AND I'M ERIN

As a young professional, I was proud to work for real estate companies on a mission to simplify homeownership. I wanted a fulfilling career that served a greater purpose and, to me, the housing market mattered because home is where we build our lives and express ourselves most authentically.

Despite enthusiasm for the business and my coworkers, I struggled to make meaning of day-to-day work. My identity became tethered to the corporate hierarchy and I measured my self worth against my salary and job title. Behind closed doors, I worried that I would never see a return on the investments made in my education and freedoms, both by my parents and the trailblazing women who came before me.

Then, on my 28th birthday, the primal desire to have a baby sparked within me and set my worldview on fire. That deep instinct revealed a narrative I had bought into, one about becoming more than just a mom, and I realized my search for meaning had been misplaced. My purpose wasn’t in the real estate market–I was meant to make Home.

My next chapter is about a dual venture into motherhood and entrepreneurship, where I’ll learn to lead a flourishing Home while nurturing a career integrated with my most important roles as wife and mom. Through Hearth Matters and guided by a matriarch’s wisdom in my co-founder Kathryn, we'll tell a new story about what happens when women embrace our superpowers and unite around a mission to create thriving families, robust households, and connected communities.

Erin Lennon Szuma