What If Everyone Says No, But You Know You’re Right? | Jodi Bondi Norgaard
In this episode of Midlife Reinvention for Moms | Mom To MORE®, Sharon sits down with entrepreneur, author and gender equality advocate Jodi Bondi Norgaard, founder of Dream Big Toy Company and creator of the award-winning GoGo Sports Girls, to talk about turning one frustrated moment as a mom into a business and a movement. After seeing the stereotypes girls were being sold in the toy aisle, Jodi decided to create a sports doll that encouraged girls to be active, confident, and strong.
Jodi shares what it took to build a toy company from the ground up with no industry experience, how motherhood gave her the resilience to keep going and why asking questions and stepping over fear became essential to her entrepreneurial journey. She also opens up about rejection, major retail opportunities and how her work has expanded beyond the dolls into writing, speaking and gender equality advocacy.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation about motherhood, entrepreneurship, resilience, confidence, gender stereotypes, and having the courage to take up space.
[00:00] Introduction
[03:05] Why Jodi Chose to Stay Home After Motherhood
[05:01] The Toy Aisle Moment That Changed Everything
[07:04] Creating a Sports Doll to Challenge Gender Stereotypes
[09:30] Building a Toy Company With No Industry Experience
[10:54] Turning “What If?” Into “What If It Works?”
[14:24] The Motherhood Skills That Built Her Resilience
[16:05] Fighting Through Rejection and Building a Movement
[25:00] The Evolution of GoGo Sports Girls
[28:09] Learning to Be Confident and Take Up Space
[28:52] Writing, Speaking, and Empowering Women
Meet my guest, Jodi Bondi Norgaard:
Jodi’s book More Than a Doll on Amazon
Website: jodibondinorgaard.com
Instagram: @jodibondinorgaard
LinkedIn: Jodi Bondi Norgaard
Substack: Let Her Speak
Facebook: @jodinorgaard
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
Want to interview Sharon? Connect here.
Inspired to start on your next chapter? Book a free 15 minute mentorship call here.
Follow @momtomore on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Substack. @Sharon Macey on LinkedIn.
Keep an eye out for episode #74 of the Midlife Reinvention for Moms | Mom To MORE® podcast where Sharon is joined by Jen Potter, founder of Fête Home. Coming soon - you won’t want to miss it ♥
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Sharon (00:51)
Welcome back to a new episode of Mom to Moore Midlife Reinvention for Moms. Hey, before we dive in, if you love these conversations that remind you that motherhood is not the end of your story, take a quick second to hit
Follow. It's the easiest way to help more women discover what's possible after the hands-on years of motherhood. My guest today saw something in a toy aisle that most of us walk right past. Dolls dressed like they belonged on a street corner, not in a playroom, and marketed as childhood. And she could not unsee it. So she did something about it. She spent nearly two decades.
Fighting to put a sports doll on shelves that belonged to an industry that had never made room for one, all while becoming the very advocate that the industry needed to hear from. Her story and reinvention is proof that sometimes the fight for change and the fight to belong happen in the same breath, and that they evolve over time, taking you on the journey of a lifetime. Jody Bondi Norgard
Is on a mission to break gender stereotypes, one sports doll at a time. She's the founder of Dream Big Toy Company and creator of the award-winning Go-Go Sports Girls Line, built to get girls active and confident. She's the author of More Than a Doll: How Creating a Sports Doll Turned Into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes. Her work has landed her on The Today Show and in Forbes, Newsweek, and The Washington Post.
Jody has worked with the White House Gender Policy Council and the Gina Davis Institute on Gender in Media. She's a TEDx speaker and a regular contributor to Ms. Magazine, speaking nationwide on entrepreneurship, resilience, and the power of using business to drive cultural change.
This mama is proof that one bold idea can turn into a movement.
Jody,
welcome to Mom Tomorrow.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (02:54)
thanks Sharon. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me.
Sharon (02:56)
Well, I'm thrilled to dive into this conversation because so much about you is so, so interesting. So ready to dive in? All
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (03:04)
I am
Sharon (03:05)
right, let's go. All right. So I like to start with what I call my essential mom question, and that is how many kids do you have and where did you raise them?
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (03:12)
I have three kids and boy, girl, boy I raise them in Glen Allen, Illinois, which is right outside of Chicago, just west of the city.
Sharon (03:22)
Got it. And your s your stay at home mom years or the hybrid years, were they planned? Did you fall into them? What did that look like for you when the kids were really young?
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (03:32)
You know, it's it's interesting. It wasn't planned at all. because I
was working when I had my first two. I started my first business, and then I sold that when I was pregnant with my third, right before I was pregnant with my third. my husband was working so much and somebody needed to hold down the fort. And I I said, It'll be me, you know, I wanna do this. So I stayed at home.
until my youngest went to kindergarten. And then I needed to figure out what do I do next. And I do remember my husband said, gosh, you know what? Our closets are really messy. I was like, you are in so much trouble right now. And I am so going to do something because I do not want to be known for cleaning out my closets. So
Sharon (04:12)
I am not an organizer, right?
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (04:15)
we still have messy closets. I stayed home for five years.
And I and I I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the time doing that. But I I I always knew that I wanted to do something else.
Sharon (04:28)
I get it.
so many women that I've talked to, I mean, unlike myself who dialed it back for like 20 years, but so many women also have that trajectory where they stay home until the kids start to go to school and then start to think about, okay, what's next for me? So pretty classic transition, and I'm excited to dive into that. But I want you to take me back to that moment, standing in a toy aisle, looking for a birthday gift with your daughter.
With dolls named Dazzling Destiny, Cute Candy, Sislin Sue, and I'm about to throw up, all dressed like
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (04:59)
Yeah.
Sharon (05:01)
they belonged in a nightclub or a street corner and not in a child's playroom. What did you feel and what changed at that very moment for you?
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (05:10)
No, I truly had a meltdown in the toy aisle. So, I mean, for your listeners and and and Sharon, I know you read my book, so you you you know this story. But my daughter had just get in gotten done playing soccer and she was nine at the time, and she was dressed in her soccer uniform, and you know, her hair is in crazy messy pigtails, her face is all rosy from exertion. And I I'd like to mention this because she looked like a normal kid on a Saturday afternoon.
I had a one of those panicky parent moments when right after she was playing soccer, she needed a rap birthday gift for a party she was attending in thirty minutes, right? So it's like, okay, we gotta get this stuff.
Sharon (05:46)
We we've all been there, yeah.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (05:48)
Yeah, right, we've all been there. So we go into our lo local toy store and we're frantically going up and down the aisles and a line of dolls just stopped me in my tracks. And like you said, you know, they they they had on short skirts and crop cop tops and belly button ring and
big hair and lots of makeup. I'm looking at my normal looking nine-year-old girl and I'm looking at these dolls. I pick up one of the dolls and I and I and I have her right here to show. And her n because I bought her because I was so ticked off.
Sharon (06:18)
Ha ha.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (06:19)
and her name was lovely Lola. So this is what I saw that was marketed to girls. So I literally brought the doll home to show my husband as I'm like scolding all the salespeople and saying look at
Look at this thing. You should not be marketing sex to girls. And they're like, lady, we're 16. I'm like, whatever. I'm like, you have to tell someone, I'm so sick and tired of this. So I did, I brought the doll home to my husband and I said, Hey, listen, I think I can do something about it. I think I can create a positive image product for girls that encourages them to be healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally through sports and physical activity. that's how my journey had started.
And I'd also notice at that age, so my daughter was nine and at the time, but when my daughter
Sharon (07:03)
Mm-hmm.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (07:04)
was six and my oldest boy was eight, Peter, and then my youngest son, Ben, was four. During that time frame, I started to notice this discrepancy of products marketed to girls that was associated with appearance and attractiveness, and products marketed to boys were associated to violence and aggression. And I thought,
Sharon (07:21)
Right.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (07:24)
What in the world is going on? Like this really matters, right? I started to see how we pigeonhole kids into these different you know, paths and we really make a divide. And so Lola was literally the
Sharon (07:37)
Mm-hmm.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (07:38)
the straw that broke the camel's back. and
Sharon (07:40)
Right.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (07:40)
I and that's when I I I just said I've I've had it and I know how I'm going to make a difference.
Sharon (07:47)
And I can echo what you just said because back in the day when I was in advertising, I worked a lot on toys. And I I'm not going to name any of the companies, and I did notice that. The boys were like rock'em sock'em. and it was very masculine and macho, and the girls were the just the the dolls. I mean, I I worked on
also
the Michael Jackson doll as well as the Brooke Shields doll, a long, long, long time ago. but I I did notice that and I realized that I probably was part of that generation where we really had no choice. I mean, that was just what the products were and they were our clients and they were paying us, you know, to produce commercials for them. So the reason that I was so interested in your book was I had been in that world. I have been to Toy Fair. I have been in the toy industry. So I can
fully relate to that. so you decide to move forward on an image positive doll for girls. And you had, I will point out, my friend, you had no experience in the toy industry or in product design or manufacturing or shipping or bringing a product to life. So in other words, just an average day in the life of a mom, right? We just kind of do it. How did you navigate that process and figure it all out?
While by the way, you're raising three kids, even though they're in school, so
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (09:03)
Right, so now they're in school. So mm I got to work, right? the minute they left to the minute they got home, I would work. And then I'd also work, when they went to bed. and then I'd wake up early and then I'd work then. And then if I had an idea in the middle of the night, or if I had to speak to China, I would wake up then. I just made it work because I was just so passionate about it.
Sharon (09:21)
how did you really start to move forward without having any of that experience, right? But as a sort of classic mom, we're like, I'm just gonna figure it out, right? That's just what we do.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (09:30)
Yes. So right,
right,
so when I decided to move forward on creating the positive image product for girls, and like you said, you know, I knew nothing about the toy industry. I needed to figure it out. And so I knew I had to ask a lot of questions. But my first goal was to find out were there any sports dolls on the market? And so I did my research and I found that there were zero.
So that was good for me, but I also found a lot of rag dolls and baby dolls that were on the market. And I also found after the baby dolls and rag dolls that are marketed into little, little, little toddlers, then we jumped to fashion dolls. And I found a 75 lines of fashion dolls. 75. 75.
Sharon (10:14)
Are you serious? That is
enormous.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (10:17)
It is enormous. And so again, I felt like, okay, we're totally pigeonholing these girls into, you know, fashion, right? once I found those fashion dolls, I thought, okay, now I need to know how many girls play sports. I've always been involved in a lot of sports and a
Sharon (10:33)
Mm-hmm.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (10:34)
lot of activities. I've never been great at anything. I've been good at everything, but never great. But it was just such an enjoyment for me. And I saw this in my kids and my husband as well.
it's just fun. You know, sports can be so much fun.
Sharon (10:44)
Yeah. And it's all about
moving your body and being active and right. A body in
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (10:49)
Exactly.
Sharon (10:50)
motion stays in motion, a body at rest stays at rest.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (10:54)
Right. I love that saying, yes. And that that is so true. So I found that seventeen million girls in the US play one sport a year. One sport. That's just one sport. And I'm like, I'm on I'm on to something. I'm like, girls play sports and so should their dolls. Why don't we start encouraging this at a very young age instead of, encouraging them to
look a certain way and or act a certain way or dress a certain way, why aren't we encouraging them to use their bodies the way their bodies are supposed to be used for for sports and physical activity, for movement. I am on to something. also during this period, it took two years from rough draft to the actual debut of the first sports style.
So within those two years, not knowing anything about the toy industry, I needed to ask a lot of questions. I asked friends, do you know anyone in the toy industry that I can talk to? I worked with a friend who was a seamstress and she helped me design the dolls. I had to figure out shipping, I had to figure out manufacturing. I couldn't do it in the US. I tried that. It's way too expensive. So I knew I had to go to China or Vietnam.
And so how do I do that? So I just asked a lot of questions. And I have to say, I'm the type of person that I'm kind of hesitant. I think most people are. I'm I'm a little hesitant to ask questions, right? Like I'm like, I don't want to bother anyone. I had a lot of what ifs? What if they say no? What if they laugh at me? What if what if it doesn't work out? And then I just kind of got over over it. I'm like, what if I got to the next step? And what if they said yes? And
what if this phone call worked out? So I tried to look at it in a different way than the negative way and more of a as a positive spin on it. So yes. So it to it did take me two years from rough draft to the actual debut of the first GoGo Sports Girl Dow.
Sharon (12:44)
which doesn't surprise me.
It it takes a long time for all of that research. And also what you just said, which I think is something so many women can relate to. What if I ask a stupid question? Newsflash, you're not the only person who has that question in their mind, right? And sometimes, you know, if I were in a school sort of situation, I would say, okay, silly question. And then other people go like, not silly, not silly. Cause you realize you're just the one who has the courage to actually speak it out loud.
So many other
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (13:12)
Mm-hmm.
Sharon (13:13)
people are thinking it, so I applaud you for that.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (13:14)
And
it's it's just stepping over fear, and that's what I thought
Sharon (13:17)
Exactly.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (13:18)
like I need to step over fear, I need to raise my hand, I need to ask those questions, it was just my own fear, and like you said, I I I know so many people like women now, I notice that too, that they say, I have a silly question, or
Maybe this is kind of just a small little question. We're like, stop everything, stop small. No, no small, no silly in women anymore. I was trained that way to make myself smaller. And now
Sharon (13:42)
Yeah. Right.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (13:44)
I'm like, no, nobody does that. No. You have a big idea.
Sharon (13:46)
Right. And so in
in this phase of our lives, we are all about taking up space that we were not perhaps given before or we didn't allow ourselves to take before.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (13:55)
Mm-hmm.
Sharon (13:56)
So let's, ladies, make a pact to take up space and ask those questions because it's all important. Okay, so I realize, you are up against an entire industry's default settings.
Boys
get trucks and speed and the girls get glam and beauty. But I want to know, Jody, which skills from your mom years do you think prepared you most for a battle as big as the one that you had? And what are the skills that you're still leaning on right now?
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (14:24)
This is crazy that I always go back to my God, I burned three kids. I can really push through and do a lot, right? I mean, I mean,
Sharon (14:32)
Yes, we can.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (14:34)
it is like what a woman's body goes through. And I still think of it today. I was working out this morning and I was getting really tired and I had like 45 more seconds to go. And I was like, my God, I can do this. I I I've given birth, like I've raised three kids.
45 seconds is nothing in in my life and I can do this. So I do look at it, it is the hardest job that we will ever have. And it also gave me confidence is in being a young mother, just the treadmill young moms are on. It is so fast and we're fitting everything in.
And I remember seeing so many of my friends. They were working, they were raising kids, they were the president of our PTA, they were volunteering at everything, they were making sure they had, you know, homemade snacks for you know whatever event it was. We were all doing this. And I'm like,
This is amazing. Like I have so many people I know in just my small community that can
freaking run this world. it just got me through it. and I also felt like gosh, I I'm not a person that feels like I'm right about everything because I know I have a lot to learn in life, but the one thing that I am positive about through my journey is that there should be
gender equality. And we should let women
rise to their full potential.
Sharon (16:05)
thank you for that answer. That was wonderful. And I and I love your passion in all of this. We are going to take a quick break. And when we come back, we are diving into your book and the crazy highs and lows of this journey that you've been on. don't go away.
Hey, we're back with Jodi Bondi Norgard with Mom Tomor. Jodi, you once said that motherhood didn't pause your ambition.
It
reshaped it. And you've described your reinvention not as a one single moment, but as a series of bold, imperfect steps, which is really the foundation of any reinvention. And you know, I I have to admit, in reading your book, what I marveled at were all the times that you were dismissed and then elated. And a store said they take the dolls, and then it was shot down again. And there was this like crazy push and pull.
I mean, reading it really felt like it was a ping-pong match. and folks want to point out that More Than a Doll is the name of the book. And it is such an interesting read.
Where did that fight, right, to persevere come from? It came from being a mom and giving birth and saying, Damn, I can do this.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (17:59)
Yeah. And knowing like my daughter, right? just seeing my boys on the path that they were given. And then my daughter being so smart and loving sports and just seeing that all this fashion stuff was, you know, constantly in front of her. And I know it could be even worse now, right? With social media and everything, but it was always like fashion appearance, how you look. And it's like, no.
No, no, no. That it that is that is not what defines you. fashion is great. I love how people express themselves, but does it define a person? Absolutely not. And so I was so determined, and I am still so determined because it is crazy. It is still a ping-pong match to this day with what I do. It is
easier to sell stereotypes than to fight against these gender stereotypes,
How our culture and a lot of people in the toy industry, and maybe you heard this, Sharon, a lot of the toy industry will call it packaged childhood, which I was really disturbed about. And so how the
Sharon (19:09)
Hmm. Interesting.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (19:12)
toy industry, the media industry, the publishing industry packages childhood. And so we package this boy childhood and this girl childhood.
it's it's really hard for young girls. you know, by the age of five is when those stereotypes set in. And sadly, by that age, a little girl starts believing that her gender can't do as much as a male gender.
Sharon (19:35)
I want to go back to the stores that you had the opportunity to be in. Talk a little about that journey, I'm really interested in.
when a store would say no, what was their excuse? What was their rationale for doing that?
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (19:50)
Right. Okay. So going back just a little bit, I do want to just mention that my first sale was to the United States Tennis Association at the so the US Open, where five hundred sold out in six days. So that gave me a lot of confidence, right? So they even called me, we need more. I'm like, well, I don't have any more, right? so that particular sale was a good first sale for a small business.
And so that was in August of 2008 and then moving forward to toy fair then in February in New York at the Javit Center, I went in thinking, I've got the next best thing, right? Who has a first sale of 500 and it and it sells out? I know I'm on to something. So this is where I answer your question is that so many toy buyers came to my booth that I had set up.
And they said, I love your product. My daughter, she plays soccer. She would love soccer girl. And I'd say, Great, how many would you like to buy? And I'd always get the hand. no, no, no, no. that will never sell to girls because ultimately girls like fashion. Can you create a fashion doll? I'm like, that's my point. As a mother of a daughter, and as a woman, I'm positive girls like more than fashion.
Sharon (21:06)
Yes.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (21:06)
So that's
when I hung in there. And I and I hung in there for five long years with the ups and downs. Two years into my business, I had an opportunity to pitch to Target at their headquarters, which was amazing. And the buyer said, I love your product so much. You would be a terrible person to hate this doll. And I said, Great. And they said, We will be placing an order, I can't remember, it was like for 25,000. And I was like, my God.
Sharon (21:31)
Mm-hmm.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (21:32)
and there was one person on their team that said, I don't think this is a chance that we should take. So I hung in there, and that's when I saw such a discrepancy. You
Sharon (21:44)
Yeah.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (21:44)
know, I got that far with Target. I had other small stores picking me up, but the media was off the charts, I got a feature on the Today Show.
then my product was on the Today Show multiple times. as like best toy of the year, you know, what you should purchase for your your your child this Christmas season or this holiday season. And then I was in all all different types of publications. So it was
Sharon (22:10)
Right. And also
point out that you were a multi-award-winning toy company. Multiple,
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (22:16)
Yeah.
Sharon (22:16)
multiple awards, talking to the strength and the necessity of having a doll like this, which does
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (22:24)
Yes.
Sharon (22:25)
not seem so off-the-charts strange to me. I mean, maybe because both of my girls were recruited athletes in college. our whole family plays sports. It's just our thing.
and also having been in the toy industry.
And
understanding who's making those decisions, perhaps we can start to see a reason why they're saying no. do they want to keep the little girls down? I mean, yes, it's all about the bottom line. I understand that. but I believe with all my heart that there has got to be room for something as essential
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (22:56)
Mm-hmm.
Sharon (22:57)
as what these dolls represented.
To a generation of young girls.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (23:03)
Mm-hmm. That i exactly. The the toy industry is somewhat antiquated and they are on a wash, rinse, repeat cycle. there isn't a blueprint for it, it's a risk. And and I understand, but this is a good risk, right? Like yeah I they I think it's a a risk worth worth taking.
Sharon (23:22)
you just mentioned something about a blueprint. you have talked about our culture being two-faced when it c comes to gender equality. And everyone says they want change, as we've just talked about. but no one's really willing to sort of put their money where their mouth is. this was in your book, as one former Walmart VP told you, quote, there's no blueprint for it yet, as you just said. So now, nearly 20 years on.
Do you think that blueprint exists? Are we still building it? If it doesn't exist, will it ever be here? What do you think of as sort of like the future for the next generation, like our kids' kids?
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (23:59)
I don't know. I I am still trying I wish I could say I have seen progress and I and I did until two years ago. when DEI was rolled back and and you know, women's rights have been compromised. so now I've seen
e even more hesitation to be honest to do something like this. people are not wanting to take chances, especially in the toy industry.
Sharon (24:23)
for me, a a sports doll for a girl, a soccer doll, a tennis doll, a rowing doll, whatever, that's not DEI. we're talking about action, activity, healthy living. It's something totally different and just inherent to like raising a healthy child and having a healthy body. And yes, it's a girl and she does all these athletic things, because there's a lot of us out there who do athletic things.
That's what I don't really understand about that.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (24:49)
I totally agree with you. But It is difficult. So they just keep putting fashion dolls out there. Mm-hmm.
Sharon (24:56)
Unreal. So where where are we at right now with GoGo Sports Dalls?
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (25:00)
Well, okay, so maybe we go back to when Walmart picked up. So that
Sharon (25:05)
Mm.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (25:05)
was five years into my business, and then I had an opportunity to pitch to three Walmart buyers. And they said, This is a winner. If you can write six books to go along with six of the dolls, package them together, we will put them in Walmart stores. So that's kind of what got the ball rolling. And then that was in
2015 they hit Walmart stores because I was working with an author, an illustrator, an editor. We had to put together books. That took about a year. And then they hit Walmart stores and they were a success in Walmart, which was awesome. So
now I needed more capital because my orders were getting bigger. It was so exciting. I was working with the Obama administration with creating change in the media and toy industry.
when it came to women and girls and so that was super fun and then my company was acquired by a large toy company in Miami called Jazzwares and that was super great right so now I I've I've gone from the beginning of starting something
To now an acquisition. And that was now we're going to redesign the dolls to make them hard body, because they were soft plush dolls when I launched
Sharon (26:13)
Mm-hmm.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (26:14)
them. And now they were going to be hard body dolls, which sells better in mass, which means, you know, Target and Walmart and Amazon and things like that. they were going to launch the dolls after a year, and then they pushed it to 18 months.
And then at that point, that's when they said we're not going to go forward with it. They had hired two new people, George and Jorge. I'll never forget, I had to repitch them And so my team at Jazzwares and I, we got together, we got a good pitch, and I was able to convince George, and I wasn't able to convince Jorge. So,
Sharon (26:49)
Mm.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (26:49)
anyway, they returned the intellectual property to me. So
Looking at, you know, acquisitions, that was the best breakup possible. So they did return the IP to me. And so that's when I realized that my journey was more than a doll. part of the deal with Jazzwares to get was to get on the speaking circuit to talk to different organizations about what I was doing with Jazzwares and how we we were going to empower girls throughout the world, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Sharon (27:17)
Mm-hmm.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (27:19)
Until they decided not to. so then I wrote a book. it was published in twenty twenty five, which I was very excited, you know, worked with an agent and a publisher, and that was a fun experience. I'm now writing a second book. And where the go go sports girls are now is I was talking to a big toy company, the largest in the world actually, about
licensing and an acquisition they put it on hold for now just because of the tariffs
so anyway it is out there the books are out there the dolls are not so the books are
on the market
Sharon (27:55)
okay. So this is definitely a story that is continuing to evolve as we talk right now. All right. So we will keep up with that. You know, I want to ask you a question. If you could go back and give your nine year old self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (28:09)
Be confident. Ask those questions. Raise your hands. be confident with the naysayers. Because there were there were so many individuals in my life. I was very empathetic And that was seen as a weakness as I got older. I felt like I was shushed a lot,
And now looking back, I wish I would have been like, You're wrong. I wish I would have had the confidence I have now. But that being said, I'm so glad I have the confidence now.
Sharon (28:35)
Absolutely.
Jodi, our time is drawing to a close, but I have a question that I ask all the amazing moms that I have the privilege of interviewing. And that is since this is the Mom to More podcast, Jodi Bondi Norgard, what is your more?
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (28:52)
What is my more? I love writing. I love writing books and I love writing articles. And I actually just sent my agent my new book called Too Much. hopefully a publisher will pick it up, but it's the play on words where women are told they are too much, right? You're too emotional, you're too ambitious, you're you're you're too busy, you're too small, you're too big.
Whatever. But we're also asked to do too much. for everybody to read and know that they are strong, just who they are, and you know, finding their their own personal strengths and using that and believing in it,
Sharon (29:35)
Right. If we don't believe in ourselves, we have to. That's where we start.
Jodi, please tell our listeners where everyone can find you online, where they can find the book. And folks, everything is going to be in the show notes.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (29:48)
thank you. Well, you could find me online. I have a website, Jodi Bondi Norgaard, LinkedIn. I have a SubSec page called Let Her Speak and social media and please reach out to me with any questions. I always love, you know, chatting with people and you know, answering questions if I can help.
Sharon (30:06)
Thank you for that. Jody, this has been a wonderful conversation, so enlightening. I love your perseverance. This is clearly a lifetime mission for you and proud of your journey and all that you have achieved and all that you will continue to achieve. so thank you for being here today.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard (30:21)
thanks for having me.