Heather Reider & Heather Goulet

“EVERY WOMAN NEEDS AN ETHEL,” says Heather Reider. She’s sitting across the desk from business partner Mary Goulet—the “Ethel” to Reider’s “Lucy.” Unlike the comedic pair from the classic sitcom I Love Lucy, this dynamic duo are coauthors and talk-show cohosts—and they take turns being Ethel. Their casual, honest, humorous and sometimes irreverent banter pulls in 20,000-plus listeners to their weekly Internet radio show.

As CEOs of Encinitas-based MomsTown, the twosome turn the 1950s Lucy-and-Ethel representation of the modern woman on its perfectly coiffed head. Dedicated to “putting womanhood back into motherhood,” Goulet and Reider are sharing the message that women can have it all: a family, a professional life and the ability to fully realize their unique identity and live out their passions.

In addition to the pair’s hour-long MomsTown radio show (Wednesdays at 11 a.m. PST at MomsTown.com), their Web site provides a forum where savvy moms can exchange insights and encouragement. The duo, who set up office in Goulet’s home basement, also send out a weekly e-mail newsletter to 40,000 subscribers. They work “fast and furiously” while their kids are at school (Goulet has 4- and 6-year-old girls, and Reider is mom to three boys, ages 5, 6 and 8).

In 2003, Hyperion Books approached Goulet and Reider to write a book based on their MomsTown philosophy. Published two years later, The MomsTown Guide To Getting It All: A Life Makeover for Stay-At-Home Moms is for women who “don’t want to stop chasing their dreams when they start changing diapers.” They’ve also cowritten The MomsTown Big Break Manual: Helping Moms Turn Their Passions into Profits to inspire an entrepreneurial spirit in stay-at-home moms.

But the MomsTown message isn’t just for moms. “We speak to all Generation Y women who look to the future and ask, ‘What do I envision for my life?’ ” says Reider, a former TV news reporter and anchor for ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates. “We want women to consider all the possibilities open to them—and know they can be a mom and create an empire.”

Goulet and Reider, both married, have had some help building their MomsTown empire from self-help guru Dr. Phil: They appear regularly on his TV talk show to advise his 6 million viewers on a range of topics affecting today’s woman.

Reflecting on their journey to the national spotlight, Goulet, who worked on Wall Street and in real estate, poses a rhetorical question: “How did two stay-at-home moms with a little basement radio show get on Dr. Phil? By believing in a positive outcome.”

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