Jill_Koziol_Motherly
“If you start with the mother and you’re supporting her in her well-being holistically -- if you have a thriving mother -- you are much more likely to have a thriving family," says Jill Koziol, the CEO and Co-Founder of Motherly. Motherly

Heavily researched and highly relevant motherhood resource information for educated, self-aware women – such a business seemed like such a no-brainer that investors were hesitant to fund it because they couldn’t believe it hadn’t been done already. But yes, Motherly is the trailblazer here, redefining motherhood.

Discussing what that means, Jill is very clear about what drives Motherly’s approach to offer evidence-based information and speak to its audience as the multi-faceted women they are. Noting that a lot of parent platforms or resources are often message boards of user-generated content, she says, “We see ourselves as bridging the gap between the medical world and the lifestyle world – we’re changing the medical into a more lifestyle and approachable voice.”

As co-founder and CEO Jill Koziol talks about her vision for Motherly, she shares a little women-empowerment history – and an appreciation for the women of earlier generations who, she says, “had to sacrifice families” if they aimed for a successful career.

What’s different about today’s young mothers? This is key to Jill’s message, as she points out that they are often a little older when having their babies – older and successful in their careers but still eager to develop and grow their families.

She is animated as she talks about how that impacts what they are looking for and how Motherly serves their needs. Central to this is the fact that they have gained maturity and understand their own identity, and “are nervous about losing their identity when they become a mother because the world has treated motherhood almost cartoonish, and negatively. And this woman, who’s having her child later, … doesn’t want to lose herself in it. So, it was very important to us to have Motherly be woman-centered instead of baby-centered.”

“Multifaceted” doesn’t mean mom as cook, mom as nurse, mom as chauffeur, et cetera ad infinitum. Jill speaks ardently about the value of women in the workforce as well as with their families as she explains, “If you start with the mother and you’re supporting her in her well-being holistically -- if you have a thriving mother -- you are much more likely to have a thriving family. And what we need in the world is more thriving families, because that’s how you change the world.”

Click on the link below to hear Jill talk about changing the world of women and business and motherhood.