Okay, ya pervs… I was using a little artistic license in the title, but it’s kinda true! In this week’s episode of 30 Something with Sonni, I talk with Totum Women founder Erin Erenberg about launching a company that launched the cookie that helps nursing moms everywhere make more milk.I mean, yes, it’s possible to choke down Mother’s Milk Tea on the daily if you’re looking to up your supply. But if given the choice between that and a dark chocolate chip cookie laced with nourishing and body-supporting ingredients, I’m gonna take that option allll day.And here’s the thing: Even though she has three young kids and is now working for herself, Erin’s been on the career track for a while. She worked with the Academy of Country Music, then was with IndieGogo as the company was launching, and she even worked at mega-talent agency WME.

Making the decision

Then, as is often the case when women decide to have children, things changed. After going back into the work force after her first two children, she started to have the itch to follow her own passions.And that’s when she says it was time to listen to the entrepreneurial side of her that was always there.When we were talking, she recalls a conversation with an executive coach where she said, “I feel like I’m being dragged behind the bus of my life.”Her intention was to put her kids first, but expectations about what a working mom “should” be interfered with what she was doing.So she started down the solo path. She worked with that same executive coach, having found an opening in the market she would fill–to find a way to nourish the new mother. But then, yet another surprise came her way. She found out she was having her third baby.

BIRTH OF TOTUM WOMEN

After giving birth to her third, she gave birth one more time, this time to her company, Totum Women, whose tag line is “Every woman, whole.” Their banner product, the Mother’s Support Cookies, hit with a bang. And thanks to word of mouth and the very real lack of good-tasting lactation-supporting products on the market (any mom who has choked down Mother’s Milk Tea can attest to this), Totum took off.You guys know I’m all about a pivot in life–I love a good Second Chapter story–and that’s why I loved talking with Erin so much. Her story is proof that we don’t have to know where we want to end up when we start. Taking the chance to follow your instinct usually pays off in more ways than one. And Totum Women is proof of that.With more coming down the pike, like an expanded online support group for moms and some new products too, Totum is growing. And I was so, so honored that Erin took time to share her journey with me.Oh, and by the way, she formulated the recipe with a family member who was the former COO of Mrs. Fields. So you know these suckers are good!

In This Episode We Talk:

• The amazing lactation-supporting cookies she developed to help new moms
• Working in the startup world and transitioning to other high-performance and high-stress jobs
• Starting a business with young kids at home
• Matresence–coming into yourself as a mom
• Growing an online community for moms, by moms
• Her advice for women pursuing a job or passion after having a baby
• Why there’s no such thing as having to pick between “working mom” and “stay-at-home mom”

Products Mentioned in this Episode:

Fridababy Nose Frida (the best booger sucker! Sounds gross, but TRUST ME, you need this.)The Belly BanditMedela Quick-Clean Bags for Breast Pump

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