I've always loved baking - it's a huge part of who I am and what I do.
Elizabeth Chambers
If you have an opportunity to help others or incite change, it feels like a moral obligation to do so.
I personally didn't subscribe to drastically changing our lives as a result of having children. Our children are our world, but I truly believe that it's healthier to invite children into your life instead of making everything about them.
We don't have a no-dessert rule, but we do have a no-bad-ingredient rule. Everything from scratch.
We love food in our house.
It's important to give back because that's what we were put on this planet to do.
A lot of bakeries, especially cupcake stores, look like you just walked into a Katy Perry video.
My dad is amazing: he taught me everything I know about sales. He volunteered to be the Girl Scout cookie mom and gave everybody sales quotas, and basically, every girl went home crying because he was super intense.
At the Human Rights Foundation, I love being able to drive an interview and value-connecting with someone I'm interviewing so that they feel comfortable enough to open up and share their story with me.
Shifting gears from my journalistic work to bakery life allows me to step away and see things from a different perspective. Some of my most creative ideas or biggest aha moments have come when I was immersed in one job while thinking about the other from a slightly removed point of view.
Whether I'm pursuing a story or conducting an interview or I'm at the bakery implementing policy and procedure, I have a team who is looking to me. I think my persona is the same for both jobs - perhaps a little bit more in command with the bakery. I say that only because we have so many more employees, and ultimately I make every single decision.
I absolutely value autonomy. I value freedom and having the ability to implement change right away.
When I've been working especially long hours, I make a point to spend an extra hour or two without my phone, doing something my children choose. They love the park or pool time, but mostly, they love my undivided attention.
I firmly believe that in order to take the best care of our children, we need to be sure that we take care of ourselves. I make it a priority to plan date night once a week, make time for a massage or, at the very least, a bubble bath when I can.
If not managed properly, owning a company and running a business with multiple locations can make you feel constantly overwhelmed.
