Have you ever met someone who could juggle a toddler, a camera crew, a startup pitch, and a power drill, all in the same week?
This week, host Bryan Eisenberg sat down with Suzette Reynoso-Bivens, founder of Tot Box Play Cafe and co-owner of Cleanway Waste Management. What followed was part business chat, part emotional gut punch, and all inspiration.
Suzette didn’t just show up to the conversation. She brought the kind of courage that makes you lean in.
Formerly a TV journalist and filmmaker, Suzette made the jump from lights and scripts to slides and storytime. But this wasn’t just a career change. It was a calling. After the tragic loss of her father in 2020, she found herself pregnant, grieving, and starting over in Texas during a pandemic. The vision for Tot Box was born out of that emotional chaos.
And here’s the twist. Her father, before he passed, had been training a horse, one he believed would one day belong to his granddaughter. Suzette found out she was pregnant just days after his accident. Today, her daughter is four and still talks about her “Abuelito in heaven.” That’s not just a story. That’s a legacy.
Tot Box Play Cafe isn’t just a play space. It’s a safe haven where moms aren’t treated like afterthoughts. From made-to-order mini pancakes to sensory bubble parties and specialty coffee, every inch of the space is intentional. There are no screens. Just imagination, interaction, and the occasional bubble-fueled dance party.
And while the birthday parties are booming, what sets Tot Box apart are the support groups, wellness events, and community-driven partnerships with nonprofits. The business was built with a beating heart.
But Suzette didn’t stop there.
When an 80-year-old driver had a medical emergency and crashed into Tot Box (thankfully while it was closed due to a mysteriously broken AC), Suzette didn’t fold. She pivoted. She and her husband launched a second business, Cleanway Waste Management. Portable restrooms might not sound glamorous, but they’re a “rice and beans” business: unsexy, profitable, and essential.
How did she do it all?
“I ask questions,” Suzette said. “And I stay curious. I don’t have all the answers, but I know someone does.”
And maybe that’s her real superpower. She’s not just building businesses. She’s building community. She’s rewriting the entrepreneur story by being present, as a mother, as a founder, as a friend.
Bryan Eisenberg called her courageous. She didn’t quite believe it.
But anyone listening to her pitch at Startup Day or hearing about how she shows up, online, on camera, or behind the counter, knows better. Vulnerability might be the new buzzword, but Suzette lives it with purpose, not performance.
Her advice to local business owners struggling with content? Keep showing up. Keep posting. Keep practicing. “It’s awkward at first, like watching a toddler learn to walk, but you get better the more you do it.”
She’s proof that success doesn’t always look like shark tanks and viral growth hacks. Sometimes it looks like pancakes, bubbles, and a dream passed down on horseback.
Tot Box Play Cafe is located in downtown Round Rock. You can find Suzette online at totboxplaycafe.com or on Instagram @SuzetteReynoso. Just don’t be surprised if she’s already one step ahead, telling a story you didn’t even know you needed to hear.
