10% off today.

Tamika Auwai (14:07):

And bringing that into sort of the evolution of the business. So, you know, I started to that this actually, it's interesting because my lack of success is my first business, a lack of financial success into my first business. You know, had me really enter sort of like the coaching realm. Like I hired a coach, you know, found the money to hire a coach. I'm like, why isn't I'm, I'm doing all the things that they're saying, follow my passion. I'm following my passion and my passion's not getting you paid. Y'all like, what am I gonna do? Hired a coach and everything else and decided to you know, kind of like niche down, think more strategically around, you know, who can afford to work with me at the level of pricing that I want to work through. And I actually took on one of the things, and, and again, great timing in terms of my second pregnancy, one of the things that I did was I was like, okay, I need to start to, yeah, I just need, I need to start to have more money.

Tamika Auwai (14:58):

I need to have more money in the bank so that I can actually, you know, for my second child, I'm not gonna have the benefit of having that leave. I'm not gonna have that because I was out of the workforce. And that's not how it works, right? You gotta be gainfully, you know, traditionally employed for them to pay out your, your maternity leaves, right? So for my second, you know, as I was thinking about, you know, and, and getting at the place where I'm like, it's been five years now. Like, it's kind of like an hour and hour. And I had my first child at 29. Right? And so then you start to get into like what the doctor's called the geriatric pcy situation. And so y'all, if anyone I feel you like, if that phrasing makes you wanna just lie down and cry, I'm with you.

Tamika Auwai (15:38):

Cause I'm like, that's just so all sorts of messed up. Like, do we have to call it that? Like, really? But I was, you know, getting on 35, right? And I'm like, Oh, okay. What, what am I gonna do here? So I did a lot of work, a lot of coaching, everything else, and I'm like, All right, I'm gonna start to, I'm, I'm gonna start to transition my business into only having like high ticket offerings, high ticket packaging and you know, high ticket packages for consulting and stuff like that. And, and I, you know, lo and behold I started to, you know, bring in some clients in that arena. And, you know, that was the point at which, you know, have the NRA like, okay, like things are starting, money starting to flow a little better. Let's, let's start trying. And you know, I feel really grateful to say the trying and the happening happened real fast.

Tamika Auwai (16:18):

And in fact, I got pregnant. I didn't, I didn't know it. We were moving, we were moving from one home to a new one. And it was like, you know, I'd take, I'd stopped birth control or whatever cause we're, you know, again, get your body right, that kinda thing. And we were in the moving, you know, we were in our vehicle following the moving band to get to our new property. And I was like, Oh, I don't feel so well, and I'm thinking it's like, you know, you know, moving is like a lot, right? So, and you know, I've got a kid, so I'm like, I'm like a just be like nerves about moving and everything else. We'll come to find out the nausea that I was feeling as we're like, you know, and driving down the highway was not because I was nervous, but rather because I was expecting my second child.

Tamika Auwai (17:00):

And so that was like, you know, it was very surprising that it happened so quickly. But it really put me into a like, okay, like I, I remember what happened last time. It was really, you know, kind of struggles though that I was starting this business not having a, a nest egg at any kind. It was great that I had maternity leave, but like, you know, didn't have any kind of nest egg. And this time around I know I'm not gonna have maternity leave. So I am going to like, you know, stack all the paper that I can. And, and so I, and, and I did that. I, you know, I was doing pretty well with it. You know, had a lot of energy during my pregnancy and everything else, but y'all, the place where I like did not think it through was, I was like, I'm just gonna sell a whole bunch of like, packages like these, you know, you know, kinda 5K packages or whatever, like a month before I am due to deliver.

Tamika Auwai (17:48):

I'm gonna gonna kind of like, you know, and then I will like postpone delivery, you know, just for like maybe a month, right? I'll, I'll start delivering these things like a month after my baby is born. No friends. That is not the way <laugh>, that is not the way, And again, I'm coming from like, I was coming from my first, first experience my first child. Like I had nine months, or sorry, a year of, of mat leave. And so I didn't really, you, I didn't work at all. So I literally, like, I had no comparison, you know, of the difference between running like, you know, I, I, I just, I didn't know what I didn't know and it was why I went piano and you were like, Let's have this conversation. Like, hell yeah. Someone needs to tell somebody, <laugh> each one, teach one tele friend.

Tamika Auwai (18:34):

Cause you need more than a month for mat leave. More than that. If you, like, if you are thinking about, ooh, like the way that I'm gonna fund my mat leave is by offering sort of like the highest level packages that I've ever offered prior to going on that leave. Like something I've never delivered in, in that pricing before. You are setting yourself up to be, just be like a pressure cooker. Like I just, you know, because this, you know, I mean anybody who is transitioning their, their pricing and their rates, you know, at any point, even if you're not in it right now, you can remember that place where it's like the first time you charge like 5K for something or 10 K for something or, you know, you, you show up differently. You, you know, you approach it differently. And there is like, no matter what anybody said, there is a certain level of that like little imposter syndrome that's gonna be like, like, can I deliver to that when add that your hormones postpartum you all the way down <laugh>, you'll be a hot mess.

Tamika Auwai (19:35):

And that, and that literally was what I, I was a mess. And I, you know, it just like the, the pressure of having, you know, two children now instead of one, the pressure of like having all of this like service delivery that I was now on the hook for, even though I like my recovery time. Cause that's the other piece, right? Like baby number one recovery was like, alright, like six years later. So age plus baby number two, I dunno, my son shot out like Sputnik and like my body was not okay after <laugh>. So like, the healing period of it, like the healing period of it was not, was not the best. So like a month in, I was not ready, I was not ready to do anything. I was not ready to talk about any kinds of strategy anywhere. And I was on the hook for this money that I had already, you know, taken without making a long story longer, I will say the result was I ended up having to like refund some clients.

Tamika Auwai (20:31):

I had to fire some clients. I was not in a place to deliver at all. And I think that's the biggest piece to hear. Like it takes longer than you think. And the, like, the, yes, there are absolute smart ways that you can kind of like bankroll your your maternity, but if you're expecting delivery to be on you and you're expecting that timeframe, like whatever you're expecting the, the timeframe to be, you probably just need to let go of that because you actually don't know. I like, I don't even wanna say that, Oh, well, you know, it'll be more than a month because it was like that for me. Because we all like, if we don't know this yet, what you need to know is that like everybody's pregnancy experience and everyone's postpartum experience is completely different. Like, you might hear elements of what I'm talking about and and be able to relate to it, but you really don't know.

Tamika Auwai (21:16):

And so it's like you wanna give yourself the space and the grace to not have to do a whole lot of anything. So like, this is the time to, rather than like, Oh, I'm gonna come up with a brand new opera and it's gonna like get me the most money and, and you know, so I have to, you can sell less packages. I've got like, now is not the time likely to, to set yourself up in that way because it just, you know, the, the pressure that you're putting on yourself, and especially if you're, this is your first child, the pressure that you're naturally gonna feel, even if you're like, I'm chill, it's gonna be fine. Everything else, it's just like something happens, this little person comes out of our bodies and is living in worlds and we're like, holy crap. All if you could be the smartest boss in your business, you know, smartest at, at what you do and, and have a level head around your, your, your work.

Tamika Auwai (22:02):

But like when it comes to the children, you like, you, you just don't know. And so it's like my, my biggest, yeah, my biggest wish for myself was that I like had the foresight to kind of like, you know, take it down, take it down several notches. That would've been, that would've been the smart way to go about it. But again, everything happens for a reason. You know, and a happy, a happy end of the story is once I sent all those clients on their way and gave them back their money, I, you know, revisited the workforce in about, I, I ended up taking about six months and I took on a like sort of more permanent kind of like consulting gig, right? Like a retainer that was sort of an indefinite retainer that kind of gave me the feeling of having a job like secure, stable retainer without actually having to like, leave the home and everything else. And that, that role actually was the inspiration for the agency that I run today. So it all, you know, again, everything happens for a reason. And I think the biggest reason is to have a really great story to share to anyone who's listening. It's, yeah, yeah, here's what I'm do. I'm <laugh> don't, don't do that. <Laugh> don't do that.

Tianna Tye (23:08):

I'm sitting here laughing because I'm honestly, as much as you're like, you need to learn from me, don't do what I did I'm really glad, almost in a selfish way that that happened so that you had this story to share with us. Because I've even, and I'll speak for myself, you know what I'm saying? I felt personally this, it's weird ha being exhausted yet simultaneously being like, I'm gonna take on the world to set my child up with all the best things and they deserve it and they deserve it now, and this is the way that it has to be, period.

Tamika Auwai (23:44):

Yep.

Tianna Tye (23:45):

So even these conversations, again, I talk about it all the time. I get to be selfish and these are helping me, but hopefully they're helping you listening right now as well, because it's a good reality check. I think that there's nothing wrong with, you know, being aspirational and manifest all, all the words y'all, all the words with the universe, whoever your creator is. I get it. However, a good dose of realism is also incredibly be to us because I have even felt personally even in this project, when I say, when the name the expecting CEO came to me, it was an immediate onslaught of we should do this in this, in this, in this. And what we have actually committed to is these conversations with highlights that will be shared when you're listening to this. This means that the full podcast now exists. So congratulations.

Tianna Tye (24:36):

We've made it to the other side <laugh>. However, this was recorded way, way in advance with no promise date of when the podcast will release. Because through these conversations, one of the biggest things that I keep hearing and keep learning is don't, it's like you don't, I'm not being gloom and doom, but also don't bite off more than you can chew, particularly because you just have no idea how you will react to the experience. We can plan as much as we want, but just like you said, Tamika, this was your second child and it still wasn't the experience that you necessarily anticipated. And I think that that's a powerful reminder for people who are like us and we're, we got all the ideas, we're visionaries, we're high achievers, incredibly motivated, but that can kind of be a recipe for burnout in this situation

Tamika Auwai (25:22):

Very quickly, very easily. And let me just tell you, like, when you burn out with the baby is like another kind of burnout. Like you, if you had burnout before, burnout with children is like a whole different piece because guess what? You can't just lock yourself away in a right. You can't, You've got a whole other body who needs you, even if you're not breastfeeding, even if have a partner who can support you, you know, there's another human kinda relying on you. So it looks quite a bit different.

Tianna Tye (25:51):

Ooh, great. Great point. So I'm curious, anything else in terms of like what you planned for versus what you experienced? Any other just little tidbits that you really wanna share to make sure people get a little more dose of some realness?

Tamika Auwai (26:08):

Yeah, I think again, like, you know, we, we know that every pregnancy is different. We know that every child is different and we get into like the sort of romanticizing of like how it's gonna be. And I think it's just that reminder that like, you really just don't know. And you really have to understand that there's a bunch of things happening at once. Like my hormones were all over the place and I like, I, I was like, I thought it was me, right? I was getting anxious, I was getting like all these different pieces and I was like, What's wrong with me? Right? And you know, it's, it's not always just what's wrong with you, it's literally like this stew that you're cooking in of the hormones of the baby, of the, like all the different pieces. So I, I, you know, I think it's just that reminder that if something feels, if something is not happening the way that you anticipated it, it's really hard to, or it's easier said than done, I should say.

Tamika Auwai (27:07):

You know, to not, like, not not attach to that and not blame yourself for it, but also recognize like, there's just a whole bunch of things going on. And so, you know, it's like take a deep breath and, you know, understand that it's, it's, it's happening the way that it's going to, I don't even wanna say it's happening the way that it's, you know, meant, meant to be or it, or any of those, you know, trite pieces of like, well, it's all happening for the best cause you know, sometimes it's not the best, sometimes it's actually crappy as hell and it's, it's not the best at all, but recognize that like it's, you know, you aren't the source of it, it's just these are really different conditions and really unpredictable conditions. And so offering yourself grace and you know, is, is really the kinda the only way through.

Tianna Tye (27:53):

Ooh. A word. If y'all need to rewind that and listen to it again, go ahead and do what you gotta do. <Laugh>. Well, I'm curious, ma'am, as we start to come to the end of our time together, you know, you, you are more so on the quote unquote other side, of course you're still mothering and running a business at the same time. However, your kids are a little bit older, they can, you know, at least feed themselves. So I'm curious for you, just like in this particular season, in your life as a business owner, as a mother, as all of the roles that you have, what you're most grateful for, both personally and professionally?

Tamika Auwai (28:27):

Personally, I think just ever grateful for my partner who, you know, in all of the seasons and all of the versions of it, he has always been willing to just kind of like, Yeah, you got this, it's good. You know, and to help, you know, he's very hands on and he's always been a real help. So I just, you know, I, I appreciate and I'm grateful for that even in the times where like my, you know, I'm a strong wack woman said that I can do it myself, <laugh>. And he's like, No, no, actually I can help. So just ever grateful for that. And I think professionally I mean, two things kind of come to mind, you know, thing number one is I'm grateful for the experiences that I had that led me to creating a business now that is about sustaining me and the family experience that I wanna have.

Tamika Auwai (29:12):

Right. Like it if it wasn't from those experiences if it wasn't for these experiences that I had, I dunno that, you know, I dunno when I would've sort of been like, Oh yeah, no, actually you need to create a business that is not about you, that actually can run without you. So that you can, you know, be there with your family and, you know, among other things. So I'm really grateful to, to have that wisdom and to bring it into this, you know, iteration of my, of my career, my entrepreneurial journey. And then I think, you know, I'm also, you know, kind of straddling both of them. I'm just really grateful that I can model this for my children model that there are, you know, there are lots of ways to create money and impact and you can do them, you know, you can do them while running, you know, raising a family and you can do them, you know, while being home after school to, you know, kiss your kids and give 'em a snack. Like, just being able to, to demonstrate that you know, and demonstrate that mom, mom can be the boss, you know, <laugh> the pieces of, of that. And I'm really grateful. So,

Tianna Tye (30:13):

Ooh, I think that was beautiful because I think for people like me who are new into this journey, one of the fears that's come up the most was like this ability or inability to do both. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. And I think that like, that's one of the affirmations that I'm saying to myself constantly, no matter what form it takes. Cause again, I don't really know what it's going to look like. I do know that I have the ability to do both. So I love that you said that. A little bit of hope, a little bit of

Tamika Auwai (30:39):

You. Absolutely. Yes. That, but that's so true though, right? Like, we don't know what it's gonna look like, but there is like, it's possible For sure.

Tianna Tye (30:45):

Well, speaking of that little affirmation, what is just one thing that you wanna leave leave our other expecting CEOs, our community, What do you wanna leave them with?

Tamika Auwai (30:58):

I think I wanna leave them with the understanding that it's okay for your maternity leave to be as long as you need it, right? I think, yeah, it's, it's okay for it to be as long as you need it. I think for me, rushing into, you know, figuring out what to do for work when my little one, like my maternity leave for that first one probably needed to be a little bit longer so I could have a little bit of time to incubate a little bit more of my ideas. And then certainly, you know, the story that I shared of of my little guy, you know, kinda rushing back or, or really pressuring myself to have this, you know, super short back on feet. Mat didn't either, right? So let it be as long as you to be and don't, don't give any Fs if you need to make it longer, right? Like, if you need to make it a little bit longer, make that call too.

Tianna Tye (31:53):

Amen. Y'all heard the woman look, we're listening. We're taking it in. Okay. Tamika, for those who just, you know, heard so much of themselves and your story or just, just wanna know about all things Tamika, where is it that they can connect with you? Like where do you hang out the most?

Tamika Auwai (32:09):

Ah, the best place to hang out and connect. Find me on Insta. My personal profile is at Tamika is content or Tamika is content, depending on whether it's the week or the weekend. <Laugh>.

Tianna Tye (32:21):

Yeah. I love her name so much. I'm like, Oh my gosh, double duty. I love it. I'm here for it.

Tamika Auwai (32:26):

Does the job like we do as Mother <laugh>.

Tianna Tye (32:29):

There you go. You can do both. Y'all heard it here, <laugh>? Yeah.