When Worlds Collide: On Motherhood & Entrepreneurship

I’m going to get VERY real, VERY quickly. So, if you’re not into that, thank you for stopping by, continue your scroll. (But nothing is safe on this site, FYI).

Being a mom has been the single most amazing experience I’ve ever had. It’s taught me how to love to the very core of my being and how to despair to the very depths of my soul. It’s given me Herculian courage in times of need, and launched me into total mental breakdown because of a bag of snacks. It’s a CONSTANT dance between, “What is the RIGHT thing to do in this moment?” and flat our rage or anxiety. Nothing has evolved me faster or more dramatically than becoming a mother.

And, as if that were not enough for one soul, I decided four months postpartum that I would ALSO start an online business. Crazy, right? Like a FOX, I say. (Bonus points if you catch the Simpson’s reference).

I was in NO state to start an online business. I was massively depressed and cycling between anxiety episodes that had me feeling like I was stuck on an emotional rollercoaster permanently. I hadn’t yet recovered from one episode before I was launched full force into another loopty loop. It was LOADS of fun. Just kidding, most of the time I wanted to die, frankly.

But, something called me to this business. Something, someone, some ENERGY pulled me to this business and now nearly two years later, I understand why.

My business is about helping other women (primarily) find simple and efficient self care rituals for health and fitness that promote long term well being. And as you can imagine, that started with me. I was my very first prototype. I’ve worked out nearly every single day for the past 1.5 years, gradually improved my nutrition as I learned more about the significance of certain nutrients, shed weight and unnecessary anxiety and depression and have since become a version of myself I would have scarcely recognized when I started.

I’ve become intoxicated with the power of this work. It’s become my singular dedication to help other women recover and reclaim their lives. As I cultivate intimacy, courage, empowerment, and unwavering support in my monthly fit groups I witness these women blossom into gorgeous light beings FULL of joy and vitality. It LITERALLY takes my breath away some days and stings my eyes with tears of appreciation.

And while I love my work, and I get to work from home and run these rocking groups, the reality of being a mother AND an entrepreneur is harrowing. There is no fucking glam in this. It is PURE grit and persistence. It is waking up at 5 AM just to be able to read in peace and workout without having a toddler using me as a jungle gym. It is organizing my entire day around nap time because the moment that kid’s head hits the bed, I have to leap out of his room like a gazelle on fire to my desk so I have the time to meditate, complete my work tasks, email every human on the planet back and poop. (Primarily in that order).

It’s EXHAUSTING. And, I’m also expected to maintain a home. Laundry, errands, food, pets. Like, what the actual fuck!? But, it’s true. And I’m not alone.

This new era of women is business is BUILT by women who are doing the very same impossible tasks I am day in and day out. This new world of entrepreneurs is built on the backbone of mothers who are prospecting on Instagram while their 3 month old nurses, their 7 year old paints the toilet seat with nail polish, their cat eats its own poop, and the dishwasher is overflowing with bubbles because she DEFINITELY used the wrong soap, because she’s sleep deprived as fuck and can’t remember the last time she bathed.

THAT is the new world business owner y’all. And you know what? She’s a mother-fucking (s)hero.

Because somehow she manages to hold her shit together long enough to not kill her children, have a semi functioning home, and run a business that is meaningful and brings her joy. That is PURE heroism at it’s best.

Our work is messy. A lot of it goes behind the scenes. Nobody celebrates us openly because to most we are “just” stay at home moms and for some reason they say that as if that ALONE isn’t enough to deserve us a fucking hollywood star. Guess what, IT IS. Mothering conscious, loving, generous little human beings is really hard work and doing that along with all the menial house labor chores required to live a decent life AND running a business we love is REALLY REALLY hard work.

And, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. My days are a blur, but I wouldn’t change it. There will come a day when it’s not like this. There will come a day when the storm has settled, the kids have grown, the business is thriving, and someone else is helping me with dishes because LORD knows I HATE dishes. But for now, I celebrate the resilient human being I am and every mother is and I honor the work, the sweat, the tears and the aching loneliness that comes with a professional life that is given scant recognition until it can impress another human being with an alarming amount of 0’s behind a single digit.

If you’re one of these mothers, I honor you. Thank you for having the courage to do motherhood AND business. Thank you for showing the world that we are fucking amazing and TRUE wonder-women. You are amazing and I bless you and your business 100x over, may your success be so staggering that you are rewarded for every sleepless night and every blurry day you’ve lived.

In solidarity,

Sincerely,
Shakti