My Clients Share Their Best Motherhood + Business Tips!
Episode Summary:
I don't know about you, but motherhood is HARD. It is so challenging and one of the questions that I get the most from my community is, "Anna, how do you show up and be a present and patient mom and balance that along with loving to work?" There's no one better to ask this question of than my amazing community, so I asked this of some of my mastermind clients and friends. They're each sharing their best tip when it comes to running a business and being a mom. I hope you laugh, cry, and smile listening to these beautiful tips from my community!
Topics Discussed:
The biggest question that I get from my community
The myth of balance in motherhood and business
Bringing reality to your to do list
Integrating micro-moments of self care into your day
Reminding yourself of what success looks like to you
Giving yourself space to feel all the feelings
Involving your kids in the day-to-day of business
Using a timer to get short bursts of work done during your day
Remembering to prioritize your own wellness needs
Episode Resources:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Stitcher
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Shawne Arceneaux
Hi, My name is Shawne Arceneaux and I'm the CEO of AlignWell Collective where I help nurse entrepreneurs and other healers feel safe to be seen and streamline their biz operations so that they can tap into their most creative parts of themselves and share their healing gifts with the world in a way that feels in total alignment with their soul’s purpose And today I want to share my #1 tip for balancing motherhood and business and that is giving yourself permission to feel EVERYTHING..... As a brand new mom who gave birth to my first baby earlier in 2023, I have experienced so many highs and lows emotionally, mentally, and physically. And part of my growth and healing in this area, and in balancing business and motherhood, has been really focused on increasing my capacity to feel not just the good stuff, the happy moments and emotions, but also the really dark stuff as well. Grief for your life before baby, resentment, anger, loneliness, isolation. These are all feelings that I felt and experienced, and for so long I judged myself for feeling these things. I think as high-achieving women, we expect ourselves to be “strong” and push through these dark moments, and continue PERFORMING at this high level. We naturally have really high expectations for ourselves in how we show up both in our businesses and as moms. But the one thing I want you to remember, and this is something that I am pulling directly from my own recent experience, is that you are not just a mama or a business owner, you are a multi-faceted human being. EVERY piece of you is so beautiful, not just the positive, successful, productive parts of you, but also those dark, raw, parts of you as well. And to increase your to capacity to feel joy and success and all the good things, you need to give yourself permission and space to feel everything else. This has been something that has been so important for me in my own journey, and I think if all of us mamas can lift each other up and support each other and hold space for each other to really be in our human experience in a totally self-compassionate way, I think there can be so much harmony created between our mom life and business life. For all of the mamas who resonated with this piece of wisdom, I would love to hang out with you over on Instagram — You can follow me @ nursecoachshawne.
RuthAnn Rafiq
Hello! My name is RuthAnn Rafiq and I’m the owner and brand designer of R Artspace where I help 6-figure coaches and service providers scale their businesses and skyrocket their authority through a premium start to finish rebrand that reflects their big vision, vibe and values. Today I would love to share my #1 tip for balancing motherhood and business and that is to know what success looks like for you. It’s so easy to get caught up if we’re scrolling on Instagram to see people making 20k months or multi-six figure years, and that is wonderful, and sharing your wins is important. But sometimes that can make me feel like I’m behind or I can get discouraged. Cause, let me paint the picture for you, I am an 8 month old and 3 and a half year old (and we hope to have another baby) so things are busy and it’s just a physically demanding phase of motherhood, I’m in babyland. I’m in a different season than a lot of women entrepreneurs I follow and that’s ok. It’s easy for me to sometimes get sidetracked with really big financial goals or even discouraged with where I want to be and feeling like I’m not there yet, but I remind myself that I don’t have tons of time to dedicate to my business right now. And that’s by choice cause I want to be available and home with my kids and be their primary caretaker in their young years and that’s important to me. My business has always been about moving around my life, so that in different seasons it can support me in different ways. And right now, it’s supporting me with creativity and supplementing our finances. And, in this season, that’s enough for me because that’s my version of success. So I want to encourage you, whatever season you’re at in your motherhood journey, go back to “what is the most important thing to you right now”? “What does success look like for you”? As Anna has told me, “you can have it all, but just maybe not all right now.” And that will help you feel so much more fulfilled in your work knowing that you’re right where you should be in this season and that you ARE successful because you’re living out your version of success. You can follow along with me on Instagram at @r_artspace or listen to my podcast called Rebrand with RuthAnn
Jessie Halvorsen
Written Script (I just did a transcript... because I didn't write anything out. I just used the intro prompt): Hi, My name is Jessie Halvorsen, and I'm the CEO of Mom Elevated. I help people, moms specifically, find their path and journey to increase their impact and income without breaking the bonds they have with their babies. And today, I want to share my #1 tip for balancing motherhood and business, which I don't think there necessarily is a full-on balance between motherhood and business. I think that shifts every day, and you have to find your center. So that center can shift from moment to moment, from day to day. It's like a teeter-totter, and you just have to find that point that makes you feel balanced that day. And so shifting your expectations can help tremendously in knowing what you're putting on yourself, and what you're putting on yourself from others, or what you're putting on yourself from society and what you can let go of. What is it that is holding you back because you're so stressed about it? Is your house a mess? That's probably okay. As long as it's not filthy, you're going to pick it up; you're going to see those messes. And yes, it definitely makes you feel a lot better once you get it done, but you have to figure out what your priorities are that day for your expectations. So, are you expecting everything to be perfect? That's probably detrimental to your productivity for that day and balancing your motherhood and business. So that is my biggest tip, and I think that's great. If you would like to find me, work with me, momelevated.com has all the things. You can find me on social. You can find all my programs there; how to work with me in any capacity. I have quarterly support, monthly support, one-on-one support to help you find those expectation shifts that you need to make, and to organize your priorities, and to manage your time and energy. I'm here to help with all of those things. Thank you so much. I hope you have a great day and I hope that helps. Bye! :)
Instagram: @momelevated
Dallas Woodburn
Hi, My name is Dallas Woodburn and I'm a bestselling author and book coach who helps women entrepreneurs give birth to the books inside their hearts to grow their business and their legacies! My #1 tip for balancing motherhood and business is to seize tiny chunks of time to move forward on your goals, and give yourself credit for those bits and pieces! I like to set a timer for 8 minutes and give my whole attention to a task– it always surprises me how much forward momentum can happen in a short block of time. This is an especially good hack when you don’t feel like doing something, because you can do anything for 8 minutes, right? I had my second baby this past December, and this year as a new mom of two I was able to write, edit and publish my new book Your Book Matters by using tiny increments of time to work on it consistently every day. If you have a book on your heart, I’d love to invite you to check out my podcast, the Thriving Authors Podcast– I release a new episode every Friday!
Amber Carver
Hi, My name is Amber Carver and I'm a wife, mother, mental health advocate, nutrition and wellness coach and the CEO of Amber Carver, LLC I help overwhelmed, high achieving, empaths attain sustainable energy, so that they can be fully present in their life without sacrificing their health and today I want to share my #1 tip for balancing motherhood and business and that is give yourself permission to prioritize your own wellness needs by hitting the easy button.
When I started giving myself permission to only go to one grocery store instead of 5 or to buy the pre chopped vegetables or veggie tray instead of the whole head thinking that I was going to have time to chop them I gave myself a gift of freedom. Freedom from unrealistic expectations I was putting on myself that often left me in a guilt spiral. I became better able to show up for myself and family when I made this choice. I see this for clients too. When they remove their own unrealistic expectations for what health must mean, they learn to thrive. In fact, they even begin to enjoy the process of living in health because it no longer feels like a burden.
Give yourself permission to choose what works for you! If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to come follow me over on the IG at ambercarverlpcntp.
Katelyn Denning
Hi, My name is Katelyn Denning and I’m the CEO of Mother Nurture where I coach busy, working moms to effectively and efficiently manage their time so they can spend more of it doing things that they enjoy - both at work and at home.
Today I want to share my favorite tip for balancing motherhood and business and that is to right-size your to-do list.
What does that mean?
It means only expecting yourself to complete or cross off the number of tasks or projects or to-dos that you actually have time for.
I used to start everyday with a to-do list a mile long and frantically try to squeeze in as much as I could while I had childcare for my three kids. But without any regard to how much actual time I had to do the work, not to mention my energy, I almost always came up short. And I would end my workday feeling kind of frustrated and then was short with my kids in the evening.
But when I started to first look at how much time I ACTUALLY had to work (after clients calls), I would choose just the tasks, the most important tasks, that I could complete in that amount of time.
The other things that used to live on my daily to-do list were never going to get done anyway. So now I put them to the side as options that I can choose to work on the next day or next week and I keep my focus and attention just on what I have the capacity for today.
So my challenge for you is to make a list each day that you KNOW you can complete. To have the goal of crossing everything off so that you finish your work feeling empowered. You just completed your to-do list. And that energy is going to follow you into your second shift as you spend time with your kids, with yourself, feeling so good about the work you’re doing and the progress you’re making. Because you set yourself up today to succeed.
If you’re a busy, working mom looking for tips and coaching to better balance and enjoy work and life, come find me on IG @lovemothernurture.
Devanne White
Hi, my name is Devanne, and I'm the CEO of an interior design company. I help people redesign their space one room at a time, to find JOY and peace and stability that translates to all areas of their lives.
I LOVE that as an entrepreneur I can design my days around my family’s schedule, and that I can protect my afternoons and my evenings for my kiddos.
My #1 tip for balancing motherhood and business is to involve my daughters in my entrepreneurial journey. I share accomplishments with them, and even some of the struggles, so that they see what goes into my work and what it looks like to own what I do.
And because I have made staying present and engaged with what’s going on in their lives a priority as well, I am modeling balance to my kiddos.
They get to see me work hard in my business, AND they get to see me set aside time for THEM.
This is how I hope to pass along a legacy of working hard AND creating space and intention for the things that matter most in life.
It’s not always easy, and I’m so grateful to have incredible support from Anna and her crew, AND I’m constantly working hard to create balance in the rest of my life as well:
Exercise, food, travel, friends, fun.
However, It may not be a surprise that my favorite place to lean into balance and stability is in my own home with functional design.
If you want to hear more about how interior design can increase balance and stability in your life, follow along with me at @designcoach on instagram .
Kathya Bustamante
Hi, I’m Kathya Bustamante and I help online store owners who sell eco-friendly, organic, and sustainable products grow their audience and sales with ease. I work with clothing, jewelry, beauty products, and really any physical products that are ethically made.
My tip for today will hopefully help combat the mama guilt that working mothers often carry.
You’ll want to block a chunk of time on your calendar every week for you and your child. It can be as little as one hour or all day depending on what’s realistic for you. You’ll also need a cup or a jar and about 20-25 popsicle sticks. On each popsicle stick you’ll write a different activity such as make a craft, bake cookies, watch a show, etc. My daughter gets to choose a popsicle stick and then we do whatever that activity might be together. You can also have your child choose the popsicle stick ahead of time so you can be sure you have any materials or ingredients you’ll need.
I hope you’ll give it a try. It’s been a great way for my daughter and I to connect and for her to feel like she gets my undivided attention and for me to feel a lot less guilt. So it’s a win/win
If you have a product-based brand and want support to get more sales head over to my private FB group: Marketing Made Simple for eco brands
https://www.facebook.com/groups/marketingmadesimpleforecobrands
You can also find me on Instagram @ eco_strategist
PS: In the midst of this challenging time I’ve been asking myself what I can do to help? One of the #1 ways I support my clients is by helping them simplify their business so that they can increase the flow of money without creating extra work. In this season simplified visibility and sales is needed more than ever.
So if you’re craving personal support as you reposition your free and paid work, I’d love to help you simplify your sales process so that you can produce income in your business even during a challenging time. If you want support you can check out my services and book a free discovery call here, or you can send me a DM on Instagram.