Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in Houston?
I’ve lived in Houston for almost 20 years. I grew up outside of Dallas, but moved here right after graduating from college.
Child(ren) and Age(s)?
I have 3 children: my daughters are 10 and 8, and my son is 5 years old
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
One thing that would surprise people is that I have a twin sister and that we both have 2 daughters and a son (in that order), and our oldest daughters were born a few days apart.
Favorite local activities to do in Houston?
We visit the zoo and museum district a lot and also love hanging out at City Centre and Discovery Green.
Do you have a favorite family-friendly restaurant in the area?
Little Matt’s and Hopdoddy-Rice Village are two of our favorites because they have built-in fun for the kids, and great food and drinks for the adults.
What local places do you go to for pampering and/or mom’s night out?
For pampering, I love the Trellis Spa at The Houstonian. A few times a year, I’ll get together with some of my mom-friends for a spa day while our kids are at school.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
As a parent and medical research professional, I look for activities and summer camps for my children that teach them how to be creative thinkers and problem-solvers. But, a lot of the STEM programs that I found mostly teach kids how to make volcanos or slime. They don’t focus on teaching kids how to apply innovative thinking to real world problems.
Last fall, I started an afterschool science program for 5-12 year olds called Hypothesis Haven Science Club that 1) introduces children to interesting health science careers, and 2) teaches them how medical scientists come up with bright ideas to discover, treat and prevent illnesses.
We work with groups like local schools, PTAs and medical practices to create hands-on workshops that teach kids the causes of different health conditions (like food allergies, colon cancer, and the coronavirus) and how scientists find ways to treat them. With all of the closures due to covid this year, we’ve added online workshops that have been very popular, but we are looking forward to bringing back our afterschool programs and in-person events.
website: www.hypothesishaven.com
facebook/instagram: @hhsciclub
How has the Houston community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
Without the city of Houston, there wouldn’t be a Hypothesis Haven Science Club. My years of working in cancer research in the Texas Medical Center taught me so much about how life-saving treatments are created, and introduced me to the many different professionals that work everyday to give hope to patients battling incurable illnesses. Our goal with the program is to light a spark in the child that might one day grow up to find the cure for a deadly disease.
What is the best advice for juggling mommyhood and running a business (or volunteering, working, etc)?
The best advice that I have for mompreneurs is to find ways for your children to contribute to your business and feel like part of the team. My daughters join me in workshops and I’ll test out new ideas on them and get their opinions on fun topics for kids their ages.
What would you tell the old “You” before you had kids?
I would tell myself to appreciate all those times that I complained about being “bored” a little bit more, because that doesn’t really exist once you have kids. LOL.
Funniest shortcut/routine for helping you through parenthood?
Laughter is really important in our family. We intentionally raise our kids to have a sense of humor. Sometimes when I’m in the middle of a frustrating parenting moment, I’ll just crack a silly joke out of nowhere. It always cuts the tension so that we can start again in a positive place.