Stephanie Cartin: Infertility, Entreprenuership, and Building Resilience through Community
Stephanie Cartin
Inspiring Momkind was born from a desire to give our readers a peek inside the lives of powerhouse women who make it happen at work and at home. To spotlight moms in all different industries, with the goal to uplift, inspire, and normalize our everyday realities. Simple, straightforward honesty from women who have seen and done it all. We've found that it is truly remarkable what seasoned moms will share with each other and how they champion for one another. With this series, we hope to make some of their tips, tricks, and soundbites visible to all of you who may be searching for similar encouragement.
An entrepreneur at heart, at the age of 27, Stephanie Cartin walked away from her corporate career to follow her passion and launch Socialfly, a full-service social media marketing and influencer agency based in New York City. Nine years later, Socialfly has blossomed to over 30 full-time employees and has been named to Inc. 5000's fastest-growing private companies two years in a row. During this time, Cartin has ambitiously tackled launching a second and third brand, officially making her the CEO of Entreprenista and Co-Founder of both Socialfly and Markid. Stephanie has shared her knowledge and expertise in Bloomberg, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Refinery29, and CheddarTV. She is the recent recipient of the SmartCEO Brava Award, which recognizes the top female CEOs in New York, and a Stevie Award for Women Run Workplace of the Year. A believer in the power of sharing personal triumphs, struggles, and the strength that a social media community can provide, she has also become a mom to Mollie, 2-years old, and speaks openly about her battle with infertility and resilience in the face of loss.
WM: Can you tell us a little about what your life and career were like before launching Socialfly?
SJC: Prior to launching Socialfly, I was working in sales and marketing for hospitality companies. I had friends who were starting businesses and reaching out for help with marketing strategies. I started sharing with them that they should be using social media as it would be the way of the future for brands to connect directly with their customers. I soon found myself putting together social media strategies on the side of my full-time job and realized that it could be more than an after-work activity; it was a real business. After working nights and weekends on the side of our full-time jobs for 10 months, my partner Courtney and I decided to go all-in and launch our agency, Socialfly. I was only 27 at the time, had been recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and was single. I was navigating a new business and a chronic autoimmune condition. My life has changed dramatically since then. Almost 10 years later, I am married with one daughter, and last year we relocated to Florida. I grew up with our business and have learned so much professionally and personally over the past decade.
WM: What was the inspiration behind Entreprenista, Socialfly, and Markid, and what do you hope to continue achieving for your communities as these brands grow?
SJC: At Entreprenista, our mission is to celebrate the stories of women business leaders and learn from the lessons of the women that are paving the way forward. Whether having a conversation with an industry leader about the process of bootstrapping a business on our podcast or recommending trusted solutions to help our audience make the most of their eCommerce site, Entreprenista is the Number #1 resource for women business owners. The Entreprenista Podcast celebrates women founders and business leaders as they share stories and best practices across different industries.
Socialfly is a full-service social media marketing and influencer agency. We specialize in creating and executing social media strategies to drive results for brands looking to women audiences. We have been featured on the Inc 5000 list and won awards for our work with over 300 brands, including the Girl Scouts, WE tv, Conair, Slimfast, MAM Baby, Happy Family, and Univision. I am so proud of the team and work we do for these brands that truly make a difference.
At Markid we have set out to create a marketplace designed for parents, by parents, giving them the resources to buy and sell baby and kids' preloved items sustainably and purposefully. When Mollie was 7 months old, she was already outgrowing many of the big items we did not need anymore. This led me to the idea of starting a platform to help parents buy and sell gently used items. I texted Courtney about my idea, and she shared that her former boss from Amex had reached out to her as he was starting this exact platform. Ankur and I connected and realized that we should partner to bring this platform to parents.
WM: Like so many women, your road to Motherhood was not a straight path. How did your experience with infertility and pregnancy loss change your outlook on life, Motherhood, and your career?
SJC: I have wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember and had always said to my husband that my biggest fear in life was not being able to get pregnant. Before we started trying, we decided to do genetic testing because of my history with Multiple Sclerosis and other health complications. The results of those tests revealed that I was a permutation carrier of fragile X, and it was recommended that we see a genetic counselor followed by a consultation with a reproductive endocrinologist. From there, it took us a very long two years of trying to conceive, first on our own and then with the help of IVF. There were ups and downs at every point of our fertility journey, including failed IUI's, uterine polyps, surgeries, and endometritis. Each month it seemed like we would never get pregnant as we hit one bump after the next.
But finally, the day of our IVF transfer came. I had done everything I could to prepare, going gluten and dairy-free to reduce inflammation, getting acupuncture once a week, and taking every supplement and medication needed to give myself the best chance of success. We put in one embryo, and I prayed she would stick. Just a few days after my transfer, I had an urge to take a pregnancy test. I had a feeling in my heart that I was pregnant, and within seconds I saw that second line appear! My pregnancy was confirmed with a blood test a few days later, and an ultrasound that eventually revealed the embryo had split. After everything we had been through, we were elated to be expecting twin girls!
I will never forget the moment our doctor walked into the room while we were having our 16-week scan. I immediately knew something was not right. He asked to take over the ultrasound, and I began fighting back tears. We found out we had twin to twin transfusion, TTTS. This required us to make a decision; terminate one of our girls or have emergency surgery if we wanted to try and save both of them. The following Monday, we had the surgery, the day after we found out we lost one of our babies, Emmy. My heart was broken, but through the sadness, I kept saying to my husband, at least we tried. We fought for both of our girls and did everything we could to try to save them. Two days later, I ruptured (PPROM), losing all of my amniotic fluid. We were told our surviving baby wouldn't make it, but I held onto hope and was able to stay pregnant for another 17 weeks on bed rest, 11 of those in the hospital. On May 30, 2019, we welcomed a very healthy baby girl, Mollie Hope Cartin.
It was a long road to conceive, followed by a highly complicated pregnancy, but every single moment of pain and heartache was worth it. Mollie is an amazingly happy now two-year-old, and I am so blessed to be her mom. I truly believe that where there is a heartbeat, there is always hope. This journey has completely changed me. I am stronger, more resilient, and truly appreciate every single moment I have each day with my daughter. I am grateful that I have been able to use my platform to help others by sharing my story and journey.
WM: After the highs and lows the last nine years have taken you through, what is your advice on staying motivated and continuing to move forward in the face of both personal and professional challenges?
SJC: I have always been motivated to keep going. I have so many goals I have set out to accomplish, and there are so many people that I want to be able to help. That is what drives me.
Having MS has definitely impacted my life and family. I have to be sure I prioritize my health and always listen to my body, which is sometimes hard to do. I frequently have to remind myself that even when I want to say yes to everything, when I say yes to too many things, I'm actually saying no to myself.
WM: What does a typical workday look like for you?
SJC: I wake up between 6:00-6:30am when Mollie gets up. I shower while Greg heads downstairs with Mollie to make breakfast. We all eat as a family every morning and play until about 8:15am. I then head into my home office and start my workday. Greg stays home and takes care of Mollie during the day. Thankfully I'm now working from home, so I get to see her for lunch or when she runs in and asks for a drink. I typically have back-to-back Zoom calls and meetings with the Entreprenista team and our League members throughout the day. At about 6:00pm, I sign offline for a few hours to spend time having dinner and doing our bedtime routine until we get Mollie down to sleep around 8:30pm. I often get back online for another few hours to work after that, but in an effort to listen to my body more, I have recently committed to taking a nap on the weekends when Mollie naps! I have to say it's been life-changing, and I didn't realize what I was missing out on!
WM: What is one piece of advice or "life-hack" that has helped you the most throughout your career and Motherhood?
SJC: Leaning on my community. I would not have gotten pregnant or been able to stay pregnant if it were not for the women I met through social media. Some of these women have become my best friends; we lean on each other and help one another with everything. When I first had Mollie, I didn't know anything about taking care of a little one. I would text my friends and share what I was going through with my community, and everyone would share advice and help me. I have learned so much from others, and that is because I opened myself up and shared the reality of what I was experiencing, not just the highlight reel. Having a community of women who are there for you has been so important to me in both business and as a new mom.
I also live by my google calendar and time block to take care of myself! I do my very best not to schedule over that time!
WM: If you weren't running Entreprenista, Socialfly, and Markid, what would you be doing?
SJC: I can't even imagine not running our businesses, as I absolutely love what I do and making an impact! But if for some reason, I was not running these companies, I would dedicate even more time to being an advocate for people who are going through infertility or complicated pregnancies. I am currently on the board of the Neonatal Comfort Care Program, which I was part of while in-patient at Columbia and going through our pregnancy. I was able to see the impact they made on our journey. This program is devoted to providing the best interdisciplinary care, education, and research so that their specialized approach will become the standard of care worldwide for any baby born with life-limiting conditions. My goal in life is to help as many women as possible by sharing our journey and experiences. To hear more about how connecting with others helped my family, you can listen to this episode of our podcast or watch our story on the Today Show.
WM: What does the future hold for you professionally and personally?
SJC: I am so excited about the launch of our Entreprenista League community. The goal of the Entreprenista League is to empower, inspire, and help the current and aspiring generation of female leaders to pursue their dreams and celebrate their success. Women in business are the driving force of our economy, starting over 1800 businesses per day last year in the US. Through the league, they can learn from the mistakes and the wins that we have made along the way! Being able to connect with and support women gets me so excited each day. I can't wait to continue to inspire the current and future generation of women business owners and leaders.
WM: What does being a mother in 2021 mean to you, and what is your hope for the future of Motherhood and women's empowerment?
SJC: Being a mother in 2021 means being empowered. There is so much information out there about parenting, which can be helpful, but at times it's also overwhelming because of the sheer access we have to it. Throughout my fertility, pregnancy, and motherhood journey, I learned that it's important to find doctors you trust, but even more so, to verify the information you're being given and assess what is truly the best choice for you and your family. I believe that we have the ability to learn and understand what is best for our bodies and for our babies. My hope for the future is that women realize the empowerment we possess to make choices that may not fit the mainstream media narrative or align with their marketing messages. Mollie is proof that we should always listen to and trust our hearts!
To connect with Stephanie Jill Cartin, you can find her on LinkedIn or Instagram @stephjillcartin.
