Living in San Francisco, Trisha Harry chased and achieved her dreams of becoming a venture capitalist. She also fell in love and became pregnant with her first child. Then, life threw her a one-two punch that sent everything she’d work for spiraling. During the pregnancy, her relationship with the father didn’t work out. After her maternity leave and while just starting to navigate life as a single mother, Harry was diagnosed with a life-changing medical condition. “I was in a meeting and all of the sudden I started slurring, and I felt really weak on one side of my body,” Harry recalled.“I would just get up in the morning, pack a lunch, and just go sit at the ER until someone saw me. And I finally got accepted into a clinic.” Harry was about to start treatment, then another blow. “And, I got laid off,” she said. “You have a mortgage and more than ever, you need health insurance. More than ever, you need childcare.” With her daughter Sia only two years old at the time, this one-two punch left Harry spiraling financially – to the point where she broke into her 401(k) she said. While nationwide there’s been a growing number of breadwinner moms, this year job cuts in the Bay Area tech industry have significantly outpaced last year with nearly double the number of decisions to slash jobs during the first half of 2026 compared to the same time last year, according to state employment data. Harry represents a particularly vulnerable group impacted by these layoffs. She dipped into her savings to help pay for an au pair, a more affordable childcare option because Harry provided room and board. “It kind of hit me hard because my mom is a single mom,” Aline said, who’s from Brazil. “And I saw that little girl and I was like, I want to be part of this. Like, I want to be the support she needs because I would love to have someone doing that for my mom.” After her au pair program, Aline decided to stay in the U.S. because she got married. “So, we’re like, well, why don’t we have a daycare here? I applied for childcare licensing, all the compliance issues,” Harry said. Aline and Sia. That’s how Enchanted Hills Academy in Oakland was created. “I wanted a childcare program, like if it’s my child. I don’t want it to be in a mass childcare center. I wanted to be very intimate. I wanted it to be where the parents know each other, there’s a community,” Harry said. It’s been about a year since she opened the daycare facility. Even though she makes significantly less than what she earned in venture capitalism, Harry says it serves a bigger purpose. It gave her time to find another job in an increasingly difficult job market. It also gave Aline a path to earn a living and opportunities for new surprises.  “I met a wonderful person. I’m also having another kid!” she said. Reflecting on her biggest learning lessons through these experiences, Harry said she’s always pushed forward. “Whatever is happening is not permanent. It’s always going to keep turning.” Sia and her mother Trisha Harry. ...read more read less