Power Moms power SOMs – Celebrating the Moms of PHYTEC
This Mother’s Day, we’re shining a light on the incredible women at PHYTEC who not only keep things running at home, but also help power innovation, organization, and collaboration across our company. From engineering to marketing, supply chain to accounting, and admin support to leadership roles, these moms bring talent, dedication, and heart to everything they do.
They represent the full spectrum of motherhood—raising brand-new babies, navigating the busy middle years, and cheering on fully grown children as they pursue their own paths (some even in tech!). No matter the season of motherhood they’re in, one thing is constant: their ability to lead, nurture, and make a lasting impact both at home and at PHYTEC. This year, we asked the phyMOMs to share a few thoughts on motherhood and how it intersects with their professional lives.
Lisa Berg
Accounting/HR/Admin Manager
- How has motherhood shaped your perspective on your role at PHYTEC?
- At one point, I did feel like the mother hen of the office, but the chicks are now flourishing on their own so soon I will take on the grandmother role and just focus on the fun stuff.
- What’s something your kids think you do at work?
- My son is 25 now, so he is very clear on what I do at work. He knows I raise chicks.
- My son is 25 now, so he is very clear on what I do at work. He knows I raise chicks.
- What’s your superpower – at work and at home?
- My superpower is keeping track of the monies. For years I talked about being fiscally responsible, and after many discussions at the dinner table, I now know my son was listening. He rocks his finances.
- My superpower is keeping track of the monies. For years I talked about being fiscally responsible, and after many discussions at the dinner table, I now know my son was listening. He rocks his finances.
- Has being a mom helped you see technology or engineering differently?
- I don’t know if this is from being a mom or not, but I always need to know how something works from the start to the finish, so I can appreciate that in the engineering field. Working at PHYTEC has given me an understanding and appreciation for engineering, and I can use that basic knowledge for other things. Although my son was in the Airforce for 6 years, he is now working at Blue Origin and back to school with the goal of possibly becoming a Mechanical Engineer. My knowledge from PHYTEC helps me appreciate what he does now which is physically building parts for rockets.
- I don’t know if this is from being a mom or not, but I always need to know how something works from the start to the finish, so I can appreciate that in the engineering field. Working at PHYTEC has given me an understanding and appreciation for engineering, and I can use that basic knowledge for other things. Although my son was in the Airforce for 6 years, he is now working at Blue Origin and back to school with the goal of possibly becoming a Mechanical Engineer. My knowledge from PHYTEC helps me appreciate what he does now which is physically building parts for rockets.
Lacey Redinger
Marketing Manager
- How has motherhood shaped your perspective on your role at PHYTEC?
- Home/work balance has always been a priority for me, but since having children I value it even more as an opportunity to model what that looks like for them and our family. Sometimes I have to work from home or take an early meeting, but making sure there is always time for them and being clear when I can’t be interrupted helps all of us learn respect and responsibility.
- What’s something your kids think you do at work?
- They think I’m eating snacks all the time!
- What’s your superpower – at work and at home?
- My superpower is organization and time-management. I get to control that at work in more ways than I do at home.
- Has being a mom helped you see technology or engineering differently?
- I lived my childhood without technology, even TV was pretty rare for me. The balance of interacting with technology and nature has always been something I focus on with my kids. Technology is useful, awesome and necessary in our modern world, but not at the expense of what’s real – the sky, the earth, the living. They probably have way too much screen time, but they will always drop it for a chance to go to the beach or the forest or play a game outside with Mom and Dad.
Serah Peterson
Engineering Services Manager
- How has motherhood shaped your perspective on your role at PHYTEC?
- Working with technology you come to expect changes (Linux kernel, build system, feature sets, emerging markets, trends) so we are always learning new things. It has been interesting to watch how much and how quickly we can all learn. We really can learn anything, I mean at one point we all learned how to eat, smile, crawl, walk, … if we can do that we can do anything. If anything it has been a good reminder to keep trying and learning new things. And to keep at it, if you fall down, Uh-oh, and try again.
- What’s something your kids think you do at work?
- Hanging out with scary people (tall people with beards). Given the major stranger danger of a nearly 1 year old I like to believe he thinks I am brave for spending the day with PHYTECers like Craig Day and Christyan Brown.
- What’s your superpower – at work and at home?
- New Power Unlocked: Typing one handed.
- Has being a mom helped you to see technology or engineering differently?
- Well, for me it just reiterated how much we rely on embedded systems day-to-day. In my first year as a mom, it has been crazy to see the available tech from bottle warmers, bubble blowing machines, and teeny tiny smart socks for monitoring. The baby toys today are cool with the UI, sensors, audio, syncing/coordination, motor control, safety shutoffs, battery life. I am most definitely inspired and maybe I will make something cool for my kiddo to play with using a PHYTEC SOM… Peek-a-who… stay tuned!
Sarah Short
Accounting/HR/Admin Assistant
- How has motherhood shaped your perspective on your role at PHYTEC?
- Motherhood has been a great perspective shaper for my administration role at PHYTEC. It has taught me to not to get hung up the small day to day minutia and keep everything in a broader, positive perspective.
- What’s something your kids think you do at work?
- Honestly, they have no clue other than I spend a lot of time in front of a computer screen. Henry is starting to explore accounting, so he is picking up on some stuff I do.
- What’s your superpower – at work and at home?
- Like most all moms, mental load juggling is my super power.
- Has being a mom helped you see technology or engineering differently?
- For me I learned from experience over the years with my oldest to be very guarded of technology use/abuse by my kids, and I’ve had to change my habits to model healthy examples of use for them as well.
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