Mama AF

Be that MAMA. You know the one. The mama that turns heads, the one who has confidence blowing off her coat tail like, “Hey girl, what was in your coffee this morning?!” That’s what being a part of HEYMAMA is all about.  A community of women who are chasing dreams and making shit happen, all while being badass mamas, which is a job in itself!  I haven’t been able to attend a big event since I joined HEYMAMA, because well, LIFE!  But I said fuck it, this is important and these are the women I want to surround myself with so I am going to make this day work!  I wish I could have spent the whole day with all of these inspiring ladies, but with the time I did spend, I was thoroughly inspired to say the least.  Of course the little details were fabulous. The perks included a little acupuncture, an elaborate goody bag and a delicious lunch . I felt pretty spoiled the first half of my Friday that I am normally hustling my ass off and YES, I deserved it! 

The first speaker was a mama named Biet Simkin (@guidedbybiet).  She led a meditation and although meditation is not normally my thing, I wanted to be completely present and open to everything during this event. I focused inward and couldn’t have been happier that this mama started off my day.  She was blunt, had a voice, no bullshit and had a story about her experiences growing up that really resonated with me.  Dealing with deaths in her family, losing a child and losing herself at a certain point in life, but picking herself back up and finding the strength from her experiences to be a better person and make something of herself.  I have been through things that are very similar, which made it all too real for me.  Next up was a panel of dynamic women who are running highly successful businesses such as fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff and Melissa Ben-lshay who created Baked by Melissa.  These women inspire me with their work ethic, while simultaneously being a mom and raising a family—they do it all and embrace the chaos. 

When I first joined HEYMAMA, I joined the single mom subgroup.  I am a single mama as many of you know with no help, playing the roll of mom and dad in our house.  There were times during the first few years of my daughter’s life, when I didn’t feel connected with a lot of “mom friends.”  No one was single!  Weird right?  I just didn’t cross paths with single moms.  Recently that changed.  It was a breath of fresh air to connect with women that understand me, because there are so many moments where I feel like an outsider.  Connections are so key when you are a parent, because we all have different situations and experiences that bring us together. 

Amri and Katya have really put together something special.  I am thankful and inspired to have other women like myself to connect with.  Hardworking, badass entrepreneurial mamas, who have tried and failed, but picked themselves back up and tried again.  Their failures and missteps have given them inspiring stories and experiences, which motivated the audience, including me. 

During the panel something was said that I want to end with for all the hardworking mamas out there and parents in general and something I’ve talked about in my own life—“You realize that maternal instinct was there before you had a child.  Every failure helps you grow.”  For me failure has always been fuel. It’s good to fail.  YES, I said it, it’s good to fail!  I don’t think you truly grow until you experience failure in some way and that my friends is how you create these strong communities of people—women, men, parents—who will stop at nothing to be the best version of themselves and be someone that their children look up too.

Again, to the HEYMAMA group, thank you for allowing me to be a part of a thriving community of women.  Another shoutout to mamas and parents—you fucking got this no matter your situation.  Failure is the bottom and the only way to go from the bottom is up!

MollieAF