If you’ve ever felt like you needed a childcare plan before you were “allowed” to tell anyone you’re pregnant, this episode will feel familiar.

Join us as we talk about childcare: the waitlists, the deposits, the sticker shock, and the identity shift that can hit when your work life and family life collide.

We share what we’ve actually done across different seasons: daycare, sitters and part-time help, an au pair experience that changed everything, consulting with a baby, navigating shutdowns, and figuring out after-school coverage once the “daycare era” ends. We’re not here to tell you there’s one right answer. We’re here to remind you that you can change your mind, build your village over time, and make a plan that fits your life.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Why childcare decisions feel so heavy

(00:21) The reality of parental leave in the US

(01:03) Daycare waitlists, deposits, and finding the right fit

(06:25) Weighing the budget & identity shift

(10:16) Nannies, au pairs, and the true cost of daycare

(16:38) After-school coverage when school ends at 2:45

(17:26) Starting a consulting business with a baby

(19:03) Making maternity leave work when self-employed

(22:26) Childcare options & building your village

(28:54) What saved our lives this week

Connect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/

Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com

If excelling at work and motherhood at the same time feels harder than it should, know you’re not alone.

This is Full Stack Moms, a show for working moms navigating high-performing careers, motherhood, and life - just like we are. In this episode, we share our own stories of balancing full-time roles, staying home, consulting, fractional work, and everything in between.

This conversation sets the tone for the show by making one thing clear. We are not experts. But we are here to help you feel less alone, normalize how hard this phase can be, and create space for honest conversations about work, parenting, and life in the middle.

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Welcome to Full Stack Moms
(00:29) Navigating Career Transitions

(01:11) The Stay-at-Home Struggle

(04:12) Tech Industry Demands vs. Family Life

(07:21) Flexibility in Tech
(08:46) Fractional Work

(10:37) Breaking the "Perfect Mom" Myth
(14:34) Managing Expectations
(16:57) What to Expect from the Podcast

Connect with Mallory Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/

Connect with Shannon Curran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com

Work like you’re not a parent.
Parent like you don’t work.
What if that whole system is wrong?

This is Full Stack Moms, and we are Mallory Lee and Shannon Curran, two working moms navigating tech careers, parenting, and everything in between. We talk about why the traditional rules of work don’t fit modern parents and how women in tech are doing things differently. Through honest conversations and behind-the-scenes stories, this show explores careers, caregiving, ambition, and the messy reality of having it all, just not all at once.

Connect with Mallory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorylee/

Connect with Shannon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-sweeny-curran/

Produced in partnership with Share Your Genius

www.shareyourgenius.com