In this episode of Midlife Reinvention for Moms | Mom To MORE®, Sharon sits down with entrepreneur and designer Jen Potter, founder of Fête Home, to explore what it means to reinvent yourself, build a creative business and create a career that fits around motherhood. After a decade in finance and ten years working with design icon Bunny Williams, Jen followed her creative instincts to build a home décor brand centered on color, pattern, textiles and wallpaper.
Jen shares how a pandemic-era business pivot and an unexpected partnership change helped her reconnect with her artistic roots and create the design studio she had always envisioned. She also discusses balancing entrepreneurship with raising two children, navigating imposter syndrome and advocating for her dyslexic kids.
Tune in for an encouraging conversation about career reinvention, creative entrepreneurship, motherhood and trusting yourself through life's unexpected turns.
[00:00] Introduction
[03:17] Leaving Finance to Build a Creative Career
[06:46] How COVID Changed the Direction of Fête Home
[13:18] Overcoming Imposter Syndrome as a Woman Entrepreneur
[15:04] Raising Dyslexic Children and Finding Strength in Neurodiversity
[17:22] Balancing Motherhood and Running a Creative Business
[18:25] Finding Her Signature Style Through Color and Pattern
[23:13] Why Small Wins Matter on the Reinvention Journey
[24:08] New Challenges and a Life of Evolution
Meet my guest, Jen Potter:
Website: https://fetehome.com/
Instagram: @fetehome
Looking for More? Sign up for the Midlife Reinvention for Moms | Mom To MORE® newsletter and grab your freebie: The Mom To MORE® Guide at momtomore.com
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Keep an eye out for episode #75 of the Midlife Reinvention for Moms | Mom To MORE® podcast where Sharon is joined by Anna Fishbeyn, actor, writer, and director who's an absolute force of nature. Coming soon - you won’t want to miss it ♥
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Sharon (00:58)
Welcome back to a new episode of Midlife Reinvention for Moms, Mom Tomorrow.
Quick thing before we dive in. If you're not on my newsletter list yet, let's fix that. It's where I put my best stuff content, inspo, tips, and things you won't find anywhere else. Links in the show notes, or just go to momtomore.com.
Okay, I had the chance to meet my next guest in person, visiting her home and studio, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. A wash and color, expertly designed for everyday living, casual elegance everywhere you look, and fabrics and pillows so gorgeous you just want to sit down and stay a while.
Let me introduce you to Jen Potter, founder of Fate Home, which fittingly means celebration in French. Jen's World has always been a celebration of color, texture, and pattern. Raised in the studio of her mother, the renowned artist Claire Potter.
She was encouraged from an early age to explore and embrace the philosophy that there are no mistakes, only opportunities for joyful expression. Before returning to her creative roots, she spent a decade in the finance industry. Her ability to balance creativity with operational skill became a defining feature of her professional approach. In 2008, a serendipitous encounter with design icon Bunny Williams reignited her passion for the arts.
leading to a decade overseeing finance and operations at Bunny Williams home. That love for color and pattern ultimately led Jen to found Fate Home, where her designs drawn from antique textiles, fashion and global travel,
bringing a vibrant, joyful spirit to textiles, wall coverings, and home decor. Today she runs it all as an intentional hybrid mama,
Building her business around her two kids. Welcome to Midlife Reinvention for Moms, Mom Timor, and Bonjour Jen Potter.
Jen (02:59)
Bonjour, Sharon. Thank you so much. It's wonderful to be with you.
Sharon (03:03)
Thrilled that you're here. Well, let's just jump in. I've got so many questions I want to ask you. I always start with my essential mom question and that is, how many kids do you have and where are you raising them?
Jen (03:13)
I have two kids. They are eleven and thirteen, a girl and a boy, and we live in New Canaan, Connecticut.
Sharon (03:20)
Terrific. And so I want to just jump in here. Your years with Bunny Williams were full time, you were deeply plugged into work and not the hybrid rhythm that you have right now. How did that evolved? And was becoming a hybrid mama something you eased into gradually, or was there a clear turning point like, okay, I really need to do this now for my kids?
Jen (03:44)
You know, I was as you said, I I serendipitously met Bunny and she was starting this furniture line. and I had come from a finance background, which I was a little bit tired of. I wanted to sink my teeth into an operating company. I do love operations as much as I love creativity, as unsexy as that sounds. so I helped her launch the business and I worked with her to manage the business for about 10 years.
and you know, I I got to a point where my kids were really small and I just was running ragged. I also had this sideline dream of having my own name on the door. so there was a point in time I can't tell you exactly what the trigger was, but I just liked the idea of being the boss of my whole life.
Sharon (04:27)
Mm-hmm.
Jen (04:28)
and so I had this, thought of jumping into more of a
creative path. I grew up in this amazing wonderland of my mom's studio. I thought, wouldn't that be so great if I could do this and make a career out of it? So that's kind of where it started.
Sharon (04:44)
Gotcha. And like most moms, your career has been nonlinear,
It's been a long and winding road, cue the Beatles. which is interesting because you had this super creative mom, right? And then you went into finance, And then Bunny
Jen (04:58)
Yep.
Sharon (04:58)
Williams and Fate Home. And and looking back, was there an invisible thread sort of
pulling you along somewhere or did it just unfold naturally?
Jen (05:07)
So while it was happening, it felt like it was just happening. I didn't feel like there was a thread. I don't feel like there was a force pulling me in one direction. felt a little bit haphazard at the time. I think most moms and women later in life, when the road in the rearview mirror is a little bit longer, can see that each of these moves weren't mistakes. they were
really brave decisions to turn in that direction. and probably almost all of them led you to where you are now. and I don't say that in a, you know, everything happens for a reason kind of way. I think that, you know, we all have to give ourselves more credit in making those pivots because they were really scary at the time. And looking back on them, I'm really proud of all of the changes that I made.
Sharon (05:56)
you just said something that made me think of another thread. There's so many nudges that happen in our life, and we have to be open to receiving them. And
Jen (06:05)
That's right.
Sharon (06:06)
sometimes, right, hindsight is 2020, but then we look back and we think, that person said that, and I ended up doing that, and all of a sudden it's leading you to this, beautiful moment where you are now. And
So I want to talk to you. You mentioned when we first spoke that there was a happy accident. And and I love the that phrase, happened during COVID. Walk us through that. Like what happened there? I love that. Oof.
Jen (06:32)
Oof. had to be really rough at the time.
so I launched this business just before COVID and pandemic hit. and the funny thing was I had this idea for the business before COVID, and when it hit, everything I had planned became impossible, as it did for so many people. you know, my supply chain stalled and I had to pivot if I wanted to stay alive. And I had already launched.
so I did and I started curating other people's products. And it was a
Sharon (07:00)
Okay.
Jen (07:01)
time where we were stuck in our homes and the home industry all of a sudden went through the roof. I don't recall people talking about the tabletop industry in everyday conversation, and all of a sudden that's what everyone was doing was setting tables. is all we had. That was creative outlet, right?
Sharon (07:14)
'Cause 'cause that's all we had, right? Yeah. Yeah.
Jen (07:19)
So lucky me, I I happened into that and the business became really successful as a tabletop e-commerce site. and while that was great, it's not what I set out to build. I continued on with the business and then I had started the business with a partner.
and she left in 2022, which was really unexpected, quite a big shock. and rather than kind of do what all my instincts said was, you know, God, I can't do this anymore, can't do this by myself. I decided to give myself a year. you know, as as shocked as I was, this was the best thing that could have happened because I gave myself a year, and the more time that went by,
I realized that this was my opportunity to rebuild it into exactly how I saw the business and what I wanted to do. And it was the first time in a while that I started to remember that kid who was in wonder with all of my mom's amazing things in her studio. And wait, I can do something with this. so I turned it around and it was, turning a big ship. but I turned it around and so now I am what I set out to do. I'm a design studio.
And I'm focused on color and pattern. we do fabric and wallpaper. I've partnered with some great printers who, thank goodness, are based in the US.
Sharon (08:34)
And that's really
terrific that that everything you have is printed here in the US.
Jen (08:38)
Yes.
Yeah. Which I wanted to do from a cost standpoint, but I also because shipping was getting so expensive. and I think designers today and certainly the end users today really appreciate a quicker lead time. yeah, so I have some great partners and I am finally what I wanted to be from the very beginning, those six years ago. So I
A lot of scary things and bumps in the road happened, but they all allowed me to get here. And had I stopped at any of those bumps, I don't know. I I wouldn't be as happy as I am, I think.
Sharon (09:11)
I I love that you actually gave yourself the grace, the time, and the opportunity to do that. I think so many moms feel like, well, if I'm not really ready to launch, how can I launch? Well, you learn from doing, right?
Think about all you learned in that year that you gave yourself. and so talk to me a little about, you know, the the challenges that happened in that year. there were moments of like, hey, I this could work? And then moments of, my gosh, what am I thinking?
Jen (09:38)
yeah, there are lots of all of those moments.
Sharon (09:39)
Ha ha
Jen (09:40)
it was a struggle because I had a successful business and I was starting again. So it was like rewriting the business plan because my operational mind was like you have to get your ducks in a row. and being really frustrated that I had to write a business plan again, and then talking to a lot of people. But that was a little bit awkward because it was like,
Well, this is going so well. Why are you changing it?
there's this great meme that I think people, friends and family sent me about no less than a dozen times that year, where you
see two miners in a cave and they're they're digging for diamonds and they're both on tunnels on top of each other. And one has turned around and he's given up. And the other one's has one more hit to go, and there's just a shaft of diamonds.
So it's like the thing where it just just keep going one more step and you're gonna get there. so yeah, it was it was a year of that. It was a lot of highs and lows, a lot of really positive enthusiasm for my ability, which I questioned every single day. I I often say one of the best things about starting this business is that the community I have found is remarkable. so many women
have such amazing perspectives. And what's nice is that we're all willing to share because there's enough business to go around. it was important to take that time. And I I would encourage everyone to take that time because you land where you're supposed to land when you are thoughtful about it.
Sharon (11:00)
That's true. And thank you for that little nugget of wisdom. I think more women need to hear that. I think that's really important. And also, you were doing this because it was inherent to who you are, right? It it sounds to me like this was in your heart and in your soul. And it's just like you had to get there somehow, some way. And yeah, I can appreciate that you know, you had something that was going really, really well, and then you stepped
away from it. What what was the hardest part of like untangling yourself from something that was working even if it wasn't what you wanted to build?
Jen (11:35)
with social media these days, I think it's a constant struggle to remind people who you are. I think that was the biggest struggle for me. I'm not great at that part. I love creating, I love the operations of a business. The marketing is hard for me. And just being really honest.
when the public I and I
developed a nice following when the public sees you a certain way, it's hard to tell them that, you know, things are changing. and I still do it, you know, a couple of years later I still do it. But again, I have I have a really nice community. I I show at I show my line at an event that travels around the country and actually in London too, called Design Social Pop-Up. And it's an amazing group of vendors that are like me and it's an amazing group of designers that
come and visit the lines. in person events are really helpful, it's a struggle.
Sharon (12:22)
That's one of your personal challenges. I get that. And also
Jen (12:25)
Yeah, for sure.
Sharon (12:26)
the fact that you started in finance. So you've got this business head. And then you're like, no, no, no. I'm really this artsy girl. And
Jen (12:33)
Yep.
Sharon (12:33)
I actually interviewed someone early on who used to be in finance and then started making jewelry. And she pointed out that you are not just one thing in life, right?
Jen (12:43)
No.
Sharon (12:44)
None of us are just one thing in life. And there can be these massive pivots because that's what
your heart and soul is telling you to do. and I love that because you then bring whatever it was you were doing before into what you're doing now. And it's so much stronger and better because of that. Yeah.
Jen (13:02)
I totally agree. Absolutely.
Sharon (13:04)
So you talked a little about your your challenges But that made me think of imposter syndrome. You've
Jen (13:09)
Yes.
Sharon (13:10)
had it, I've had it, we've all had it, that sort of like
Why me moment. How do you work through that now?
Jen (13:16)
well, first of all, anyone who says they don't have it is not telling the whole truth because at one point
Sharon (13:20)
Right, right.
Jen (13:21)
in all of our lives we've had it. it's still alive in me, I'm sorry to say, but I think it's like fire. The more oxygen you give it, the bigger it'll get. I find that
Seeking your next goal, keeping busy, making sure you're working on the next collection, whatever your industry is, is really important. and stagnant air is just bad for your brain, for your soul, for your self-esteem. So you know, the best thing you can do is keep moving, keep working, keep creating, and keep talking to people. you know, when when you and I met, I found it so refreshing because
it's not like we have the same path, but we have so many similarities. so that helps with that. And, you know, we're human beings. We're all a little bit insecure and we're all a little bit unsure of our footing here and there.
Sharon (14:06)
And also women tend to be more vocal about that, right? For whatever reason, I think everyone listening can, you know, guys have a different attitude about it. They can have a half-baked idea
Jen (14:15)
Yeah.
Sharon (14:15)
and they're like, it's the greatest thing in the world. And the woman's like, Well, wait, mine is not 110% fully baked, therefore I can't go there. No, we can. We can.
Jen (14:23)
Right, absolutely.
Sharon (15:11)
I want to go back to your kids because when we first met, you said that they're both dyslexic, which, really means that you're not just managing a household as mom, but you're also their advocate, you're navigating the school system and you're supporting them in so many ways. How has that layer of advocacy shaped you and has it changed or impacted how you run your business?
Jen (15:36)
it's shaped me more than I can probably express in incredible ways. I would just say that if there are parents listening who have children with neurodiversities, you know, you're not alone. And the more you talk about it, the more community you'll find because there's so much support.
I think the landscape is so much kinder than it was when I entered it. and I wish I knew that several years ago. our family talks about it as a great strength. my daughter brags about it, almost to the point of it being annoying because she can figure out a problem the way that no one I know can figure out a problem. And of the time her solution is so much better and so much more efficient than.
what we could all come up with. so yeah.
Sharon (16:22)
Right. And I've heard that from so many people that kids who
are neurodivergent and and and adults as well, that you have the ability to like potentially hyper focus on something and and just come up with an extraordinary solution to something that no one has thought of yet.
Jen (16:35)
Yeah, absolutely. so that's my little PSA for anyone kind of working through it. you know, I I think it has given me a lot of empathy to problem solving because again, there's, a lot of different answers to any single problem. and sometimes the most obscure one tends to be the best. So I think I listen a little bit more. I think I look for alternative solutions.
on a personal note, I think I'm a little bit kinder to the 10-year-old me because
I'm not diagnosed, but I was given, you summer reading and I would just sit in my room and cry. And I remember sitting in math class just not being able to memorize times tables. and it just wasn't a thing back then. it's opened my eyes to
20% of the population that that wrestles with it. but there are a lot of resources and you know, my kids are thriving, thank goodness. it's weighty, but it's at the end of the day, we always say they're gonna be great in life. We just gotta muscle through this school part.
Sharon (17:33)
Right.
That's true. at the very beginning we mentioned that you are an intentional hybrid mama and that, you know, business will shut down at what, two o'clock, and then mom mode takes over. How do you make it work? How do you squeeze everything into that compressed period of time? and also what skills did motherhood instill in you that you really lean on running your business?
Jen (17:54)
how do I get it done? The answer is I don't. I don't always get it done.
I rarely end the day saying did everything I wanted to do. but the more time that goes by, the more forgiving I am with myself.
The biggest tool I have, it's so rudimentary, but the biggest tool I have is a is making a list. And Sunday night I map out what I need to accomplish that week and I try and figure out the days that I can take those things on. and you know, it is what it is. I'm juggling both. my kids come first. My business comes very close to that. but I I have to prioritize them and I just I take every minute.
Health is really important to me. So then you start fitting that in and the days get shorter and shorter. and you have two hours to get everything done. And I it's truthfully,
Sharon (18:39)
Then you have like two hours to get everything done, right? Yeah. Right.
Jen (18:43)
when you have a short period of time and a long list of things to do, sometimes you can make things happen faster. 100% Yep. And plow through.
Sharon (18:49)
Right. turn off your phone, right? Yeah. Put your phone on, do not disturb, and then like plow through. Yeah.
Jen (18:57)
Yep.
Sharon (18:57)
I'm jumping a little back and forth, but your your style. When I saw your studio, your styling has this very playful theatrical quality with
bold patterns paired with unexpected objects where where nothing is really too precious. Where does that aesthetic come from? Does it come from your mom? Is it just everything you've sort of gleaned over the years? Is that really the true Jen Potter? Yeah,
Jen (19:23)
It's definitely the true Jen Potter. I pick things a little bit haphazardly. So my collection is a combination of historical patterns that I've, you know, stretched and pulled and reshaped and rescaled and recolored. and then I do translate some of my own art onto textiles and wallpaper. I am not a trained
Pattern designer by any stretch of the imagination. I am not an interior designer. I have not been trained in that field, despite having worked for one of the foremost in the country, if not the world. I certainly picked up some things along the way in terms of design. but no, it just I get I guess I'm a little bit brave. I just pick things. I mean, for my home,
I have a relatively forgiving husband because I, you know, I'll pull things out and he'll be like, Are you sure? And I so far things have worked. I've made some mistakes and I make some mistakes in my work too. But I am drawn to color. I am just drawn to being entrenched in patterns that I love that make me feel emotions. I'm just not a gray room kind of gal.
Sharon (20:30)
Right.
Jen (20:31)
I, you know, color and pattern make me feel things and that's how I want to live my life. So that's what I translate into my designs.
Sharon (20:37)
And you mentioned historical patterns, which is where you began. what was it about historical patterns that drew you to them initially?
Jen (20:45)
I think because number one, they have a point of view. number two, they've lasted that they've held the test of time. so I really respect that. I respect their place in history. but I think there's a way that's really creative that you can bring them forward and change them so that there's still a footing in history. But
they are modernized for today. I like sort of being able to put my stamp on something that is historically important. So I think I think that's what it is.
Sharon (21:20)
You know what I thought was really interesting is, you started with the historical patterns, but now you you draw everything yourself. But you're saying that, you know, you're not a designer and you're not an artist, but clearly you are. and so what was that like kind of saying, Okay, I've got the security and the inspiration from these long-lived designs, but now I'm gonna just start
creating and like drawing all of my patterns myself. That that's a that's a really bold leap, Jen. I mean, I love it. It's a bold leap. Yeah.
Jen (21:50)
Thank you.
It is. I I was on a plane to the first showroom that picked me up, which is Cocoa and Dash in Dallas. and it's the most fabulous showroom. And I was on a plane to go see them during market week. I can't tell you what happened, but I just I needed a piece of paper and I found a piece of paper, I think it was a receipt in my bag, and I started drawing.
And you hear this and you're like, come on, like did that really happen? But did. And I started sketching and I went to visit them. And I went back to my hotel. I think I spent about four hours filling up all those little, memo pads that you get in the hotel room with ideas. And it wasn't a moment of, okay, now I'm gonna draw them all my own patterns. It was just ideas were just coming to me. I didn't tell anyone about it.
And I worked on them for another three months and I thought I I can really do something with this. So it's not every collection that I'll draw. I still pull from history. but when something sparks, I'm not going to ignore it.
Sharon (22:51)
I
love that.
I I really want to just take all these nuggets that you have been giving about trusting your gut and going for something and giving yourself the grace and the time to manifest what is happening, you know, in your head. That is such an important message for any mom who's looking,
for a next chapter, for maybe pivoting within the chapter that she's in, how to make it a little more organic and her. and you have lived it. So brava, Jen.
Jen (23:21)
thank
you very much. And I would just add to that, you know, we are we are all so overwhelmed with content on social media and online. and I think we see more often than not victories being celebrated, but they're massive victories. They're huge sales of companies or, you know, in the physical world, amazing goals being set by athletes. And I think
particularly women with kids who are still raising their kids, it's important to celebrate the teeny tiny victories because every single one took a ton of work. the fact that I picked up a pencil and started drawing, that's a huge victory. The next step was saying, okay, maybe this can actually go on some fabric. Another huge victory. No money has happened in those two points, but it got me to a certain place. So
I think we have to be kinder with each other and ourselves.
Sharon (24:17)
I agree with that. and also following your heart. Like you had a really strong internal voice that was saying, pick up that pencil, fill out those notepads. And I hope you still have those. good.
Jen (24:27)
Yeah. I do. I do.
Sharon (24:31)
I would love to see those one day. I think that's fascinating. That sounds fabulous. as our time draws to a close, I feel like we could chat so much longer.
Jen (24:38)
I know, I do too. This is so fun.
Sharon (24:40)
I have a question that I ask every amazing mom that I have the privilege of interviewing. And that is, since this is the Mom to More podcast, Jen Potter, what is your more?
Jen (24:53)
Okay. I love this question. It's so great. I will answer it specifically because I know you're looking for a specific, but
Sharon (24:59)
I'm
answering it however you want to answer it.
Jen (25:02)
my more is my more. And what
Sharon (25:04)
Hmm.
Jen (25:04)
I mean by that is my husband and I laugh because, you know, we hear our contemporaries talk about this magical time when the kids are either out of the house or more independent, where everything slows down and you know it's a quieter time. And we're kind of like, What? We don't want to do that. Like we have a long list. So he's a very entrepreneurial spirit as well, which is dangerous us two together.
we have this long list of projects that we want to tackle one day. I don't look for a slower time. I look for an evolution. I think that's important in living a full long life. but specifically, my life works better when I have physical challenges that I set for myself.
So I have to do two things so far and I'm sure my list will grow, but I have to complete a HIROX race. Do they? wow, that's amazing. Well
Sharon (25:54)
my gosh, my kids do that. Yes, you go, mama. Boy, I've
been to several. That is kick-ass.
Jen (26:02)
Yeah.
Thank you. have to get in first. It's become so popular. So we'll see. so I am training to train for that. That's the stage that I'm in.
Sharon (26:11)
Are you gonna do it with
another woman or with a guy?
Jen (26:14)
TBD. I have a friend who has I've twisted her arm who's willing to do it. We're unsure if we're gonna do as a pair or as solos.
Sharon (26:24)
'Cause you'll have lighter weights than if you do it with a guy. Yeah.
Jen (26:26)
Yes, that's true.
and then I have to go in a cage and see the great whites off of South Africa. Yeah. Sure.
Sharon (26:32)
my gosh. I love that. Have not heard that yet. Thank you for that. Yeah.
It's a very unique more. I love that. Yeah.
Jen (26:40)
yeah, but I think the I think the evolution of oneself is
like is the big over overarching theme.
Sharon (26:45)
Agree. And
s spoiler alert, our kids are grown and flown. we are not slowing down,
Jen (26:51)
I heard about your summer. I know you have not slowed down. Holy moly.
We still have to talk about that someday.
Sharon (26:57)
true. Jen, this has been so fabulous. please tell everyone where they can find you online and folks, everything is going to be in the show notes.
Jen (27:06)
Thank you. I am at www.fethome dot com and it's at Fethome on Instagram. So I hope to see you all in both places.
Sharon (27:16)
Absolutely. What an interesting conversation, Ms. Potter. I thank you so much for your time. Thank
really come away realizing we must show grace to ourselves. We must be compassionate to ourselves. We must listen to our inner voices.
So I really appreciate you being here today, Jen. Thank you.
Jen (27:33)
Thanks so much, Sharon. Great to see you.