👋 Great to meet you, I'm Kelly!
Who I am, and why I care so darn much about career growth during pregnancy & postpartum!
The Bottom Line First
I believe pregnancy and parental leave is an underleveraged opportunity to set career defining moments in motion. I’m on a mission to support career-ambitious expectant and new parents navigate career growth and identity pre and post-partum. You can think of me like a career doula.
A Snapshot of My Professional Journey
Over the last 15 years, I’ve been somewhat of a serial career pivoter, constantly writing my own job description. With industry experience in consulting, healthcare, food & beverage, and big tech, and functional experience in product management, strategy & innovation, and learning & development, the one recurring driver was leading with a people first mind and heart. And so, it was a natural “side hustle” to pick up career and leadership coaching back in 2019. Since then, I’ve coached hundreds of people, and after my second child was born in 2024, left the corporate world to focus on designing a modern business with coaching and community at the core. Enter, Stork & Spark (in constant evolution), a coaching and resource community focused on supporting career-driven new and expectant parents navigate career growth and identity.
My Pregnancy Experiences
Every pregnancy is unique, even for the same mother. My two experiences varied drastically. I like to say I have a $2 million baby, and a text-book baby.
Our first son was conceived through IVF (big thank you to fertility benefits of both my and my partner’s employers). At the 20 week anatomy scan, I was diagnosed with a rare condition called Vasa Previa, landing me in the hospital at 25 weeks for the rest of the pregnancy. My son was born via a c-section at 34 weeks, with a 6 week stay in the NICU. The total cost of our combined hospital stays was over $2 million (thankfully covered by insurance). I’ve left out the emotional roller coaster of a journey here, but if you ever want to chat about it, message me!
Our second son was conceived naturally, the pregnancy was uneventful, and he’s been hitting his milestones exactly when he is “supposed to”. No drama.
I’m Not Pregnant - Why Subscribe to Stork Bites?
I know who I am serving, and am constantly evolving the “how”. There will always be a component of coaching, but traditional coaching formats are limited in reach. So I am leaning into the creator economy to build resources, community, and partnerships, to broaden my reach and impact, including newsletters like Stork Bites.
This newsletter isn’t just for my “target” audience - in my solopreneur journey to date, I have met amazing entrepreneurs building businesses in the coaching and fractional/consulting space, and inspirational “parentpreneurs” solving some serious pain points in our system. I have received an outpour of support from friends, family, and former colleagues who often ask “WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS PREGNANT”?
So this newsletter is also for you, to share what I am building, and also solicit your input (unsolicited advice welcome!) I’m looking forward to many more coffee chats, virtual co-working sessions, and conversations exploring the intersection of career and parenthood.
I Am Pregnant/Expecting or a New Parent - Why Subscribe to Stork Bites?
MAMA (or Dad!) - this is YOUR Season! You are in the driver seat to design how your career serves you in this next season. And proactivity is key. From announcing your news with confidence at work, to building a bulletproof leave plan - this is a unique time to take control! As a subscriber you’ll get a sneak peek into what resources are in development and have the opportunity to shape them. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events on the topic of career and parenthood. And you’ll be a part of creating a better system for yourselves and future new parents!
A note on Paid Subscriptions
I aim to make the majority of resources shared here accessible as a free subscription. Paid subscriptions are available as a gesture to support my work, and will evolve with benefits such as complimentary tickets to events. Why $8/mo or $88/year? With an MBA from UC Berkeley and a keen interest in pricing strategies, I can confidently say that the number 8 represents good luck and prosperity in Chinese and East Asian Cultures ✨
Can feel your mission in every single line of this intro. So powerful and excited to follow along!