The Space Between

Trying to build something — and be someone’s mom — at the same time.

Some days, I feel like I’m doing both. Other days, I feel like I’m doing neither well.

Starting a company while raising a small child is like living in a constant split screen. One side is full of ideas and ambition - emails, packaging samples, the next campaign. The other side is tiny shoes by the door, snack cups, and the kind of love that swallows you whole.

And in between those two worlds, there’s a quiet hum of am I doing enough?

Enough for my company. Enough for my child. Enough for myself.

No one really talks about how lonely that hum can feel - or how it sneaks up even on good days. When the orders come in, when you feel the momentum build, when your child finally sleeps through the night… and still, there’s a voice that whispers, “You’re just pretending.”

But here’s what I’m learning:

Imposter syndrome often lives in the space between our intentions and our capacity.

We want to give everything - to both things - and when we can’t, it feels like failure. But it isn’t. It’s just being human.

The truth is, the same resilience that builds a business also builds a family.

The same creativity that designs a product also invents bedtime routines.

The same care that fuels a brand also holds a small hand crossing the street.

So maybe we’re not imposters at all.

Maybe we’re just building - slowly, bravely - in two directions at once.

💛

Alexis

Founder, Oobi Shoes