International Women's Day: Meet the Women of Toki Mats

Today (March 8) is International Women’s Day, a global day that is dedicated to celebrating and recognizing women for their social, cultural, political, and economic achievements. This year’s campaign theme, Inspire Inclusion, is a call to forge a more inclusive world for women by inspiring ourselves and others to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create environments where all women are valued and respected. Not only is Toki Mats founded and owned by a woman, it’s largely run by women. The brand itself serves as a celebration of women and moms, and exists because of one woman’s commitment to creating baby play products with integrity and functionality for other like-minded moms. In honor of International Women’s Day, we’re turning the spotlight on the Toki team and the remarkable women who are part of it. 

Eli Yonas, Founder & CEO

Eli is the founder and owner of Toki Mats. A Los Angeles native, she now lives in Israel with her husband and three children. In her free time, she loves to travel with her family and work on her passion—Toki Mats!

Q: What is your role within Toki and what are some of your main responsibilities?
A: I founded Toki in 2017 and am now the CEO, managing most of our amazing team and partners.

Q: Do you have a female role model?
A: I have a few, depending on what my current focus is. For career, I look up to a long list of friends, colleagues, and women I've never met, who all created their own business and are crushing it! For health, my local pilates teacher. For family, of course my mom!

Q: Has running Toki Mats been a different experience from other jobs you’ve held?
A: As the founder, we make the job whatever we want it to be! Which is incredibly different from past jobs I've had in corporate environments. My kids always ask me, “So, you are your own boss?" And we all get so excited about the concept!

Q: If you could give a piece of advice to a younger you, what would it be? 
A: Your intuition is stronger than anyone else's opinion

Tara Dion, Community Manager & Marketing Coordinator

Tara is the community manager and marketing coordinator for Toki Mats. She resides in North Carolina with her husband, three sons (a 5-year-old and 3-year old twins!), and two dogs.

Q: What is your role within Toki and what are some of your main responsibilities?
A: I am the Community Manager and Marketing Coordinator.  If you're a member of our Facebook Toki Mats Insider VIP Group, you probably already know me!  I have so much fun in that group and love all of the interactions with other parents. As Marketing Coordinator, I align all of our schedules for launches and social media to make sure everyone stays in the loop and schedule things out accordingly. 

Q: Do you have a female role model?
A: Eli, the founder of Toki, is an awesome role model for all she achieves and continues to do, all while being a caring person for those around her.

Q: Has working for Toki Mats been a different experience from other jobs you’ve held?
A:  I LOVE working with a team of moms.  We understand each other and we know that we are capable of getting the job done, even with the schedules and hectic lives being moms.  We all are so supportive and understanding and have faith in everyone's abilities. 

Q: If you could give a piece of advice to a younger you, what would it be? 
A: Don't use the self tanner in middle school.  You did look like a Cheeto.

Haylen DiFusco, Social Media Manager

Haylen is the social media manager for Toki Mats. She’s a soon-to-be mom of two boys, and loves baking and exploring new places with her family.

Q: What is your role within Toki and what are some of your main responsibilities?
A: My main role within Toki is to manage our social media channels as well as influencer and brand partnerships.

Q: Do you have a female role model?
A: Yes, my aunt.

Q: Has working for Toki Mats been a different experience from other jobs you’ve held?
A: Yes, and in the best way possible! I have worked for small businesses in the past and none have had the comradery that the Toki team has. I am proud to work with such an energetic and dedicated group of women who are also all moms!

Q: If you could give a piece of advice to a younger you, what would it be? 
A: Life will come at you fast, so make sure to try and enjoy every season and don't hold back on doing things that will bring you joy.

Alice Mendoza, Blog Author & Copywriter

Alice is the blog author and copywriter for Toki Mats. She lives with her husband and two young children in sunny Los Angeles, where she was born and raised. 

Q: What is your role within Toki and what are some of your main responsibilities?
A: I am Toki’s blog writer and copywriter. I write everything from the blog posts to product descriptions and everything in between. When anyone needs something written, I’m the go-to.

Q: Do you have a female role model?
A: My mom. As the American-born daughter of a first generation Korean immigrant, I didn’t understand her for a long time. Now that I’m a mom, I see the full scope of all the sacrifices she made for her kids as she juggled a full-time job and single motherhood.

Q: Has working for Toki Mats been a different experience from other jobs you’ve held?
A: Absolutely. It’s so true that women are typically expected to work like they don’t have children and mother like they don’t work outside the home, but that’s not the case at Toki. Working for a woman and mom founded company is refreshing and empowering, and there’s a greater sense of camaraderie.

Q: If you could give a piece of advice to a younger you, what would it be?
A: That female friendship is a valuable investment. Surround yourself with like-minded women and put in the effort to nurture those friendships. Call more often and go out when you’re invited!

Fawn Triana, Customer Support

Fawn is a customer support team member for Toki Mats, and a mom of three children. She lives in Washington state with her husband, kids, dog, two cats, and ten chickens. 

Q: What is your role within Toki and what are some of your main responsibilities? 
A: I am one of the Toki support team members. There’s a good chance if you send an email to us, I am the person helping you out! 

Q: Do you have a female role model?
A: Honestly, my mother-in-law has been an amazing role model to me. My husband and I have been together since we were 16, and I’ve learned so much about parenting and resilience from her. 

Q: Has working for Toki Mats been a different experience from other jobs you’ve held?
A: Yes! I love that our team is so varied in location since we all work remotely, but we are still a close knit team. I also think it's great that Eli really values the feedback and ideas that we all have regarding the brand.

Q: If you could give a piece of advice to a younger you, what would it be?
A: Pick your battles wisely! Most of the things that seemed like a big deal at the time turned out not to be.

Rebecca Mitchell, Business Manager

Rebecca is the business manager for Toki Mats. She lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband and two kids, where she loves to spend time outdoors and watch the sunset on the beach. 

Q: What is your role within Toki and what are some of your main responsibilities?
A: I am the business manager now. Some of the things I do include project coordination, troubleshooting, Shopify updates, product development, and inventory management.

Q: Do you have a female role model?
A: I have a best mate who I have literally been best friends with since I was 4 years old! She's the best, and I look up to her strength and kindness. She's been such a great support all my life, I literally wouldn't be me without her!

Q: Has working for Toki Mats been a different experience from other jobs you’ve held?
A: It's so great being part of the Toki team! Because we are a small team, our roles are more varied than any job I have had in the past. I love this because it means I am constantly learning new things and getting excited about all our future projects. I also love the flexibility and compassion that comes from us all being mums.

Q: If you could give a piece of advice to a younger you, what would it be?
A: Slow down, sleep more, and to always trust my gut instinct.  

Chelsea Reed, Customer Success

Chelsea is a customer success representative for Toki Mats. Mom to three kids and four fur babies, she loves to read and spend time outside. These days, she’s busy getting ready for a big move from Colorado to Maryland!

Q: What is your role within Toki and what are some of your main responsibilities?
A: My role at Toki is a customer success representative, and I handle all things customer service related. My main responsibility is providing exceptional customer service, handling order management and facilitating returns/exchanges.

Q: Do you have a female role model?
A: My role model is my late grandmother, who battled ovarian cancer for many years. She was always the first to pick up the pieces and care for the family. She raised me from when I was a little girl and I always looked up to her. Even during years of treatment, she was always there for me and had a smile on her face even in times of pain and discomfort. 

Q: Has working for Toki Mats been a different experience from other jobs you’ve held?
A: Working for Toki has been a blessing and has allowed me to provide for my family while still being able to be home and care for my little ones. They are always accommodating to anything everyday life might throw at me.

Q: If you could give a piece of advice to a younger you, what would it be?
A: If I could give a piece of advice to my younger self, it would be to embrace failure and believe in myself. It’s important to understand that failure is a part of life, but having self-belief that you can achieve your goals.