This month we welcome Laila Ghambari, a businesswoman, entrepreneur, and mother of 3 from the PNW, known for her leadership in the specialty coffee industry. She is the founder of Guilder Coffee Company and has been recognized as a US Barista Champion and a respected voice in coffee, business, and community building. As a mother and business owner, she brings heart, vision, and purpose to everything she creates. Without further ado, here is our interview with Laila.

Can you tell us a little about your family and what this season of motherhood looks like for you right now?

I have 3 kids Fitzgerald 9, Esmé 6, and Asa 4. So three little kids who all need lots of my attention but not really babies anymore. Moving into the friends and sports school side of parenting. I am also newly divorced so I am relearning a lot and being more present than ever. My relationship with my kids has changed a lot in the last year but for the better in so many ways. 

As a mom of three and a business owner, what does a typical weekday look like in your house from morning to bedtime?

I am so thankful to work for myself. It gives me so much flexibility. My team knows when I have the kids I am limited and when I don’t I am locked in. That balance gives me the best of both worlds. Mornings are slow yet wild, after school drop off I head into the city, then head back for pick up. A 10-2 work day when I have the kids can be tough but I’ve got very good at multitasking! We usually hit the park before heading home for dinner and then bedtime. My kids don’t have tablets at my house, and only get TV on the weekends, which was a change I made about a year and a half ago and it’s been such a positive change. They just play together, it's loud but I prefer that over the silence. 

"I sit on the couch and enjoy my cup [of coffee] while the kids play. It’s a moment to just observe this beautiful life I created."

Coffee is such a ritual for so many of us. What does your daily coffee moment look like right now?

I make a pourover for myself every morning, eat some protein while it’s brewing (I stopped drinking coffee on an empty stomach about 5 years ago and it’s totally changed my capacity and patience in the mornings), and then sit on the couch and enjoy my cup while the kids play. It’s a moment to just observe this beautiful life I created. 

What is your go to everyday coffee order, and what do you treat yourself to when you are in the mood for something special?

I LOVE visiting cafes. It never gets old to me. I always want to try new spots and new drinks. I love a signature drink. Something sweet. I typically just drip filter coffee but when I try someone else's cafe I want to try out their special stuff! 

How has becoming a mom influenced the way you lead, teach, or run a business?

Grace. So much grace. I recognize that everyone shows up with a different upbringing, capacity, ability, and so on. So I always assume best intentions and meet people where they are at in whatever way that means. 

When you are feeling stretched thin, what helps you reset and come back to yourself?

Walking. Going on a long brisk walk really helps shut my brain off for a bit. The exercise, fresh air and sunlight combo really does something for me. 

What has surprised you most about balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood?

How hard it is ha I wish I had a stay at home wife so bad 

Do your kids have any favorite “mom is at work” memories, like visiting cafes or watching you compete?

My kids LOVE coming to the cafes. They always talk about how "everything is free”. It’s very special to me because I grew up going to work with my dad at his coffee shops.

As a US Barista Champion, you have performed on big stages. How has motherhood changed the way you approach pressure or competition? Do you feel you've gained confidence in motherhood?

Oh man, becoming a mom has made me feel like an unstoppable super hero. I can literally do anything. I recall sitting in board rooms while pregnant and thinking to myself, I am doing my job WHILE also growing a brain stem and spinal cord. There is very little that feels insurmountable to me after birthing a child in my living room. 

"My greatest challenge is asking for and accepting help. I hate inconveniencing people."

What does support look like for you, and how have you learned to ask for or accept help?

My greatest challenge is asking for and accepting help. I hate inconveniencing people. I am very comfortable delegating and outsourcing, I phone it in on cleaning the house, making food, or a movie night with the kids when I feel like I don’t have the capacity, and feel no guilt. That is a new skill for me. I try and remind myself of how easy it is for me to help others, and my goal is for it to me as easy for me to allow others to help me the same ways but i’m still getting comfortable with this.  

What is one piece of advice you would give to other moms building a business or pursuing a big goal?

Create your village. That is family, friends, your team. You need people who know you and that you trust. Not just to help you but to listen to you, to advise you, to stoke you the hell up when you succeed and hold you when you fail. You can not do it alone, trust me, it’s a lonely place. Let people in, let your success be their success as well. It’s best shared. 

How do you define success in this season, both as a mom and as a business owner?

Success to me is doing less. How little did I do to get here? How much power did I relinquish? How much did I share it and enjoy it? I want a community, a culture. I want to be an inspiration of what is possible not through losing yourself but finding yourself. 

"I hope they remember when we danced in the kitchen and when we wrestled in the grass"

When you imagine your kids looking back one day, what do you hope they remember most about you and this chapter of life?

I hope they remember when we danced in the kitchen and when we wrestled in the grass. When we eat weird food and hear languages they don't understand. That they noticed I was tired and busy but that they still felt connected to me, that they were always my priority. I hope they remember they were loved. 

What are 3 things you are loving right now?

Myself (with my full chest), Pilates & Olivia Dean.