Motherhood and Entrepreneurship
Motherhood has been the most humbling, prolific transformation I’ve had, particularly as an entrepreneur. I took a backseat to myself in the most beautiful way imaginable.
(While the majority of my husband and I’s friends are nearing their forties with a subtle to fully expressed disdain at the thought of having children, who “don’t want the responsibility”, etc., I keep in mind: “to each their own”, and “you do you, boo”. However…)
In my own experience, what a gift parenthood is to the ego, a wild 180 from the self-centeredness promoted these days in our modern culture with all fake everything abounding—with AI, filters, Photoshopping “perfection” over authenticity…
To unequivocally love someone so much more than yourself, on a level you’ve never known is quite literally life-changing.
Before our son was born, every loving parent we knew tried to tell us how much we didn’t understand the love we would feel—“yeah, yeah, I’m sure, of course”, we’d think—though to experience that love and transformation firsthand…
This brand new person’s wellbeing depended almost exclusively upon me, and my purpose so clearly and suddenly was to be the absolute best I could be for this adorable, innocent, magical little baby I brought into the world.
The real why of my business was always, always bigger than “just” money; Peace to the People was (perhaps foolishly at times) a large piece of my heart and soul, my “baby” before I had a baby, a striving to be authentic and to build a hub of what I hoped would help people and bring them peace, joy, or inspiration.
Mostly, I desired a platform to write, and (what took me so many years to realize) to simply be myself.
I am not the best percussionist or pianist in the world by an extraordinary margin. But I was a first chair percussionist for eight years straight, head drummer, and winner of the Semper Fidelis award for Musical Excellence my graduating year of high school…
I’m not a master crocheter, but my great grandmother taught me when I was a little girl, and decades later, my love language is still making people heavy, beautiful blankets that take me many months to make.
While I’ve been a professional mindfulness, meditation, and yoga teacher, a fitness instructor, and digital marketing specialist most all my young life, I’m not a professional gardener, or chef, or homemaker… but I have at last learned to reframe the old dig “jack of all trades, master of none” into what used to be considered a positive quality, a tip of the hat to versatility and universality: “a renaissance (wo)man”, or even simply “well-rounded.”
The greatest gift of motherhood, for me, was shedding the final shell of feeling the need to keep up with appearances. To take particular entrepreneurs and teachers off the pedestal I had placed them on—to finally have the simple epiphany that I am not them, I am simply myself.
The ultimate “why” of my business has forever been less about money for materialistic acquisitions… but to have the freedom to live life on my own terms to the furthest extent I could take it—knowing that the largest goal and wish of mine all my life was to one day be a mother.
All along, my greatest hope was to be present with my children and raise them to the best of my ability—to give them my entire heart, soul, and as much of my attention as possible—to know work would always be there waiting, but these swiftly fleeting moments of absolute beauty and such precious joy…
Becoming a mother at last allowed me to drop all BS of playing small—to come back to my business a bit more tired but a dash wiser—to keep on growing my evergreen dream.
To succeed wasn’t to “sell out”; to succeed was to support my family and be the best I could be for them—to have the freedom and flexibility to spend quality time with my son and my family… to be present as much as possible for the best stuff of life, to be self-sufficient, and to have the means to be there physically and financially for those I love.
From a long lineages of entrepreneurs, I too wanted to be a source of opportunity—to give my family the freedom to pursue happiness and their own unique authenticity, purpose, and dharma!
Becoming a mother allowed me the chance to step back and remember what I was building, and why.
Out of love and for love, my business is still my passion, my project, my hobby, and joy. Rejuvenated and more mature than when I first began, I begin again.
