Mom Hacks

Power to the People: Portland Moms Who Slay Every Day

Forget keeping Portland weird, these amazing moms are dedicated to making it (and the rest of the world) wonderful. Read on to find out more.

By Annette Benedetti November 9, 2016

Forget keeping Portland weird because these amazing moms are dedicated to making it (and the rest of the world) wonderful. From working to find foster homes for homeless children to empowering other mothers and much, much more, these power moms are working tirelessly to make our community better and stronger while raising the next generation of Portlanders up right. Click through the slideshow to get inspiration from these PDX power moms.

Liz Dooley, Founder of Liz Dooley Recruiting and Ladybug CDH

This Portland mama of two took a leap and started her company, Liz Dooley Recruiting, when her youngest child was just 6 months old. Now her daughters Rowan (9) and Finley (6) have grown up some and her choice has paid off by allowing her to feed on demand when they were little and make her own schedule to accommodate their needs as they grew. Choosing the entrepreneurial route also allowed Liz to focus her efforts on what she refers to as her non-paying job.

In 2011, after her youngest daughter was diagnosed in utero at 20 weeks as having CDH, a life threatening birth defect, Liz started the Ladybug CDH Foundation. It was her way of being there for other families experiencing the same diagnosis. She says, “We started the Foundation so that we could walk alongside these families when they get their diagnosis, support them emotionally while they are in the hospital, and also help families with financial needs…” When asked what her favorite thing to do with the kids is, Liz says she loves anything that involves cuddling them and having a quiet moment together.

Words of Wisdom: "Exercise is how I stay (somewhat) sane, so I know I can’t let that get pushed out of my week."