Carin Parcel's mom was never a wallflower. A Brooklyn-born force who moved her family from Southern California to Omaha, she showed up as herself everywhere she went — and that lesson stuck.

On this episode of What She Taught Me, Jill sits down with Carin, a former intellectual property attorney turned jewelry designer and founder of Carin Susann Designs. They talk about growing up with a mom who modeled being unapologetic, unlearning the roles she saw at home, and walking away from a big law firm salary to build a career at the crossroads of science and art. In this episode: growing up with a mom who was always the authority in the room; how family roles follow you, and what it took to step outside them; starting therapy at 23, long before it was "fashionable"; what she saw at home vs. what she was told she could become; what her mom carried that no one acknowledged; leaving law for a retail jewelry job (and a huge pay cut) to follow her love of gemology; why COVID gave her the space to finally launch her business; the real tradeoffs of running a business while raising three kids; the Wendy's drive-thru story her daughter never forgot; how siblings can grow up with completely different childhoods; and finding ways to help aging parents when you're not the one nearby.

More about Carin:

• LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/carin-riekes-parcel-49597a20/

• Website — https://carinsusann.com/

• Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/carinsusanndesigns/

More about Jill & Go Long:

• Sign-up for Go Long's newsletter — https://golong.substack.com/subscribe

• Learn more about Go Long — https://www.golong.me/how-it-works

• Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/justgolong/

• Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/justgolong

• LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/go-long/

Jump to:

00:00 Introduction to Influences

01:51 Career Shifts and Maternal Influence

04:59 Finding Independence and Voice

07:34 Unlearning Traditional Roles

11:04 Carrying Unacknowledged Burdens

12:19 Asking for Help and Generational Patterns

14:15 Navigating Parenting Expectations

14:46 Career Transitions and Personal Growth

16:20 The Leap from Law to Jewelry

17:20 Balancing Motherhood and Entrepreneurship

19:36 Trade-offs in Daily Life

21:13 Crazy Mom Moments and Lessons Learned

28:10 Family Dynamics and Support

28:46 Creative Problem Solving

31:47 Reflections on Childhood and Growth

35:03 Reflections on Life Changes

37:06 Engagement Stories and Personal Connections