Mama of the month: Amy Nelson
Posted on December 12 2019
Mom To: (Names and Ages of children/pets)
Sloane - 5
Reese - 3
Merritt - 2
Holland - 6 months
What are you currently working on?
As CEO of a growing startup, The Riveter, I feel like I am working on it all alongside my amazing staff of 80+ employees. We just wrapped up our first annual conference in New York, The Riveter Summit where we welcomed over 500 attendees to hear from luminaries incluidng Stacey Abrams, Lindy West, Robin Roberts, Stacy London, and other amazing speakers. Now we’re full steam ahead planning and strategizing for 2020. We’ve achieved incredible growth in just two years — from Seattle to seven cities nationwide and a digital community of thousands — and I can’t wait to keep building.
What has the experience of raising young children and growing a young company been like ?
Before founding The Riveter, I practiced corporate litigation for over a decade in New York City and Seattle. I had a successful career, but when I shared the news of my first pregnancy with my colleagues in 2014, I felt the perception and perspective of me in the workplace shift immediately. It’s the sad truth that in 2019 we live in a time where people see mothers in one light and business leaders in another, and I believe they can and should be one in the same. Some days it feels impossibly hard, but I am so fortunate to be doing work that I love and that will change the world my daughters will grow up in for the better.
As a mom of 4, what do you use to help get you through your workday?
I learned early on that we had to run our household the way I run the business. We simplify our life as much as possible outside of work including outsourcing tasks like ordering groceries from Instacart. Also, I gave birth to my fourth (and last!) daughter four months ago so I depend heavily on products that make breastfeeding more simple. I absolutely love my Loyal Hana clothing - it makes nursing and pumping easy while traveling or taking calls or meeting with my team. And I can do it in style! Gone are the days when I used to have to put in endless time and effort selecting outfits that might work for breastfeeding and might fit the bill for press interviews or board meetings or what have you. (And, frankly, always coming up short.) Loyal Hana works for everything and I hardly have to think about getting dressed. It’s just that easy.
Every mother needs to find balance, what does your village look like?
I always give the advice to build a village -- no matter what that looks like for you -- and ask for help often. From my husband, my family, our amazing nanny, and an incredible team of Riveters, I have a village of people as my support system who help make it all possible. It’s not really a balance for me, because that implies that things are weighted against each other. That’s not really how my life looks, nor the way I want it to look. It’s more about integrating the different parts and keeping it all moving forward. And that takes a big team!
What are you working on improving about yourself as a woman and mother?
I’m working on a lot of things. I’m trying very hard to be present at both work and home. I have to context switch so much - from being a mother to a founder to a wife and back again. It’s hard to figure out how to show up in each role multiple times a day.
We'd love to follow along with you and The Riveter, pls include your website and all public social media accounts.
The Riveter
Instagram: @theriveterco
Twitter: @theriveterco
Facebook: @theriveterco
Amy Nelson
Instagram: @amy_riveter
Twitter: @amy_riveter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.sterner
0 comments