The Founder Who Spent $1.6M on Childcare Before Her Own Salary

Women's Journal Staff on April 23, 2026

There’s a picture that exists somewhere of Starr Edwards in the early days of Bitchin’ Sauce: behind a closed door in a busy house, infant asleep on the bed, laptop on her knees, trying to teach herself QuickBooks. Nobody was paying her to do that, just a recipe, a booth at a farmers market, and a list of repeat customers that kept getting longer.

Building a company while raising kids

The company dates back to a San Diego farmers market in 2010. Recipe base: almonds, lemon juice, garlic, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, oil. That’s the original recipe, nothing synthetic propping it up. Starr and her husband Luke ran the operation out of a farmers market tent and their home kitchen, blending and packing and selling. The week after giving birth, she was back making sauce. Not a metaphor.

That detail tends to get buried in the business narrative, but it probably shouldn’t. It says more about how this company was actually built than any revenue chart. Every early-stage founder has a moment where the business demands everything and so does the family, and the only option is to do both badly for a while and hope something holds. Starr’s version of that involved a sleeping baby and accounting software. Most people would have picked one or the other. She picked both.

The year everything nearly collapsed

By 2015 the company had started getting into real retail spots. Things were finally moving in the right direction. Then a business separation emphasized that all the financial risk and liability was on Starr’s shoulders. The brand was looking at potential bankruptcy.

She didn’t sell. Didn’t bring in someone who would have reformulated the product to make it cheaper. She bootstrapped through it, kept the recipe, kept showing up. Glamorous isn’t the word for any of it. Relentless is closer. And the company only survived because she was.

Childcare as a business decision, not a perk

Most founder benefit stories start with a number. This one starts with a room. Before Bitchin’ Kids became a reimbursement program, it was actual on-site childcare, a real physical space where parents could clock in knowing their kids were close by in a loving, educational environment. Parents could stop in during lunch and spend time with them. Something unexpected came out of that proximity: genuine community between colleagues. Kids growing up alongside each other, parents becoming friends, the kind of workplace connection that no team-building event ever produces.

When the company moved toward a remote workforce, the program moved with it. The physical space became $7,500 a year in non-taxable childcare reimbursement per employee, so working parents could stay present for their kids without having to choose between that and their job. Since 2019, the company has offered over $1.6M through the program, with the total benefits landing at $15,845 per employee annually.

Voluntary turnover at Bitchin’ Sauce is 16.4%. The food manufacturing average is closer to 25%. Forty percent of the team has passed four year tenures. When a founder spends $1.6M on childcare before most companies spend anything, the retention numbers tend to follow.

What the numbers look like now

$56M in peak annual revenue. You can find the product at Costco, Target, Kroger, Whole Foods, Sprouts, over 15,000 locations at this point. More than twenty flavors, all from that same California almond base, with new products on the way. Family-owned, So-Cal production.

Starr Edwards built this while raising 5 children, surviving a business separation, and refusing to change a recipe that makes manufacturing significantly harder than it needs to be. Then she took $1.6M and put it toward making sure the parents on her team could thrive as parents, too. Is there a better way to run a company, or is this it?

About Bitchin’ Sauce

Bitchin’ Sauce is a family-owned, Carlsbad, California-based brand founded in 2010 by Starr and Luke Edwards. The company pioneered the almond-based dip category and has grown from local farmers markets to national distribution in 15,000+ retail locations including Costco, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Target, and Kroger. Committed to clean-label manufacturing and industry-leading employee benefits, Bitchin’ Sauce remains a plant-based, better-for-you leader in the snacking category. Learn more at bitchinsauce.com.

Redefining Success on Your Own Terms: Jasmine Marra’s Approach to Alignment, Growth, and Modern Womanhood

Women's Journal Staff on April 23, 2026

For many women, the idea of success has long been shaped by external expectations, stable careers, predictable milestones, and clearly defined roles. While these paths can offer structure, they don’t always reflect the evolving identities, ambitions, and values of modern women.

Today, that narrative is beginning to shift.

Jasmine Marra, founder of Quantum Femme Wealth, is among a growing number of voices encouraging women to step outside traditional frameworks and explore what success means on a more personal level. Through her work in coaching and personal development, she helps women reconnect with their own sense of direction and redefine the way they approach growth.

Questioning Inherited Definitions of Success

Many individuals move through life guided by assumptions they’ve never fully questioned. These beliefs, often shaped by upbringing, culture, and past experiences, can quietly influence decisions around career, relationships, and self-worth.

Marra’s work invites women to pause, reflect, and reassess those inherited definitions. Rather than automatically following familiar paths, she encourages a deeper examination of whether those paths still align with who they are becoming.

Moving from External Validation to Internal Clarity

A central theme in Marra’s philosophy is the shift from external validation to internal clarity. Many high-performing individuals are used to meeting expectations and achieving measurable outcomes, yet still feel disconnected from the direction they’re pursuing.

By focusing on awareness and reflection, individuals can begin to identify the patterns shaping their decisions. This creates space for more intentional choices, ones guided by alignment rather than pressure.

This shift is not about abandoning ambition, but about refining it. When actions are rooted in clarity, they tend to feel more sustainable and meaningful over time.

Understanding the Patterns That Shape Decisions

Personal growth often begins with recognizing the patterns that influence behavior. These patterns may include long-held beliefs about capability, worth, and possibility, many formed under different circumstances but still shaping present-day choices.

Bringing these patterns into awareness allows individuals to move beyond reactive decision-making and toward more thoughtful, aligned action. It also supports greater adaptability, helping women navigate change with more confidence and intention.

From Experience to Perspective

Marra’s perspective is informed in part by her own experiences navigating periods of transition and change. These moments helped shape her understanding of how quickly circumstances can evolve, and how important it is to cultivate a strong internal foundation.

Her book, Transcending the White Picket Fence, explores these ideas in greater depth. Through personal insights and reflective concepts, it offers readers a thoughtful lens on how identity and life choices are often influenced by unexamined norms, while encouraging a more conscious and self-directed approach.

Creating a More Intentional Path Forward

Through Quantum Femme Wealth, Marra supports women at various stages of their journey, whether they are navigating transitions, building something new, or seeking a deeper sense of purpose.

Her approach centers on awareness, self-trust, and the understanding that success is not a fixed destination, but an evolving experience. Rather than prescribing a single path, she offers frameworks that allow for flexibility, personalization, and growth that reflects individual values.

A Broader View of Success

This evolving definition of success creates space for a more expansive understanding of fulfillment. Instead of relying solely on external markers, individuals can begin to value clarity, alignment, and self-trust as meaningful indicators of progress.

As more women embrace the freedom to define success for themselves, the conversation continues to expand, opening the door to new possibilities, paths, and ways of living with intention.

For many, that shift begins with a simple realization: the path they’ve been following is not the only one available.

Explore / Learn More and Connect with Jasmine Marra
Facebook: Jasmine Marra (@jasmine.thompson.1232) • Facebook

LinkedIn: Jasmine Marra, MBA – The Elleiance Network | LinkedIn

Senate Approves “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act”

Womens Journal Staff 2 on April 23, 2026

On April 22, 2026, the Pennsylvania State Senate voted to advance Senate Bill 1293, the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act”, which aims to safeguard the integrity of women’s athletics in the state. The bill passed with significant support from the Republican majority, signaling a commitment to enforce sex-based designations in school sports competitions across Pennsylvania.

The legislation mandates that all public schools and colleges in the state designate athletic teams based on biological sex: male, female, or coed. It specifically bars transgender women from participating in women’s sports teams, positioning the bill as a safeguard for female athletes.

This move comes amid a growing national conversation around fairness in sports and the inclusion of transgender athletes in gender-segregated events. Proponents of the bill argue it is necessary to preserve the advances made in women’s athletics, which they say have been threatened by the participation of transgender athletes in female categories.

Key Provisions of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act

The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act outlines clear guidelines for how school-sponsored sports teams are to be organized. Under the bill, teams that compete in interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club sports must clearly designate players as male, female, or coed based on their biological sex.

This measure is designed to ensure that women’s sports remain fair and competitive, particularly in categories where physical differences between male and female athletes may impact performance. By codifying sex-based designations, the bill seeks to minimize potential advantages that transgender women might have over biological females in certain sports.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Judy Ward, emphasized that this legislation is crucial for protecting the progress women have made in the realm of sports, ensuring that opportunities for women and girls in athletic competition are not compromised.

Legal Mechanisms for Enforcement

A significant feature of Senate Bill 1293 is its establishment of a legal cause of action for students who believe their rights to fair competition have been violated. If the bill becomes law, students will have the right to seek injunctive relief and damages from the educational institution responsible for any breach of the new sex-designation requirements.

This legal provision is intended to empower students and parents to hold schools accountable for enforcing the legislation. The bill also includes a “no retaliation” clause to prevent schools, government bodies, or athletic associations from penalizing students or institutions that comply with the law.

This provision seeks to reassure those who fear backlash from larger, national athletic organizations, which may oppose such state-specific laws. Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill of York, another key proponent of the bill, noted that the goal is to protect the fairness of women’s sports, not to discriminate against transgender students.

National Context and Momentum for Similar Laws

Pennsylvania’s move is part of a broader national trend. Since 2020, over half of the U.S. states have introduced similar legislation aimed at limiting transgender participation in women’s sports. These laws, often labeled as “Save Women’s Sports” measures, have sparked a heated debate over the balance between inclusivity and fairness in athletics.

Supporters of these laws argue that transgender women have physical advantages over cisgender women, particularly in strength-based sports. They point to studies showing that biological males generally possess advantages such as greater muscle mass, larger hearts, and different hormone levels that can contribute to performance in competitions requiring speed or power.

As Pennsylvania joins the ranks of states enacting similar legislation, it continues to be a hot topic in the ongoing discussion about how sports should be regulated to ensure fairness for all athletes, regardless of gender identity.

Opposition and Legal Challenges Ahead

The ACLU of Pennsylvania and several civil rights organizations have strongly criticized Senate Bill 1293, asserting that it discriminates against transgender youth. They argue that transgender inclusion in sports can strengthen teams and athletic programs, promoting diversity, inclusivity, and equality. These groups believe the bill unfairly singles out transgender students for exclusion and violates their civil rights.

The passage of the bill in the Senate does not mark the end of its journey. Senate Bill 1293 now moves to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where it is expected to face a challenging path. Despite bipartisan support in the Senate, the House is controlled by a narrow Democratic majority that has historically resisted similar measures.

Given the tight political landscape in the House, it remains to be seen whether the bill will pass in its current form. However, the issue of transgender participation in women’s sports is expected to be a significant topic of discussion in the 2026 election cycle, particularly in swing districts where candidates’ stances on the matter may influence voter sentiment.

The Future of Women’s Sports in Pennsylvania

The debate over Senate Bill 1293 highlights the increasingly polarized views on how sports should be governed in the 21st century. As the legislation moves through the House, the outcome will be closely watched by advocates on both sides of the issue.

Whether or not the bill passes, the conversation surrounding women’s sports is unlikely to subside. Advocates for transgender rights will continue to push for inclusion, while those seeking to protect women’s sports will likely continue to fight for legislation that ensures fair competition based on biological sex.

This ongoing legal battle reflects a larger societal question: how can we balance fairness, inclusivity, and equal opportunity for all athletes, regardless of gender identity? The answers to this question will shape the future of women’s sports not just in Pennsylvania, but across the United States.