At Home With Jen Szeto
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Vanessa Hellmann
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The freelance producer invites us to her modern, cabin-like space to talk motherhood, shifting priorities, and more.
As the youngest of 5 children, whose parents immigrated from China to California—Jen Szeto‘s upbringing might seem worlds apart from that of her daughter, Mika Moon.
“They were strict in thought and frugal with money, sometimes to my embarrassment,” Jen recalls of her mom and dad. “But in hindsight what they’ve been able to achieve in raising five children off of a basic income is mind-blowing. Despite their busy schedules, my parents had high expectations for all of us. While their style of parenting couldn’t be more different than how we’re raising Mika, I always felt safe and cared for.”
Deciding to become a mother herself was a relatively slow and deliberate choice for the freelance producer (who counts Apple and Airbnb as clients). It ended up being a decision that would prove life-changing.
“I’m surprised at how beautiful and messy motherhood has been and how much it has reshaped my identity,” she says. “I love being a mom and wouldn’t trade it for the world, but losing a certain independence has forced me to reevaluate and rediscover myself.”
Moving from the bustle of L.A. to the rustic Tahoe area has been an ideal place for this new phase of life. When Mika, almost 5, is not at her Waldorf-style preschool, she counts the surrounding mountains and rivers as her playground. Plus, there’s the family’s absolutely stunning, cabin-like home, which you can get a complete tour of in today’s profile.
Below—and in our gallery—take a virtual walk-through of the space while hearing Jen’s thoughts on motherhood and creativity, raising a girl, what she’s bringing from her childhood into her parenthood, and much more.
Be sure to follow Jen at @jenszeto on Instagram.
Did you always know you wanted to be a mother?
"I come from a big family and am the last of five children, so I remember wanting to be a mom as a kid, partly because that seemed like the obvious choice. But as I got into my young adult years, I wasn’t always sure I wanted or needed to be a mom to have a happy life.”
"I met my husband in our early twenties and we were together for seven years before getting married. It wasn't until three years later that we felt ready to start a family. We were still so curious about the world, having fun with our friends, and just building our careers, so it was important for us to keep growing. Looking back, I’m glad we allowed ourselves that extra time before we started our family. Now I can’t imagine not being a mom."
How was your pregnancy and birth experience?
"I’ve had a complicated pregnancy journey. I had two miscarriages before having Mika, so when I got pregnant with her I was optimistic yet extremely nervous of losing her."
"My early pregnancy was relatively uneventful and I enjoyed watching my body change. However, in my third trimester I developed an intensely itchy, persistent body rash that wouldn’t go away. I was eventually diagnosed with PUPPP and the only thing that helped heal it was time, which took over six weeks to subside."
"My due date came and went and, coupled with the rash, my anxiety was through the roof. I was clear with my doctor that I didn’t want to be induced as I knew that would make it harder to birth without an epidural, which was important to me. At 9 days past my due date, I went to see an acupuncturist who told me that my daughter wasn’t coming because she could tell that I was scared. She helped me release some of my fears about the birth and becoming a mom, and, sure enough, I went into labor that evening."
"The labor itself was 14 hours and I pushed for 90 minutes. It was so intense. All I remember was feeling like I was in another dimension and hallucinating. It was the most exhausting, painful, transformative experience. When Mika came out, I was in complete shock. I couldn’t believe I grew this little human inside me and now she was Earth-side and I was holding her in my arms. One of my first thoughts was, 'Holy shit, I’m a mom!' followed by, 'What do I do now?'"
“I’m surprised at how beautiful and messy motherhood has been and how much it has reshaped my identity. I love being a mom and wouldn’t trade it for the world, but losing a certain independence has forced me to reevaluate and rediscover myself.”
Tell us about your daughter's name.
"My daughter’s name is Mika Moon. Her first name was an easy choice for us once we found it, but I remember scratching our heads for the longest time at what her middle name could be. Then we started thinking about Chinese names and how they’re often inspired by nature and the elements. We chose ‘Moon’ as her first middle name as it symbolizes peace, prosperity, unity. Plus, I’ve always felt her to be our guiding light, even in the womb."
What excites you about raising a daughter?
"My husband and I both hoped for a girl, but with six nephews on my side and a lineage of boys in Colin's family, we thought we were destined to have a boy. We pressed our doctors for an early gender reveal, and to our surprise, we learned around 12 weeks that we were having a girl. While we would have happily embraced any outcome, discovering she was a girl instantly deepened my bond with her."
"Since having Mika, we are conscious of eschewing traditional gender roles. Our priority is nurturing a kind, compassionate, capable human. Equally important to us is fostering trust in her own mind and body. Whether it's scaling heights that make me anxious or simply choosing not to embrace someone, we want Mika to feel empowered to follow her instincts, to trust her judgment, and to honor her feelings."
What has surprised you about the experience of motherhood so far?
"I’m surprised at how beautiful and messy motherhood has been and how much it has reshaped my identity. I love being a mom and wouldn’t trade it for the world, but losing a certain independence has forced me to reevaluate and rediscover myself. Balancing my own needs with Mika’s has proven challenging, and, at times, overwhelming. But life is constantly evolving and I'm learning to embrace it all with acceptance and grace."
What was your own upbringing like?
"I grew up in Alameda, California, as the youngest of five siblings. My parents immigrated from China when my oldest sister was a baby, so in a many ways my upbringing was typical of a first-generation experience. My dad worked as a technician at AT&T for 40 years and my mom was a restaurant cook and a seamstress before eventually retiring to care for the family. They were strict in thought and frugal with money, sometimes to my embarrassment. But in hindsight what they’ve been able to achieve in raising five children off of a basic income is mind-blowing."
"My parents were often away working so my older siblings took care of me a lot. Despite their busy schedules, my parents had high expectations for all of us. While their style of parenting couldn’t be more different than how we’re raising Mika, I always felt safe and cared for."
Are there things from your upbringing that you're consciously trying to incorporate (or not incorporate) into your kid's upbringing?
"Colin and I are both extremely close to our families, so instilling the family-first mentality is important for us."
"Travel is something I didn’t do too much of as a kid, but it’s a huge part of our lives now. We are both really active, social, and love to travel, so we want that sense of adventure and community to pass on to Mika."
What advice would you give to other moms about to have their first child?
"Surround yourself with medical providers who you trust and will advocate for the type of birth you want. Try to meet moms who are birthing around the same time, even if online. It’s so comforting, especially in the first year, to be able to text someone in a similar situation with an insane question like, 'Is it normal to be this constipated?'"
“I miss being able to walk out of our front door and, within 5 minutes, be able to pop into a boutique or gallery and immerse myself in diverse arts and culture. But on the flipside, nature inspires its own creativity.”
You and your husband are both creative people—is that something you want to foster in Mika?
"Yes, absolutely. Mika loves to draw and paint and will spend hours doing so. She is also a very imaginative storyteller and we love to hear about the worlds she creates in her mind. She attends a Waldorf-based school and we love how its philosophy and environment foster her creativity."
What excites you most about motherhood right now?
"Mika will be turning 5 in the fall, and I love the stage she's currently at. She's officially out of toddlerhood, and we're getting to know her in a whole new light—as an assertive, independent, and engaged kid who we can have meaningful conversations with. She can actively participate in our adventures and is always willing to try new things, even if it makes her nervous. We call her our ‘adventure buddy,' and we’re just having a lot of fun right now. Our family bond feels tighter than ever."
What makes you most nervous?
"I’m nervous about how tech, phones, and social media could impact and steal some of the innocence from Mika’s adolescence. We know that technology is all around us and hard to avoid, but we’ll do what we can to limit access and preserve the carefree joy of being a kid."
Your home is stunning! How long have you been here?
"Colin and I are both from the Bay Area. We lived there until 2019 when we moved to L.A. and had Mika. We really liked L.A. and were thinking about buying a house there, but then COVID hit and the housing market went crazy."
"Colin thought it might be fun to try living in the mountains, so we checked out Truckee, California. We found a really nice house there, and we've been living here for three years now. We have a great community and enjoy snowboarding in the winter and swimming, hiking, and biking in the summer. It's nice being close to our family in the Bay, too. I sometimes feel like I need a change of scenery, so I’ve started taking weekend trips to visit friends and get my city fix."
Do you have a specific vibe you're going for with your space?
"Visual clutter has a direct impact on the clutter in my brain, so I function best when our house is tidy (which is a near constant battle with a 4 1/2 year old). And while our aesthetic could be described as minimal, it’s important for our house to feel warm and to fit its surroundings. We’re slowly redecorating where and when we see fit; at the moment we have a lot of hearty wood elements, rich earth tones, varying textiles for texture and depth, and collectibles from our travels."
What appeals to you about raising Mika in Truckee?
"Raising a child in Truckee/Tahoe is pretty amazing. Mika is extremely lucky to have mountains and rivers as her playground, and we get immediate access to countless outdoor activities, tons of space, and a community that cares about the environment and its surroundings."
"So much is changing in this area right now, for better or worse, but the biggest challenge we’ve experienced so far is finding childcare. It’s expensive and sitters are hard to come by, so we haven’t gone on many date nights since we’ve moved here. While we’ve totally embraced the traveling trio lifestyle, we’re learning to lean on our community more in asking for babysitting help here and there."
How has it been as a creative person to live in a more rustic setting?
"It’s been an adjustment for sure. I miss being able to walk out of our front door and, within 5 minutes, be able to pop into a boutique or gallery and immerse myself in diverse arts and culture. But on the flipside, nature inspires its own creativity. It’s so much more tranquil and calm here, which allows uninterrupted space to be with your thoughts. We’re also fortunate that several existing friends from our circle moved to the Reno/Truckee area around the same time, so we have a strong community to continue to bounce ideas off of."
Can you tell us about your career in a nutshell?
"I am a freelance producer, mainly in motion design and integrated production. I mostly work at tech companies like Apple and Airbnb and work on product launch marketing initiatives, but I’ll occasionally work alongside my husband at his creative company, Oddfellows, where I’ll get to produce illustrative, story-based campaigns for commercial and tech clients."
"I love what I do because it’s always different, but my work harnesses the tactical and logistical side of my brain. I do miss doing more creative pursuits, like in fashion and photography, and have been thinking about getting back into it. I’d love to combine it with interior design, a new interest of mine. One day I would love to open a multi-disciplinary space where visitors could shop at, work from, and commingle with others."
How has becoming a mother impacted your creativity and career?
"Since becoming a mom, my creative endeavors have mostly taken a back seat, but the fire is still there. Things are just different now. My days are a constant juggling act, so I’ve had to be more diligent about my boundaries to preserve my family foundation and mental health. But I’m still me, just a little more pragmatic and embracing life at a different pace."
Do you have regular hours that you try to work each day?
"I work from home and try my best to carry a daily routine so I don’t get too off-track. My job can be very demanding at times and can lead to very late work hours, so in those moments I try to warn the family that I might be M.I.A. for a few days/weeks/months, but I’ll do all that I can to make up for it down the road. It’s a tricky balance, but I have a lot of support and, as a freelancer, I do get time off in between gigs to reset and refocus."
What about any creative habits or practices to get going and get inspired?
"I get very re-energized by travel and visiting cities like New York and Mexico City. I love perusing different shops, museums, restaurants, and outdoor areas; the frenetic energy of densely populated spaces can act as a real jolt to my otherwise slow pace of life."
Any advice you'd give to fellow creatives about juggling freelance life and and a young child?
"I didn’t realize how challenging it would be to balance parenting, work, marriage, health, friendships, and creative pursuits. So, my advice would be to try to find comfort in whatever state you may be in, don’t feel ashamed to take all the alone time when you need it, and lean on your community for help."
Any big goals or happenings—professionally or personally—that you're excited about for the year ahead?
"I just turned 40, and with this new decade, I’m focusing on what brings me joy. My parents have always preached, 'Happiness is health, health is wealth,' so my main goal is to invest in the things, people, and experiences that make my life better. As I grow older, I've learned that putting my energy into what truly matters brings greater happiness, and the rest is irrelevant."
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