Nikki Pechet, Vice President of Marketing, Thumbtack
BCM: If you could describe motherhood in one word, what would it be?
NP: Exploding. My heart exploding when my toddler gives his baby brother a hug. My mind exploding when they are both crying hysterically while I’m driving in bumper to bumper traffic. Plastic blocks, cars and stuffed animals exploding all over my house. And then back to my heart exploding when they are quietly in bed, and I am flipping through adorable pictures of them from the day.
BCM: What’s one moment in your motherhood journey that has made you proud?
NP: Getting notes from my toddler’s preschool about how he is always the first one to run over and hug another kid when they get hurt. (I am significantly less proud when I get notes about how he bit someone… Again.)
BCM: What is one piece of advice you want to pass along to your children?
NP: Find what you love. I believe there is no easier way to unlock happiness, and no better way to set yourself up for being successful, than doing what you love most
BCM: Congratulations on the success of Thumbtack, tell us how Thumbtack makes lives easier for parents.
NP: Thank you! Thumbtack is the easiest place to find local professionals for absolutely anything on your list. Need a new house cleaner? Handyman to fix your faucet? Caterer for an upcoming party? Photographer for family photos? Just tell us what you need, and we’ll connect you with the right local professionals who can get you to done.
BCM: What is your favorite Thumbtack project you’ve completed?
NP: It’s not “completed” per se, but I found the most amazing landscaper on Thumbtack for my family’s home in Napa, and he is in the process of cleaning up years of neglect from the previous owner. Last weekend, he put compost around our fruit trees, and next weekend he’s helping us plan for better erosion control during the rainy season. I can’t imagine what we would do without him!
BCM: What is one piece of advice you would pass along to other moms?
NP: Be nice to yourself. So many wise mommas have said this to me, and I’m not very good at taking this advice myself. You’ll never be the perfect mom, but that’s okay – you just need to be the best mom you can be each and every day, and forgive yourself when you fail (which you will sometimes).
BCM: How do you tackle work/life balance?
NP: I wish I had some revolutionary new insight here, but the truth is that “balance” for me is iterative – changing every day, and working better some days more than others. My overall philosophy is that you should measure balance over longer time periods – no single day will be perfect. Weeks probably won’t be, either. I try to look at several months or even a year to ask myself whether I achieved the balance that I’m seeking. This year, for example, started with several months of maternity leave. Which meant that I needed to work a little harder than usual to catch up once I was back. Neither of those periods felt very balanced, but over the first half of the year in total, I felt like I had gotten great time with each of my kids, my husband, and my team at work.
BCM: If you could hand off one chore to someone else each day, what would it be?
NP: Dishes! With two kids, there is a constant stream of bottles (with a million parts!), sippy cups, plates, bibs, and everything else all over my kitchen. I would LOVE to permanently hand that off to someone else.
BCM: WHAT is your favorite thing to do to relax and unwind?
NP: Candlelight yoga after my kids are in bed at a little studio down the street from my house. It’s the best way to process what’s on my mind, and I always leave feeling more centered, calmer, and focused on what really matters.
BCM: WHAT IS THE BEST WHITE LIE THAT YOU’VE TOLD YOUR CHILD?
NP: When my 2.5 year old son says something that is wrong, but adorable, I don’t correct him (which makes my husband so mad!) For example, he loves the Very Hungry Caterpillar, so we talk a lot about going from being a caterpillar, to a cocoon (which he calls a “raccoon”), to a butterfly. I love hearing him explain the different phases, and it melts my heart every time he confidently explains how the caterpillar spins himself into a “raccoon”… I know he will figure out the right word at some point, but I love letting him say things his own way for now 🙂
BCM: What is your best parenting hack?
NP: Tech-enabled help. Obviously Thumbtack for everything local services, but I also can’t imagine my life without Urbansitter for babysitting, Instacart for groceries, Postmates for picking up/returning anything, and Luxe for valet parking wherever I go.
BCM: What was the last book you read?
NP: Shoe Dog, Phil Knight’s memoir, which was such a fun read. I’m now reading Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari, which is a surprisingly entertaining look at human history, starting in the Stone Age. Reading is the thing that I used to do all the time, and struggle to keep up with kids. My best hack to keep reading is audiobooks, which I listen to at 1.5X speed to get through them faster.
***MORE FUN FACTS***
FAVORITE BEAUTY PRODUCT:
Right now, I’m obsessed with Sunday Riley Tidal Water cream. I don’t get nearly as much sleep as I would like, and this stuff instantly hydrates and revitalizes my skin, making it looks like I might have actually gotten a full 8 hours (spoiler alert: I didn’t.)
FAVORITE FORM OF EXCERCISE:
Pilates. I have always loved it, but it’s completely essential after having two kids.
FAVORITE KIDS STORE:
It’s not exactly a kids store, but Target is my favorite for all things for my little guys. They love going there, and we can balance getting things we need with getting fun things. I also love their design collaborations – most recently Cat and Jack for adorable kids clothes!
FAVORITE APP:
Thumbtack!
What is on your DVR?
Total guilty pleasures… Bachelorette, Bachelor, or Bachelor in Paradise.