30Seconds® inspires you via amazing articles, tips and recipes that make the world a happier, healthier, more delicious place – 30 seconds at a time. Our goal is to make life better through the power of content and community, enabling busy people to connect, discover and share inspiration – in about 30 seconds.
Like many women, 30Seconds founder and busy mom of three Elisa Schmitz found herself constantly reaching for her phone to multi-task and get things done. Whether waiting in the school carpool line, standing in the grocery store check-out, cooking dinner or running her businesses, her smartphone became the most important tool in her utility belt. It was clear she was not alone. In fact, 96 percent of her fellow moms said they would return home if they left their mobile behind.
Having recently sold her first business, iParenting, to the Walt Disney Company, Elisa knew the opportunity to provide busy women with information and inspiration on the go was her next challenge as an entrepreneur. She launched 30Second Mom with the mission to provide mobile moms with quick and helpful tips from experts and passionistas – 30 seconds at a time – delivered straight to their phones.
Since then, 30Seconds.com has grown into a full-scale digital media company with thousands of contributors, multiple content channels and tens of thousands of articles in its database. Our nuggets of wisdom are unique and original – family traditions, favorite recipes, cherished secrets, health and beauty insights, parenting hacks, product recommendations and more – that help busy people save time, money and their sanity.
Elisa Schmitz is an award-winning entrepreneur and professional journalist. She’s the Latina founder and CEO of 30Seconds.com, an inspiring digital media platform and vibrant lifestyle community. She’s also the founder of iParenting, a “Best of the Web” digital media company that was acquired by the Walt Disney Company. After the sale, Elisa worked for Disney as director and executive editor of the Disney Interactive Media Group. She has been a newspaper columnist, magazine editor, radio and video host, and creator of content and marketing programs for various Fortune 500 companies.
Elisa earned her bachelor’s degree in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which awarded her its Entrepreneurial Achievement Award, and where she serves on the Communication Arts board. She earned her master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where she’s a member of the Council of One Hundred mentoring organization.
Elisa is the author of the award-winning book Become the Fire: Transform Life's Chaos into Business and Personal Success. Winner of the Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Award for Motivational Nonfiction, Become the Fire is for anyone who wants to start something, grow something, build something or become something they've always dreamed of being – but who fears that their outsider status or chaotic life might hold them back. It's for dreamers who want to be doers, and for doers who want to do more.
Elisa is no stranger to life’s fire. The daughter of a Puerto Rican mother and Yugoslavian immigrant father, Elisa learned to use her “differentness” to make a difference as she grew up in Puerto Rico, war-torn Lebanon, and suburban Chicago. All along, she created what she needed to survive and thrive.
"Become the Fire tells my story, but I was curious to share the skills that guided other women on their paths," Elisa says. "That’s why I also tell the stories of ten other women who have risen to the highest ranks of their careers, using many of the same mindset shifts and skills I relied on to take control of my own transformation. They, too, battled chaos and came out stronger. They, too, used the fire as fuel to propel their success."
As a passionate foodie and a dedicated home cook, Elisa loves to create in the kitchen. Coming up with new recipes for family and friends to enjoy, and to share on 30Seconds, is one of her greatest joys.
If you have a passion or an expertise and you want to share your own tips or recipes, we invite you to become a 30Seconds contributor. On 30Seconds, we realize time is your most precious resource. We look forward to having you join our thriving community!
