What if the strongest kind of power isn’t force, but attunement?
In this inspiring conversation, Wendy sits down with Miki Agrawal, entrepreneur, author, and founder of HIRO Technologies, to talk about why soft power beats force in business, parenting, and the way we care for the planet.
Miki shares how motherhood shifted her from an “individual consciousness” into an “ecosystem consciousness,” and how that evolution shaped her latest company, HIRO, a groundbreaking diaper brand using plastic-eating fungi to help solve the global diaper waste crisis.
Together, Wendy and Miki explore stewardship, creativity, humility, community, and the power of building families and businesses in a way that serves the whole ecosystem, not just the individual.
This episode is a beautiful reminder that when we lead with connection, collaboration, and deep attunement, we can create change that ripples far beyond our own homes.
Episode Highlights:
- Motherhood can shift us from “me” thinking to ecosystem thinking
- Soft power is rooted in attunement, connection, and stewardship
- Parenting and entrepreneurship both require humility, repair, and growth
- Force may create short-term results, but collaboration creates lasting change
- Nature offers powerful lessons in patience, regeneration, and interconnection
- Businesses can be profitable while also serving families, communities, and the planet
- Kids learn leadership by watching how we create, communicate, and care
- Real innovation often begins with spaciousness, curiosity, and asking better questions
Resources Mentioned:
Follow Miki on Instagram
Check out the Hiro Diapers website and be sure to use code: mycelia for big savings!
Become an ambassador for Hiro Diapers here
Find Hiro Diapers on Instagram
Grab a copy of her books Do Cool Shit and Disrupt-her
Unable to listen, or prefer to read along? Here’s the transcript!
Wendy:
Hello, families, and welcome back to the Fresh Start Family Show. I am so thrilled to be here this morning with Miki Agrawal from Hero Technologies. Today, we’re talking about why soft power beats force in business and parenting. Welcome to the show, Miki.
Miki Agrawal:
Thank you. So happy to be here with you.
Wendy:
I am so excited for this interview. I know as a podcast host I’m not supposed to fan out, but as a business owner, an entrepreneur, and a mom, I’ve admired your work for a long time. I’m just obsessed with what you’re doing in the world. It’s a real honor to have you here speaking to our community. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule.
Miki Agrawal:
Thank you so much. I love the idea of a parenting podcast too, Fresh Start, it’s great.
Wendy:
We really specialize in helping parents end painful generational cycles and upgrade their family legacy. Many of our families were raised in very authoritarian homes, and when they have kids, they realize they can do it differently. They can use soft power. So I’m excited to explore how that shows up in your life and work.
You’ve had so much success, multiple companies, multiple books. And I have to say, we are obsessed TUSHY owners. We discovered bidets at a hotel in Mexico and came home like, “Everyone needs this.” Then we found TUSHY, and it’s been on our gift list ever since.
Now you’ve created Hero with plastic-eating fungi and clean diapers. It’s incredible. But my question is, what changed? Earlier in your career, you built companies with a lot of hard power. Then you became a mom. What shifted?
Miki Agrawal:
Motherhood is a one-way doorway. You move from “me” consciousness into “we” consciousness. You start asking, what kind of world do I want my child to grow up in? What kind of materials, food, people, environment?
It becomes very real. You become a steward. Of your home, your community, your company, the planet.
Soft power starts with attuning to yourself. What do I need to thrive? Then attuning to others. Then your company. Then your community. Then the planet.
We’re not perfect. We have messy days. But it’s about coming back and showing up more consciously each time.
Earlier in my career, I was more like, “get out of my way.” Now it’s more, “how do we cultivate together?” That’s a big shift.
Wendy:
There’s nothing like motherhood to humble you. You just keep showing up and doing the work. What I hear is this deep embodiment now.
And I love how fungi became this inspiration for you. It reflects how interconnected everything is.
Tell us the story of how Hero came to be.
Miki Agrawal:
When I became a mom, I realized how much waste comes with having a baby. It’s shocking.
Every baby uses up to 6,000 diapers. Each one takes hundreds of years to break down. And they’re full of toxins.
One day on a thinking day, I was looking out the window and thought, “Breast milk is liquid gold… so baby poop must be fertilizer gold.”
And then I thought, what if baby poop could help break down plastic?
At that exact moment, my two-year-old son ran in, pointed to a book, and inside it said, “Certain fungi can break down plastic.”
It was one of those moments you can’t make up.
From there, we built a team and created the first unbleached diaper with fungi that can help break down waste.
Wendy:
That is wild. And what’s so powerful is that you’re not just building a product, you’re shifting an entire system.
And you’re doing it differently. You’re actually helping people use less, not more.
That’s so aligned with what we teach in parenting. It may not be the fastest way, but it’s the most sustainable.
Miki Agrawal:
Exactly. It’s about building what’s true.
We’ve been taught “reduce, reuse, recycle,” but we’re reframing it to “reduce, regenerate.”
Reduce consumption. Regenerate the earth.
We also teach parents how to get out of diapers faster through elimination communication. So we’re literally helping people use fewer diapers.
It’s about enoughness, not more.
Wendy:
I love that. It’s such a powerful shift.
And your son, he’s incredible. You can tell he’s growing up in this environment of creativity and connection.
What are the soft power principles you’re teaching him?
Miki Agrawal:
Ecosystem thinking. It’s not just about you, it’s about all of us.
He’s made hundreds of inventions, writes poetry, speaks at events. He’s very tuned in.
We practice eye-gazing, just holding connection. That builds presence and confidence.
We also travel a lot, so he experiences the world firsthand.
And he’s still a kid, he loves games and fun. But he’s also deeply connected.
Wendy:
That’s beautiful. You’re raising a leader who leads with connection.
Before we wrap, tell us how people can find Hero and support what you’re doing.
Miki Agrawal:
You can go to herodiapers.com. Use the code MYCELIA for a discount.
We also have an ambassador program if you want to share it with others.
And you can follow along on Instagram at @herodiapers and @mikiagrawal.
Wendy:
Miki, this has been such an honor. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and your heart with us today.
Listeners, go check out Hero, spread the word, and we’ll see you in the next episode.
Miki Agrawal:
Thank you!
