Can You Be an Ambitious CEO and a Present Mother? Michelle Battersby Thinks So

Michelle Battersby is one of Australia’s most influential female founders.

From launching and scaling Bumble Australia to co-founding Sunroom, and now leading Peanut, the global social network connecting women through fertility, pregnancy and motherhood, Michelle has built her career at the intersection of tech, community and female empowerment.

In this episode of Process, Michelle opens up about her transition into matrescence, the psychological shift into motherhood that mirrors adolescence, and what it really looks like to lead a high-growth global company while pregnant and postpartum.

We discuss:

• What matrescence actually means, and why no one talks about it

• Why pregnant women in leadership roles matter more than ever

• The realities of startup life behind the glossy headlines

• Building Bumble in Australia and what that taught her about brand and community

• Co-founding Sunroom and taking the leap into entrepreneurship

• Scaling Peanut as a global platform for women navigating fertility, pregnancy and motherhood

• The decision-making frameworks she uses as a CEO

• Risk tolerance, ambition and redefining success as a modern woman

Michelle shares candid insights into balancing motherhood with executive leadership, how identity evolves through different seasons of life, and why representation of ambitious, pregnant women in business is critical.

This conversation is for founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, women navigating career pivots, and anyone curious about the psychological and strategic layers of building community-driven tech companies.

If you're interested in female leadership, startup growth, motherhood and modern ambition, this episode is essential listening.

Find Michelle on Instagram here.

Find your host, Arielle on Instagram here.

Find Process the Podcast on Instagram here.

See you next Tuesday x