Balancing Motherhood & Content Creation: Karen Vega on Building ‘Chicago Moms’ From Scratch

About this episode

Karen Vega discusses her journey of building 'Chicago Moms' while balancing motherhood and content creation.

What if the thing you’re already doing is the thing you’re supposed to build? This week on The Mami Collective Podcast , Paulina sits down with Karen Vega , the mom behind Chicago Moms —a go-to platform for family-friendly things to do in Chicago and the suburbs. What started as simply sharing outings with her kids turned into a trusted resource thousands of moms now rely on. In this episode, Karen opens up about: How she accidentally became a content creator (and why you don’t need a perfect plan to start) The reality of balancing motherhood, a full-time job, and building a platform What it actually takes to grow on TikTok and Instagram (hint: it’s not overnight) Learning to say no, set boundaries, and protect your time as a mom The pressure (and noise) of the creator world—and how to stay in your own lane Why documenting her kids’ lives became her biggest motivation This is a conversation about motherhood, identity, creativity, and building something of your own, without losing yourself in the process. Whether you’re a mom looking for things to do in Chicago, thinking about starting your own platform, or just trying to feel a little less alone in the chaos, then this one’s for…

People in this episode

Host: Paulina Roe

Guest: Karen Vega

Topics covered

• motherhood
• content creation
• entrepreneurship
• social media growth
• work-life balance

Keywords

• motherhood
• content creation
• Chicago Moms
• social media
• work-life balance
• Instagram
• TikTok

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chicago Moms

Places: Chicago, the suburbs

More episodes of The Mami Collective

• The Only Person Standing In Your Way Is You (And I Say That With Love) · June 8, 2026 · 16 min
• How Courtney Claghorn Turned a Side Hustle Into a National Beauty Brand · June 1, 2026 · 46 min
• What to Know Before Starting an Airbnb Business with Sara Robinson · May 25, 2026 · 41 min
• How To Build a Multi-Business Empire with Paulina Bachleda-Kubanska · May 18, 2026 · 36 min
• What Foster Care Actually Looks Like with Kate Danielson · May 4, 2026 · 33 min
• How to Pivot When Life Doesn’t Go According to Plan · April 20, 2026 · 15 min