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Embracing Motherhood as a Superpower and Building a Values Aligned Legacy - with Erica Willie (part 2)
80 Plays21 days ago
In Part 2 of this two-part conversation, Leanna continues the discussion with Erica Willie, founder of The ScienceSIS Foundation, sales leader, tech strategist, and mom of three, to explore what it means to fully embrace motherhood, not as a detour from ambition, but as a superpower. Erica shares how she chose to lean into her evolving identity, let go of outdated definitions of success, and ask the deeper question: What is the legacy I want to leave? This episode offers practical insight and encouragement for high-achieving women redefining their impact in both career and life.
If you haven’t yet, go back to episode 109 to hear Part 1 of Erica’s powerful journey from her early interest in STEAM to a career in tech, then enterprise sales, and into the early challenges of motherhood.
Connect with Erica on LinkedIn, and find out more about her nonprofit, The ScienceSIS Foundation, on Instagram and Facebook.
Full transcript available here.
Connect with Leanna here.
If you're ready for deeper transformation, check out The Executive Mom Reset; Leanna’s six-month coaching program designed to help ambitious moms stop merely surviving and start thriving. Book a consult now!
Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the show to help more women find these empowering stories!
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast and Host
00:00:04
Speaker
Welcome to the Executive Coach for Moms podcast, where we support women who are attempting to find balance and joy while simultaneously leading people at work and at home.
00:00:15
Speaker
I'm your host, Leanna Lasky-McGrath, former tech exec turned full-time mom, recovering perfectionist and workaholic, and certified executive coach.
00:00:27
Speaker
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the show. Thank you so much for joining me.
Introducing Erica Willey: A Multifaceted Leader
00:00:32
Speaker
And I am here today for part two of a two-part conversation with Erica Willey. If you didn't tune in last week, go back and listen to it. It was an amazing conversation and I know going to love it.
00:00:43
Speaker
But if you are just tuning in, let me tell you a little bit about Erica. Erica is a former NFL cheerleader turned tech strategist, nonprofit founder, and mom of three with a background in computer science and a master's in instructional design. She blends technical know-how with heart-led leadership.
00:01:02
Speaker
Thank you.
00:01:06
Speaker
and leads crm enablement at paxcotech helping small businesses and nonprofits grow erka's career spans top sales roles at hubspot at and t ibm and cisco and she's on a mission to prove that ambition motherhood and purpose can all thrive together Welcome back, Erica. Thank you. know
How Motherhood Enhances Leadership
00:01:24
Speaker
yeah thanks so much for joining me for this conversation so where we left off last time and wanted to start here because i love this idea what you had been talking about was kind of that when you became a mom and you were
00:01:37
Speaker
you know in your career you kind of like hid that part of you and compartmentalized and kept home and home and work at work, as many of us are kind of taught to do. And then at some point along the way, you realize that actually motherhood is your superpower.
00:01:54
Speaker
So I want to hear more about that and kind of like how you made that mindset shift and how you think about that now. Motherhood is my superpower. It's been a minute, a lot of growth and digging deep to help me get to that point. I think more so with my daughters. i have three daughters and I'm a mom of three girls.
00:02:14
Speaker
Remind me how old they are now. They are 11. Oh gosh, that happened so fast. eleven I'm sorry, 11, nine and seven. So they are around like 20 months, 22 months apart. Keep me very busy.
00:02:28
Speaker
um I remember looking at them I'm just, you know, I think I mentioned it before. I didn't feel any type of discrimination really when I was in tech. Like tech is a cool space. Like there's a lot of first in tech, lots of people all over different spaces and places. And so I didn't feel it there, but I remember just still being one of the lone women and then having three daughters.
00:02:51
Speaker
My husband works in the school system and there isn't anything coming down the pipe that kind of promotes like STEM and there is like a division when it comes to girls and the spaces that i worked and lived in and I love to be in. and there is a small portion of the people that i saw like me and the spaces that I love to be in. And I looked at my daughters and like, what if they want to be in the STEM spaces? They don't have to be, what if they want it to be? And then I started, you know, doing a little bit more research and, and so that kind of like sparked it.
00:03:24
Speaker
But after
Applying Motherhood Skills in the Workplace
00:03:25
Speaker
I became a mom, I remember working and not wanting to share I just, I started realizing how sharp I was, I was getting like how it's sharpening me and how, I was better at prioritizing what really mattered. I started being really good at that. I remember how I could do a lot of things while it was chaotic around me. Like before i could not focus unless it was a clean space. Like I had to have a clean space with hours to focus.
00:03:50
Speaker
But now, with kids being able to work in chao chaotic spaces or being able work in the little moments in 15 minutes here and there, being able to be productive in those little tiny moments, more efficient.
00:04:03
Speaker
And then I just, I like I got emotionally more intelligent, not in spite of being a mom, but because of it. So I felt like I was getting a, like a good training from motherhood, yeah just from being able to pivot fast and then just to see like long-term better.
00:04:19
Speaker
I even heightened my instincts for people when it came to sales and in leadership. and I think that raising my little tiny little humans, it helped me navigate some of that resistance with patience and helped me motivate be motivated a little bit more.
00:04:36
Speaker
And so that is how motherhood became my superpower through my children, watching them, being a mom to them, and then not separating and or compartmentalizing that, but bringing it into my workspace.
00:04:50
Speaker
Bringing the lessons that i um was learning from being a mother into my workspace and I found myself being more efficient and leading differently. you know, I remember being in tech sales and being at in an enterprise space, having a BDR and how proud I was when my BDR would be promoted or wanting to learn their goals and wanting to see them succeed that.
00:05:11
Speaker
Yeah.
00:05:14
Speaker
from watching my daughters and so ah let it come into my workspace and that that's how it became my part of my superpower Yeah. I love whenever we can find ways where motherhood really helps us at work because so often it is more viewed as a hindrance to us and to our careers. And i think to your point, there are so many ways where it benefits us and it benefits our career and it benefits those around us. Because to your point, it's like your level of caring for other people and being invested in their success is so much greater whenever you have little humans. I don't know. At least it is for me. And it sounds like for you as well.
00:05:55
Speaker
Yep. Yeah. So, and I think about too, the story that you shared last week about how whenever you were trying out to be a 49ers cheerleader, the first time you were kind of like trying to fit yourself into this mold of what you thought a cheerleader should be.
00:06:14
Speaker
and what their hair should look like and, you know, what their profession should be. And so deciding what to share and what not to share. And you got cut the first time. You didn't make the team, right? The first time. And so then the next year you decided to go back and just like be yourself and embrace yourself. And that led to success for you. So it sounds like when you lean into like showing up with all of you, that really works for you.
00:06:41
Speaker
1,000%. think I love the word that you use, lean. Whenever you lean into something, like this is what you are here for. and And know we'll we'll get to it, but you know, leaning into, so I have the Sciences Foundation.
00:06:56
Speaker
i started it with my daughter. So science, like like science and SIS, like sisters. I started
Sciences Foundation: Bridging STEM Gaps
00:07:02
Speaker
it for them and we we used to just record them doing science videos and sending it to my my mother-in-law, who's a retired teacher.
00:07:10
Speaker
But then other parents seeing that and they felt empowered to, you know, let their kids try things out with, you know home ingredients and That's kind of how it started. But then it kept growing because I'm a woman, not that many women in STEM.
00:07:23
Speaker
And then with my husband in education, I didn't see anything coming down the pipeline that's going to increase STEM education. It was all about reading and that's great. So that meant STEM happened in middle school and up and You know, a lot of research shows that, especially girls, they kind of decide what they are good at.
00:07:42
Speaker
And usually they're not quote unquote good in math by middle school. And so i'm like, I need to catch this, you know, this girls before. and so i started the Sciences Foundation And my motherhood kind of fuels that mission.
00:07:55
Speaker
i created it, but I wanted to really focus on girls, K through six, and then filter down to girls of color. And so speaking of leaning in this is not the best time in the world, you know, this time 2025 to really focus on girls right now And then especially girls of color.
00:08:14
Speaker
So I got nervous. Like i wanted to abort mission because I'm like, no one's going to support my program. I'm focusing on girls. Girls is considered, women, it's considered diversity. And so right now is not the best time to do it. But then I decided it because people are turning away from it, this is the best time to do it.
00:08:34
Speaker
So I need to lean in even more. And it feels scary to lean in more because that gap, if that gap is there now, Can you imagine what it's going to be like if people don't lean in right now when it seems scary and, you know, all these things are kind of, you know, divisive things are happening out there.
00:08:50
Speaker
So I, you know, leaning in is it's one of the things that I rely on I'm pushing all the way in there and and seeing what happens, like leaning all the way in. It's like not one foot out, not one foot in, but leaning all the way in there and committing to that one thing that I really, really believe in.
00:09:10
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I think last time we talked about how you lean all the way into everything you do. You don't just like show up and do the thing. You're like, I'm not just going to go to yoga class, but now I'm going to become a yoga instructor, right?
00:09:25
Speaker
Anything you do, you're like, I'm going to all the way. And so how amazing that this is the thing you're going all the way in on. And so can you tell us more about, you talked about how your mission aligns. So what is the mission of the sciences and how you're helping the community with it?
00:09:40
Speaker
So the sciences
Galaxy Fest: Engaging Kids in STEM
00:09:41
Speaker
is my heart, my passion project that I started while I was still working. And it's basically to expose STEM to girls early, especially girls of color K through six, because I can tell you from my experience, or you can look at research and read data and find that there are gaps when it comes to women in STEM.
00:10:02
Speaker
While the STEM field is growing, the gap is still very small and not growing as fast as the STEM field is growing. And there are a lot of reasons why, because girls don't see people look like them in the STEM fields enough, because they're not exposed to it early.
00:10:18
Speaker
and so those are the two things that i the Science CIS Foundation focuses on. So we focus on girls, exposing them to STEM, exposing them to women who look like them.
00:10:29
Speaker
in the field where they can you know talk to and learn lessons from and see examples of people who may not have had the best confidence you know at a young age. And so um we have this big flagship um event called the Galaxy Fest. That's once a year. It's free and all of our programs are free.
00:10:47
Speaker
We have monthly meetups, so every month, We meet up and and we do some type of STEM activity. There is a woman in STEM there to kind of relate to whatever that activity is. And then we have a woman in STEM quarterly event because You know, even when you're working in a field, you want to have women who stay there, or people who stay there. And part of that is having people who look like you.
00:11:10
Speaker
And so being able to grow the base of women in STEM is very important as well. um To make sure we have girls to filter to them, but also, you know, for them to grow that area and stay in that area. So those are the three things that scientists...
00:11:24
Speaker
focuses on. And I use Paxco Tech to grow that. And so Paxco Tech, it's a CRM partner of HubSpot. I use HubSpot to grow Sciences, very small nonprofit, but people don't really understand how small it is because of the technology behind it, because I love technology, obviously.
00:11:42
Speaker
And so I use that to to grow it and also to help other nonprofits. So it's just like really, really fun right now. feel like I'm right in my flow. i can really use what I love, technology, to grow a passion and to also pour back into women or to nonprofits or to other businesses who want to grow theirs by using the technology that I use every single day. Yeah.
00:12:07
Speaker
I love it Tell me more about Galaxy Fest. I've seen you like post about it and it looks really cool, but tell me more about what it is. So Galaxy Fest, if you can think of Beyonce and NASA having a baby, that's good.
00:12:21
Speaker
That would be Galaxy Fest. So Beyonce is the mom and Asa is the dad and Galaxy Fest is the baby. and There's a big stage that you see science experiments happening. There's music.
00:12:34
Speaker
There are artists, chalk artists. There's Double Dutch. There's... It's face painting and nail painting and um ah rock climbing walls and robotics and everything. And there's science behind it all. So we have cur curriculum developers to show like, hey, there's science behind Double Dutch. Did you know that? Just scan here. We'll show you the science behind it.
00:12:53
Speaker
And so kids can go through the park and it's free and they can go through all the interactive stations. They can come and sit and watch the show. There's food trucks. It's just a celebration of science in a fun way. We meet the kids where they are.
00:13:07
Speaker
A lot of people are like, is it just for girls? I market to girls because if I do not, then all the boys would show up. But boys do show up and it's great and they have fun. and you know, so the brothers can come. It's usually 50% boys anyway.
00:13:21
Speaker
But yeah, that's the Galaxy Fest. just a big festival of science and it's every single year and it's growing. I even had um a mom come from another state. She heard about it because she's like, there's nothing like it here.
00:13:33
Speaker
i love that. So it's in Jacksonville? Jacksonville, Florida. Yeah. And when is it this year? It's in September. So we found a sweet spot. So September, the week after Labor Day, this year happens to be September the 6th, is a sweet spot because school just started, but it hasn't started long enough for all the things to happen. So all of the activities haven't been scheduled.
00:13:55
Speaker
yet so september the 6th so the weekend after labor day is the weekend that we do galaxy fest every year I love it. Well, we'll put the link to it in the show notes. And if anyone is interested, if you're in the Jacksonville area, or if you want to travel from out of state, like yeah ah travel from state, bring your girl crew and come on down.
00:14:15
Speaker
Yeah. I love that. I remember i volunteered with First Robotics for a while. it sounds kind of similar, but that was very like robotic focused, but it was like making robotics cool for kids. And so, you know, they had like a DJ and there was music and it was at an arena. Like it was like a huge thing. and And you had a team and you built a robot. It was super cool, but I loved it. And I loved when I would see girls, I was one of the judges and I would like go around and make sure to check in with the girls. And like, just, it was so fun to like hear, you know, why they got involved and what part they played in building the robot. And, you know, they would tell you all about the robots and stuff. It was really cool.
00:14:59
Speaker
ah special. And girls, they act a different way when when they're amongst their friends, just like we do. They show up differently and they're more vocal. You can hear them more. And so something special about being able to be in your zone with people who like you, but boys are going to be there Yeah.
00:15:16
Speaker
So you chose to leave an enterprise sales role. You started building this kind of while you were doing that. Tell me about like like, how did you decide to make that, take that leap? And how's it been?
Career Shift: From Sales to STEM Advocacy
00:15:31
Speaker
It's been great. So the leap was very natural because an enterprise sales rep, you work with a team of people. So you are Never selling alone, you're working with legal, you're working with probably marketing, ah sales engineer, a sales architect, and then a partner.
00:15:48
Speaker
So there's always partners that you work with to bring deals over across the line or introductions to new deals. And so I always work with a partner. All of enterprise reps work with partners.
00:16:00
Speaker
And so my mother actually had a brain aneurysm. And so um the company at that I was with, HubSpot, love the company. They were very gracious and they supported me throughout the way.
00:16:13
Speaker
But you can't do both. Again, you cannot do it all. And so while I love being there, I i had to say, know to enterprise sales while supporting my mom.
00:16:24
Speaker
However, I could still do a little bit of partner work. And so I could work as a partner. And so a friend of mine who worked at IBM with me, and then she also was a product engineer at HubSpot.
00:16:37
Speaker
We decided to be partners. Just like partners supported me as an enterprise rep, we decided to do the same thing. And so it's natural transition because I was using HubSpot to grow the sciences and HubSpot, they really encouraged the reps to have them.
00:16:51
Speaker
HubSpot accounts start their own business or use it for their own business. So I was all already using and it was just so easy to use. And was telling another friend about it and was telling another nonprofit about it and how easy it was to use. And they were like, all right, can you help us do it? And I'm like, okay, this is fun.
00:17:07
Speaker
and then I asked my friend, I'm like, hey, do you want to do this? And she's like, yeah. And so we're talking to people about it and bringing them on. And she's like, this is really fun. And so it's just, it's it was very natural because I use it every day.
00:17:19
Speaker
i can sell it how I use it, especially to nonprofits. So it's just a natural transition to that. Yeah. I was thinking actually about your mom.
00:17:30
Speaker
We were talking last time about how like you were starting to faint whenever you were pregnant and trying to do it all. And I was thinking about how I remember I think we talked around the time that that happened with your mom and and it was kind of like a also a bit of a wake up call of kind of like what's important to me and how do I want to be spending my time?
00:17:53
Speaker
Exactly. it was. It's one of those things where I remember my mom, she's worked for the bank her entire life, the same company. And, you know, they were, it's a great company. However, I remember her talking to me about, you know, I wish I could have done this.
00:18:08
Speaker
um This would have been great for me to do this company. You know, some of the things that I think I can leave my child, my kids, my legacy, um something happens to me. I want want to be able to leave them something and how,
00:18:20
Speaker
I think I remember her telling me that this company is not her to leave. This is another company. and And when she's sick, then they're going to get someone else to do it. you know So it made me think about how short life is and how I want it to leave my legacy, how I want it to show up with my kids, how I want to. If I'm going to put stressful energy into something, it's going to be something that I really believe in.
00:18:46
Speaker
and something that I can leave and it's part of my life and I can able show up as a mom as well. So all those things played into the transition while it was a natural transition. it It all helped me to affirm me that I was making the right decision. Yeah.
00:19:02
Speaker
So what is your legacy or what do you want it to be?
Legacy and Inclusivity in STEM
00:19:06
Speaker
Oh, that's a great question, Leanna. I even prepared to, what is my... That's big question. That's big question.
00:19:16
Speaker
You know, would say me and my family, we have like a mantra. One of our mantras is to leave it better than we found it. so I say that could be part of my legacy, leaving something better than I found it. So I don't want my children, my three daughters, if they choose to be in STEM, to feel like me.
00:19:36
Speaker
At least I can take the baton and like take it a little bit further so they're not starting at the same space that place that I am my daughters and their friends, so they can come and show up and be a mom and be confident. And that can be a superpower that that they not only view it as a superpower of their moms, but everybody, society views.
00:19:55
Speaker
like, oh my gosh, she's a mom. Not saying that moms are, you know, the end all be all, but that's just one of the things that I would like for them to be able to show up and and be them their full selves and not have any types of and insecurities. So if I can leave it better than I found it, like bringing people with me. i think that's a mantra as well. Like I don't believe in scarcity. Like I love learning from people and and me like a little bit that I have mastered. I love to, I'm generous with that.
00:20:25
Speaker
So taking people with me and leaving it better than I found it is part of like a mantra, but, you know, just leaving behind systems and spaces and and stories that just make it easier for my daughters and their friends and the next woman and the next mother to rise. And that I think that would be my legacy as far as personally, the Sciences Foundation, just giving girls access incompeence and and, know,
00:20:52
Speaker
in a platform where they can like see themselves and and and STEM and beyond. i think that would be for the the sciences. And then Paxco Tech, it's just, I'm just showing women, especially moms that they can lead with tech, with clarity and kindness and and excellence and systems can scale with purpose and strategies can have heart. Like you really can have a strategy with heart and not have to be So focus, focus, focus, focus on numbers. I think that will happen. That will come. So I think those are ah mix of my mantra and my legacy together. I think it's just kind of all rooted faith, family, helping people grow. And whether that those are clients or my community or or my daughters and their friends.
00:21:38
Speaker
I love it. It is like so you to say, leave it better than you found it because it's like, you know, you show up to something and you're like, how can I just like maximize it? How can I take it all the way?
00:21:50
Speaker
I'm like helping, wanting to help. Like, how can I help you? Mm-hmm. Yeah. And I think it makes sense that number one, like that you, when you went into STEM decades ago and kind of found like challenges there, you're like, I want to make this better for people.
00:22:07
Speaker
And I think that's, you know, amazing. And then also on top of that, you have three daughters who are inspiring you even more to leave it better than you found it.
00:22:18
Speaker
Yeah. And they're friends. And I'm like just and and other moms and and, you know, just trying and showing up and failing and it's and saying it's OK. Like, let's just try.
00:22:29
Speaker
and what's the worst can happen? The worst could to happen for me is not trying at all. Yeah, I love it. Well, thank you so much, Erica. I think that. Wow. Like what an amazing legacy you're leaving to make things better for so many people, for your daughters, for moms, for other women in STEM. Like, it's just amazing what you're doing. And I'm so honored that you came on the show to talk to me about it and to share with our community. I know so many people are going to hear you and relate to what you're saying and be inspired by you because I think that lots of people go into spaces and are like, you know, this is not great, but like, I'm just trying to like live. I'm just trying to like keep my head above water. So, but you're like, no, I'm going to go in and I'm going to do that, but also make it better. And I just love, I just love what you're doing. And I just so appreciate you and what you're bringing to the world. I'm so glad that you're part of my world.
00:23:28
Speaker
And you are part of my role because we skipped that because not only did I work with you, I worked for you. You are my boss. You're my boss. And I just love how we've remained in the same space. Like even though we don't live in the same area, I've always felt like i was part of your life. I kind of keep up with what's going on with your girls and your family.
00:23:47
Speaker
And you've always been such a great leader. And so I love that you have this platform. It makes sense. It makes total sense. And you've always been the same since I met you. So you are one of the women that I'm just very, very thankful for being part of my circle. So thank you for what you're doing.
00:24:03
Speaker
Thank you, Erica. Oh my goodness. We're going to make sure to link to the Sciences as well as Galaxy Fest. If anyone is interested in supporting this amazing nonprofit or getting involved,
00:24:16
Speaker
especially you if you're in the Jacksonville area. And Erica, let me just clarify, do you need to be in Jacksonville to be involved with your organization or is there a way to be involved if you are in another place since we have listeners from all over?
00:24:29
Speaker
Yeah, you can be involved in so many different ways. I mean, we do marketing. It's all online. If you want to support by volunteering there, you can support by donations. You can support by giving your time, being a mentor. Just if you're woman in STEM, those stories can be brought to life in person or online. So yes, please reach out to me. I think Leanna's going to, you're going post it, tag it, but I'm at the sciences. So it's like the science, S-I-S-S,
00:24:59
Speaker
like sisters, short for
Connect with Erica Willey
00:25:00
Speaker
sisters. So um you can find me on this at the sciences on Instagram, Facebook, and Erica Willie on LinkedIn. Awesome.
00:25:09
Speaker
All right. Well, thank you so much, Erica. And thank you everyone for tuning in and we will see you all next you're loving what you're learning on this podcast, I'd love to invite you to check out the Executive Mom Reset. It's my six month coaching program for ambitious, success-driven, career-focused women who are ready to stop surviving and start thriving.
00:25:36
Speaker
Together, we'll tackle the stress, guilt, and overwhelm that come with being a high achieving executive mom. You'll learn how to set boundaries, prioritize what truly matters, and build the confidence to show up powerfully at work, at home, and for yourself.
00:25:50
Speaker
Head on over to coachleana.com right now to schedule a free discovery call. We'll spend an hour talking about where you are now, what you want to create and how I can help you get there because every woman deserves to live the life of her dreams.
00:26:04
Speaker
Let's create yours together.