WRAL: Meet This Mom: Caroline Shipman
Stephanie Llorente, owner of Restored, is a regular contributor to the WRAL Family blog where she writes about relevant topics for working moms. We repost that content here.
This month’s mom feature is a personal and professional pleasure for me to share. Caroline Shipman, creator of PIERCE + HIDE, produces hand-selected, and often handmade, earrings out of Holly Springs, and her products are a consistent staple in my get-ready-fast-and-try-to-look-professional wardrobe. With kids close in age, businesses that serve similar demographics and more than a handful of mutual friends, I’m fortunate that our lives intersect in many spaces. She’s one of the most generous and genuine entrepreneurs I’ve worked around, and I hope you enjoy this sneak peek inter her daily life as a working mom.
What’s your name, and in what part of the Triangle do you spend most of your time?
My name is Caroline (Pierce) Shipman, owner and designer at PIERCE + HIDE. I’m a Cary native and still blessed to call the Triangle my home. My husband Zack, three boys and I live in Holly Springs where we spend most of our time.
Tell us a little about your family and one activity you enjoy together.
As the mama to three elementary aged boys, our life is anything but dull. Most evenings are spent on a soccer field at practices and games followed by dinner around our table. Zak and I love to cook and most of our family life is centered around the kitchen. We recently brought home our new golden retriever, Bentley, who has absolutely stolen our hearts. We can’t wait to take him out on our boat when the weather warms up!
Tell us about your career journey and how you ended up in your current position.
After spending seven years home with little boys, surrounded by nerf guns, Legos and muddy shoes, I was super excited the Lord opened the door to a fun, creative outlet of designing and making leather earrings. It honestly began as an accidental business that has grown to more than I could have ever dreamed. As a lifetime lover of large, statement earrings, my desire has always been to offer on trend, statement earrings at an affordable price. We began as an exclusively leather earring brand, where I hand cut all our custom designs out of the downstairs coat closet. I still laugh thinking about how crammed I was in that small space. Fast forward nearly four years later, and not only has our team grown, but we are blessed to serve customers in every single state, and most recently launching into wholesale nationwide manufacturing our custom designs.
What’s your favorite activity to do with your family?
One of my favorite ways to spend time as a family is with PJs, popcorn and a good movie night! Since Zak and I both run our own small businesses (he’s an engineer), I truly treasure our moments of downtime where we can just relax and be together. I also love any chance we get to take the boat out on the lake - completely and entirely unplugged.
What do you love about parenting as a working mother?
As an enneagram 7 (the enthusiast), I love time to connect with PEOPLE, more specifically women. In a post-pandemic world, I find that women are hungry for connection more than ever! This incredible business has given me the opportunity to connect and help women feel their value and worth. Sometimes, just putting on a pair of fun statement earrings can inspire someone to show up for the day in an authentic way. I am confidently a better mom because I have the outlet to connect. It truly takes a village. Additionally, I love being able to tangibly teach my boys the value of hard work and the payoff it can bring.
Tell us about a challenge you’ve overcome as a mother in the workplace.
I would say the greatest challenge I have faced as a working mom, and small business owner is how to turn it all off and establish boundaries. As women, we pride ourselves in meeting all the needs of our people, often at the expense of our own mental health. After the guidance of an incredible business coach, I have found that finding your community of like-minded women, walking the same road of small business life has been invaluable. I have also learned that often what I say no to is far more important than the yes.
What are you passionate about outside of work and family?
As the mom to three boys and lover of Jesus, representing the gospel lived out is deeply important to me. Life is hard, and people are struggling. We all need less devices and more time with our heads up, recognizing the needs around us. My desire is to specifically use my business to help women feel connected, seen and loved.
Additionally, I am passionate about stewarding the resources we’ve been entrusted to spreading hope to the ends of the earth. We count it all joy to give a portion of our sales annually to Compassion International each year, helping to meet the basic human needs of impoverished children around the globe.
What is one book, podcast, article, social media account, blog or other resource you can recommend for moms?
The best book I’ve read (or rather, listened to) this past year was Find Your People, by Jennie Allen. I highly recommend everyone read this book about our integral need for both community and connection.
The best business book I’ve read this year is Good to Great by Jim Collins. It’s an excellent read!
If you have a favorite go-to spot in the Triangle, what is it?
My favorite place to eat dinner is easily Café Luna in downtown Raleigh. It’s classically nostalgic to my Meredith College days where we’d frequent for every birthday dinner.
My favorite lunch spot is grabbing a Diet Coke (my love language) and a chicken salad sandwich from the Village Deli! A hometown favorite for sure!