A Day In My Life As A Silly Start-Up Founder

This particular Thursday found me leading a creative event, discussing app designs, and ending with interpretive dance in a public square.

7:00 am — Alarm goes off. Insomnia struck last night, so I'm running on approximately 3.5 hours of sleep. I remind myself that I’ve done more on less sleep and imagine pink sparkling play energy filling up my empty tank.

7:15 am — In my dark bedroom where my 6yo daughter is still asleep, quiet as a mouse, I pull out some clothes from the closet. The art of the ninja mom getting dressed.

7:20 am — In the spirit of creative play, I opt for wearing colorful polka dots — a favorite of clowns, Kusama, and joy-designers everywhere.

7:45 am — I have a cup of coffee and some Elvis toast (PB & banana) as I pack up the supplies for the event. I fantasize about being randomly approached on the street for a “what’s in my bag” video and pulling out my treasure trove of colored markers, pencils, branded notebooks, stickers…

8:00 am — Viva, my kiddo, wakes up and I go give her morning kissies and huggies. She immediately launches into her "stay with meee mommmyyyyyy" routine, which tugs at my heart but doesn't change the fact that 35 people are expecting me to show up and give them a creative shake-up this morning.

8:10 am — About to hop on a Citibike when I realize my tight mini skirt might not survive the ride. Fortunately, I'm wearing shorts underneath (always prepared!), so I just... take the skirt off on the street. New York problems require New York solutions.

8:20 am — Pull up to the Citibike dock in DUMBO and shimmy my skirt back on, thoroughly amused by this wardrobe performance art.

8:30 am — I arrive at Fabrik — our venue for today’s gathering. It’s a co-working and social space in DUMBO that’s very welcoming, warm, and light-filled. I’m greeted by Fabrik’s founder Jaclyn and their head of community, Anna and we work together to get set up.

10 am — As people start arriving, my co-founder Lakshmi and I ask playful questions: "What's one thing you loved doing as a kid?" "When was the last time you let yourself be terrible at something?" "What's one weird habit that helps you think better?" The answers are illuminating and funny and I'm reminded why I love facilitating these moments.

10:30 am — We tell our event photographer Zed that Os are our thing. We later see them walking around snapping pics through a bagel. #bagelcam

11:00 am — Lakshmi and I lead 35 people through an hour of Creative Cross Training: a physical shake break, warm-up drawing activities, a curiosity quest, and then some bonkers brainstorming. We walk around passing the mic as groups share imaginary business ideas—highlights include a mystery bean bag chair company (you never know what you'll find stuffed inside!), an all-you-can-eat cheese restaurant on a train car, and a grocery store where you milk the cows yourself.

11:50 am — The room is buzzing with laughter and wild ideas. A few folks mention how rare it is to have permission to be unconstrained and impractical in a room full of strangers. But our favorite takeaway comes from Molly, who declares that today she learned that "Silly is the opposite of scared." Mic drop.

12:00 pm — Post-event, Lakshmi and I are both feeling wonderfully worn out from being "on." I have a headache from the combo of no sleep + pure excitement. We joke about playing hooky for the rest of the day, but our calendars have other plans. We do a silly stretch and get to it.

12:15 pm — We “SoHowdItGo?” — our format for debriefing after events and pitches. Discuss what went well, what we learned, what we'd do differently, what we're proud of, and feedback received. It’s a good way to keep our inner critics from eating us alive and instead make them serve actionable takeaways. Note for next time: more theatrics and props!

12:45 pm — A Fabrik member stops by to pick our brains about integrating play into her business. We spend 15 minutes riffing about what play means for different people and industries. I love these spontaneous, creative consultations.

1:00 pm — Despite our tired brains, we dive into an hour of discussing the app we're building and finalizing our core creative practices. We're building a digital tool that transforms everyday moments—coffee breaks, commutes, mindless scroll sessions—into creative playgrounds for connection and joy. [pls join our waitlist if this sounds appealing!]

2:00 pm — Put on some energetic focus music and spend an hour of heads-down time doing some blah blah work: paying bills, replying to emails, tracking expenses. I have to really amp myself up for this kind of admin work and I’ve trained Claude to by my hype bot buddy.

3:00 pm — Jump on a call with Greg Bresnitz, a fellow entrepreneur-in-residence at the accelerator program we’re in this summer to get his advice on partnerships, intentional growth, and architecting adult joy.

4:00 pm — Call with our designer Talia Cotton and team looking at some early app design screens. We’ve been doing user interviews and talking about what we want to build for months and months now so seeing actual screens is mega exciting!

4:45 pm — Bike ride home (with the skirt now fully banished to my bag), grateful for the wind in my hair and movement after a big work day.

5:00 pm — Switch off with my partner Philippe who’s been on daughter duty post-day camp and is eager to get some work done.

5:30 pm — Viva wants to watch "K Pop Demon Hunters" for the THIRD time this week. I happily acquiesce because I am absolutely zonked (and also the movie is fun with a very wholesome Brené Brown message). We have a snuggly TV dinner together and sing along to Golden.

7 pm — Viva gets a second wind and suggests a walk. It's a beautiful evening and I remember my friend Jules is doing a dance event nearby. I could honestly use a routine remix so we get going.

7:15 pm — We arrive at Domino Square where Jules and her Good Move dance studio are leading a collaborative performance. Viva immediately wants to join, and despite us having zero rehearsal, I agree. When in doubt, improvise!

8 pm — A 6-year-old approaches and asks Viva to be her "mirror partner." They spend 10 minutes copying each other's moves with serious concentration. When "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" comes on, we all run into a circle, doing enthusiastic step-touch moves and waving our arms in the air. Something I love about New York is that we are doing this in the middle of a public square for the entertainment of everyone passing by.

8:30 pm — Viva's new friend invites us for dinner with her family. I love their instant 6-year-old connection and am pro-spontaneity so we go (even though we already ate). Viva has a stack of pancakes.

9:45 pm — Home past bedtime. Quick teeth brushing, PJ scramble, and I read "Words With Wings & Magic Things" then help Viva fall asleep by making up a cozy cabin visualization: I describe a fireplace crackling, rain falling outside, a kitten purring in her lap. She falls asleep as I snuggle her, and I'm not far behind.

ZZZZZ — Dreams of kittens dancing to Whitney Houston

11:45 pm — I wake up as though I took a disco nap - full of energy! Make a tea and spend an hour doing some writing work, then switch off the computer and spend 10 minutes writing in my five-year journal.

1:00 am — Back to bed.

ZZZZZ — for real this time

Want to know more about what we’re building? Join our waitlist here and let's transform everyday moments into creative adventures together!