It’s the start of a new year and there are a lot of new faces here. So today I wanted to properly reintroduce myself, plus share some exciting updates that start right now.
If you’re new, I’m Barbara (if you’re not, skip to the next paragraph). I’m a San Francisco mom of two and a former tech marketing exec turned entrepreneur. My first business, New Modern Mom, also the name of my personal brand across Substack, Instagram, Podcast, is a boutique media and marketing agency. I tap into my former career to partner with brands like Coterie, Perelel, Hiya Health, and Bobbie to build high-impact campaigns. My second is MNTSTUDIO, where we’re building the first Wellness Social Club. We combine athletic Pilates, recovery, and community all in one beautiful space. We have 3 locations in the Bay Area and more on the way.
For the last few months, I’ve been working quietly on something I thought would eventually be a “proper” book. It was a 12-part roadmap to designed living, basically a reflection of my own mess through corporate burnout, identity shifts after becoming a mom, and that terrifying pivot to entrepreneurship.
But here’s the truth: I don’t have the capacity to write a book right now.
Between scaling my businesses, monthly IV treatments for an autoimmune disease (I’ll be sharing more about this), school drop-offs, and travel, there are just too many balls in the air. I realized that waiting for an “official” format was just delaying the work that actually matters: sharing the story while I’m still in the middle of it.
So I’m done waiting. I’m publishing The Fulfilled State as a monthly essay series for paid subscribers right here. No more overthinking… just action.
When my son was born, I was already burning out; I just didn’t have the words for it yet. By age 30, I was a VP managing a global team of 10. I was climbing the ladder, pushing hard, and telling myself it was all working because I was doing what I was “supposed” to do. By the time my daughter arrived, I was on autopilot, living as a “false self” that looked successful on paper but felt unmotivated, unhealthy, and quite frankly, lost inside.
I stayed in that identity longer than I should have, until I finally couldn’t.
Leaving corporate was terrifying, but it was the moment I started rewriting the story, not just for my career, but for how I parent and lead. Today, I work more hours than ever, but it doesn’t feel like “work”. My life feels aligned because I stopped chasing “balance” and started designing for what actually matters.
That’s what I call The Fulfilled State.
It’s not about finding “balance” because that doesn’t exist. It’s a process of looking at your life honestly, letting go of what no longer fits, and building sustainable systems and habits that reflect your values. It’s about reclaiming your agency in your work, your identity, and your ambition.
The roadmap we’re following*:
When Success Stops Working – The 5 faces of burnout you aren’t recognizing.
Personal Fit > Corporate Ladder – Lessons from the Dark Horse Project.
The Science of Thriving – Exploring Self-Determination Theory.
Permission to be “Good Enough” – Reframing perfectionism.
Reclaiming the Real You – Shedding the performance of your False Self.
Your Unfair Advantage – Mastering your Superpowers and Zone of Genius.
Making Sh!t Happen – How to take action before you feel ready.
Building Identity on Purpose – Using micro-habits to become the person you want to be.
The Freedom Paradox – Why structure is the only thing that actually sets you free.
Designing a Life that Works – Prototyping a life you don’t need a vacation from.
The 80/20 Rule – Moving from reactive healing to proactive thriving.
The Power of Intentional Resets – Creating space for big ideas and evolution.
This is for anyone who has outgrown the box they were told to fit into and is ready to build something more intentional, sustainable, and true.
*Subject to change.
What to Expect as a Member
I’m introducing a premium tier of membership here to support this work. Each month, you’ll get one new essay in The Fulfilled State series, along with occasional Deep Dives on how I keep moving when things feel chaotic.
Members also get:
Weekly drops of my in-depth European Summer Camp research.
My Top ChatGPT Prompts: The exact prompts I use to save 20+ hours a week and make AI sound like me.
Entrepreneurship Behind-the-Scenes: Monthly views into my journey scaling MNTSTUDIO from 3 current locations toward our goal of 50 in the next 5 years. (okay, I’m cringing putting that out there in public)
For everyone (free or paid): Starting this week, my free biweekly newsletter is shifting into a new format, The Shortlist: a quick, skimmable note sharing my current favorite products, places, and services.
Founding Member Rates
To access the full roadmap and my new Deep Dive series, hit “Subscribe” and choose a paid plan.
🚨 As a thank you for your support, I’m offering you a Founding Member rate of 40% off if you sign up this month ($5/mo or $50/yr).
Why Now?
Because this story has been waiting in me for a long time. Because perfection is no longer the prerequisite for sharing. Because fulfillment doesn’t start when the book is “finished.” It starts when I stop waiting and take action.
I’m so excited to finally share this with you,
Barbara
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Experimenting with audio... curious if you listened?
Loved listening to this, Barbara! The voice note was the perfect length to listen to while putting my lunch together. So excited for for you and all of the fun, growth, and learning you’ll have that comes with expanding MNT and this series! Thanks for sharing your journey while you go through it, instead of waiting for that elusive perfect time in the future. Rooting for you always!