#139: The Mental Load Myth: Why Moms Deserve Help (and How to Get It)

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ADHD Cliff's Notes:

1. We speak with Emily King, Founder and CEO of Faye, a company that matches busy families with advisors to help manage the mental load. Emily created Faye after becoming a mother and realizing how difficult it was to keep up with her family's personal to-do's, and how little support there was for parents. 
2. Faye fills a much-needed void: providing affordable help for busy families who do not have the means to hire full-time personal assistants but benefit from fractional help—it also creates part-time gig opportunities for women to monetize a skill set they typically don't get paid for. 
3. Emily breaks down the type of work a Faye assistant can do—imagine someone who can "think like you" and act on your behalf as project manager. Here's what's on the table: Staying on top of appointments, scheduling, booking travel, coordinating activities, organizing school emails, finding and coordinating professionals like housecleaners and handymen, saving money by cancelling subscriptions you don't use, shopping around for insurance, activities, providers, etc. 
4. While Faye can help with practical solutions, the mental health component is profound: the relief of knowing someone else is carrying the burden with you can be extremely emotional. 
5. "We have been set up to fail." Modern motherhood feels like an impossible math equation. We talk about the trap of moms being expected to work full-time and juggle full schedules while also being expected to manage the mental load. 
6. We discuss the added struggles of having ADHD in addition to being a parent in this busy, digital era, including decision fatigue and executive functioning challenges. 
7. The belief that we should be able to do all of this ourselves, despite the impossible standards, is what keeps so many moms from asking for help. 
8. Emily sees a shift that is a reason for hope: more and more women are willing to say that they deserve it, they don't question it, and they are willing to outsource this type of work. 
9. Make sure you are using your energy the right way—it matters!

About Emily King:
Emily King is the CEO and co-founder of Faye, a service designed to help parents get more done with the help of trusted family advisors. These advisors handle everyday tasks—like scheduling appointments and organizing family travel—so moms can breathe.

As a working mother herself, Emily knows firsthand how impossible the juggle can feel. Her journey to launching Faye was fueled by her own experience navigating parenthood while excelling in demanding leadership roles—like serving as VP of Growth & Digital at Blue Bottle Coffee and more than a decade across consumer tech brands like Nextdoor, Good Eggs, and LivingSocial. She lives in Ogden, Utah, with her husband, Patten, and their daughter, Vivian.

Find Faye HERE

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