Episode 94 – Boundaries That Every Mom Building a Business Needs with Kristina Molinaro
Building a business while raising a young child can make every part of the day feel like work time, family time, and household time all at once. For Kristina Molinaro, co-founder of the furniture company 25 and Pine, creating firm boundaries between those responsibilities has made entrepreneurship and motherhood feel far more manageable.
In this episode, Kristina shares with Hannah how she protects specific windows for focused work, assigns different types of tasks to the time available, and uses planning tools to reduce the mental load of running a business. Her approach offers practical guidance not only for entrepreneurs, but for any parent trying to make progress without feeling pulled in every direction.
Key Takeaways
Protecting a clearly defined work window can reduce the pressure to multitask throughout the entire day.
Assigning different responsibilities to different parts of the day makes it easier to be present in each role.
A limited amount of work time can encourage faster decisions and more focused execution.
Matching tasks to the right environment—such as shop work during childcare and computer work during naps—helps make each work session more productive.
Keeping a running monthly task list provides a big-picture view without requiring everything to be completed at once.
Breaking larger lists into realistic weekly and daily priorities can make an overwhelming workload feel more manageable.
AI planning tools can help organize tasks by availability, setting, and estimated completion time.
Quotes
“My work window is my nap time.”
“It’s a hard container, no matter what day of the week it is, whatever season we’re in.”
“Just keeping dedicated time to each section of the day just helps my brain organize it.”
“You go from being an entrepreneur, and every second of every day is dedicated to your business, to, okay, now I have a new shift and a new focus, but I still care about my business, and I want it to grow.”
“I have two hours. I don’t have time around this, so I know that that’s just what I need to do.”
“I’ll keep my list, and then I upload it, and I’m like, great, one less thing I have to think about.”
“Sometimes I’ll even ask it, ‘How long is this task going to realistically take me?’”
Resources Mentioned
25 and Pine – Kristina Molinaro’s furniture company, co-founded with her husband, Nick. The company creates durable, multipurpose furniture designed for both children and adults.
The Everyday Set – A multipurpose furniture set from 25 and Pine that can function as child-sized seating or be flipped and repurposed as a coffee table and side tables.
Claude – An AI tool Kristina uses to organize weekly business tasks, separate work by time and setting, and estimate how long individual tasks may take.
How I Built This – The podcast through which Hannah first learned about Kristina and 25 and Pine.
Heron House Management - Virtual house management for busy families: we handle your to-dos so you can focus on what matters most. Learn more at www.heronhousemanagement.com.
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This episode of De-Stress the Nest is sponsored by Heron House Management. Learn more at www.heronhousemanagement.com.
About Heron House Management:
Heron House Management is a virtual house management service that takes the stress out of your busy life by taking on your mental load and managing your To Do list. We provide fractional virtual house management for busy families at 10, 15 and 20+ hours/month.
Meal planning, signing up for kids activities, scheduling doctor's appointments, finding a house cleaner, planning your kid's birthday party, getting quotes for that home renovation project, or scheduling a monthly date night with your significant other and so much more. We do it all! Learn more at www.heronhousemanagement.com.
About Hawkeye Focus Coaching:
Hawkeye Focus Coaching helps ADHD executives, entrepreneurs, and busy professionals turn ideas into action. Through personalized, hands-on coaching, deep work sessions, accountability, and practical systems, we help clients overcome overwhelm, stay focused on what matters most, and make consistent progress toward their goals.
Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, managing a major project, or trying to get out of constant firefighting mode, Hawkeye Focus Coaching helps you work with greater clarity, confidence, and momentum. Learn more at www.hawkeyefocuscoaching.com.
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[00:00] Introduction
Hannah Morgan:
Welcome to De-Stress the Nest, a podcast for busy parents where experts share bite-sized tips on how to create systems that minimize stress at home. I’m your host, Hannah Morgan.Today’s episode is sponsored by Heron House Management, the first-ever virtual house management service that lightens your mental load by handling your to-do list with monthly subscriptions of 10, 15, and 20-plus hours per month. From meal planning and doctor’s appointments to birthday parties and home projects, Heron House Management helps busy families reclaim their time and live their best lives. Learn more at heronhousemanagement.com.
[00:27] Meet Kristina Molinaro
Hannah Morgan:
Kristina, I’m so excited to welcome you to the show today. Why don’t we start by hearing a little bit about who you are and what you do?Kristina Molinaro:
Thank you so much for having me. I’m Kristina. I’m the co-founder of 25 and Pine with my husband, Nick. We have a furniture business.We started with side tables and handmade furniture that we couldn’t find elsewhere. Once we had our son, we transitioned into more children’s furniture and things that we could use with him.
We’ve been figuring out production from a different perspective while also being parents at the same time. It’s a full-run furniture business.
[01:05] Furniture Designed to Grow With a Family
Hannah Morgan:
Can you quickly speak to what makes your furniture unique? It’s designed for children as they grow, it works for parents, and it’s also beautiful. Tell us a little bit about that.Kristina Molinaro:
We found that a lot of children’s furniture was designed to be discarded within a couple of years. It wasn’t focused on both the parents and the children, and we felt there was a missing piece there.The set we designed is called the Everyday Set. It includes a bench and two chairs, but it can also be used as a coffee table and two side tables.
It’s all weight-tested. On paper, each piece can hold around 400 pounds, but it can really hold up to approximately 700 pounds, so it can support a wide variety of children and adults. It’s also multipurpose. All the pieces flip, and you can use them in whatever way you need.
[01:48] How Hannah Discovered 25 and Pine
Hannah Morgan:
I love this concept. I think it’s so cool and unique, and I definitely encourage people to visit the website and see it visually.I also want to give a shout-out to how we connected. You were one of the people who called in with a question on How I Built This, which is my absolute favorite podcast. I was walking my dog, listened to your episode, and immediately found you on Instagram and messaged you. I made my dog stop her walk so I could message you—and here you are!
We’re so pleased to have you. Thank you for your time and for being here, Kristina.
Kristina Molinaro:
I’m happy to be here. I’m excited that you found me that way because it’s also my favorite podcast.[02:28] Creating Dedicated Work Containers
Hannah Morgan:
You bring the perspective of being an entrepreneur and a mom. Your family is quite young, so boundaries, time, and planning are very fresh on your mind, as they are for many of us.Let’s talk about your unique approach to handling this.
Kristina Molinaro:
This is an area I feel like a lot of people don’t talk about: being an entrepreneur and business owner while also having a family.My son goes to daycare two days a week, so those are my dedicated workdays, no matter what. On the other three days, when he’s home, I dedicate his nap window to work. Nothing else is getting done. I’m not doing dishes or laundry. That is not the time to do it.
In the morning, we do things together. We hang out, play, and do all the things. But my work window is nap time.
It’s a hard container, no matter what day of the week it is or what season we’re in. That has given me the opportunity to continue running my business the way I want to while also giving him enough time.
He just turned two, so he’s still little, and he wants my full attention every second of the day that he’s awake.
[03:27] Assigning a Purpose to Each Part of the Day
Kristina Molinaro:
It’s about being able to say, “This is my morning, and I’m not doing work. This is nap time, and this is when I’m going to get everything done.”After his nap, if we have to ship orders or do something similar, that’s when it happens. Keeping dedicated time for each section of the day helps my brain organize it.
I used to run around in the mornings thinking, “I have to ship this. I have to do that.” Now, I make a list for myself and get it done during nap time. We can do things before or after, but that work window is strict for me.
Hannah Morgan:
I feel this in my bones. I feel like the best businesses, ideas, and ventures are built during nap time. It’s a story so many mom entrepreneurs can relate to.What made you realize that you needed to separate your time? Was there an aha moment when you realized that responding to emails while playing with your son wasn’t working?
[04:19] Recognizing That Something Had to Change
Kristina Molinaro:
I feel like it was once he went to daycare. We didn’t put him in daycare until he was around six months old. On the other days of the week, I was trying to fit everything in, but it wasn’t fully working. I realized I needed a system I could focus on.My brain works very much according to a schedule. I don’t know whether there was one aha moment or whether it was simply realizing that something had to change.
Especially once he started walking, I couldn’t do all of it at once. I felt so overwhelmed as a parent.
You go from being an entrepreneur, when every second of every day is dedicated to your business, to having a new focus. But I still care about my business, and I want it to grow. I had to figure out something that would make it work.
You also have your partner, whom you want to spend time with. I think of it as having different buckets. You figure it out. It’s different for everybody, but that’s the only system that has worked for us so far.
[05:17] Matching Tasks to the Time Available
Hannah Morgan:
When you’re doing deep-focus work, you have approximately two hours of nap time on the days your son isn’t in daycare. Then you have longer stretches when he is in daycare.How has that changed the way you work? Are you able to go straight into deep-work mode because you know you have to use that limited window?
Kristina Molinaro:
The days he’s at daycare are obviously woodworking days for me. I’m in the shop with no distractions. I get as much done as I can, and I don’t do computer work.During naps, I sit down in my office. We just moved, so I now have a dedicated workspace. My brain clicks into work mode as soon as he’s down.
I might take a little bit of time to clean up, and then it’s go time. I have two hours. I don’t have time around this, so I know that’s what I need to do.
[06:09] Planning From the Monthly View to the Daily View
Kristina Molinaro:
I keep a running to-do list and plan everything out. I’ll plan the whole month of tasks that I need to complete, and then that obviously fluctuates as the weeks go by.Hannah Morgan:
It sounds like having a dedicated workspace that you can immediately click into is a game changer.You also have a big-picture list of the tasks and priorities for the month, but you sort those into what needs to happen during that day or work session. That helps keep you laser-focused. Is that right?
Kristina Molinaro:
Yes, that’s a better and easier way to explain it.[06:47] Using AI to Organize the Week
Kristina Molinaro:
I also use AI. I’m very interested in AI these days. I plug everything in and say, “Make this work for this week.”Hannah Morgan:
You do some of your weekly planning with AI tools. What are some of your favorites?Kristina Molinaro:
I really like Claude for business. I’ll tell it, “This is everything I need to get done for the week. This needs to happen during nap time, and this needs to happen outside of nap time.”I obviously alter the plan as the week goes on, but as it learns about me, it figures out my system.
It’s been helpful. As a mom, my brain is a little all over the place, as we all know. I keep my list, upload it, and think, “Great, one less thing I have to think about.”
[07:39] Estimating How Long Tasks Will Take
Kristina Molinaro:
It can organize my to-do list. Sometimes I’ll even ask it, “How long is this task going to realistically take me?”Hannah Morgan:
I love that.Kristina Molinaro:
It might say 30 minutes, and then I know I can do that in 30 minutes. If it takes longer, I can stop, move on to something else, and add it to another day if I need to.[08:10] Making an Overwhelming List More Manageable
Hannah Morgan:
It sounds like that doesn’t just help you organize your priorities and decide what you need to do. It also helps you schedule those tasks and realize that the workload doesn’t need to feel quite as overwhelming.When you said you have a list of everything you need to do that month, I thought, “I can’t even imagine.” That would make me want to cry. I would completely shut down.
But you’re saying that you can use tools to break everything down so it becomes more manageable. I think that’s a great actionable tip.
It’s important for our listeners who are entrepreneurs, but it’s also useful for people who aren’t entrepreneurs. This is a great way to break down all the life tasks and projects we need to work on.
Thank you so much for sharing, Kristina. We really appreciate it.
Kristina Molinaro:
I’m happy to be here and happy to help other moms and entrepreneurs as well.[09:30] Outro
Hannah Morgan:
Thanks for listening to De-Stress the Nest, the podcast where experts share bite-sized tips on how to minimize stress at home. Don’t forget to subscribe and tune in every Tuesday for more ways to simplify your life.
