Originally published on LinkedIn (reformatted for zahradnik.io / Medium)
Baby Boom (1987) is one of my favourite films — not just for the story, but for the subtle entrepreneurial arc woven beneath the romance.
C.J. Wiatt is a high-performing professional working 80–90 hours a week, weekends included. Her life revolves entirely around her career; she’s effectively married to her job. Her partner lives the same way — they share an apartment, not a life.
Everything changes when C.J. unexpectedly inherits a baby girl.
Her structured world collapses. What follows is a complete identity rupture.
What makes the film timeless is what comes next.
C.J. is forced to slow down, reconnect with herself, rediscover her softness, and rebuild from the ground up. Out of presence rather than pressure, she creates a simple product — homemade apple juice — that grows into a business worth millions.
My favourite moment in the entire film is the final monologue.
After proving she can "have it all,” she is offered a huge sum of money to sell everything and return to her old life.
She refuses.
“I’m not selling.
I’m not one of you anymore.”
For me, C.J. Wiatt is a reminder that we don’t need to grind ourselves into exhaustion to build something meaningful.
Aligned creation beats perpetual hustle.
Every time.
