Natalie Batlle: "Most women entrepreneurs do it because we see a need in society"

--- You were working on Barack Obama's presidential campaign. How was that?

--- Yes. I was very young, it was like the first job I had. It was a masterclass. From Obama, I learned how to be a great communicator and the power of optimism to motivate the people around you. My role now is to be a leader and I think a lot about that experience. About what I learned from him.

--- Where does your desire to entrepreneurship come from?

--- On a personal level, my desire to entrepreneurship came during pregnancy. I have two little ones. Both are quite babies: one just turned five and the other, three. It was during the pregnancy of the eldest that I started dreaming about that project. I truly believe that most female entrepreneurs often do it out of necessity. We see a problem and we want to solve it. I had many concerns. I found myself pregnant in a city (Barcelona) that is half mine. My father is from here, but I was born in Chicago and I don't have my nuclear family here, and I felt a bit out of place. I am a very ambitious, very creative person, I had many concerns…

--- Where were you working at that time?

--- I was working as a communications director for multinationals and technology companies. Suddenly, I found myself in a world where I felt a bit out of my comfort zone. That's when we started dreaming of a space made by and for us. Where we could reconcile all our phases.

--- What references did you have? What inspired you?

--- I lived many years in New York and knew the model as a user. I thought Barcelona needed a space like Juno House. I am a very creative and ambitious person, I saw the opportunity to create an idyllic space designed by and for women and especially thinking about the needs that current women have. I dreamed of a space where we, as women, could open doors and support each other.

--- Juno House is already two years old. It is located in La Farinera d'Aribau, an iconic building in the middle of the Eixample, which has more than 1,400 m² divided into two large spaces, with interior design by Meritxell Ribé, from The Room Studio. What does Juno have that didn't exist in Barcelona?

--- There are two parts to the model. There's a more functional part, a more design-oriented part, about creating a space where you can truly go about your day-to-day life without having to give anything up. We've created a bit of a playground space, where you can work, meet, eat... We have a small podcast, meeting rooms... Thinking about those post-pandemic work models that are more hybrid. As a woman, the conciliation part, thinking about spaces that are truly family friendly. Also the more feminine, glow part. We dreamed of a design that was very lifestyle, which didn't exist. The other clubs didn't have that focus, it was pure and hard networking.

--- You were talking about this more family friendly part. Precisely, one of the things that has surprised you is that the nursery hasn't worked as much as you imagined. Why do you think that is?

--- I think little by little we are learning from this space, I think there is a lack of education in our current society, a lack of understanding that conciliation should be part of parents' daily lives; in Copenhagen it would work because they have a different base, but we are convinced that this space will work little by little, but we need to mentalize ourselves and have real conciliation. For now, we use it for after-school activities, birthdays, and private use at many times.

--- Among the things you highlight most about Juno is the added value and the feedback from the members. What comments do they make about Juno? What do they celebrate most about this model?

--- The other day we had a debate. A member said something that gave me goosebumps. She said: "In Juno, we come empowered. There are role models you wouldn't find elsewhere. We come with a mindset of changing the world." In Juno, there is a diversity that I think the members are very grateful for. You find a great diversity of sectors and ages.

--- Often, unfortunately, when women have ambition, it is usually labeled as something negative.

--- In Juno, we believe it is very positive to be ambitious. What goes against Juno is a lack of collaboration. We naturally see the desire to leave a positive impact. It's something very feminine. We are just starting, but Juno was born to leave a positive impact.

--- Another thing that women share ---especially mothers--- is mental load. Is this something that members comment on?

--- They talk about it a lot. We have an enormous mental load. We are always thinking about many things and that's why there's also that obligation to help each other. Here there's an empathy… It helps a lot to have that conversation with someone who also has a mental load. You feel less alone.

--- Juno is two years old and has consolidated itself in our city. What growth has it had? How do you value it?

--- The growth has been very positive. We are very happy. There are other business lines that are also growing that we didn't expect, such as the part of content creation, media, partnership. We launched our own podcast, which in just two weeks placed in the top.

--- Do you believe this model is exportable to other cities in Spain? Are you thinking of opening a Juno House Madrid?

--- Madrid, we know perfectly well that it is the next destination, it is a strategic space, properties are already being looked at. Also, for our members, we know it is very attractive, growing means having a network, having more than one club, and now we are at this point.

--- Barcelona is your city, but you were born in Chicago. Do you observe a desire to create in the Catalan capital?

--- In Juno there is diversity and a certain gravitas, there are female role models in all sectors. In Barcelona there is a lot of creativity and entrepreneurship. It continues to be a reference city for design, for culture… And it shows. Juno, in Madrid, would be much more social, more leisure-oriented… Juno will always respect the origins of where we are. Juno Barcelona will be a bit different from Juno Madrid.