Chelsa Bocci

About Chelsa Bocci

I’m the founder of Choice Mama, a digital platform and global community built to empower women who are contemplating, pursuing, or living the path of solo motherhood by choice. Through curated resources, expert guidance, and real-time community connection, we support women in one of life’s most courageous transitions—reclaiming the dream of motherhood on their own terms.This work is both professional and deeply personal. After a long and emotionally demanding fertility journey, I became a Choice Mama myself in 2020. That experience changed everything—and called me to create what I wished had existed: a roadmap, a village, and a celebration of the brave women choosing this path.Choice Mama is more than a platform. It’s a cultural movement aimed at normalizing and uplifting non-traditional family structures, while offering coaching, courses, and community to women across all stages of the Choice Motherhood journey.Prior to launching Choice Mama, I co-founded Kiva.org, the world’s first peer-to-peer micro-lending platform. Over my 16-year tenure, I built and led some of Kiva’s most defining programs—including:=> Global Partnerships: Established and managed microfinance partnerships across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.=> Operations & Talent: Built Kiva’s global operations, including a 500+ person volunteer program and the Kiva Fellows initiative.=> Marketing & Community: Led a full rebrand, launched Kiva’s new mission/vision/values, and grew a loyal global audience of lenders.=> People & Culture: Drove employee engagement and talent development across Kiva’s international team and ecosystem.That experience taught me how to launch mission-driven brands, grow vibrant global communities, and use technology to drive human connection. I’m now channeling that same energy, heart, and vision into Choice Mama.Let’s connect if you’re passionate about women’s empowerment, future-of-family innovation, or building purpose-led brands from the ground up.

Experience

1. Board Member

   Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute

   Jul 2024 — Present

   Search Inside Yourself was born at Google in 2007 when one of Google’s earliest engineers, Chade-Meng Tan, gathered a team of leading experts in mindfulness techniques, neuroscience, leadership, to develop an internal course for fellow Google employees. In 2012, Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI) was created as a nonprofit organization to bring mindfulness-based emotional intelligence programming into workplaces of all kinds.The organization was divided into two in 2022, SIYLI (which continues as a non-profit) and SIY Global (serving corporations). SIYLI now focuses on supporting those in public service, acting as the backbone and pulse of our society: civil servants, public and mental health workers, educators, nonprofits, environmental organizations and folks involved with social impact initiatives.

Education

• Institute for Coaching Mastery

  Coaching Certification

• Santa Clara University

  BS, Psychology

  1996 — 2000

Skills

• Fundraising
• Community Engagement
• Marketing Strategy
• Social Media
• Social Entrepreneurship
• International Development
• People Management
• Strategic Partnerships
• Microsoft Office
• People Development
• Email Marketing
• Capacity Building
• Program Management
• Organizational Development
• Event Planning
• Strategic Planning
• Online Marketing
• Public Speaking
• Team Management
• Community Support
• Program Development
• Leadership Development
• Leadership
• Philanthropy
• Microfinance
• Advertising
• Social Enterprise
• Microsoft Powerpoint
• Grants
• Community Outreach
• Community Development
• Content Marketing
• Brand Strategy
• Recruiting
• Training
• Volunteer Management
• Partnership Development
• Social Networking