Natalie Rios: Co-Director of little Lola & Tots

Welcome to The Mom Enterprise, a weekly podcast hosted by Kendra Martinez featuring working Moms who find a way to manage it all. Episode Guest: Natalie Rios  Natalie Rios, is the Co-Director of little Lola & tots, an educational and cultural space offering open play and enrichment programming for children ages 0 - 4 years old. She is a single mother of two girls ages 4 years old and 7 months.  After graduating from the State University of New York at Albany with a B.A. in Psychology, she was captivated by education and worked as a pre-K teacher in both Albany and Yonkers, NY. Having dabbled into areas of Public Relations, Management and Event Planning, she took a position within the Career Management Center at Columbia Business School.  Upon having her first daughter, she quickly became engrossed by early childhood development and its importance. She left Columbia knowing she wanted to be an active caretaker and an invested teacher instead. She believes children are unique and imaginative individuals with an immense capacity for growth in the early stages of their lives.  She started a blog soon after having her first daughter, fueled by her parenting style and exposure to the world whether through travel or everyday experiences. Launching little Lola & tots was done with this in mind.  She created a business that would allow her to work for herself, with her daughter, in a stimulating environment where she would be able to thrive. Since delving head first into entrepreneurship, her family structure has significantly changed. While 7 weeks pregnant with her second daughter, her marriage disintegrated and she became a single mom in November of 2017.  In the year that passed, she learned rather quickly the importance of community while juggling a new business, a toddler and a pregnancy. Natalie is passionate about sharing her story and connecting with other women through inspiration which has allowed her the strength and resilience to keep moving forward.   Listen to hear more about Natalie's story:   1:08 | little Lola & Tots, how it got started. 4:50 | Finding the perfect space for your business. 8:05 | The Programs and Services of little Lola & Tots 13:45 | The hardest part about being an entrepreneur. 16:46 | Natalie's story on becoming a single mother. 22:34 | Taking care of yourself during pregnancy. 29:10 | Co-Parenting. 38:00 | The daily routine. 42:33 | Teaching life skills as a working mom. 48:50 | Lightening Round! 51:52 | Maternity Policy.   Links mentioned: OXO Tot 2-in-1 Go Potty for Travel  www.littlelolastyle.com https://www.facebook.com/littlelolatots/ https://www.instagram.com/little.lola.and.tots/   Follow this podcast: Instagram: @themomenterprise Website: www.themomenterprise.com Contact Us: [email protected] Music: www.bensound.com Producer: Kendra Martinez Co-Producer/Editor: Lexi Burrows