LAUNCHING DREAMY MESH UNDERWEAR BRIEF TRANSITIONS | MARY CLAVIERES

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CAMILLE WALKER [0:02]

Welcome back everyone to Call Me CEO. This is Camille Walker, your host, and I just want to thank you personally for being here investing your time and sharing a moment of your day with us wherever you might be.

Today is an amazing episode with Mary Clavieres, who is the creator of Brief Transitions. It is the first to market mesh underwear for women after childbirth and surgeries. She is an experienced Amazon seller and leverages her 14 plus years of manufacturing at a Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company to grow her own product-based business.

Now, this is Part 1 of a Part 2 series where we then go talk about The Transitions Collective, which is a platform based to support entrepreneurs and women who are building business and families and mind mapping. So, stick around for these episodes because they are going to be extraordinary. I know you're going to love them. Let's dive in to Episode 1. I can't wait!

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CAMILLE [1:03]

So, you want to make an impact. You're thinking about starting a business, sharing your voice. How do women do it that handle motherhood, family, and still chase after those dreams? Well, listen each week as we dive into the stories of women who know. This is Call Me CEO.

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CAMILLE [1:22]

Welcome back everyone to Call Me CEO. This is Camille Walker. And today, I have with us Mary Clavieres, who is going to talk about leaving the corporate world and designing her own product that was desperately needed in the world. And I cannot wait to share your story, Mary. You have so much information and knowledge. We're just going to dig in.

And for those who are listening right now, know that this is going to be a Part 1 and a Part 2. So, this Part 1, we're talking about Mary's journey to leaving corporate America, creating her own product and business. And then, Part 2 is going to be in mind work and how she is now coaching other women to build businesses and find success of their own.

So, Mary, thank you so much for being with us today.

MARY CLAVIERES [2:06]

Thank you so much, Camille. It's nice to be here.

CAMILLE [2:10]

Now, I want to hear a little bit about your family first. We are all moms here, so tell me about where you live, your kids. Tell me everything.

MARY [2:18]

Yup. So, I'm based in New Jersey, right outside of Manhattan, right across the Hudson River. And I have two girls, ages, my older one just turned seven, which is still baffling to me, and I have a four-and-a-half-year-old.

CAMILLE [2:34]

Oh, that's so fun. And you're married?

MARY [2:37]

I'm married. Yup. Mm-hmm.

CAMILLE [2:40]

Go ahead.

MARY [2:41]

My husband's from France actually and he moved here about ten years ago. So, we've been here since then.

CAMILLE [2:47]

Oh, that's so fun. So, you lived in Belgium for a couple of years. Is that where you met or did you not meet until after?

MARY [2:54]

No. Yup, we met in Belgium. I was on a work assignment and he was on a work assignment there too from France actually. And we met there and he came to the U.S.

CAMILLE [3:04]

Oh, so romantic. My husband lived in France for a couple of years and speaks French. I do not. Do you speak French?

MARY [3:11]

I do. With the girls, I speak English and my husband speaks French. We do one pair at one language.

CAMILLE [3:18]

Oh, that's so fascinating. That could be a whole other episode. That's really cool! Okay. So, you're a city girl obviously through and through. And you have had a lot of experience in corporate America. So, tell me about how you went from that life, what you learned there, and how you brought that into Brief Transitions.

MARY [3:37]

Yeah. Well, my background in pharmaceuticals is really in manufacturing. So, I spent around 15 years in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. And towards the end of my career, it was really in process improvements and helping our manufacturing sites work better, either on the shop floor with the equipment or even transactions, and how they work through in the quality department or paperwork and things like that. So, I've always worked with trying to make things better, if you will. And it's always been related to manufacturing. So, after I had my first daughter, I had an emergency C-section and I got the mesh underwear from the hospital.

CAMILLE [4:25]

The blessed mesh, yes! Yes.

MARY [4:29]

Yes. So, I got those and my friend said, "You're going to run out. Take more or make sure they give you more." I mean, the nurse was very generous. She gave me more from the hospital, but I still ran out. And my mom had to go looking for underwear for me. And now, I'm much more comfortable saying this on air or in public. She couldn't find any. She couldn't find more mesh underwear, so she bought me oversized granny panties and I had to cut the elastic waistband because it was digging into my incision.

CAMILLE [5:00]

Yes.

MARY [5:00]

And the main question that kept coming up was, why aren't these available for women? Like I just had a baby, why can't I have the supplies that I need? It didn't make any sense to me, so I think with my manufacturing background, I was just kind of like, "You know what? These exist. They're in the hospital. So, some form of them exists. Why aren't they available for moms?" And I've been in manufacturing. I know about manufacturing. How hard can it be? It's good to be na�ve.

CAMILLE [5:36]

At least you had some, I mean, it really was the perfect storm that you were in that spot and thinking that way because you do have the knowledge you have, but I'm sure opening that can of worms like you said, that naivety of what was really to come. Tell us about that process. What did that look like?

MARY [5:52]

Yeah. So, in the beginning, it was very slow. It wasn't like, "Oh, I have this great idea and I'm going to make this business out of it." First, I was just really like, "Maybe I can find the product and bring it to market to help some other moms." Because there's other women that either they can't get them from the hospital or the hospital only gives them one pair. Some hospitals are very stingy with mesh underwear.

And I was like, "Let me just see." And it was just something that I can do. I was looking at it more as like something creative for me to do, right? It wasn't meant to be, "I�m going to build this and leave my corporate job." Even though that's what ended up happening. So, in the beginning, it was really step by step. I said like, "Okay. Well, I wonder where I can make them."

So, I started looking at manufacturers. And I would look online, and then let that go for a couple of months, and then come back and do something else, and then let it go. It was really like spread out in terms of the steps and how I did it. And then, once I really started, after I looked at samples from the manufacturers and really picked something and put the order in and decided the packaging and all of that. I was like, "Okay. This is real." And I put it online. And I was like, "All right. This might actually be something." And that's when I started to kind of pickup with it and do it. Yeah, just more purposefully, I guess.

CAMILLE [7:16]

Yeah. I am just blown away. Like you said that since the beginning of time, women have been having babies and this product has not existed. I had my last baby about the same time you invented this. He is almost five and I just think, "Man. I wish I would have known about Brief Transitions." Well, it wasn't available at the time, but what an incredible product that I cannot believe did not exist like it just blows my mind.

MARY [7:45]

Yeah. Me too. I was really surprised. Really surprised.

CAMILLE [7:50]

And even though, for people who are listening, could you describe the product? What it looks like, where people can buy it? Just so, as we're moving forward, I guarantee you there are people listening right now jotting the note down, "Where do I buy this?" Because it is such a needed item.

MARY [8:05]

Yeah. So, it's at brieftransitions.com. I'm also on Amazon if you search Brief Transitions. But brieftransitions.com is the easiest place to get it. So, really the thing with these magical mesh underwear is they're super stretchy so regardless of if you have a C-section or vaginal delivery, you're going to be swollen.

CAMILLE [8:26]

Yeah.

MARY [8:26]

And these underwear are really giving so think the opposite of compression. So, they'll really go to wherever your body is at that moment. And really right after you have a baby, you're really swollen, like you can't really walk and all of that. They're just super stretchy and really comfortable. They go up and over the incision area, like they don't put pressure on your mid-section. Even with vaginal births, you can have tearing or other things, you might need extra pads and stuff.

CAMILLE [8:59]

Absolutely.

MARY [9:01]

And so, it kind of like holds all that together, but not tightly.

CAMILLE [9:07]

So, if someone like me were wanting to create a product like this. Where do you even start? I know that you had manufacturing background, but what were some landmines or things you didn't expect even having been in this world. What is the process that you go through if you have an idea?

MARY [9:26]

Yeah. So, if you have a product idea, I mean, one of the first things that you can check if it's already on the market and you can check to see if there is something on the market, is there a better way to do it, for example.

But if you already have your idea and you're like, "Yes! I'm going to give this a try." First, really looking for manufacturers or making your own prototype in some way that you can ask the manufacturers if they can make it for you. But now, with so much being online, it's easier in some ways to find manufacturers now and there's different networks. Like if you're looking at overseas manufacturing, for example, you can look at something like Alibaba.com and they have lots of products on there and you can kind of get an idea of what they offer.

You can sometimes find suppliers other ways, but I will say, depending on what you want to make, a lot of suppliers, they don't really pay attention to really small accounts or like people that, "Oh, I have this idea." They're like, "Well, I manufacture for," So, I'm a huge fan of Sara Blakely and Spanx and what she's built. "So, I manufacture for Spanx. I don't have time for you. I'm just giving you examples."

So, finding the suppliers that are willing to work with new business owners or new ideas is probably one of the bigger steps and very important but can feel challenging while you're trying to do it.

CAMILLE [11:03]

Did you start with manufacturing overseas? Because of your background and what you were doing with manufacturing already, did you have relationships already here in the U.S.?

MARY [11:12]

So, I looked in both places. I first started only with the U.S. So, I do have manufacturing background, but it's in pharmaceuticals, so it's very different from clothing. So, there was some stuff that I had to learn in terms of the different type, the different ways that clothing is made, and what that process is.

And so, the way the underwear are made, it's not really easily accessible in the U.S. actually. The type of equipment, they don't really have that here anymore. But I did start looking in the U.S. first and then, eventually, went outside of the U.S. But really, I would say, it depends on what you want to make, what your price point is going to be, what your brand is about, all those things. And you might be able to make it in the U.S. Obviously, making it in the U.S. is more expensive. But if you're going higher end, it's something that it might work out for you. But otherwise, you could also look overseas.

CAMILLE [12:12]

Okay. So, you have this prototype. You're working with a manufacturer. How did you find the one that you settled on? Did you have to go through a few?

MARY [12:19]

Yeah. I mean, I reached out to at least 12 to 15 manufacturers at first and I probably looked at samples with four of them. And then, whittled it down from that, and then did an extra round of sampling with the one that I ended up with.

CAMILLE [12:43]

Interesting.

MARY [12:43]

So, it's like cast a wide net, and then kind of move inward.

CAMILLE [12:46]

And I do think a big part of that relationship is communication and knowing that they'll be available and responding to you and really paying attention to the detail and the packaging as well as the quality of the item. Was that hard for you to establish as you were going through that process?

MARY [13:04]

I think the hardest part was like getting the door open to begin with as a new person, right? But after that, it was easier to work with them. I mean, if they're willing to talk to you in the beginning. I mean, that's already a great sign, and then you can see how the development goes and how the responsiveness is as you go along.

There's always a chance for something maybe to happen, but that's really the first part. And yeah, how they interact with you and if they take you seriously from the beginning. There are, of course, though, manufacturers that make it seem that they're taking you seriously, but then you don't have the background and experience, and they're not necessarily teaching you, right? So, they could be maybe taking advantage a little bit. You kind of have to look out for that too.

CAMILLE [13:55]

Hmm. That is really good advice. You said that you left your corporate job where you were making really good money. At what point did you transition from, "Oh, this is kind of a side thing I'm doing on the side as I'm creating and producing" to "No, this is really happening and this is a thing"? When did that happen for you?

MARY [14:16]

So, it happened over time. It's gradually, Brief Transition was picking up and having more sales. And my last job before I left corporate, the best way to describe it was, it was like an internal consulting job. So, I was actually travelling almost every week for my job either in the U.S. or outside of the U.S. and it was really exhausting. And I had two young kids at home.

So, it was kind of a perfect storm of, "Wow, Brief Transitions can really be something on its own" and "Wow, my corporate job is draining me and I can't be away from home all the time and I just don't want that lifestyle anymore." Like I didn't love it to begin with, I had already lived overseas. I already traveled a lot. I was entering a different phase of my life, right? And motherhood makes you really question values, purpose, meaning, all of that stuff. So, it was kind of the perfect storm of those two things.

And then, I ended up leaving in April of 2018, which it was still a hard decision for me. I really fought it but my husband was kind of like, "Why are you doing this to yourself? You're really stressed out. You're away from home all the time." And it was just really not a good situation. So, that's what really helped me to take the leap.

CAMILLE [15:48]

Oh, that's awesome. I really feel like if you have a good partner that sees that and can slow you down, especially for ambitious women like you and people listening, I think that it's such a gift to have a partner who will say, "Okay. Let's take a beat. How much are you putting into this and why? And what is a must-do and what is a can-do? Are you choosing this amount of stress? Could you take a step back?" And did you find that when you left that situation, that you were able to become more productive and push your business in a whole new way?

MARY [16:22]

Oh, yeah. I mean, the transformation I felt even just from like saying, "I was leaving" and then to actually leaving was, I mean, it was incredible. Even just because I was working at night and on the weekends for Brief Transitions. I had a full-blown corporate job that took up all my time during the day, so even just the fact of not having two laptops and two cellphones and the mental juggling of all of that. Just having all of that disappear was huge.

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CAMILLE [16:57]

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CAMILLE [17:44]

Tell me more about that transitioning into finding a clearer focus. How were you able to dive into that purpose and finding that for yourself?

MARY [17:54]

I mean, I think just first really deciding and saying, "Okay. I'm going for this and making that decision." That was for me the huge turning point. After I did that, I was kind of like, "Okay. Anything is possible. I can do something else like I could start a different company. It didn't matter." I was like, "This is the scariest part for me."

There are still obviously things that are scary sometimes, but the scariest part was done because I had so much time and so many years invested in my corporate career. And let's be honest, most people in the culture tell us, "Get a good job. Stay there for your life." kind of thing, even though we know that's changing now, but it's still really hard when that's ingrained in you for so long to actually make something different.

CAMILLE [18:37]

Did you have a coach or a mindset leader that gave you that vision or is that something you came up with on our own?

MARY [18:48]

I had both. I had a business coach at the time. I fully believe in having coaches because a good coach will act like a mirror for you and really show you things back as to like what you can do or give you that support to be open to the possibilities. So, I did have a business coach. But some of the work was also internal like I had to do it for myself. A coach can't do that for you. So, I'd say, it's a mix of the two.

CAMILLE [19:20]

Yeah. I like that. So, you have this product, it's going well. You're to a point where it's really going places. How are you handling fulfillment this whole time?

MARY [19:30]

Oh, I was doing it myself.

CAMILLE [19:34]

Yikes.

MARY [19:34]

And storing product out of first, my parents live in New Jersey. They live about an hour away from me and I had a relative who lived closer. And I eventually stored product in their garage, my aunt's garage, and I was doing it very manually. That's one of the hardest parts I think for product businesses is that those early stages where you have to do all that yourself because there's not really the space or the financial freedom to have a fulfillment center do it for you.

So yeah, it was very, very manual in the beginning and I was rolling underwear, and my in-laws would come and visit and they would be rolling underwear, and friends would come over and they would be rolling underwear. I was like, "Please help me." Yeah.

CAMILLE [20:26]

When did you make the transition of hiring and expanding your team? How much time did that take and what steps did you take for that?

MARY [20:35]

Yeah. That's a great question. I want to say it was about two years probably before I went to a fulfillment center. And I kind of did it in stages. So, in the very beginning, I was doing it then I had my relatives helping it. They were retired, so they just liked to have something to do. And then, I said, "Okay. It's not sustainable anymore."

It's come to a point where it's not worth your time. You have to look at the time you're giving to it and where else you could be spending your time. So then, I started interviewing fulfillment centers and really you can't go with the first one you see or talk to. You have to look at pricing. Look where they're located. See what their services are and if they feel like they're a good partner for you because you really want it to be a partnership because they're holding your product for you. That's a pretty big deal. So, you want it to be a strong relationship and you want them to also have enough experience, but also be willing to support a small but growing business.

CAMILLE [21:42]

Yeah. That's really good advice to interview them and find one that fits well with you and you have direct access to and you can trust. I mean, listening to you, and I know it's doing amazing things and it's big, but I'm like, "Girl. I didn't know about this before I met you. It needs to be bigger." I want to use this platform to shout it from the rooftops. But do you ultimately have a goal to have this on the shelves at grocery stores or even in the hospitals? People need to know about this. So, tell me more about that. What are we doing?

MARY [22:18]

I know. Yeah. I appreciate that. Thanks. Yeah. It's something that I'm working on. I mean, it's easier in a lot of ways to be online, especially on my own site and Amazon.

CAMILLE [22:33]

Amazon's great. Yeah.

MARY [22:35]

I mean, before COVID, it was maybe a different story. But especially since COVID, everyone's shopping online and the end-customer, like the mom, they can really get it sooner. But I am looking at other retail outlets. Maybe one day it could be on the shelves at like Target or Walmart or somewhere like that retail or Buy Buy Baby, but I haven't really explored that enough yet. I need to, though.

CAMILLE [23:07]

I think you do. I mean, being on Amazon, alone, that's huge because everyone uses Amazon. However, I think that this is a product that people need access to everywhere. It just makes so much sense to me. So, I think that's really fascinating.

And so, now that you are where you are, what advice would you give to someone listening now, thinking about something or a product that they maybe want to create, what are some things that you've learned along the way? Even with balancing your time. I mean, my goodness, you balance your time really well if you've been able to do the corporate and build the product and do the fulfillment and be a mom. Teach us your ways. What are some of those golden nuggets?

MARY [23:52]

So, I mean, I think the most important thing when you have a new idea or something you're really passionate about and you believe in is to really have the right support system around you. I cannot stress it enough because the mental game in being a business owner is something like you're always learning and adapting and having to grow and challenge yourself and how you grow.

And if you don't have the right support around you, it's very easy to just say, "Oh. This is a silly idea." Or, "Oh, it's not worth it." Or, "Oh, who am I to do this?" There are so many ways you could talk yourself out of everything, basically. And I think having other people around you that get it or that are really solid cheerleaders for you is really, really important because it will just be a lot harder. It will be a lot harder if you don't have that.

And then, in terms of like I also find that it's really easy to get overwhelmed. We're looking at lots of things. We're juggling. We have huge to-do lists. And when I get really overwhelmed, I just say, "Okay. What is the one next thing that I need to do right now? What is that? And let me just focus on that." And then again, "What's the one next thing?" I do that. "What's the one next thing?" And when you really feel the overwhelm of everything and the big picture and all of the stuff, just bring it in to one thing. I think it makes a big difference even for like your mental outlook of how you kind of tackle the day.

CAMILLE [25:30]

Yeah. I really like that, the one next thing. Do you have a routine or special time for yourself that you take each day to get your mindset right? Do you have like a morning ritual or how do you establish time for yourself, so that you feel ready to attack the day?

MARY [25:48]

Yeah. I have both a morning and an evening routine, which I'm always open to changing it a little bit, but I'm adamant. Freedom is very important to me. Having this space to do what I want to do and I think that's really important for moms because a lot of time, we're like, "I don't have time. I have to do this and this and this."

But I can't express how critical it is to have the time for yourself before you start doing things for everybody else. So, for me, in the morning and evening, I have a gratitude journal. I use the five-minute journal. It's a daily gratitude practice. It literally takes five minutes to fill out. In the morning, you put what you're grateful for and what would make the day great and some affirmations. And at the end of the day, you write what was great about the day and what could you have done better.

I've been doing that for a while and it really makes a huge difference. I have a recording from one of my coaches that's positive affirmations and I listen to those every morning when I get up. Even sometimes I don't want to get out of bed, so I just listen in bed. And other times, I even listen as I'm brushing my teeth, just because I'm like, "I want to hear it."

You need to be reminded of those things. Most of us do not speak nicely to ourselves with our inner voice and listening to those first thing when I wake up, I find very helpful. And in the evenings, it depends on what I feel like doing, but I also do either some type of recap of the day like journaling. I'm a huge fan of journaling, which I have not always been. This is very recent for me in this past year. Journaling or meditating like taking some quiet time before bed to really do some reflecting is also really, really helpful.

CAMILLE [27:41]

I like all of those ideas.

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CAMILLE [27:45]

This review comes from Andie221144. "As someone who can�t sit still at home - I am so excited to hear from other ladies who are balancing home and passions! Camille is relatable and has found some wonderful women to tell positive stories and motivate us to be who we want to be! I�m already loving this podcast, thanks!"

Well, thank you, Andie. I can't tell you how much it means to me that this is motivating and that you're loving these episodes. Please continue to tune in and know that each review just like this makes my entire week. Thank you so much!

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CAMILLE [28:20]

And you mentioned in the past year, do you feel like the pandemic has really helped you reframe your own thinking and your mindset? Is that because of that? That that transition happened this past year?

MARY [28:32]

I started before, but I'd say the pandemic definitely accelerated certain parts of it of having my own inner growth and time to reflect, right? We all slowed down a lot, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. And I'm in an area where a lot of things are still kind of closed down just because we're so densely populated here. So, there's a lot of time on your own or like with your family where you're not going and seeing a lot of people and doing a lot of things. I used to have a very busy schedule and that slowing down definitely did help me to reflect a lot more. And I do think it was a catalyst in some ways for yeah, throughout the year.

CAMILLE [20:20]

Yeah. I feel like it's been really transitional and reflective for all of us. It really gave us a magnifying glass of, what are your priorities? Do you really put your time where you say your heart is? Because this is the true test of that, right?

MARY [29:35]

Definitely.

CAMILLE [29:35]

Do you feel like your kids have learned? I mean, of course, they've learned from watching you, but are there specific things that you've seen or had them ask you about through this journey that you've been able to watch their growth?

MARY [29:52]

Yeah. So, well back when I was doing the underwear myself at home, my older daughter would ask me like, "Oh. Can I help you with the underwear?" Like they wanted to help and it usually means just redoing it after because it's not quite done correctly when they help.

But they had, for example, I would make the bags and the labels and everything and they would count them for me. I said, "Oh, can you count for me rows of ten?" So, something that would keep them occupied, but not necessarily mess it up.

CAMILLE [30:23]

They can't mess it up.

MARY [30:24]

Yeah. Exactly. So, they did take an interest in that. So, when they ask questions, I would try to answer the questions. My older one asked about, "How do you sell? Or where do these go?" And that kind of thing, and I would share with her, so it's been really amazing to watch that.

And I also with my community, for mom business owners, before the pandemic, I was doing monthly in person meetups. And where I had my corporate job, I would do them in the evening, so my daughter would always see me leaving for those meetings. And she would ask me after, "How was your moms' entrepreneurs' group?" It was so cute. And I would show her photos from the events, just because she was interested like where am I going? What am I doing? And she wanted to know. So, I said, "Yeah. I'll share."

CAMILLE [31:15]

That's really cool. So, are you working from home now?

MARY [31:18]

Yeah.

CAMILLE [31:18]

Yeah. You are. How do you time block and really get the timing that you need to get your stuff done?

MARY [31:25]

Yeah. So, it depends. I think there's a big balance here. It's something that I've learned and have kind of been practicing, especially during the pandemic. I'm trying not to be too rigid with my time because before the pandemic and I had straight blocks of working time, the girls were in school. I knew what I was doing, so I would schedule out my time. I would pick my priorities for the week, identify my blocks of time, I would literally make appointments for myself in my calendar so I knew what I was doing when, which works very well when you know what time you have, right?

But with the pandemic, and like this week, actually, one of my daughters is home. She wasn't feeling well. It's not COVID, though, so that's good. So, that kind of threw things for a loop like, "Okay. How are we changing now?" So, it's really like a balance of having the structure, but also being able to work from the flow and the discipline of knowing when you need each one, right?

CAMILLE [32:30]

Yeah.

MARY [32:30]

So, time blocking for me. I mean, right now, with things so up in the air, I usually look on Friday afternoon or Sunday evening, I'll look at my schedule for the week and I'll see what calls I have. And then, I'll see like, "Okay. What are the top three items, one to three items depending on how big it is, that I want to get done for the week?" And work on those first. It's really easy to get caught up in all the little to do list things that really don't much for you. I mean, they feel important, but they don't do much for you. So yeah, trying to leave those for later.

CAMILLE [33:12]

Yeah. I think what you're referring to and the way that I like to think of it is, what is an action that you are doing that is moving the needle? Something that gives you that optimal return for your time because really that's what we're all trying to figure out, right?

MARY [33:27]

Exactly.

CAMILLE [33:27]

So, I like that. I think there's a magic in three, identifying three things because it's enough that it's not overwhelming, but it feels like more than one. So, like, "Okay. We can do three."

So that really is a good transition point for us to give a teaser for the next episode since we're going to be recording another episode that will be after this one. And that's going to be about getting into your thinking preferences using the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument, which I just had to read my notes. I know exactly what it is, because Mary is going to tell us all about it. But, tell us a little bit about that, a teaser about what that is, and your coaching for women. And then, we can wrap this one up and launch into the next.

MARY [34:10]

Sure. Yes. So, I'm certified in using the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument, which is an assessment to measure your thinking preferences. So, different from a personality test. It�s not a personality test, but it's really, how does your brain prefer to think? There's high level. There are four quadrants. And where do you usually go? How does your brain operate when you think, as you think? And then, how do your thinking preferences change under stress?

So, that's a big piece for a lot of people. It's like, "Okay. We have our steady state. But now, especially with the pandemic like, how do we operate under stress?" And people's thinking preferences sometimes change a lot when they're under stress. So, how can you understand that? And then, work from a centered place like, what can bring you back to neutral, to not being under stress, or just how can you operate better using that knowledge?

So, that's what I work on both with business owners and in the corporate world, still, I do some work jobs and consulting there too but it's really about understanding yourself better. And this is a validated system backed by science and everything. And it's a really powerful tool. It changed my life, so that's why I got certified and wanted to help other people with it.

CAMILLE [35:37]

Well, I'm fascinated by it and I can't wait to learn more because as soon as we started talking, I�m like, "Wait. Wait. Wait. This is like two episodes." Because what you've done in the journey to get where you are and to launch a product and everything that you've done is so fascinating and encouraging. And now this, where you are now a coach and helping people understand how they think and how to be more productive in their time, that in and of itself is so powerful and empowering. And whether or not you're running a business or not, every woman, every mother is running a business of their home. So, I think everyone will find this episode incredibly fascinating.

But we'll wrap this up quick and say, where is the best place to reach out to you and to connect with you online? For those who are listening to this episode.

MARY [36:25]

Yeah. So, it's for the post-partum mesh underwear, you can go to brieftransitions.com and for anything related to me and what I do, you can go to maryclavieres.com. So, it's just my full name.

CAMILLE [36:38]

And are you on Instagram as well?

MARY [36:42]

Yeah. Instagram, I'm @thetransitionscollective and I'm @brieftransitions for the underwear.

CAMILLE [36:49]

Okay. Perfect. And we will put that all on the Show Notes below. I believe we have a discount code for you to use as well. So, if you're interested in that, make sure to search for that. I think it will be Camille for the code for that. And Mary, thank you so much for recording this episode for me. It's been such a pleasure.

MARY [37:04]

Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.

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CAMILLE [37:11]

Thank you so much for tuning in today's episode of Call Me CEO. If you found it helpful or inspiring, I would love it if you shared it with a friend. And also, I would love it if you came and joined me on Instagram @callmeceopodcast where you can join other like-minded mommas like you who are looking to step up in their lives and make it even better. Thank you so much and I will see you next week!

[MUSIC]

[37:44]