Pride, Work, and Necessity of Side Projects: Marielle Schmidt’s growth of ParentsWork

What are you working on—on the side?

I am on the board of ParentsWork, a grassroots Illinois parents’ network, dedicated to creating more family-friendly communities, schools and workplaces. Our primary online presence is currently Facebook, with a revamped website in the works.

It’s actually a funny story how I came about joining ParentsWork. I was a part-time working mother of three kids, under four, pursuing a new career in life coaching. I was getting some pastries at Bennison’s Bakery in E...