This week on AND/BOTH, I’m joined by Nomiki Petrolla, founder of Theanna and a mother of four who is reshaping what early-stage entrepreneurship can look like for women in tech.

Nomiki has spent 15 years in the tech world, sitting beside founders, engineers, and venture-backed teams, often as the only woman in the room. That experience eventually led her to build Theanna: a platform designed to support women tech founders from idea to launch.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why women are turning to entrepreneurship not out of ambition alone, but out of a desire for agency
• The realities of building a startup with four young kids
• How AI is completely changing what’s possible for early-stage founders
• Why venture capital isn’t the only — or even the most aligned — path for most entrepreneurs
• The difference between building your first business for money and your later ones for meaning
• How motherhood sharpens clarity, decision-making, and boundaries
• What Nomiki is noticing about the next wave of women building tech
• Sustainable entrepreneurship vs. the unicorn mythology we’ve all absorbed

It’s a conversation about choosing your own path, understanding your season, and building something that fits your actual life, not a version of life you’re supposed to pretend you have.

Connect with Nomiki:

Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn: @nomikipetrolla

Theanna: @theannaio

Connect with Ashley:

Website: https://www.ashleyblackington.com

Podcast website: https://www.andbothpodcast.com/

Dovetail® App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dovetail-app/id6744341822

Instagram: @mydovetail.app

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyblackington/