By Karina Polenske and Kristen Male
Karina Polenske and Kristen Male on what we learned from the women who raised us — and what we're giving forward.
There's a particular kind of wisdom that doesn't come from experience alone. It comes from watching the women who raised you navigate everything life sent their way: the difficulty, the beauty, the seasons that asked more than seemed fair. Through proximity and time, their knowledge becomes yours, sometimes without you even noticing.
We asked two women on the EB team about that inheritance. What they received. What they're passing forward. What they've learned about the strength that looks like bending.
"Nothing has taught me more about flexibility than motherhood - both flexing my own life and expectations to make room for my little ones to thrive, and watching the women around me flex to support me in this chapter of life.
When my oldest was four months old, I had one of the hardest weeks so far. Our entire EB team had flown into Portland for in-office meetings, my husband was out of town for work, and my baby suddenly wasn't sleeping. The night before I had to be in the office, he woke up at least every hour.
At 6am, I panic-texted my mother-in-law: "Can I bring him over, and try to get a couple hours of sleep?" Her response was immediate and filled with kindness: "Of course — we'll make you breakfast."
I also texted Bree: "I'm going to be late. I need to sleep." Her reply was exactly what I needed: "Take your time. Rest. We will make it work."
Working alongside so many wonderful mothers has been a blessing this way — they know exactly where the work can bend, so I can keep growing as a designer while I learn to be a mother too.
That same week, I brought my baby to the office, wore him during meetings, fed him on the couch while brainstorming, and even held him while signing patents - his weight anchoring me to something steadier than the deadlines in front of me.
Like a willow in the wind, we don't stand strong by refusing to bend. We stand strong because we do."
Watching my mother raise five children as a single parent and later becoming a mother myself, taught me early that bending doesn’t mean giving in. It means learning how to move through a life that rarely goes exactly as planned.
I learned that lesson in small ways at first, like discovering my newborn’s stroller didn’t fit in our NYC elevator. Since then, there have been a thousand little adjustments. Plans changing, expectations shifting, snacks packed for every possible scenario, and patience stretched farther than I knew it could go.
Motherhood has also shown me just how strong we can be. When my son was five, my husband was diagnosed with brain cancer after a massive seizure that my son witnessed. It was one of the most challenging days of my life, both as a partner and as a mom. How was I going to support my husband with all the hospital visits, doctor appointments and surgeries, and still be present and protect my son? Here’s how: MY mom. She was there every step of the way carrying the pieces I simply couldn’t hold at the time.
I used to think strength meant keeping everything together exactly as planned. Now I understand that real strength is knowing what matters enough to hold onto, what you can let go of, and trusting yourself to navigate whatever comes next.
My son is 10 now (and my husband is doing great!), and the challenges have changed, but the lesson hasn’t. I’m still learning when to adjust, when to be patient, when to stand firm, and when to let go. With every new season of motherhood, I discover a little more of my own strength, and just how hard I am to break.
Which, as it turns out, is pretty excellent training for a career in retail. Expect the plan to change, get comfortable with the pivot, and trust that you’ll figure it out along the way. And if nothing else, there’s always coffee, or, depending on the day, a glass of wine.
The women who carry Evelyn & Bobbie through the hardest parts of their lives — recovery, loss, the seasons that ask everything — aren't fragile. They're resilient in ways that don't always announce themselves. The support they need has to match that. It can't ask them to be something they're not on the hardest day.
What Willow is Named For
These conversations live alongside the launch of Willow, our newest limited-edition fall colorway.
It's not an accident. The willow tree holds its ground while the seasons move around it. Deep roots. Light branches. It bends without breaking, which turns out to be rarer and more valuable than it sounds.
We chose this name for a color that works the same way: pairs with everything, moves through every season, earns its place without demanding attention. The kind of color that, like the best kind of strength, is quietly reliable.
Like the women who raised us. Like the women we're becoming. Like the women we're raising.
