S2 Ep 8: Mother, business builder or both? with Selma Ribica

<p><strong>TRIGGER WARNING: Please be aware that this episode contains information and discussion on postpartum depression, which some listeners may find triggering. For more information and support, visit </strong><a href="https://postpartum.net/"><u><strong>Postpartum Support International</strong></u></a><strong>.</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>How do you manage the struggle of early motherhood and building a business?<br> </strong></li> <li><strong>How do you overcome the feelings of guilt and shame attached to postpartum depression and mental health?<br> </strong></li> <li><strong>As a VC, why is it important to share your entrepreneurial journey with other entrepreneurs?<br> </strong></li> </ul> <p><strong>“I was being torn between these two pools, the business and the baby. Both were demanding a huge amount of energy.” Selma Ribica built her first business while pregnant with her first child. There was no awareness of mental health in her life and no space to talk about the ‘taboo’ topic. &nbsp;How do you manage when you are pulled in multiple directions? Selma’s answer was to be operational.</strong></p> <p><strong>Now a two-time successful entrepreneur turned investor, Selma is at a point in her life where she feels ready to talk about her depression -- which, after some encouragement from her husband to seek help, was eventually diagnosed as postpartum depression. Selma shares with Vladi and Nektarios that feeling of being split between business and family, the feelings of failure, guilt and shame that came with her diagnosis, and why mental health carries a stigma that physical health doesn’t. She also talks about the importance of therapy in her recovery, and small daily rituals of self-care: sleep, yoga and meditation. Now a VC, Selma is helping to destigmatise the subject by sharing her story with entrepreneurs.</strong></p> <p><strong>You can follow Selma Ribica on </strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/selmaribica/"><u><strong>LinkedIn</strong></u></a><strong> and </strong><a href="https