Two weeks in a basement under shelling—and an idea that never went away
My name is Svitlana Kivirenko, and today I am an executive in the petrochemical industry and the founder of Mamacita — a social space for mothers and children. I am a trained chemist and have worked for more than 15 years at an American company that supplies chemical raw materials to Ukraine. This is my primary professional occupation, where I have worked my way up to a leadership role across the Eurasia region. Alongside this, I am developing my own project, Mamacita, and recently completed an Executive MBA. All of this goes hand in hand with motherhood: I am raising two children and live with them in Kyiv.
When my son was born in 2019, I did not take a single day of maternity leave. At the time, I held a position where I had no way to hand over my responsibilities, and, to be honest, I was not ready to do so myself. I immediately began balancing work and motherhood, and that was when I first keenly felt a systemic problem: a lack of time for myself. I took my son to developmental classes and each time encountered an absurd situation—an hour and a half of waiting with no way to use that time productively. Meanwhile, basic needs—self-care and recuperation—did not go away, but meeting them became increasingly difficult.
That experience gave rise to the idea for Mamacita—a space where mother and child can both get what they need at the same time: the child gets development and care, while the mother gets time for herself, recuperation, and renewed energy.
At first, it was just an idea outside my main field. I returned to it while studying for my MBA: I began structuring the concept, turning it into a model, and testing its logic. In 2022, I was already actively looking for premises in Kharkiv to launch the business, but the full-scale war put those plans on hold. Two weeks with my children in a basement under shelling, evacuation on 8 March, a move to Lviv, and then seven months living in Italy. Returning to Ukraine and starting a new life in Kyiv amid shelling and blackouts—all of this was not only a challenge, but also a point of inner renewal.
Despite the circumstances, the idea did not disappear. On the contrary, it took on even greater meaning. I realized clearly how much mothers lacked support during the war: time for themselves, the ability to entrust their child to someone, and simply a chance to breathe.
In January, I found premises, finalized the concept, and created the Mamacita brand—a space that brings together care, femininity, and strength. We opened in June 2023. My goal was to create not just a service, but a place where a woman feels genuinely cared for. That is why Mamacita offers not only basic services, but also psychological support groups, events, and charitable initiatives. It is a community space, not just a business.
Faith is my source of strength. It gives me inner support and helps me keep moving forward, even during the most difficult times. I am also inspired by people—their gratitude, trust, and genuine emotions. This is the best confirmation that I am moving in the right direction.
Recently, I have been consciously learning to make time for myself. I have brought sports and dancing back into my life—things that fill me with energy. I am increasingly convinced that self-care is not a luxury, but a necessary condition for resilience. And even childhood dreams can and should be realized at any age.
Looking to the future, I want to preserve this energy and scale my projects. My ambition is to turn Mamacita into a network that not only grows as a business, but also creates real social value: supporting women, building a community, and contributing to Ukraine’s future.
My journey has not been easy, but even now it proves that it is important not to give up. Women have tremendous inner strength, especially when they unite and support one another. I believe every woman has a purpose—and it is worth pursuing, even when circumstances seem unfavorable. If you truly want something, opportunities will always arise.
An hour and a half in a car in the parking lot—and the idea for Mamacita was born
How did you come up with the business idea?
The idea for Mamacita did not come from a trend, but from my personal experience as a working mother. When my son was one year and one month old, I drove him to developmental classes at 8:30 in the morning. They lasted an hour and a half, and the children took part separately from their mothers. I spent the whole time waiting in the car because I could not get anything useful done.
After the classes, I took my son to my mother because I did not use a nanny, and only then tried to find time for basic things—for example, getting a manicure. It seemed illogical. I did not understand why I could not use those hour and a half for myself while staying close to my child and knowing he was safe.
That is how the idea emerged to create a space where mother and child can spend quality time in parallel: the child gets development and care, while the mother gets recuperation, beauty, and peace of mind.
Later, while studying for my MBA, I needed a project, so I returned to this idea: I developed its mission and vision and tested the business model. In Kharkiv, by February 2022, I already had a team for key roles and premises approved, but the war halted the launch.
In December 2022, already in Kyiv, during the first major blackouts, I felt a strong inner impulse to act. I had no contacts, no team, and no idea how to carry out the renovation in a new city. But I trusted that feeling and started moving forward. That is how Mamacita came to Kyiv as a fully-fledged space that supports both mother and child.
An MBA foundation, corporate structure, and the ability to act without a team or contacts
What key skills helped you launch your business?
The foundation came from two sources. The first was the management knowledge I gained during my Executive MBA: the ability to formulate a mission and vision, build a business model, and think systematically and strategically.
The second was my many years of experience working at a large American company with a clear structure. This gave me an understanding of organizational architecture, roles, and processes, as well as how strategic decisions affect local markets.
Practical skills also played an important role: the ability to make decisions quickly amid uncertainty, find people without referrals, build a team around shared values, and be ready to dive into the details myself—from the concept to the interior.
A new format, blackouts, and hiring in an unfamiliar city
What were the 3 most difficult challenges you solved in the early years?
The first was explaining a new concept to the market. Through Instagram, we needed to communicate the value of a space that is not simply a salon with a children’s room, but a place where the child develops separately while the mother takes time to recharge. This meant overcoming both a marketing and a cultural barrier.
The second was the operational reality of war: blackouts and no electricity, sometimes no heat or water. We adapted some processes, but the simultaneous absence of all basic resources remained a serious challenge.
The third was the audience’s sensitivity to external events. Mothers with children react strongly to issues of safety and stability, and any escalation immediately affects attendance. At the beginning, we also faced a staffing challenge: in a new city, I needed to find someone for a leadership role whom I could trust, and trust is a core value for me.
Collaborations became a tool for resilience, not a reputational risk
What crises has your business faced, and how did you overcome them?
The most tangible crises for Mamacita have been cyclical customer attrition against the backdrop of war and the feeling that sometimes we are going around in circles, when external circumstances prove stronger than marketing.
Winter became a turning point for me. I saw clearly that it is much harder to survive on your own than in collaboration with others. I stopped seeing collaborations as a reputational risk, and they became a tool for resilience and growth.
At the same time, the war became not only a business crisis, but a personal one. Evacuating from Kharkiv by train on 8 March after two weeks in basements, temporarily living in Lviv, half a year in Italy, returning and building a new life in Kyiv—all of this helped me develop a new inner foundation. Paradoxically, the MBA community became a support system for me: through people, help with housing, and the feeling that I was not alone.
From signing the lease in January to opening in June—through flexibility and partnerships
Which decisions proved most effective for the company’s growth?
The decisions that had the greatest impact were about flexibility and openness to partnerships. By nature, I am persistent, a perfectionist, and inclined to set a high bar, sometimes even going against the tide. But the reality of war showed me that it is important not to perfect the model at any cost, but to adapt it so it can survive and grow.
In practice, this meant expanding the format. We added a play component and the option of leaving a child with us, since this is a critical need for some mothers. We opened the space to women without children and reached a new audience segment. We began actively pursuing collaborations—something I had previously avoided for fear of losing control over quality. Now I see that partnerships bring not only traffic, but also resilience and a sense of community.
Another important decision was to launch quickly. I signed the lease in January, and we opened in June. I took on many of the processes myself. This was not about “doing everything alone,” but about taking a pragmatic approach to speed amid unstable resources and contractors.
Not mistakes, but experience: every step brought me to where I am today
Which of your mistakes do you now consider your most valuable experience?
I don’t make mistakes; I gain experience. I have gained quite a lot of it, but I would not call any of it a mistake, because ultimately, thanks to those experiences, I am where I am today.
