The day I was born, I was taken away from my biological mother and placed into foster care. I was there for a year before the luckiest day of my life — I was adopted by the person who became my true mother.
She was a single mother who built a successful business from scratch and raised three adopted kids, including me. She taught us strong family values, and some of my favorite memories involved listening to Dr. Laura Schlesinger with her on the drive to and from school. Dr. Laura would bring people on her show to talk about family issues, and we would regularly discuss the topics at the dinner table.
Before Day One, I started my career in an unusual way. I was in a physics PhD program. Then I spent time at a hedge fund. Then I spent a decade in tech, data science, and AI. Yet throughout this time, I never felt fulfilled.
Then my daughter Lumen was born. This put me, literally, in touch with the values and principles I'd been raised with. I didn't grow up with a father or a father figure, and that void created a deeply held desire to be a great dad one day. I would lie awake at night dreaming of the kind of father I wish I had, and how I could become someone like that. Lumen is now allowing me to live this dream.
The parenting journey, however, started rough. I'd expected the hard parts to be exhaustion and nonstop logistics. Instead, the hardest part was the strain on my relationship with my partner. Once we agreed we needed therapy, I learned how difficult finding a good couples therapist could be. We searched extensively, tried a few who weren't the right fit, and spent a lot of time and money along the way. Given what's at stake for a child's wellbeing, it's unfathomable how hard getting the right help still is.
Then the following year, my mother unexpectedly passed away. The grieving process was surreal, having lost my only parent and the most important influence in my life. Right before she passed away, she was asked what she wanted to be known for, and she said “a great mother.” This blinding clarity showed me that even for a successful businesswoman who influenced so many lives, in the end what mattered most to her was her family — the impact she had on my sister, brother, and, yes, me. It was a reminder that the very person I am today is a result of the wonderful home environment she built.
Day One was created to pay forward my mother's understanding that the home we're raised in is the most important factor in shaping who we become. And the biggest way I see of achieving that is by first helping parents work better together.