For years, Karina Valencia was certain kids would derail her ambitious career. Growing up in a traditional Mexican household, she rebelled by dedicating herself to climbing the corporate ladder, working in the office of the CEO for companies like Citigroup and Palantir. But after her first marriage ended, she met her now-husband in her late 30s, and everything changed. After a challenging fertility journey that forced her to choose between her high-stress COO role and having a baby, Karina made the difficult decision to resign—and got pregnant one week later. When returning to work brought challenging discrimination, she decided to build her own company instead, creating Longvia, a longevity consultancy staffed almost entirely by mothers.

Timestamps

03:10 – Why Karina's traditional Mexican upbringing made her reject motherhood
09:50 – Building a global career at Citigroup and living in nine countries
15:00 – Going through divorce while climbing the corporate ladder at Palantir 19:45 – Meeting her husband and slowly changing her mind about having kids
24:45 – Multiple miscarriages and realizing work stress was affecting her fertility
31:10 – Quitting her COO role and getting pregnant one week later
36:15 – The identity shift from workaholic to new mother
42:55 – Facing discrimination and salary cuts when job hunting as a mother
47:50 – Starting Longvia, a company run almost entirely by mothers

Award-winning filmmaker Shaina Feinberg joins Mikenzie to discuss her New York Times Op-Ed film "I Almost Quit My Career for My Kids. Then I Met Joan Darling" and how becoming a mother actually amplified rather than diminished her creative ambitions.

In this conversation, Shaina opens up about the moment she almost gave up filmmaking due to the overwhelming pressure of trying to make it as a filmmaker while being a mother to two kids, and how meeting legendary director Joan Darling restored her sense of purpose. She shares practical insights about making it as artist parents in New York City, navigating motherhood in a male-dominated industry, and why focusing on "the quality of your experience" transformed both her parenting and her career.

Shaina's films have premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and played at festivals worldwide including Hot Docs and Rotterdam. She's a former New York Times columnist, has been featured on This American Life, and is the author of four books. She's also the mother of two kids—a 10-year-old and 3-year-old—living in Brooklyn with her husband.

You can watch Shaina's short film "I Almost Quit My Career for My Kids. Then I Met Joan Darling" here - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/opinion/motherhood-career-joan-darling.html

Timestamps
02:45 – Background on the film inspiration Shaina's husband's 10-week Lincoln Center gig left her as primary caregiver, leading to burnout and the decision to visit Joan Darling.

07:15 – Three storylines in the film Her mother who gave up her acting career, Joan who pursued career without kids, and Shaina trying to balance both.

11:20 – Early motherhood and career decisions Getting married, pregnant, and making her first feature film all at once, and how that opened career doors.

16:30 – How motherhood changed her ambition Kids gave her structure, schedule, and permission to openly want career success instead of just making art casually.

21:00 – Decision to have a second child The six-year gap, her father's death, miscarriage, and pandemic decision-making that led to baby number two.

26:00 – Managing two kids vs. one How having two children is exponentially harder and childcare logistics in New York City.

30:30 – Being a woman in the film industry Hiding her second pregnancy during COVID and gender disparities she's witnessed at film festivals.

37:00 – Dealing with rejection as an artist How film festival rejections work, why persistence matters, and people dropping out at different life stages.

42:50 – Joan's advice about quality of experience The transformative philosophy that changed how Shaina approaches both filmmaking and parenting.

46:30 – Future projects and parenting philosophy What's next creatively and learning to let her family be themselves more.

Marketing strategist Charlotte Brown shares how an early endometriosis diagnosis shaped her career goals — fast-tracking her rise in the corporate world so she could start a family before 30. She opens up about navigating fertility challenges, a difficult pregnancy, and the realities of returning to work after maternity leave. Charlotte also reflects on the surprising way motherhood reignited her ambition and why she ultimately left her corporate job to go freelance. Her story explores the tension between planning and intuition, and how she’s building a career and family on her own terms.

If you're a company looking for brand and marketing strategy, you can find more about Charlotte's freelance consultancy - https://www.lacuna.studio/

Show Time Stamps

06:30 – Climbing the corporate ladder with kids in mind
Why Charlotte chose strategy roles, fast-tracked her salary growth, and planned for early motherhood in London.

10:45 – Pregnancy, pressure, and navigating fertility with endometriosis
Charlotte opens up about being told to have children before 30, and the emotional impact of managing timelines she didn’t choose.

17:20 – A challenging pregnancy and redefining strength
What it was like to be bed-bound with hyperemesis, and how it shattered her expectations of “pushing through” the pregnancy

21:50 – Returning to work, loss, and the complicated in-between
Charlotte talks about her miscarriage, returning to work, and the vulnerability of being open with her employer.

28:40 – Leaving corporate: Burnout, reflection, and the leap to freelance
Why Charlotte decided to resign, and how she created space to build a more fulfilling career around motherhood.

36:15 – Building a sustainable life and embracing flexibility
How she and her husband split home responsibilities, set boundaries with kids, and navigate work-life balance with intention.

In this episode, venture capitalist Leila Zegna shares her inspiring journey founding Kindred Capital while becoming a mother of three. When her first daughter was born with a rare genetic condition, Leila's identity as a high-achiever was challenged, forcing her to redefine success beyond metrics and accolades. She candidly discusses navigating the venture capital world while pregnant, and her evolution from valuing hard work to embracing authenticity, which is just one of the many gifts her daughter has taught her. This conversation offers powerful insights for anyone questioning how ambition and family can coexist.

Silke is a senior leader at Dow Jones who has built her career and family life across three countries—Denmark, the UK, and the US. In this conversation, she shares her journey from leaving her native Denmark after university to establishing a successful international career while raising two young children with her husband Thomas. Silke speaks candidly about the mental challenges of early motherhood, breastfeeding struggles, and the importance of creating space for herself and her relationship. With her "good for now" philosophy, Silke demonstrates how embracing the present moment allows her to build a fulfilling life that balances career ambition with family priorities. Her approach to maintaining weekly date nights, not limiting her family's lifestyle, and finding support when living far from extended family provides valuable insights for parents navigating similar paths.

Psychotherapist Jaclyn Udell shares her unconventional life path from studying Mandarin in North Carolina to working in Chinese textiles, retraining as a psychedelic therapist in New York, and building her practice in London as a new mother. Jaclyn discusses how exposure to diverse cultures—from the American South to China, New York, Paris, and London—shaped her unique approach to career decisions and motherhood. She reveals how freelancing allowed her to create a gradual, personalized return to work after having her son Bram, and the emotional journey of separation and establishing her own identity beyond motherhood. Jaclyn's perspective on navigating cultural differences in parenting, her views on community building, and her family's latest adventure considering a move to a futuristic "network state" community showcase her adaptable approach to life. Her story illustrates how blending different cultural influences and rejecting rigid structures can lead to a more integrated and fulfilling life path.

In this special episode, Mikenzie gets to chat with her older sister Candice about her career and motherhood journey. Candice is a mother of four girls who has navigated multiple career transitions from corporate real estate law to in-house counsel, stay-at-home motherhood, and now entrepreneurship. In this episode, Candice shares about her lifelong plan to be both a mother and lawyer—and how reality repeatedly disrupted those carefully laid plans. Candice opens up about the challenges of balancing high-pressure corporate law work with family responsibilities, her experience with pregnancy during a new job, navigating shifting financial dynamics with her husband, her decision to become a stay-at-home mother, and ultimately finding her entrepreneurial path. She shares candidly about postpartum anxiety, miscarriage, and the gradual process of learning to prioritize herself. Candice's evolution from a meticulous planner to someone who embraces uncertainty offers valuable perspective for anyone struggling to reconcile career ambitions with family life. Her ultimate message is powerful: "Trust yourself. Because you are all you need in terms of guidance.”

Emily is a commercial operations leader at a major tech company, where she’s helped grow the organization from scrappy startup to public company—all while becoming one of the first senior employees to navigate parenthood.

In this episode, Emily shares openly about her deep-rooted drive for achievement, being the primary breadwinner in her family, and the ever-evolving dynamics of balancing an intense job with life as a mother of two. We talk about the crucial role her husband plays in childcare, how she prioritizes core friendships, and her ongoing work to set boundaries.

Emily’s honesty, clarity, and self-awareness make this a must-listen for anyone trying to figure out how to build a big career and be fully present at home.