Just weeks out from having her second child, Australian entrepreneur Michelle Battersby has become the new President of Peanut, a global social network for women navigating everything from fertility, pregnancy and motherhood to menopause.
It comes after Battersby recently announced the acquisition of Sunroom, the women-led creator app she co-founded in 2022.
Battersby, who is based in Los Angeles, says her transition to her new role at Peanut feels “deeply personal” as she navigates pregnancy.
“Leading Peanut’s growth in the US and Australia while pregnant feels empowering and deeply personal,” she said.
“It reflects what Peanut stands for – supporting women through every stage of life. I’m passionate about elevating women in tech, and Peanut is a platform that gives them not just a voice, but a real community and support system.”
Sharing more on the Women’s Agenda Podcast, Battersby said deciding her next career move came down to a few simple questions and her desire to pursue purpose driven work.
“The point I’ve come to in my career and how I made the decision to go with Peanut is [that] I was really led by my heart and soul,” Battersby said.
“What does the world need? And what can I be paid for? And I just started to think about the sorts of companies that I would want to work at and the sorts of problems I would want to work on.
“And I was fortunate in the sense that one of our investors at Sunroom is a woman called Michelle Kennedy, who’s the founder and CEO of Peanut.
“She was definitely one of those investors that stood out in the bunch as always being there for you, always being really supportive, always being willing to almost put herself out to help you with a contact or a problem that you may have.”
A social lifeline
Battersby says she first heard of Peanut when she was pregnant with her first child, Alfie. It became a lifeline for her amid social isolation.
“When I fell pregnant with Alfie, I was living in the US… and I didn’t know anyone with a child,” Battersby says.
“I didn’t have any mum friends in my immediate circle and I downloaded the app and it was the first step [of] me really putting myself out there and finding connection and support.
“[It was about] not feeling afraid to ask, you know, is this normal? Is anyone experiencing this? Even just being able to snoop a little bit on what other women were dealing with just gave me a lot of comfort.”