M+A Edit

After being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, Hillary Peterson found herself extremely curious about everything she had been putting in and on her body. When she started digging, she started to see all kinds of toxins in all of her skin care products, and was taken aback. Still working, and as a new mom, she started her journey towards a healthy solution to skin care.Our guest today on The Mentor Files is Hillary Peterson, founder of True Botanicals, a line of skincare products that are toxin-free. Channeling her fear and frustration...

Dan Wenhold is a Principal at Fifth Wall, where he co-heads the Retail & Consumer Investment team, leading investments in omnichannel retail brands and technologies. Prior to joining Fifth Wall, Dan was the first employee and Director of Retail at The Black Tux and a growth equity investor at Battery Ventures. Dan started his career as a financial analyst at Robert W. Baird. Dan's past experiences with startups has given him a unique outlook in the ventures space, particularly in working within retail. If you're at all interested in going...

Today on The Mentor Files we have Phil Schwarz, a Principal at Corazon Capital, a Chicago-based fund that focuses on investing in early stage technology companies. From 2014-2016, Phil served as Chief Marketing Officer of Tinder, overseeing the company’s brand, growth and retention marketing efforts worldwide. Phil’s prior roles include Vice President of Growth Initiatives at Match Group, a division of IAC, as well as Executive Director at Kaplan and Kaplan Ventures (then part of the Washington Post Company), where Phil co-founded the Kaplan/Techstars EdTech Accelerator, invested in early stage...

So the 4th might not be the most baby-friendly holiday (infants don’t really mix well with beer, sparklers, and sweltering temps) but it can still be lots of fun—so long as your bag is packed right. Check out what Payal Adhikari, MD, a pediatrician with Child & Adolescent Health Associates in Chicago, suggests for a safe and baby-happy celebration. Battle Pesky MosquitosAfter two months of age, the CDC and AAP say it’s safe to put mosquito repellant on your baby—and a really good idea if you’re in a place where...

Growing up, Jesse Draper attended a lot of conferences in the venture capital space with her dad, and these early experiences helped shape the way that she viewed her future and what she wanted to do in her own career. But once she began looking deeper into becoming an entrepreneur herself, the lack of visible female role models really began to dawn on her. She started to push for higher representation of women in all aspects of her work, and this has been a driving force throughout her work and...

Whether you’re taking a two-year pause, hanging up your work hat indefinitely, or working a flex job during naps—staying at home can come with just as many feelings of guilt, identity struggles, and stress as going back to the office. And what’s harder: “There’s this antiquated narrative around stay-at-home moms—that they’re bored and now growing anymore,” says Neha Ruch, founder of Mother Untitled and a Stanford MBA taking her own pause to lean into motherhood. “We need to shift the conversation to be more about the growth and creativity that’s...

Whether you’re anxious over (re: dreading) the return, under-the-radar excited to sip coffee and answer emails again, or somewhere in between, there’s no getting around it: transitioning into your new identity as a working mom can be really tough. And while there’s no remedy for the pit that might come with leaving your babe those first few weeks back, there are steps you can take to help blend your two worlds—and maybe even keep your head on straight. 1. Treat your maternity leave like any other work project Long before...

From selling her first collection at age 16—to seeing her jewelry on celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Mila Kunis—designer Dana Gordon, of Dana Rebecca Designs, is a story in staying steadfast on your path. (Listen to her entrepreneurial journey on this week’s episode of The Mentor Files.) Now, inspired by her friendship with M+A’s main mom Monica Royer, and the other close women in her life, Gordon’s teamed up with Monica + Andy to launch a trio of necklaces meant to connect generations of moms and daughters. Shop the collection...

As the youngest of three siblings, Dana Gordon was always looking to tag along on her family member's adventures. But the one person she always wanted to shadow was her dad, a diamond cutter by trade. Her experiences with her dad inspired her to start her own jewelry line at the age of 16, running everything herself with no outside help. Little did she know that years later, her work would be featured worldwide. Our guest today is Dana Gordon, founder of Dana Rebecca Designs, a jewelry brand that designs...

Putting together a nursery or baby registry can feel like learning a foreign language—Uppa-what? Bugga-who?—which is why every mama needs a set of trusty crib notes. Can you survive without these products? Totally. But will they make life ten times easier? Like you wouldn't believe. From strollers to baby clothes to activity mats and nursing covers, here are the hero baby products we've found are worth every single penny. 1. 4moms Mamaroo Nothing soothes a newborn like motion, and this cult combo of a bouncer and swing may be the...