In this episode, Kate sits down with Emma Rodger, owner and lead designer of Saltd Studio, a branding and web design studio based in New Mexico. At the time of recording, Emma is one year into motherhood, about seven months into running her business full-time with her husband, and – by her own admission – still very much figuring it all out. Which, honestly, is exactly why this conversation is so good.

They get into what it's really like to live, parent, and work with the same person 24/7, how to build margins into a life that has basically none, and why sometimes the most radical thing you can do is take a day off on your birthday.

They also get into:

• From ballet to branding: Emma's unexpected path to design
• What happened when a client ghosted her the week she came home from the hospital (yes, really)
• The red light/green light system they're still trying to figure out so they don't drive each other crazy
• Why having a robot vacuum is, genuinely, a business decision
• The daycare guilt rollercoaster: dropping off, feeling terrible, then sitting in a meeting feeling thankful, then missing her again
• "Just waits" and unsolicited advice: why validation beats fixing every single time
• Culling your social feed like a business strategy
• The 75 Medium philosophy (credit: Xanthe Appleyard) and why it might save your life
• How Kate's month-long solo hike made Emma consider taking up hiking, or at least sitting on a beach
• Old Man Locke's greatest hits, including: "And then they come back and they've lost their childlike wonder"

This one's warm, funny, and deeply relatable for any mom business owner who's ever felt totally unhinged on the inside while someone calls them "such a chill mom."

Connect with Emma:

• Instagram & Pinterest: @saltdstudio
• saltdstudio.com

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram