Melanie Sperling Palmer Is Helping Kids Build Emotional Intelligence Through Play With Emmers

Please share a brief introduction and your business

I’m Melanie Sperling Palmer, founder of Emmers - a children’s brand focused on emotional growth for playful kids. We create board games and storybooks that help kids build emotional skills like resilience, empathy, and emotion regulation through joyful, connected play. Kids aren’t born knowing how to name or regulate emotions - but these skills shape everything from relationships to leadership skills to mental health. Emmers gives families playful, research-backed tools to help kids grow.

 At the heart of Emmers are four lovable monster friends - Emmers, Zy, Nola, and Squid - who bring the magic. Each one helps kids see that all feelings have a place, and that emotional growth can be both playful and powerful. As a mom with a background in psychology and a former nonprofit leader in healthy relationship education, I’ve seen firsthand how early emotional skills shape lifelong wellbeing. I started Emmers to give families and educators joyful, connected ways to nurture emotional growth through play.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I’ve always been driven by purpose and the desire to build something that makes a difference in people's lives. I’ve also always loved the early stages of building - rolling up my sleeves, getting scrappy, and bringing an idea to life piece by piece. There’s something energizing about that fast-paced, creative stretch where everything is possible.

Entrepreneurship became the natural next step when I realized I could merge my passion for child development, creativity, and mission-driven leadership into something tangible. Founding Emmers has been an adventure that’s stretched me in every way, but also feels deeply aligned with who I am.

Do you have a co-founder?

I’m a solo founder, but I’ve learned that collaboration still matters deeply. Surrounding yourself with partners, mentors, and advisors who believe in your mission and communicate openly makes all the difference. Even as a solo founder, you can build a team that feels like a partnership.

Are you a mamaprenista?

Yes! My best advice is to let go of the myth of perfect balance. Some days you’re more founder, other days you’re more mom - and that’s okay. I set clear boundaries for family time and remind myself that building Emmers is part of my parenting - it’s about modeling resilience, creativity, and joy. And I try to give myself the same compassion I hope to teach my child.

Take us back to when you launched? What was your marketing strategy?

We officially launched in Fall 2025 after two years of research, product development, and play-testing with families and educators. Our marketing strategy centered around storytelling and connection - building authentic relationships with parents, experts, and communities who care about emotional growth. 

We used a mix of email marketing, social media storytelling, reporter outreach, and influencer partnerships - focusing on meaningful, mission-driven communication over polished ads. Our biggest wins came from genuine conversations - podcasts, parenting groups, and moms sharing Emmers with other moms.

What accomplishments are you the most proud of to date in your business?

Seeing Emmers move from an idea in my head to real products in homes and classrooms is deeply rewarding. And the moments that mean the most to me are when I receive messages about how these products opened conversations and moments of connections between kids and their caregivers that otherwise would have been missed. These messages capture exactly why I started this company. I’m proud that Emmers is not only beautifully designed and research-backed, but that it’s already creating real moments of growth and connection between kids and the adults who care for them.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

That everything takes longer than you think - and that’s okay. Building something real takes patience, persistence, and trust in the process. I’ve learned to celebrate progress and to surround myself with other founders who remind me that every step (even the messy ones) is part of the journey.

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

I love asking, “What’s something you’ve changed your mind about over time?” It reveals how open someone is to growth, reflection, and adapting to new information - qualities that are so important in a creative, mission-driven environment.

What did you go before starting your own business?

Before launching Emmers, I spent nearly a decade leading a nonprofit focused on healthy relationship education - working with teens, parents, and educators to build empathy, communication, and healthy relationship skills.

I hold a B.A. in Psychology from Duke and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where I deepened my understanding of human development and business strategy. My experience blending emotional development with education and social impact laid the foundation for Emmers - combining research-backed child development with creativity, storytelling, and play.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

After years working with teens, I kept noticing the same pattern: the young people who thrived emotionally and socially had developed key emotional skills early in childhood.

When I became a mom, that insight felt more personal than ever - I wanted to help my own child learn those same tools, but everything I found felt too clinical or overly simplistic. I knew there was a way to make emotional learning joyful, accessible, and rooted in real connection. That’s what inspired Emmers - born at my kitchen table, built from equal parts science, story, and heart.

Do you have any recent wins?

Yes! This fall marks our official product launch - after two years of development, testing, and partnership with incredible child development experts. Our first collection includes The Emotion Seekers Board Game and a three hard-cover storybooks all about resilience. All of our products are designed to help kids build emotional strength through joyful play. We’ve also built meaningful collaborations with educators, therapists, and parents who are integrating Emmers into classrooms and family routines - a huge milestone that shows how our mission resonates across different settings.

What's one app on your phone that you cannot live without?

Spotify! I always have music or a podcast playing - it keeps me focused, inspired, and grounded throughout the day. Whether it’s background music during work or a podcast on a walk, it helps me reset and recharge.

Who are your customers?

Our customers are parents, caregivers, educators, and therapists who believe in the power of play and want to help kids thrive emotionally. Most have children between ages 2–10, a time when emotional foundations are being built but traditional “teaching” doesn’t stick. Many are parents like me - juggling a million things but wanting to be intentional about raising kind, confident, resilient humans. They love that Emmers makes emotional learning something the whole family can genuinely enjoy.

What's your top productivity tip?

I live by my to-do lists! I organize tasks by priority and create a list for each day of the week, which helps me stay focused on what truly matters instead of reacting to what feels most urgent. I also rely on calendar blocking to carve out time for deep work, meetings, and personal focus - it keeps my days intentional and structured. And I’ve learned to always build in buffer time - everything takes longer than expected, and leaving space for flexibility keeps me calmer and more effective.

What's your favorite business tool?

Shopify has been an incredible all-in-one platform for building and managing Emmers. It keeps everything organized and running smoothly - and it’s allowed me to focus more on storytelling and connecting with families instead of getting lost in logistics.

What's your approach to work-life balance?

This is always an interesting dance! My priority is to show up fully for my family when I'm with them. I’m intentional about blocking off family time versus work time - and because Emmers is a children’s brand, it’s especially important to me to spend joyful, connected time with my child. That’s where so much of my inspiration comes from.

How do you avoid burn-out?

I have clear times of day that are just for family - and I keep my phone on silent during those moments so I can be fully present. I try to be honest about my capacity and not take on more than I can realistically manage. Keeping my inbox organized (and as close to zero as possible!) also helps me feel calm and in control instead of constantly catching up.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Start before you feel ready. Everything takes longer than you think, and the best learning happens once you’re in motion. Surround yourself with people who believe in you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. The early stages are messy, but they’re also magic - every late night, every small win, every lesson adds up to something extraordinary.

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