Balancing Entrepreneurship With Wellness & Motherhood: The Journey of Nina Farzin, CEO Of oogiebear

Discover the inspiring journey of Nina Farzin, CEO of oogiebear, as she navigates the delicate balance of entrepreneurship, wellness, and motherhood with grace and determination.

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As a soon-to-be mother, I am educating myself on all things baby and child raising. However, I’ve noticed that I haven’t considered how I will balance motherhood with my blogging and personal career goals. Admittedly, I don’t even know where to start. I know that self-care is important and that I have to make time for myself when the baby arrives, but at the same time, I keep wondering about how I am going to do that when a majority of my day is spent taking care of someone who cannot fend for themselves. 

This is where my interview with Nina Farzin comes in. My conversation with Nina was valuable and completely worth it. Not only did I learn so much about her journey into entrepreneurship and her famous product, the oogiebear, but I also gained tips on pursuing my dreams, taking care of myself, and loving my family all at once. Today, I will share some key takeaways from my conversation with Nina and hope you can gain some wisdom from this. 

Who Is Nina Farzin?

Nina Farzin is the CEO and founder of oogiebear, a brilliant pharmacist, and a mother of three.  She began developing a gentle solution for clearing babies’ sensitive noses and ears and has carved her path as a successful entrepreneur in baby health. Her journey, marked by innovation and dedication, sheds light on the importance of balancing motherhood, career aspirations, and personal well-being.

In this blog post, we delve into Nina’s entrepreneurial odyssey, her insights on nurturing a thriving business, and her invaluable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and working mothers alike.

The Birth And Success Of oogiebear

Nina’s entrepreneurial voyage began unexpectedly with the creation of oogiebear, a revolutionary product designed to clear babies’ nasal passages. Inspired by her personal experiences with her daughter and nephew, who struggled with nasal congestion, she used her pharmacist background and desire to address the health complications associated with mouth breathing in infants. From day one, Nina embarked on a mission to educate parents about the significance of nose breathing.

Babies are born as mouth breathers, but that comes with health complications, and that’s why the importance of cognitive function comes in. If mom has that awareness, then she can stop it. Through oogiebear, Nina provides a solution and fosters awareness about the essential role of cognitive function in overall well-being.

Unironically, she often refers to herself as an accidental entrepreneur. After receiving her patent for Oggiebear and having a successful launch, Nina realized that so many people could use a product such as this, which led her to go on Shark Tank in September 2022, during the show’s first-ever live episode. oogiebear was a huge hit, resulting in a lucrative investment deal with shark Barbara Corcoran. Since Shark Tank, oogiebear has made about 15 million dollars in revenue and is one of the most popular baby healthcare and safety products listed on several retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, Buy Buy Baby, Target, and Nordstrom. 

Since starting oogiebear, Nina has been passionate about balancing her entrepreneurial journey with motherhood duties and health. Over the years, she has learned ways to do so and found self-care strategies that help her maintain this balance. 

The Importance of Balance

Beyond entrepreneurship, Nina advocates for balance across various facets of life, including family, work, spiritual growth, self-care, nutrition, exercise, and moments of joy. She emphasizes the need to be kind to oneself and underscores the significance of maintaining equilibrium amidst the demands of motherhood and career pursuits. Nina’s approach highlights the interconnectedness of these life pillars and the profound impact they have on one’s overall happiness and fulfillment.

The Five Life Pillars

After explaining how these life pillars help her practice self-care and maintain her overall wellness, she broke each pillar down and explained how they can be applied to anyone’s life. 

Family

Throughout her oogiebear journey, Nina had lots of support from her loved ones. Her lovely husband, who works as a periodontist, helped her with the ins and outs of creating the products and was instrumental in its success. While creating and working on oogiebear, Nina also had the support of her mother, who would often help with the children. 

Nina emphasizes the importance of family and support structures in managing the demands of motherhood. She explained that she doesn’t know where she would be without her husband and mother. For pregnant women or those looking to start families, having a strong support system is important because motherhood is complicated and has its challenges. You don’t need a large group of people in your support system. However, having one or two people you can undoubtedly rely on will make a difference in the journey into motherhood. Having this system not only benefits the mother but also the baby in the long run. 

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Work

This pillar isn’t necessarily about working but learning to balance the work. In the United States, many mothers are guilted into immediately working and sometimes leaving their children to others to contribute to the economy. Throughout the interview, Nina made several points about women learning to find a healthy life balance between working and motherhood. However, she also points out the importance of balancing being a mother and having a personal life. 

Nina advises working mothers to set clear boundaries, be flexible, plan, and listen to their intuition. She talks about how she plans her days every week so she doesn’t feel overwhelmed with her entrepreneurial or motherhood duties. She says you should manage your schedule using productivity hacks, such as time blocking. 

While planning is great for staying productive and balanced, Nina also talks about embracing failure within your work. Most people don’t pursue their entrepreneurial dreams or stop short of achieving their goals because they fear failure and the ‘what ifs.’Regarding entrepreneurship, Nina believes in taking that first step towards pursuing one’s passion rather than letting fear hold you back. As a mother, she always encourages her children to fail because failure equals growth. Nina never wants them to stop doing something simply because it didn’t work the first time. By having her children join her on the oogiebear journey, she has shown them how to fail and accept mistakes, which will help them in the future when they’re adults. 

Spiritual Growth

Spiritual growth is not only for religious people. It refers to using self-care to do things that put you at peace and balance the mind. For Nina, this means being present-minded and focusing on what matters now, especially around her children. She explains that whenever she is around her children, she gives them her undivided and 100% attention because these are the moments they will remember when they’re older.

For example, when she drives them to school, she engages in thoughtful conversations that interest the children. She doesn’t allow herself to be distracted by her job or other phone conversations because she is focused on being there for the children emotionally and physically at that moment. Everything else can wait until after.

Another example Nina provides for being present-minded is when she is at the family dinner. At the table, Nina and her family focus on one another, not the work, projects, deadlines, or things they must do. Since many of them have busy schedules, dinner is the perfect time for them to embrace being a family together. 

Nutrition and Fitness

Nina would have been a nutritionist had she not pursued her dreams of launching oogiebear. During the interview, Nina emphasized a few times how nutrition and fitness play a huge role in who she is and how she approaches things. For her, these two things go hand in hand in helping her to balance her workload and motherhood. 

For example, Nina never allows her children to eat while traveling. She talks about the importance of giving your body time to digest and process the nutrients and minerals you provide and how this time is crucial for other aspects of your overall health. Outside of nutrition, she believes that every mother must find time to move her body, even if it’s just for 20 to 30 minutes daily, but in a joyful way. Joyful movement includes physical acts that you can do throughout the day that are simple and fun. It encourages you to move your body while increasing your serotonin levels, which improves the mood of the mom and baby. Joyful movement can be anything: yoga, dancing, vacuuming, pumping your fists, taking a walk…etc. Doing fun and engaging physical activity will help people, especially new moms, stay on top of their health without feeling overwhelmed and like a chore. 

Having Fun 

The final life pillar that Nina explores is having fun. Similar to finding joyful movement, she says that people need to learn how to have more fun. People were not meant only to work their entire lives and then sleep. We were also made to socialize and have fun. Nina talks about how she always makes time to go on family trips and vacations with the children because having that downtime is crucial to the success of oogiebear.

When she first started oogiebear, she struggled to find time because there seemed to be a lot to do, from getting the patent to talking with investors. Eventually, she felt like her life was lacking and drained from the work. This was when she decided that she needed to incorporate fun moments. Otherwise, she would burn out. 

Nina explains that burnout and mental drain occur from toxic work environments and lack of socialization and fun. She explains that people have to schedule this time into their already established routines and that it’s easy. One example she provided is simply taking 20 minutes to listen to your favorite music station and dancing. This brief moment of fun will improve your happiness levels and help the brain relax and unwind, increasing productivity levels and how much information you can retain. 

Just do it” – take that first step towards your dreams, and you’ll be grateful for the journey that unfolds

Nina Farzin, CEO OF OOGIEBEAR

Nina’s Advice For Success

Drawing from her own experiences, Nina offers invaluable advice for navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship and motherhood. She underscores the importance of setting clear boundaries, remaining flexible, and planning to overcome challenges effectively. Additionally, Nina advocates for mindfulness and presence in every moment, emphasizing the transformative power of meditation and self-awareness. For aspiring entrepreneurs, she encourages taking that first step towards pursuing their passions and embracing failure as a stepping stone to growth.

Conclusion

As a mother herself, Nina reflects on the invaluable lessons learned from balancing parenthood with entrepreneurship. She highlights the benefits of cultivating a strong support system and underscores the essential role of fathers in supporting their partners’ entrepreneurial dreams. Nina’s journey exemplifies resilience, determination, and the unwavering belief in the transformative power of pursuing one’s passions.

In Nina Farzin’s remarkable journey, we find inspiration, wisdom, and a testament to the profound impact of perseverance and self-belief. Her story serves as a beacon of hope for aspiring entrepreneurs and working mothers, reminding us that anything is possible with dedication, resilience, and a commitment to balance. As Nina eloquently puts it, “Just do it” – take that first step towards your dreams, and you’ll be grateful for the journey that unfolds.

If you want to learn more about Nina Farzin and oogiebear, make sure to check out their social media @oogiebear on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTik.