Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in Houston?
I grew up in Savannah, GA, but I have lived in 9 different cities in 4 different countries between High School and today. I have lived in Houston for the past 6 years. This is actually the longest place that I have lived anywhere except Savannah!
Child(ren) and Age(s)?
I have 2 girls ages 6 & 8.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
People may be surprised to know that I am part Burmese. My mother grew up in Burma (now called Myanmar) with her English mother and Burmese father. She moved to the US to go to college, met my father, and here I am.
Favorite local activities to do in Houston?
When my kids were younger they loved Tree House Arts & Crafts. It was their favorite summer camp. This summer they attended Main Street Theater Camp for 2 weeks and absolutely loved it! We enjoy going to Rice baseball and basketball games as a family.
Do you have a favorite family-friendly restaurant in the area?
My girls would say Punk’s is their favorite but we also love to go to D’Amicos and have loved Mendocino Farms since it opened in Rice Village recently.
What local places do you go to for pampering and/or mom’s night out?
Well, I am a big foodie and we love trying all the great restaurants in Houston. Pampering for me means going out for an amazing meal. We love MF Sushi.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
Yes!! I recently launched Parents Pivot! We coach stay at home parents who are considering a return to paid work. There can be a lot of loneliness and apprehension around going back to paid work after pausing your career for parenthood. People often don’t know when the right time to return would be or how to go about returning. Some parents feel like they have to take the first job available and they don’t take the time to reflect on what they want and often end up unhappy and in the wrong job.
We make returning to paid work easier and way more fun for parents with the THRIVE Like a Mother group coaching program. It has been amazing to see the parents transform from feeling isolated and confused to feeling supported and being confident and clear about their career path forward. The next THRIVE program starts September 4th 10:30am-12:30pm. It is a 4 part workshop series that continues on the 11th, 18th, and 25th of September. There are a few spots left: https://www.parentspivot.com/group-coaching. West U Mom receive a special 10% discount please e-mail Anna at [email protected]
We are building out our online resources and will have webinars and online workshops like “Resumes for Returners” and more. You can sign up for our newsletter to get information about events, hear success stories of return to work candidates, and lots of other free resources. Sign up here.
We have a few job postings to connect stay at home parents with employers who value their multidimensional skill set. It is an employee market and many companies have come to me to say they are interested in return to work candidates. Fill out our membership form to be listed in our database of job seekers.
Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @parentspivot &
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/parents-pivot/
How has the Houston community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
The Houston community has been amazing. The highly talented stay at home moms returning to paid work who will change our community for the better energize me in Parents Pivot. The men and women in the Houston business community, especially the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce who have shown so much interest and support. The Doerr Institute at Rice University where I have been coaching undergraduate and graduate leaders for the past few years has been a phenomenal place to work. The continuing education they have provided, the community of coaches working there, and the talented students inspire me to move forward and do scary things like start a company! Houston has been wonderful!
What is the best advice for juggling mommyhood and running a business (or volunteering, working, etc)?
Well it is a challenge, but so rewarding. I love being a mom and I love working. I would say taking some time to reflect on the bigger picture, your “why”, and knowing your values as a mom and a business woman. Remembering to check in with yourself every now and then and see if you are showing up and living those values in both places as best as you can. Don’t expect perfection, just reflect, adjust, and move forward.
What would you tell the old “You” before you had kids?
You are doing great. You don’t necessarily know what the future holds and that’s ok. You will be fine. Enjoy the present, keep working hard and you will figure things out!
Funniest shortcut/routine for helping you through parenthood?
My 6 year old daughter is pretty hilarious so I just talk to her. She pays attention to social lingo and comes up with the craziest things. The week ahead of her first sleepover she was so nervous and not sure if she would do it. We went out to dinner with the other family that night. When it came time to leave, I was curious if she was going to go through with the sleepover. Well, she hopped in the van with the other family, waved good bye and said “so long suckers.” I guess she was totally fine. ☺
