Real Talk Panel: Pandemic Parenting
The pandemic hasn’t been easy for anyone, and parents have really taken the brunt of its fury. Many of us suddenly went from juggling full-time careers to simultaneously taking on the roles of remote teacher, daycare director, and do-it-all magician. Not to mention trying to explain what the pandemic is and why your children can’t see their friends, all the while managing your own mental health and sanity.
"Work life balance is an illusion, it’s about work life integration."
Dom: While it’s been the strangest year [in my life], it’s also been the best year. A weird year but a good year.
Dom: I struggled with doing it all. There’s no doing it all well. You just do what you have to do.
Zabrina: Something I’m teaching my son is resilience. I let him see how I work. I set firm boundaries.
Joey: Bring whatever parts of yourself you want to work.
Dom Farnan
Founder + CEO, DotConnect
As the Founder + CEO of DotConnect™, Dom has a knack for uncovering talent. Within the core business of Talent Acquisition at DotConnect™, Dom leads our team through an introspective and thorough training course so that when they work with clients (like you!), they have the knowledge they need to execute the systems DotConnect™ is known for.
Joey Katona
Senior Manager, Eagle Hill Consulting
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Joey brings 12+ years' experience in business development & sales, project & talent management, and community relations/CSR to his Washington, DC-based federal consultant role with Eagle Hill Consulting: developing the talent experience for the forthcoming Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity Service. Prior to this recent DHS engagement, Joey spent 2015-2020 mitigating organizational conflict for the Transportation Security Administration and previously managed Ashoka's Empathy Initiative, "paralegaled" at Covington & Burling LLC, and co-founded the social venture, SPACIOUS. Most important—and relevant!—Joey is the lucky/proud husband to Rebecca and father to three young sons—Calvin (4.67yo), Winston (2.75yo), and Truman (10months) :-)
James Oliver Jr.
CEO, ParentPreneur Foundation
I am the co-founder of the world’s cutest twins, Thaddeus and Zoe. I’m a tech entrepreneur and founder of WeMontage.com. And I’m the CEO of the ParentPreneur Foundation, which empowers Black ParentPreneurs, so they can leave a legacy for their beautiful children.
Zabrina Hossain
Product Lead, Shopify
Zabrina is a Product Lead at Shopify, where she leads a team on Growth, working to create new entrepreneurs around the world. Previously, Zabrina was at Snap and Bitstrips in Toronto and also spent time working on messaging applications in Amsterdam. You might catch her on her way to the latest product meet-up in Toronto while on her bright yellow bike or you can connect with her through @techmomdiary.
Brenda Estrada
Technical Support Advocate, Typeform
Mom first; Career driven second. I speak tech, compliance, and Spanish fluently; I love to win, but helping others win gives me greater joy. I stay calm in the middle of adversity. My hope is that my story motivates others. Empathetic Chingona.
Alex Ryan
Interim Manager of Customer Outcomes, Typeform
I'm a husband to an amazing woman, and a father to four hilarious kids. In my spare time, you can find me drumming, singing, writing, or trying to make my wife laugh.