Mompowerment

Merry Christmas to the magic makers! Mamas, you have done all the things to make this day special. Hope you enjoyed the day and maybe even got a nap in there too. Go to bed early! You deserve it!

It's been 16 years since we said "I do!" You continue to make me laugh, support me in my endeavors, and help build a life we enjoy, now as a family. Here's to many, many, many more! Love you

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Don't forget—
Balance begins with caring for you.

Happy Valentine's Day to all the working mamas! A little poem to remind you that it starts with self-love! That can means things like you:
*Talk to yourself like you would a friend
*Celebrate your wins and strengths
*Ask for help at work and home

I have a lot to say about this (it was my topic in my latest newsletter). Comment love and I'll send you a link to a Mompowerment blog post to share more ideas on self-love for working mamas. In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying the day. 😍

How do you show yourself some love? ❤️🥰❤️

Sometimes you need to let others take the lead. In this case I'm talking about my boys. I would say that 2024 has been a hard year. The pendulum has definitely swung more to the mother side and away from the work side. Lots and lots of spinning plates and they were largely related to kids. The boys' godfather told me to enable them to take the initiative more. And then follow their lead, guiding and helping them course correct along the way.

As a child and teen, I very much took charge of my own lofe. I took the initiative. My parents supported and encouraged me, but they definitely didn't hold my hand as I made decisions and figured things out.

One of my boys is a make-it-happen kind of kid. He uncovers something and goes after it. The other child needs a whole lot more handholding and nudging. I won't say which is which.

So, I ask you. How do you approach this? How do you enable your kids to take charge?

Women’s Day is a day to celebrate women across the world. While I usually talk about working moms, today I’m talking about all women and moms around the globe.

We must recognize and embrace our power as women together to create change for ourselves and to give a voice to the women and mothers who cannot speak for themselves.

Across the world, we see so many places where mothers have lost their rights and freedoms. We see where the lives of women and mothers are in chaos. In times of economic challenges and conflict, it’s often felt the most by mothers.

So, my challenge to you today is that while you celebrate this day, amplify another woman. Help give a voice to someone who doesn’t have one.

What does that look like? How can you take action? Mentor. Network outside of your usual circle, especially to women of color. Show support to organizations that impact women and mothers, professional organizations and those for women in need. Speak up when something doesn’t sit right. Vote. 

How else are you supporting women and mothers who don’t have a voice?

Last week I hit a major milestone as an author. I have officially sold 1000 books on Amazon. (Did you know the average self-published author sells about ~250 books? While an indie publisher published my book , I maintain the rights and do all my marketing. It's more similar to self-publishing than being part of a large publishing house.)

Writing books is not for the faint of heart. It takes time, energy, knowledge (in the case of a non-fiction book), and a team.

It starts at home with my husband supporting me and my kids cheering me on (or even being the catalyst for creating and building the Mompowerment brand and business).

In my case, I was privileged to have 110+ professional working mothers share their story with me. The book was made so much better with their advice, insights, and stories. So yes, it’s a book for working mothers from working mothers who have been in your shoes.

I also had amazing beta readers who helped me shape the books   and Lisa Carlson.

Authors also need a community. So, while I'm writing this post to share my big accomplishment, I also want to say thank you to the Mompowerment community. Thank you for buying the books. Thank you for sharing your thoughts in reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you for telling a friend about them. Thank you for including my thoughts in articles (and having me write articles) about different aspects of work-life balance and working motherhood. Thank you for having me speak to your team, group, book club, etc. (or recommending me to someone who had me speak).

Thank you for your continued support of Mompowerment

I think one of the reasons that I like mosaics is that they are made up of pieces that eventually make a picture. If you separate the stones into piles of pretty colors, you would never know they can form a glorious visual. Stone puzzles from ancient times.

And that is how I look at life. All of the pieces you have eventually form a picture. You can visualize and intentionally find the pieces or you can create a picture as you put pieces together. I'm probably more of the first one. I've got the visual in my head that helps me see how all the elements work together.

Do you think about how all the pieces in your life fit together? Or do you let the pieces fall where they may?