Latest / Pretty In Pink Again / Episode 33: Laughing Your Way Through Motherhood: Finding Humor, Community, and Balance with Maria Roberts
Transcript
- 0:00I'm Christina and I'm t and this is the Pretty and Pink Again podcast.
- 0:03We're Motherhood Meets Rediscovery.
- 0:17Hello.
- 0:18Hi guys.
- 0:19Hi.
- 0:20Hey.
- 0:20We have a virtual guest on today.
- 0:22Yay.
- 0:22Maria Roberts.
- 0:24We are so excited to have you, Maria.
- 0:26Thank you so much for having me.
- 0:28My first podcast ever, so I can't believe that.
- 0:31I'm very excited.
- 0:32You must be in such demand though.
- 0:34I'm sure people wanna hear from you because if you guys don't know Maria, first of all, go follow her.
- 0:41Her handle is at Maria Roberts.
- 0:43And if you don't know who I'm talking about, you've probably seen her in your feed and you've probably sent her to one of your mom friends, or Christina has sent you one of her Yes.
- 0:53Memes.
- 0:53Yes.
- 0:54But she is a gorgeous, hilarious mom humor account and just woman humor account.
- 0:59I feel like you make light of all of the stuff that we as women and moms go through.
- 1:05And so you have definitely seen her in your feed before and she is here live and we're so excited to chat.
- 1:13Thank you.
- 1:13Thank you again.
- 1:15I'm excited too.
- 1:16Yeah.
- 1:17I love watching your content.
- 1:19I think you are so cute and I love that you make light of.
- 1:24Everything that's going on in this house right now.
- 1:26I'm like, how did she know that was happening here today?
- 1:29Yeah.
- 1:29Yeah.
- 1:29Liz is happening at your house.
- 1:31It must be, it's probably happening at your house.
- 1:32It's always like perfect timing too, because sometimes I'll see something and I'm like, wait, she literally must have been in our house.
- 1:38'Cause we just had this conversation.
- 1:39We just had this argument.
- 1:40How did you know Maria?
- 1:41Wait, the one that you just did the other day with the hormones, with the, you jumping up and down and on the ground and we just did a podcast about hormones.
- 1:51Yep.
- 1:51And I'm like, this is hysterical.
- 1:53And the husband's just standing there so stoic.
- 1:55Anyways, I love your stuff.
- 1:56It's awesome.
- 1:57Thank you.
- 1:58I feel like it all is just so relatable is what I'm finding, especially creating this content as well.
- 2:05Sometimes I'll be like, this is funny to me and you throw it out there and you don't know necessarily what the reaction is and when everyone is oh my god, same.
- 2:13And I like to consume that content as well.
- 2:15It makes you feel.
- 2:17Better.
- 2:17If you're stressed about something, you're like, oh, I don't even know if I'm doing this right.
- 2:20Or I messed up the other day.
- 2:21And then you get to see a video of someone doing the same thing and it's funny and then you're like, okay, this is fun.
- 2:28Like I, we're all fine.
- 2:29Yes.
- 2:29We're all doing our best.
- 2:30Yes.
- 2:31We're all doing our best.
- 2:31We're all our best over here.
- 2:33Yeah.
- 2:33I love that so much.
- 2:34I think it really helps.
- 2:35And I love, from like a lighthearted perspective, I feel like motherhood, we always say, and t and I have guests on and we tackle all the hard stuff on here but we also always say we don't wanna come off complainy.
- 2:49And so sometimes the best way to get through something is to laugh.
- 2:53And so that's why we appreciate, the humor in this.
- 2:56Yeah.
- 2:56You have to laugh your way through motherhood because if not you scream, you cry, you complain, you push people away.
- 3:02When you use humor, it brings you close to the people that are around you.
- 3:07I think to your point, we all talk about the same stuff all the time, and you can go about it in two ways or multiple ways.
- 3:13Yeah.
- 3:14You can be really crotchety and complainy about it.
- 3:17Yep.
- 3:17Which, ugh, come on.
- 3:18Nobody wants to hear that.
- 3:19Yeah.
- 3:19We're all going through the same stuff.
- 3:21Why are we gonna all complain together?
- 3:22Or you can like joke about it.
- 3:23Laugh about it, and laugh about it.
- 3:25Yep.
- 3:25Yep.
- 3:26And move on.
- 3:26You always say too, you're always like if you if you like took the roof off of the house Yes.
- 3:31If you took the roof off everyone's house is probably the same.
- 3:33Everybody's probably having the same argument.
- 3:36Everybody like looks like their life's together and it's not.
- 3:39You're probably having the same meltdown that we are and everybody's sitting next to the same pile of laundry.
- 3:44Literally as we speak.
- 3:47Thousand percent.
- 3:49I like cannot agree with that more.
- 3:51It's really the only way that I can get through it.
- 3:54I wanna take us back and I will, I'll kind of preface and say me and you know each other.
- 3:59So we, yes.
- 4:00We went to college together.
- 4:01We didn't run in the exact same circle, but there was a lot of crossover with our friends.
- 4:05Yeah.
- 4:06And so Maria, you went to Yukon.
- 4:07She went to Yukon.
- 4:08She's RH too.
- 4:09Is it?
- 4:10You're a Ucon girl.
- 4:12I'm a Yukon girl.
- 4:13Oh my.
- 4:13And you graduated in oh eight?
- 4:15Yep.
- 4:16Oh my gosh.
- 4:17Wow.
- 4:17Yeah.
- 4:17Fun.
- 4:18Small rock.
- 4:18I love that.
- 4:19We connected a few years after graduation because we had both started blogs and your blog was with your sister and you were one of my favorite recipe accounts.
- 4:30I feel like you share a little bit of that now, but that was how you started and I feel like that's such an interesting point.
- 4:35So I wanna talk about that and then your transition into this mom humor account.
- 4:40So can you take us back?
- 4:42It's funny, take us back.
- 4:43We were in like the OG era, like pre-Instagram.
- 4:47Instagram wasn't even a thing and I feel like it's so funny it how, why I even started, this is so random, but Lou, who is my husband, bought me a camera for my birthday, like one of those like Canon, yeah.
- 5:01Zoom lens cameras.
- 5:02And I remember being like, I.
- 5:05Want to use this, but what am I going to take pictures of?
- 5:07And at the same time, I was doing this clean program cleanse with my sister.
- 5:11We both lived in the city and we're like, what if we start to take pictures of what we're making for dinner?
- 5:16'cause this was like pre.
- 5:17Gluten free, dairy free.
- 5:19It was like on the cusp, but you couldn't really find recipes like you can today where it's everywhere.
- 5:23Like it wasn't as niche.
- 5:24No.
- 5:25We were like, what if we take pictures of what we're eating, put it on a blog, and it's only for like if anyone's doing the clean program cleanse, they can come to the blog.
- 5:33It was like so narrow, so specific, and really just like a side hobby.
- 5:37We were both working full time, but we were like, this could be fun.
- 5:39Let's use the camera.
- 5:41And that's really how it started.
- 5:42It was spinach for breakfast because in this clean program you had a green smoothie every morning.
- 5:46So that's how we started it and it was like a no pressure, just for fun hobby.
- 5:52Christina, did you feel the same way when you started it?
- 5:54I did.
- 5:54It really was just for fun.
- 5:56Yep.
- 5:56I remember specifically you being on my blog role, I've talked about this like where you used to have the side blog, like where you would be like, oh, there's other people that you should follow, and you were on there.
- 6:06Yes.
- 6:06And I was like, this is one of my favorite recipes.
- 6:08And I always loved making your stuff because again, you had the most amazing, very like easy, very healthy recipes.
- 6:15And so those were, some of those were like in my rotation and honestly still are.
- 6:19So I was like so excited to be able to like collaborate with you in that way.
- 6:24And I know we used to share each other and so it's just crazy.
- 6:27We go, yeah.
- 6:28Back, way back totally.
- 6:30It's funny.
- 6:30And I feel like there weren't as many people doing it.
- 6:34And I think when Instagram started, anyone who had a blog shifted over onto Instagram.
- 6:38But again, like there was no influencer, if you were to make money, it was if you had an ad bar on your blog.
- 6:45Yep.
- 6:45Like that, right?
- 6:45That's like how people made income.
- 6:48We started in this world where they're.
- 6:50Paid partnership on Instagram wasn't even a thing.
- 6:53Nope.
- 6:53Yet.
- 6:53No.
- 6:54And then it just slowly started to evolve the same way your account did as well.
- 6:58And I don't know.
- 6:59Here I am now, I know for my full-time job, but can you talk to us about I guess like the split off because you did do the blog with your sister and then it was your Yes.
- 7:08Your Instagram was also the two of you, like the face of it.
- 7:11I wonder if you scroll back, I'm sure on your account, right?
- 7:14It's probably still there.
- 7:15Oh yeah.
- 7:16Deep in there.
- 7:17So how did that, but yeah, no, how did it kind of transition then?
- 7:21So we did that for a while and my sister and I actually lived in the same building in the city for a few years.
- 7:26So that made it really easy because we worked during the day we came home, I would make a recipe, she'd come over and shoot it.
- 7:32Like we had a little thing going.
- 7:34We had a good work plan.
- 7:35Yeah.
- 7:36Yeah.
- 7:37And again, it was just for fun.
- 7:38But then I moved to Hoboken with Lou.
- 7:40She was still in the city.
- 7:41This was like I was having kids and our content just started to shift a little bit.
- 7:46I feel like the passion that I had for the food was really more in like the photography, the blog, post writing.
- 7:53I don't, I didn't really love cooking.
- 7:55I still don't love cooking.
- 7:56It wasn't like that was the passion of mine.
- 7:59I think when you create content, you have to love what you're doing.
- 8:02Sure.
- 8:02If you're going to have longevity in doing it.
- 8:04And I started to burn out a little bit.
- 8:06With the food.
- 8:07My sister was like deep in a full-time corporate job, and we were what should we do here?
- 8:12And this is when it was really like 2020.
- 8:14TikTok was coming through, lifestyle was becoming really big.
- 8:18Humor was becoming really big.
- 8:20I was pregnant with T Kaya and I was like, I think that this is the direction that I want to go in.
- 8:27It's what I'm consuming.
- 8:28So I feel like it's what I'm going to love to create.
- 8:31And it was just a natural shift and I'm so happy that I did it.
- 8:34'cause I don't know if I could have maintained doing the recipe content for that much longer.
- 8:39'cause I just like my, like heart wasn't in it, if that makes sense.
- 8:42No, it makes perfect sense because I think if anything in life.
- 8:46You have to have passion about what you're doing and you have to love what you're doing if you're gonna stand behind it.
- 8:52Because if you otherwise, to your point, you're gonna have burnout and you're gonna have fatigue and you're, yeah.
- 8:57The people that are watching your content are gonna feel it.
- 9:00And it's also what's relatable to you right now?
- 9:02What you're going through.
- 9:04And so Exactly.
- 9:05That's how you build that audience is because it has to be authentic to what is in your life right now, especially the lifestyle content.
- 9:12And I can imagine with the food just constantly needing to create and reinvent and figure out I can't imagine how hard that must be.
- 9:19So this seems just like a much more natural progression.
- 9:22Do you remember your first video when you pivoted to more of the mom humor, lifestyle, more of what you were saying that you were consuming?
- 9:30Do you remember your first video that you put out?
- 9:32I remember one video I did with Lou and I was like, I don't know how this is going.
- 9:37And it's so funny.
- 9:37It is not this is not my.
- 9:40Personality, and I mean it is, but if you would've told me back in college, Maria, your job is going to be humor content online for people to view, I would've been like, there's no fucking way.
- 9:53There's no way that I'm doing that for my job.
- 9:56So the fact that I'm doing this is funny, but Lou and I did a video, I don't know if this is the first one, but it was the first one that really got traction where it was like the intro was like.
- 10:05Our kids just went to bed and we were like, what are we gonna do next?
- 10:08And it was like us on the couch listening to one of those like murder things.
- 10:11It just was lighthearted and funny.
- 10:14But people thought it also again, it's relatable, same, and Nick also do that and it's shareable.
- 10:20And I think that's again, when like the algorithm and everything started shifting, there's some content creators where if you like, go in a different direction and it kind, you're just like following the algorithm.
- 10:30And and I mean that in like the best way.
- 10:31Like when sharing became really important when you could hit that arrow and send it to people.
- 10:37Yes.
- 10:37That's when stuff started to take off.
- 10:39So if you had content that was stuff that people wanted to share with their husband, with their friends with their family, that's when that all started.
- 10:47So you were just like in that snowball where it just Yes.
- 10:51Started to all click and make sense.
- 10:52You keep referencing your husband, Lou?
- 10:55Have you roped him into this with you and how does he like doing the humor videos with you?
- 10:59He's the best because he if it wasn't for me, he would not even be on social media.
- 11:05He's not trying to be like a social media star.
- 11:08Like he really does it for me because I ask him and he's so naturally funny and so naturally good at it and people love him.
- 11:16So yeah, he is just the best and supportive of me and I think that when you do have a husband who.
- 11:25Can partake in your videos.
- 11:27It does open up a different.
- 11:29Area of content and videos that I can do.
- 11:32And again, I think the husband and wife or the parents is just like another whole relatable aspect and Oh, totally.
- 11:39He really is just so good.
- 11:40Like he'll do it in one take and it'll take me like seven takes.
- 11:43Oh, I love it.
- 11:44Are you an actor?
- 11:44Like you do that?
- 11:45Tell me that you can act.
- 11:46I dunno what's happening, but he is.
- 11:49He's great.
- 11:49That's really fun.
- 11:50That's awesome.
- 11:50I know.
- 11:51That's really fun.
- 11:51And I feel again, it opens it up to more of the parent thing because I feel like it's very easy to.
- 11:57Constantly just be like, oh, moms are in this.
- 12:00Moms are in it.
- 12:01Yeah.
- 12:01But like a lot of the times it's, I feel like the dads sometimes get left out of it, like if you have a very involved partner, a very involved dad, like they're experiencing the same stuff too.
- 12:10So they're probably finding exactly the same humor in things.
- 12:13And so it is really nice.
- 12:15And then it's also, I think it's like nice to see you guys poking fun at it together as opposed to just being from the female point of view.
- 12:23Just like you poking fun at yourself.
- 12:25Or the situation.
- 12:26The togetherness is also more relatable.
- 12:29And I think it's funny sometimes because I feel like we'll do videos sometimes that we'll poke fun at Lou, like he's poking fun at himself, but then there will be like an uproar in the comments.
- 12:41But I feel like I don't, I'm like, we're just pretending.
- 12:44And he's involved in this.
- 12:45Like he knows what's going on.
- 12:46Like he's saying the line.
- 12:47So like he's there.
- 12:49I know he's here, he's recording it.
- 12:50I guess that's a good question.
- 12:52How has it felt?
- 12:54I'm gonna reference one'cause I know you've had some very viral videos.
- 12:57What's your most viral video?
- 12:59What are the views on, do you have a few pins that are, so here's what's funny.
- 13:03I have two that I think of very viral videos.
- 13:06For two very different reasons.
- 13:08My most viral video is of Blue.
- 13:11He back in Hoboken, took Luca to the coffee shop across the street.
- 13:16He took him to school every morning and they stopped at the coffee shop across the street for 10 minutes every morning just to have time together.
- 13:22And then he would walk him to school because he works full time.
- 13:25And that was like a great one-on-one time for him.
- 13:29So I posted a video of that.
- 13:30'cause every morning he took a picture of Luca in the little coffee shop seat that has, I think like 3.1 million likes and wow.
- 13:37All it just hit, it just is like very heartwarming sentiment.
- 13:42A unique story.
- 13:43Yeah.
- 13:43And it's awesome.
- 13:44Like I, it's my favorite video that I've ever created and the comments on that video are amazing.
- 13:50I read through and I get teary eyed for the things that people are saying.
- 13:53And The Today Show reached out and I.
- 13:56Good morning America had reached out.
- 13:58It like became a whole thing and it was awesome.
- 14:00So cool.
- 14:00On the flip side of this, we did another video, which we were on a airplane.
- 14:05On a plane.
- 14:06Yep.
- 14:06I know exactly which one.
- 14:07That's where I was going.
- 14:09So if anyone did not see the airplane video, it again is making fun of a relatable situation where I was sitting with both kids on the plane, I'm in the middle and I'm like getting them their snacks and like doing all the stuff.
- 14:23And then it pans over to Lou and he's like watching a movie just across the aisle.
- 14:28Yes, just across the aisle.
- 14:29And I feel like for me, that is a true situation of how we fly where if we're gonna go anywhere, he books the vacation, he books the flight, he books the reservations.
- 14:39Like everything about the vacation he handles, I handle.
- 14:45Packing the kids' carry-on bags and packing their outfits and we divide and conquer that way.
- 14:50So when we're on the airplane, especially when they were little, it was easier for me.
- 14:55I knew what was in there, carry-on bags.
- 14:58It was easier for me to sit next to not one of my toddlers and a stranger to just not that poor stranger in the corner.
- 15:04Just have both my kids there.
- 15:06So you're making fun of a relatable situation, which in the beginning when I posted it, so many moms were like.
- 15:11So funny.
- 15:12Same thing.
- 15:13Yeah.
- 15:13Like we fly the same way.
- 15:14This is hysterical.
- 15:15Then it hit like the other side of social media, which again, not everybody is going to find my content funny.
- 15:21Not everybody is going to agree.
- 15:22I totally understand that.
- 15:24But it like went like dark, got on the Daily Mail.
- 15:28It was like this whole thing father doesn't sit with family on airplane.
- 15:33I'm like, he's literally right.
- 15:35Like handing kind of the water cup like across the aisle.
- 15:38He's not like up front.
- 15:40So it just was funny.
- 15:42I, that type of stuff does not bother us.
- 15:44I feel like when it hits an audience of people who don't follow me, who don't know us, who just want to write mean things or whatever they say, like you have to just brush that off because.
- 15:57You can't get bothered by that type of thing.
- 15:58It's crazy because that, just for logistics wise,'cause I don't think we talked about this like we know this, but you, so it's you and Lou, and then you have two kids.
- 16:07So you have Luca and Kayah, and so it's four of you.
- 16:10So if you are on an airplane, there are no four seats.
- 16:13It's three and three, sometimes 3, 2, 3.
- 16:16Everyone was like, we would never it's always 50 50.
- 16:19Like I take one, my husband takes one, which like, if that works for you, amazing.
- 16:25I hope that works for you.
- 16:27But for me it was just easier to have both my kids next to each other not bothering anybody else.
- 16:33I could shuffle back and forth and then.
- 16:36Again, then we get off the airplane and my husband is the one who is carrying the suitcases and has organized the transportation to pick us up and is covering the cooking when we get back.
- 16:47And we, you divide and conquer in different ways.
- 16:49I know not and this is again just my opinion, but I feel like not every single task has to be 50 50, I think.
- 16:56Okay.
- 16:56Yep.
- 16:57Divided up with just what works for you.
- 17:00And is it always the best situation for the mom?
- 17:02No.
- 17:02Sometimes we end up carrying on things because our kids also.
- 17:07Just might wanna sit with us.
- 17:09And it's a struggle, and you're not gonna fight it.
- 17:11You're just gonna, whatever's making the situation as smooth as possible, I don't know how it is in your families, but my kids act differently when me and Nick are together versus when it's just like me and the four little ducklings, or like me, Nick and the, and all the kids together.
- 17:26And when it's just me and the four kids.
- 17:29I do everything.
- 17:30I like pride myself on that.
- 17:31Yes, I can go to the dance competition and the hockey games and I can do all the bags and I can do all the things and I can get all the food and every, whatever.
- 17:37It's totally fine.
- 17:38But if Nick is around, I act like I don't have it.
- 17:41My hands don't work.
- 17:42I'm like the bags, the food.
- 17:44What are we doing?
- 17:44Yes.
- 17:45I just dumped them.
- 17:46Duh.
- 17:46It's crazy though'cause the fact that you even have to explain that.
- 17:49I think it's unfortunate.
- 17:51It's part of the job.
- 17:53Anytime you're like opening yourself up and you're explaining how you do things in your family, some of it, like you said, it like hits the right audience.
- 18:00It's relatable.
- 18:01Yeah, it's likable.
- 18:02And then when it hits the dark web, when it hits the wrong people, then you end up.
- 18:08Unfortunately, having to hear some of those comments, it's nice to know that you guys try to roll them off.
- 18:13Like you, you know what place it's coming from.
- 18:16It's coming from a lighthearted place, you know how you operate and you know what works for your family.
- 18:21So you just have to let that roll off.
- 18:23But I'm sure it's hard and it's nice that you guys get to go through it together and it's nice when you guys are in it and on the same team and you can let it roll off, but I'm sure sometimes it sucks just to, with your type of content too, you're probably nervous great, this is getting viral.
- 18:37And then you're like, oh shit.
- 18:39I hope this doesn't go to the wrong audience.
- 18:41That's probably rough.
- 18:42And again, I feel like we just circle back.
- 18:45And Lou is very funny as well and like our friends are, we just are surrounded by funny people and one of his friends after that was happening like made Lou a sweatshirt and it's all the mean comments from That's awesome.
- 18:59The real with like his face on the Daily Mail I feel like you just have to approach things.
- 19:04I love it.
- 19:04With humor.
- 19:05Yeah, because then what else?
- 19:07It's no, you're not gonna sit there and doom scroll and read all of these negative things and you can't do that if you do this job because.
- 19:14You're not gonna make it through.
- 19:15Like we know that we have a great thing going.
- 19:18If anyone else, wants to see differently, then that's of course like their own opinion.
- 19:23But you just kinda have to roll with it.
- 19:25So another one this was again during COVID, so don't judge me.
- 19:30No, I was pregnant during COVID.
- 19:31We were in our apartment.
- 19:32He was.
- 19:34Two, not even.
- 19:35And we watched a lot of Peppa Pig because I was drowning.
- 19:39And he legitimately developed a British accent.
- 19:43It was so cute.
- 19:45It was so cute.
- 19:45We didn't know because we were just in our own bubb, it's like hard to tell when it's your own kid.
- 19:50So finally we had people friends over for the first time and they were like, why is Luca British?
- 19:57I was like, is he?
- 19:58And he was like, can I have a cup of coffee?
- 20:01And we were like, oh God, he's British.
- 20:03That's so cute.
- 20:04It was the cutest thing.
- 20:06It was adorable.
- 20:08And yeah, we missed his little British phase.
- 20:10It phased out, but it was really cute when it, it was, and I think in the beginning too, I was sharing because I'm a speech therapist as well, so I was sharing a lot of that.
- 20:20As they were babies, a lot of that, like early language things and like showing examples of what to do from a speech therapist point of view, from a mom to promote language development.
- 20:30So I feel like it all just started naturally.
- 20:32I don't really have a plan.
- 20:33I just, I'm just going with it as my life is going and I feel like it will take like form and shape year to year just depending on how it goes.
- 20:42But it sounds like the videos are following you.
- 20:45You are not following these trends that other people are doing and you're not trying to recreate it.
- 20:51You are living your life, your children are growing, you're growing, lose, growing, and with that you're creating the content around what you're doing.
- 20:59That's why it's so organic and it's so fun and interesting to watch.
- 21:02For sure.
- 21:03Yeah, it helps.
- 21:04It's funny, like I feel like now, and Tu can understand this too, I'm in like.
- 21:10Homework phase.
- 21:11There's different humor.
- 21:12I'm out of the trenches, I would say of the Yes, Christina is very much Christina.
- 21:17You're in the trenches.
- 21:18Still in the trenches.
- 21:19That's why Maria's even given me t she's even wrote me back girl, it's okay.
- 21:24The light is coming.
- 21:24Yeah.
- 21:25It's so true.
- 21:26And I feel like that a lot, like a lot of that early motherhood stuff was like the in the trenches content.
- 21:32Yes.
- 21:32Because again, like you're in it.
- 21:34And I think sometimes when I would scroll and see other creators and they would make a funny video of it, I'm like, I needed that laugh today or like in that moment.
- 21:41'cause I'm drowning over here.
- 21:43Yes.
- 21:43But now my kids are five and seven now, so I'm So you're just starting to come, you're just now coming out of it now with your youngest just being five, that's a huge transition year.
- 21:53Going to school.
- 21:55Yeah, all day.
- 21:56I'm using air quotes because even my kids are in school all day and it's still not even all day, but yeah.
- 22:01When your kids are in preschool and you have to get them there from nine to 12, what are you supposed to do in three hours?
- 22:06How is some one supposed to work or do anything productive for three hours?
- 22:11Preschool adds time to your day.
- 22:12It doesn't for sure.
- 22:13Doesn't take it away.
- 22:14Yes, it enriches them for a few hours, but it is not good for the mom.
- 22:19But you've now entered this new phase.
- 22:21Yeah.
- 22:21I feel like just everything is easier.
- 22:24It does, and I feel like moms are like, it gets easier and it truly does.
- 22:29I can take a shower and I don't have to have my kids in the bathroom with me.
- 22:35And I even just think about the HI mean, this is the first time we're in a house with stairs.
- 22:39And obviously I know people do it with younger kids, but.
- 22:42Everything is easier.
- 22:43Traveling is easier.
- 22:44Going to restaurants are easier.
- 22:47I can work a little bit while my kids are busy and I don't have to Be chasing them around.
- 22:52So it's nice.
- 22:52They're at really fun ages and so now yeah, we're in different challenges, which I feel like I can see myself entering where it's not a toddler tantrum, but it's.
- 23:02A child getting left out of a friend thing which I actually don't know if I'm ready for I feel like I might rather take the toddler tantrum than a child, getting their feelings hurt.
- 23:14I don't know.
- 23:14I'm like, that's like a no, you're, you can do it.
- 23:16You can answer it.
- 23:17Another thing you are gonna have to do more listening than talking as your kids get older.
- 23:22Yeah.
- 23:22It is a lot more listening than talking.
- 23:24And the best advice is honestly saying less.
- 23:28You have to ask them, how did that make you feel?
- 23:30Or maybe not in such a weird therapy way, but yeah.
- 23:33Tell me the whole situation.
- 23:35And you really have to be mentally sturdy as they get older.
- 23:39It's not as physical.
- 23:41Like scooping and carrying and cleaning and stairs.
- 23:44Yes.
- 23:45Yeah.
- 23:45But it's so mental.
- 23:47You said that so well, and I feel like it's something that.
- 23:50I am trying to remind myself of because you want to start to like blabber and keep talking.
- 23:56You wanna fix it, fix it.
- 23:57You wanna go and fix it mode.
- 23:59And it's not the, I think the best approach, like you're saying, is taking a step back and just making, putting herself in the position of being the listener.
- 24:05And I think there's definitely a difference between my daughter and my son.
- 24:09I feel like my daughter spills everything.
- 24:12My son's a little bit more.
- 24:13Everything's fine.
- 24:14Just we're all fine.
- 24:16Yeah.
- 24:16So navigating both.
- 24:19But yeah, I feel like in general I'm like really excited for the next few years.
- 24:24I feel like they call them like the golden years.
- 24:26Yeah.
- 24:26For a reason.
- 24:27Not five to.
- 24:28What, 10?
- 24:29Like the elementary, I think like the elementary school is what they call that.
- 24:33And it's the kindergarten through fifth grade or kindergarten through fifth grade.
- 24:36So yeah, five to 10 they're out of survival, but you just really special years.
- 24:40Yeah.
- 24:41Yeah.
- 24:42How did your kids do with your move and your, their new transition?
- 24:46They did.
- 24:47Okay.
- 24:47I feel like it is, it's a big change for them both, like in lifestyle, which I feel like they did a great job with.
- 24:56We moved at the end of June from Hoboken, which is a little city to a true suburb town.
- 25:02So I think they had the summer to acclimate to the town, which I feel like the house and the yard and the space, they were so excited to just be able to run around.
- 25:12That was definitely, I think a really smooth transition.
- 25:16I think school was a little harder.
- 25:18My daughter going to kindergarten, that was pretty easy.
- 25:22And just because everyone was new, but my son going into second grade yeah, was a little bit trickier and he's such a good kid, but he was definitely aware that all of these kids probably know at least each other, someone else.
- 25:34And it's like also like new soccer team or new everything, sports, new everything.
- 25:39And if, how are you far from where you used to live?
- 25:41Is he far from all of his friends?
- 25:44Yeah.
- 25:44We're like a good 35 with traffic, maybe 40 minutes.
- 25:48So I feel like it was throwing, the camps were new.
- 25:51Everything that we're doing.
- 25:52I'm throwing him in.
- 25:53He's new and doesn't know anyone and that's a lot.
- 25:56It's a lot for, and I think he's doing a great job and I just.
- 26:02I know at least now, like we're settled and this is where we're staying.
- 26:06So week by week, month by month, he'll meet new kids and make new friends and it'll get easier.
- 26:12But I feel like I'm proud of my kids and how they transition.
- 26:16'cause that's a lot.
- 26:16Awesome.
- 26:16How are you doing, how are you doing with the transition?
- 26:19Most importantly from you were city mom, even though I know Hoboken is like a little bit more quaint.
- 26:24It's very close to New York City.
- 26:26Yes.
- 26:26But it's a such an amazing town.
- 26:28It's so quaint and I feel like it's so like neighborhoody and family oriented and it's, I'm sure a wonderful spot.
- 26:35T and I always say that we're very suburban moms here and we always say oh, how nice would it be to just be able to walk out and walk to a coffee shop.
- 26:43So it's always grass is greener.
- 26:44Like we always look, I know I would look at you and be like what a dream.
- 26:47And then you probably are like, oh, I would love a yard and a car and all these things.
- 26:52But how is the transition from you as like city mom to suburban mom?
- 26:56I'm getting there.
- 26:57Yeah.
- 26:57I feel like it's, we love our town.
- 27:00I love the space.
- 27:02I've never had an extra closet.
- 27:04Looking at like people with true houses, I was like, oh, the space.
- 27:08So the space has been amazing.
- 27:10The yard, I feel like the great part about being in a little city is you walk out your door and you're like, which of seven parks should we walk to?
- 27:18Everything is right there, it's at your fingertips.
- 27:20But to get your kids to go outside, you are packing the stroller, you're packing the snacks, you're getting yourself together.
- 27:27It's more of a process.
- 27:28And now I feel like the fact that my kids can just run out is such a luxury.
- 27:32Everything was doubting before, now it's just open door, and go.
- 27:36Exactly.
- 27:37So I feel like that is awesome.
- 27:40I think the one thing that's interesting that you guys are probably used to but I feel like the suburbs are.
- 27:47Like isolating in a way, if that makes sense.
- 27:50I am so used to being around people all of the time.
- 27:54I step out of my apartment building and I am around people, whether I'm going to the coffee shop or I'm walking my kids to school or we're walking to the park.
- 28:02You're always out and about.
- 28:03You're always running into people.
- 28:04Your kids are always running into friends, and here you really don't, I'm in the car line in the morning and I'm in the car line in the afternoon, and then kids are playing in their backyard.
- 28:14You have to like really make a conscious effort to see people have a play date or to see people and when you don't know anyone, it's you.
- 28:21It's like you really gotta put the effort in.
- 28:23It's hard, right?
- 28:24It's hard.
- 28:24If you were planning outings all these other times, and now if you're.
- 28:28Opening the door and just playing in your own play scape in the backyard.
- 28:32Sometimes it's not as fun.
- 28:33Your kids, how many times do they wanna go on the swing?
- 28:35But just your brother and sister, it's always more fun to going to other people at the playground.
- 28:39It's always more fun for you too, obviously.
- 28:40Yeah, I was gonna say, I feel like even as a mom, like especially at the beginning where it's so isolating.
- 28:46I remember we had taken a trip when Leo was about three months old to Newport and that was like a little bit of more of a walkable town.
- 28:54Very similar to Hoboken in like layout and everything.
- 28:57Yeah.
- 28:57The stroller town.
- 28:58And it was a stroller.
- 28:58Yep.
- 28:58A stroller town.
- 28:59He was like three, three and a half months old and I would pop him in the stroller and walk to get a coffee and I was like.
- 29:05This is the first time in three and a half months, I feel like a human being.
- 29:08Like just to see another person and just how easy it was.
- 29:12A lot of the times, I think in the suburbs, it's like the logistics of I have to get the car seat in and out and then I have to, and it's so much effort.
- 29:18It's not worth it.
- 29:19It's not worth it.
- 29:20Totally.
- 29:20Yep.
- 29:20So I do think at the, especially at the be beginning and be back and be back for nap and be back you're like fight.
- 29:24Yeah.
- 29:25It's just so much, it's so many logistics to fight through.
- 29:28I could definitely see at the beginning how important that would be.
- 29:31And I feel like now you're saying your kids are at a sweet spot it's a better transition now.
- 29:36But I bet it totally, I bet you, you thrived at the beginning just being able to see people and get out of the house Yeah.
- 29:42And all of that.
- 29:44And I feel like I don't, I'm one of those personalities, I don't know what you would call it, like the extroverted introvert or however you say it, but I do.
- 29:52Like to be surrounded by people or maybe I'm just used to it for so long, since I, right after college I moved to the city.
- 29:59So it was just been like almost 15 years of that kind of lifestyle of just constantly being around people and I really enjoyed that.
- 30:07So I think that's like the biggest transition for me in the suburbs is just really not seeing anybody.
- 30:12I feel as my kids start to, and t you probably know this'cause you have older ones too, once the sports pick up and all of those things, you're just constantly you're at practice, you're here, you're there and you're like with all the different mom groups.
- 30:24So I think I, I haven't like quite hit that yet.
- 30:27But I feel like I can see that coming.
- 30:29Yes.
- 30:30That will definitely be coming.
- 30:32And also I think it's important to remember that even though you're meeting those people through your children, they may not necessarily be your people.
- 30:41They may be a nice people to be around if you are somebody that likes to be around other people.
- 30:46But I think it's important too, especially for you, you work at home to do things that you enjoy doing and meet people doing those things too.
- 30:55You know yourself, you wanna meet your people.
- 30:58Yes.
- 30:58It's so true.
- 30:59So I'm starting all the, I started tennis lessons for you.
- 31:02Totally.
- 31:02Yeah.
- 31:02Good.
- 31:03I took my first Mahjong do and people in your town play Mahjong.
- 31:06Oh yeah.
- 31:06Our neighbor is a big Mahjong girl.
- 31:09Yeah.
- 31:09She has a group.
- 31:10So I'm learning to play, so I'm like, I can get invited to the places.
- 31:14Yes.
- 31:14People are playing.
- 31:15So yeah, I feel like it's like learning all the things, trying new things.
- 31:18And I feel like I've been telling myself I expect my kids to put themselves out there and go to all of these things where they don't know anyone and I feel like I really need to do the same.
- 31:28And also leading by example.
- 31:31I feel like you have to I remind my kids of that too.
- 31:34Mommy doesn't know anyone either.
- 31:36And I have to make new friends.
- 31:37Just the same way that you guys are making new friends.
- 31:39So I feel like hopefully that helps them.
- 31:42Yeah.
- 31:42A little bit.
- 31:43How did you like your first tennis lesson?
- 31:45I love it.
- 31:46And my hand-eye coordination is not my strongest skill, neither.
- 31:50However, me neither.
- 31:53It's fun.
- 31:53I think it's something, it's also much more complex.
- 31:56Like I knew tennis was not easy, but it's much more complex than I thought it was with all the grips and the.
- 32:02And how to do all of the, the swings and serve and all of that.
- 32:06But I think I'm really going to enjoy it.
- 32:07I think once I finish this little basic beginner clinic it'll just be something fun to do with friends.
- 32:13I love that.
- 32:13Yeah.
- 32:13I love that you're trying something new.
- 32:15You're never too old to have some new hobbies.
- 32:18I know.
- 32:19I know.
- 32:19Try new things.
- 32:20I know, and we say this on the podcast all the time, but how sometimes you get into this season of life where you really do have to push yourself back out.
- 32:27Yeah.
- 32:27And we always say, like just from sports and activities, and that's like a lot of the times the best way to meet people is when you're doing things like, we always say bigger than you.
- 32:37Yeah.
- 32:37When you're involved in something and everybody's.
- 32:40Playing something or learning something new.
- 32:42A lot of friendships form that way as kids, so it makes sense that you would go back to that as an adult when you need to meet new people.
- 32:49Yeah.
- 32:49You had a nice shared experience.
- 32:51And also, yeah, for this past Saturday I played in a tennis match and I hadn't missed my son's hockey game and I was like, oh, sorry bud, it won't be there.
- 33:00I have a tennis match and he is oh, good luck, mom.
- 33:02Like you too.
- 33:03And I think sometimes it's nice like for my kids to know that, obviously yes, I try to make all their sporting events and put their things first, but sometimes I have things too, it's nice for them.
- 33:14Totally.
- 33:14It's nice for them to see.
- 33:14Yeah.
- 33:14And they probably look at you like, oh, she's committing to something and staying with something and she's gonna have fun and so am I.
- 33:19Yeah.
- 33:19I said, how'd you do?
- 33:20He is oh, we lost.
- 33:21I'm like, ah, me too.
- 33:22Bon Temples.
- 33:23We're losers today.
- 33:25It's alright.
- 33:26Yeah.
- 33:26But that to have a drink and a ice of pizza, it's, yeah.
- 33:28Like we can both, no, I feel like that is amazing and I think.
- 33:33Again, like Christina, you are in a different phase right now, but I think it's finding we can get so wrapped up in doing every single thing for our kids, which we love to do when we would do a million times over and work and everything that we have to do to run a household and all of the things.
- 33:50But to find those little pockets of whatever you enjoy, whether it's even just like reading a book, which I know a lot of moms are like, I would love to just read, or I would love to just, work out more, get, have lunch with friends or whatever that is.
- 34:03And I feel like it depends on the season of your life, but if you can make it where you can prioritize something for yourself, whether it's even just once a week for 45 minutes, sometimes that's all you need to just feel refreshed and like ready to be like, now I can take on the rest of this week.
- 34:21'cause I.
- 34:22I did something for me.
- 34:23So that is great advice.
- 34:24And I'll add to that and not second guess yourself.
- 34:28And guilt yourself because that takes up precious time.
- 34:31You, that could take an hour just overthinking the decision could be that hour that you could have been doing something that you, for yourself, right?
- 34:38Yeah.
- 34:38Yeah.
- 34:38Sometimes you just need to hear it.
- 34:40You just gotta do it.
- 34:40Yeah.
- 34:41You need to hear it and then you need to do it, so I wanna chat a little bit'cause you had mentioned your speech pathology and I know that's what you went to school for and did school afterwards for, is that something that you still do or are you a full-time content creator?
- 34:57Oh, now I'm a full-time content creator.
- 34:59That was a hard decision for me.
- 35:01Yeah.
- 35:01Because I.
- 35:03Was working full-time in first I did early intervention birth to three, and then I was working in the special education preschool in the city for six years, but also building a private practice that I did with one of my best speech friends.
- 35:18Eventually transitioned to only private practice once I had Luca.
- 35:22But I feel like that was like a business that I built that I was proud of.
- 35:25And I loved the field of speech therapy and the job and making difference in children's lives.
- 35:31And I felt guilty, I guess is probably the best word for leaving a job like that to do something like social media.
- 35:40I felt bad about it.
- 35:41But eventually as my account grew and then I signed with an agency and it became more of a real thing.
- 35:49And I really was burning myself out trying to do both jobs, both my private practice and doing the content creation for as much time as I needed to do it.
- 35:58So I decided to just go content creation full time.
- 36:02And the flexibility that I have for my kids at this young age is really just like unmatched.
- 36:09So I think that was probably the biggest reason.
- 36:13I love it.
- 36:14I love this job, but the flexibility for my kids, it was getting a little tricky because Luca was in preschool, so he'd be in school and then I would pick him up and then go out to see all of my private clients in the afternoon.
- 36:26So he,'cause you see a lot of kids after their, after the school hour.
- 36:29So it was like, he would see me two seconds and then I would be like, mommy has to go to work.
- 36:33And he was like wait I just saw you, you just got here.
- 36:36So that was getting a little bit hard and I think.
- 36:39When I had the opportunity to make the career shift, I just took that leap for sure.
- 36:43And I am happy that I did.
- 36:46'cause I do, I really enjoy it.
- 36:47That's awesome.
- 36:48It's so cool.
- 36:49I know I know a lot of women have to do that.
- 36:51They have to work when their kids are home.
- 36:53They have to find another way to do it.
- 36:55And I think it's so great that you've had an opportunity now to work full-time and mother.
- 37:01Your children, you're able, you're making both work.
- 37:04Yeah.
- 37:04So how does that It truly is.
- 37:06How does that work for you?
- 37:07Doing both at the same time?
- 37:09Yeah.
- 37:09Because you're still working full time.
- 37:10It's not like you gave it up.
- 37:12I know.
- 37:12Yeah, I know.
- 37:13And I always think that's like an very important, I wanna emphasize that didn't a working mom.
- 37:18And there is so much that goes into content creation.
- 37:21We've gotten into it a little bit on here as yeah.
- 37:23There's so much more behind the scenes, and so it's not just like popping up a cute video, especially when you're working with brands.
- 37:30Yeah.
- 37:30There is a ton of work that goes behind the scenes, and then there's just different avenues of ways that you can make money and monetize things.
- 37:38And so it's not just popping up one video a day and you're done.
- 37:41Like it's, it does, it's not even like that.
- 37:43Now that the kids are in school, there's probably a good window of time to work now.
- 37:47Yeah, so I try my best.
- 37:50I'm like, I feel like I'm like a work, like a working mom and a stay at home mom.
- 37:53Yeah.
- 37:53Like at the same time.
- 37:55So yeah, I really try my best to do everything that I can between nine and three.
- 38:00And then when I pick up my kids from school, I'm with them in the afternoon.
- 38:04Now there's still pockets of time where, I think that's another thing that I'm trying to balance, what you guys probably know as well, is it's a job that's constant, right?
- 38:13So you're constantly filming, you're constantly editing, you're constantly putting stories up and thinking of ideas and but I'm trying my best to be present with my kids after school and.
- 38:23Not answering the dms and trying to, work on the side.
- 38:27Although there's times where I do need little windows of that.
- 38:30But that is truly my goal during the day, is to really try and see if I can wrap it up at three and then be with them in the afternoon as much as I can.
- 38:37Yes.
- 38:37I think that's, so you try to batch things.
- 38:38So a lot of your like content creation, the editing, maybe some of the concepting if it's a campaign or something.
- 38:44Yeah.
- 38:44So you do a lot of that during like your business hours and then Yes.
- 38:48Yeah.
- 38:48Yeah.
- 38:48And then you find windows, right?
- 38:51Exactly.
- 38:51Yep.
- 38:52Exactly.
- 38:53And you're gonna, this is something that nobody told me, but when your kids get older, you have the time when they're in school and then they come home from school and then you have very important face time with them where you have to listen or when you are driving them.
- 39:06That is like important time where you talk to them when you're there, but then you get this weird time back where they're in activities that somebody else Yeah.
- 39:14Is in charge of them.
- 39:15And you can.
- 39:17Do two things.
- 39:17You can sit on the sidelines and talk to other moms and socialize, or I started to work during that time.
- 39:23Totally.
- 39:23I bring my computer and I work at hockey at here, I edit.
- 39:27I do whatever I have to do during that time.
- 39:28So you get more time back again in the evening.
- 39:32I do the exact same thing.
- 39:34My kids, Kay.
- 39:34Takes a tumble class and Luca's in like a ninja warrior class at the same time, at the same gym for an hour.
- 39:40Yeah.
- 39:40And on my computer out, I've got one more hour Yeah.
- 39:43That I can to be strategic.
- 39:44Yeah, exactly.
- 39:46So I feel like you fill it in as you can.
- 39:48But I feel fortunate to be able to get that base time with my kids after school.
- 39:53A lot of people who have corporate jobs or commute into the city like you, are you necessarily, what used to do before that was, yes.
- 40:00Yeah.
- 40:01Yeah, exactly.
- 40:02If I kept that job before, I wouldn't be able to do the volunteering that I can sign up for now while my kids are in school because I would've been at a different school or, seeing speech clients.
- 40:12So it does, it gives me that flexibility, so I'm so fortunate for it.
- 40:15That's great.
- 40:16That's awesome.
- 40:17So I wanna also talk about, obviously you transitioned to a suburban mom, but you did start a business back in Hoboken, literally right before you left, right?
- 40:28And yes.
- 40:29And so I wanna chat about that business because it's so adorable and very exciting.
- 40:33Thank you.
- 40:33And then you also did that with some other moms, and so I feel like this is really cool and this just hits all the points that we talk about on here.
- 40:40And we would love to plug your business and get a little bit more information about it.
- 40:44Thank you.
- 40:45Yeah, so it's called The Little Glow Society and it's owned by five moms, which is for one, just like the coolest, so awesome thing.
- 40:52And we all work full time, but we all bring something unique to the business and we all have our strength and it has just been really fun and really awesome to create.
- 41:04And I feel like when it started, the original idea was let's do a spa party space for that five to 11-year-old age group.
- 41:14And Hoboken is amazing in so many ways and has a lot for little kids.
- 41:19Like birth to Four, I would say there's a million classes and all of these things'cause it's a lot of young families.
- 41:25And then a lot of the times the families move out, but there isn't as much for that four to 10-year-old age group.
- 41:32So we were like, let's bring something here for that next age group.
- 41:36Something, like doing the spa parties.
- 41:38And then when we started to really create the brand, we were like, this is way more than just.
- 41:42A spa party space for kids.
- 41:44This is about confidence and this is about empowering girls and this is about a safe space that kids can feel like they can go and meet new friends and feel special.
- 41:54And we're so proud of it and we're so excited about it.
- 41:57And it's still fairly new.
- 42:00I don't think we've been open for six months yet.
- 42:02I think we're like hitting our Oh wow.
- 42:03Six months soon.
- 42:05But was this where you had your daughter's birthday party Yeah, I saw it on birthday yesterday, Instagram.
- 42:09It looked so beautiful with the dresses.
- 42:11Thank you.
- 42:11Explain to us talk us through, is this a space that you use just for birthday parties?
- 42:16Is this for do you have like classes?
- 42:19What does it entail?
- 42:20Yeah so we have the birthday parties and then, you learn so much this is my first time opening.
- 42:25A small business and it's a real, it's a brick it and order.
- 42:28It's like an actual right.
- 42:30Yeah.
- 42:30It's a brick.
- 42:30Brick and mortar.
- 42:31Exactly.
- 42:31Like I had my private practice and I have this Instagram account that's been, just me.
- 42:36It's virtual, both of them, so this is the first like true business in an area that I have no experience in, to be completely honest.
- 42:45So you learn so much as your business is just open and you get feedback.
- 42:49So I feel like it started as just parties and then we were getting all of these messages from moms being like, Hey, can I just come in with my daughter and book a, a time for us to come in?
- 42:58So now we have mommy and Me.
- 43:00Oh, cute time slots, which is really cute.
- 43:02And we just rolled out this after Glow club after school.
- 43:05So it's a space for kids to come after school and they can do their homework and we have special activities for them and maybe, whether they get little manicures that day or face mask that day.
- 43:17We're thinking of the girls after school where, again, Hoboken is very walkable, where a lot of the times, the older, maybe that fourth fifth grade age might want to walk to Starbucks or they wanna be a little bit independent, if that makes sense and hang out with their friends.
- 43:31But this is a space for them to go to that they feel part of a little club or like a little society.
- 43:38Yeah.
- 43:38That's adorable.
- 43:38Oh my God, I love that.
- 43:40Did you think, do you think you brought some of your speech pathology background since you are catering to kids and you have that foundation, did you feel like you brought any of that back into this?
- 43:52Totally.
- 43:53I think that a lot of what I've learned in my speech career is how to keep kids entertained as you're doing other things.
- 44:03So I think how we structure our parties and how we structure our events is.
- 44:07Kids, they need to be busy.
- 44:09The activities can't take too long.
- 44:11And I think just understanding what kids are interested in and what would make them feel special and what we're bringing in a lot of activities that are confidence based and affirmation based, like always bringing it back to why are you special, what do you love about yourself, what makes you a good friend?
- 44:33Which I think for these kids in that kind of five to 10-year-old age group is so important.
- 44:39And whether they're going with their friends or they're meeting new friends there it's it's all very positive.
- 44:43What a nice mission.
- 44:44It's more about the inside, not just like looking good on the outside.
- 44:48Obviously it is fun to get pampered, but I love that you have these, very important pillars of your business.
- 44:55For sure.
- 44:55And how did you meet the other four moms that you started this business with?
- 45:00So it started with, there's two moms in Hoboken that actually approached me with the idea.
- 45:05One owns a med spa, so the little kid spa Yeah.
- 45:08Piggybacked off of that.
- 45:09Yeah.
- 45:10The other mom is a nurse practitioner and then I jumped in and then they were like, let's bring on another mom, Sophia, who has like an amazing business background and another mom tos who has amazing an amazing financial background.
- 45:24We all again came together with our own skillset and it just, yeah.
- 45:29Yeah, it's been great.
- 45:30I love that.
- 45:31That's awesome.
- 45:31I feel like that I, again, that just hits all the things that we always say it's like meeting people and putting yourself out there and having an idea and pushing and believing in yourself enough to do it.
- 45:42And that's just, it's really inspiring and it's really cool to think that you can do this after having a family, because I feel like a lot of the times we said you put yourself on the back burner and it's all about the kids.
- 45:54Yeah.
- 45:54And it's just a really, I think, a really inspiring message that you can start a new business after you have kids, and thrive during it.
- 46:01You just gotta jump.
- 46:02Yeah.
- 46:05That's really cool.
- 46:05Yeah, I think, it's something that just makes you feel.
- 46:09Good and makes you feel like you are contributing something and whatever you're passionate about it and as inspire your kids.
- 46:16I think it's really cool that your kids are gonna see that you took a leap of faith.
- 46:20You started this like obviously multiple things.
- 46:22You had your speech pathology job, but then, and then you put yourself out there on social media and created a career and then you've done it now for a brick and mortar store.
- 46:30It's just really inspiring.
- 46:31Thank you.
- 46:32That's cool.
- 46:33Oh my gosh.
- 46:33What?
- 46:34What's next?
- 46:35I know.
- 46:35What is next on the docket?
- 46:38I don't know.
- 46:39The laundry.
- 46:40The laundry.
- 46:41The laundry.
- 46:42Yes, exactly.
- 46:43I don't know.
- 46:44I think it's the funny thing about this, Christina, you probably feel the same way.
- 46:48Like a few years ago might not have known that you were gonna be a podcast.
- 46:52You know, Both of you hosting a podcast, we don't really know.
- 46:55I just.
- 46:57Roll with it and whatever comes naturally comes.
- 47:00And same for you guys as well, in terms of what comes next in for both of you.
- 47:05It's always just exciting to follow along and see.
- 47:07I want you to franchise this place.
- 47:09I wanna take my onto it.
- 47:11Maybe that's the next step.
- 47:12Like I feel like that could be really cool.
- 47:15Yeah, we would love to open up more locations in different areas and I feel like that.
- 47:22That would be the goal for sure.
- 47:23So I guess to that point for moms listening who want to build a community, maybe who wanna build something on social media, maybe they wanna build a business like you did or something that they're thinking of and brewing.
- 47:35We hope that our listeners leave this feeling inspired to put themselves first.
- 47:40But do you have any advice for somebody who's maybe thinking of something or wants something more?
- 47:45Yeah, I think when it comes to content creation,'cause I get a lot of messages about that.
- 47:50And I think I used to hate this advice.
- 47:53I feel like back when I was.
- 47:56Trying to grow more.
- 47:58And you would hear there's no like specific rules that you can follow.
- 48:02'cause I remember being like, I'll be a good student.
- 48:05I'll do like X, Y, and Z and follow the exact template if you tell me to, like growth and success or whatever it is.
- 48:13And there really isn't that when it comes to social media, I feel like you just have to start creating content and trialing and erroring and seeing what works.
- 48:26And I think as long as you just bring it back to being a true to yourself, b, creating content that you love if you love style, don't necessarily try and do another area because other people are doing it and doing well with that if it's not true to you and vice versa.
- 48:45But yeah, I think just, the business or the content creation career or whatever it is, can't start if you don't try and not everything is going to work out.
- 48:54You have to be okay with failure and you have to be okay with sharing things and it not doing well or people not seeing it.
- 49:00I did that for a really long time before my account grew.
- 49:05And I think the difference right now is that because it is such a well-known, I guess like job now you would say people are hoping to just start and take off, have it take off.
- 49:15Yep.
- 49:15And for some people it does, but that doesn't happen with everyone.
- 49:18So you just have to make sure you enjoy it and stick with it.
- 49:23And you'll find your thing and people will come.
- 49:26Yes.
- 49:26That's such great advice.
- 49:28I wanna, before we get into our pink spotlight, we're gonna do a little quick fire round.
- 49:33So now that you're, you left city life and you're in suburbia.
- 49:39City Coffee Shop or Suburban Kitchen Coffee.
- 49:43Oh, city Coffee Shop all the way.
- 49:45Oh, I'm, I can imagine.
- 49:47What about an Instagram account that makes you laugh?
- 49:53Oh my gosh.
- 49:54I'm going to butcher these handles.
- 49:56Because you know how you see handles and you're like, but I don't always look at them.
- 50:00You don't know how they write, how they're sounding out.
- 50:02I, you can look it up, will put the correct one.
- 50:03It's, I think it's cs.
- 50:05Yes.
- 50:06Punch.
- 50:06Yes.
- 50:07Oh, I love her.
- 50:08I am obsessed.
- 50:08I don't know this one.
- 50:09Obsessed with, oh my God, she is oh my God.
- 50:11Isn't she a doctor or something too?
- 50:13She's she's a dentist.
- 50:14Yeah, she's a dentist.
- 50:14Yep.
- 50:14She, every video is incredible.
- 50:17She's just so smart and so funny.
- 50:21She is someone if you're having a bad day.
- 50:24Oh, I agree.
- 50:24Just scroll.
- 50:24Oh, I agree.
- 50:24Yep.
- 50:24Scroll through.
- 50:25There's so many accounts like that just.
- 50:28Awesome.
- 50:28But she always comes to the forefront of my mind because she is just so funny and she does not give a shit and she posts anything.
- 50:35Her stuff is so hysterical.
- 50:37I love it too.
- 50:37And I'm, it's totally, I love all of the millennial girl ones.
- 50:40Yes.
- 50:40Like they're like, which I feel like there's just like a flood of the, there's like a little fleet of those girls right now and I'm like, they're like getting dressed from like 2011 and they're putting on all the stuff that we used to wear and I'm like, how do you have that?
- 50:53Like it's big belt and the gacho pants.
- 50:56I'm like, how do you still have those and where'd you get it?
- 50:59I know it's new.
- 51:00They're like eBay.
- 51:01I'm like, I am obsessed.
- 51:02I literal, I know.
- 51:03I think one account is over the mood.
- 51:05Yep.
- 51:05And that one, she's another.
- 51:07I mean there's so many good ones and they are just so talented and make me laugh every time.
- 51:12I know it's the best.
- 51:13It always seems to be like right when you need it too, where you're just scrolling and it just transports you.
- 51:18Especially like the nostalgic ones.
- 51:19I am obsessed.
- 51:21Yes, me too.
- 51:22Then last one.
- 51:23Best mom hack you've learned recently?
- 51:25This, so this is random, but I got the skylight calendar.
- 51:29Oh, did you guys hack the skylight?
- 51:32I felt like I was losing my mind.
- 51:34Do you have it, Christina?
- 51:35I have the Amazon like the big fire TV thing.
- 51:40Okay.
- 51:40In the kitchen that I use as a calendar, but I don't have the skylight.
- 51:43So similar.
- 51:44I felt like I was all over the place.
- 51:47I don't know.
- 51:48For some reason the calendar on my phone does not show me enough.
- 51:52I'm like, I need it.
- 51:52Large, big picture and I need it all there.
- 51:55And I color coordinate it based on my kids and myself.
- 51:59And I feel like that has helped me.
- 52:01Grasp the weak.
- 52:02And I now just because I feel like I'm a scatterbrain all of the time, I have to put it in the calendar or I will not remember.
- 52:09So it could be something that's like a doctor's appointment or something so small and I'm like, it has to go in there so it's a something you have to purchase.
- 52:18But for me, if you feel like you're all over the place and wondering if it's worth it, it has helped me.
- 52:22I have heard that really good things about that and what I hate about having, like I'm a calendar person and a notes person, but then you're still harboring and responsible for all of that information and I feel like sometimes that always goes back to the mental load.
- 52:37Like you, yes, it's nice to be organized and have all of the information at your fingertip.
- 52:41Still the keeper of that, but you still are the keeper, right?
- 52:43So it's if it's out and about and you're like, it's on the fricking calendar, you can see it too.
- 52:48Yes.
- 52:48Like exactly.
- 52:48This you can read too, right?
- 52:51Literally all there.
- 52:53Yeah.
- 52:53So yeah, that it has been helpful for me to just stay, stay organized.
- 52:57Yeah.
- 52:58I love it so much.
- 52:58I love that.
- 52:59So I have one other question for you.
- 53:01You work now on social media and then you also use your phone for other things.
- 53:06Mm-hmm.
- 53:07Because, hello?
- 53:08You're a girl.
- 53:09Just like the rest of us.
- 53:10Yeah.
- 53:10I'm always on my phone.
- 53:11Yeah, just doing life.
- 53:12How do you, on a day when you're working, how do you like separate the phone stuff?
- 53:17Like from, not scrolling question, working to calendar to, oh, room mom stuff.
- 53:23Oh, this, that.
- 53:24Oh, back to work.
- 53:24Like how do you toggle between the two and chunk your work?
- 53:29Because I'm struggling with that right now too.
- 53:31I struggle with it too, and I feel like it's making me lose my mind.
- 53:34'cause my mind is constantly like ping, ping, ping, And it's different.
- 53:38You're using different parts of your brain, yes.
- 53:40Because you're like all over the place.
- 53:41Like creative.
- 53:42Oh no, I have to.
- 53:42No, this is yeah.
- 53:44Yeah.
- 53:45I'm majorly struggling with that right now.
- 53:47I have zero advice because I am not doing a good job.
- 53:51And I feel like it's hard because I feel like I'll, you open up the Instagram app or the TikTok app to respond back to some comments, let's say, and then then you start scrolling and you're like, I'll scroll for maybe like audio ideas.
- 54:03And then I'm just scrolling because the content is funny.
- 54:06So now I'm like in like a so now you're in consumer mode.
- 54:08I don't have time for that.
- 54:09And yeah, I feel like the constantly being on my, it's actually like impacting my neck.
- 54:13Like I'm having like a, like I'm constantly on my phone, I edit on my phone.
- 54:18I'm doing so much on there that.
- 54:20I'm trying to think of a new system because it is my, my brain is also firing in a million directions all of the time, which is why I can't remember things, which is why it has to go on my calendar.
- 54:32Yes.
- 54:32But yes.
- 54:33I don't know if anyone out there has advice besides, oh, which, your know, we're live.
- 54:39I don't know what to do.
- 54:40No.
- 54:40We bought an iPad for work and the computer for work, but when we were trying to do the social media stuff, it doesn't work well on there.
- 54:48No, you always go back on your phone.
- 54:50Yep.
- 54:50It's like you try to get away from the phone, make it hard so that you're like, I need my, I know.
- 54:56Freaking phone.
- 54:57I tried, I've tried to use Instagram on the computer to at least be like, not looking down and having more of like screen it does it, it doesn't function the same.
- 55:06Transition.
- 55:07You can't go fast enough.
- 55:08And I'm like, I need to plow through these dms right now.
- 55:11I know.
- 55:11So I know.
- 55:11It's crazy.
- 55:12I know.
- 55:12And then I always get the oh, you didn't reply back to me and you're always on your phone.
- 55:16I'm like, there are so many things, like once you're on your phone, it's like, it's almost too much.
- 55:21There's too much to do because you end up having to do everything on there and you're trying to stay focused and you're trying to be creative or you're trying to, you always end up having to be back to the phone.
- 55:30And then I feel like very unproductive because I'm always on my phone.
- 55:33It's like just such a weird, but I feel like everyone, exactly.
- 55:36I guess everyone's in the same, all right, so situation, group, consensus, we have no answer.
- 55:41Yep.
- 55:41We just, we come back to that a lot.
- 55:43That's always our favorite thing.
- 55:44We're like, oh we posed a question.
- 55:46None of us have the answer.
- 55:47Okay.
- 55:47So no.
- 55:48Okay, great.
- 55:49I'm save, I'm the asshole.
- 55:50Or someone will roll something out to make this a little bit easier.
- 55:54You would think.
- 55:55You would think they want us on our phones, so we're gonna.
- 55:59Segue into our pink spotlight, which is our person, place thing.
- 56:03Tip, mantra, anything that's making life a little bit better.
- 56:07I'll go first today.
- 56:08'cause I think you had this, but it's not gonna be a great commercial for it because it died in the middle of our, in the middle of our filming today.
- 56:17But, so mine is, I'll do a little show and tell.
- 56:19Mine is the, this is called the Alex Earl Light that she made this famous, oh, is this what you had or is it a little different?
- 56:25Show.
- 56:26Oh my God.
- 56:27Yeah.
- 56:28Okay, so now we got two.
- 56:29We got a two out of three with the Alex Earl Light.
- 56:32So I got this on Amazon.
- 56:33This is like a little light in case you're listening and not watching us, but this is a light that you can clip onto your phone and it's a really good light.
- 56:40It's a fantastic light.
- 56:42It really makes such a difference.
- 56:44So if you are creating content, so if you're like an aspiring content creator, if you're already creating content, you need to get this light because it makes a huge difference when you're doing makeup.
- 56:54Even if you're just talking into the camera, it just provides.
- 56:57Wonderful light and like creating content is all about the light.
- 57:01You need it.
- 57:02So especially if you're doing anything sponsored or if you're trying to highlight anything.
- 57:05Yeah, this is fantastic.
- 57:07And the battery life minus what happened to Maria, it really does last a long time.
- 57:11That's because it probably didn't charge it.
- 57:13Charge.
- 57:14You don't need to.
- 57:14It lasts a really long time, and so it does.
- 57:16This is great.
- 57:17This is great.
- 57:17It clips on, it could clip onto your laptop, your iPad, your phone.
- 57:21It's amazing and it's really helpful Yeah.
- 57:23For when you're using the front facing camera, because that's usually when it gets grainy and it's small enough where it can fit in a bag.
- 57:30So if you're going out, this is the light that I obnoxiously bring with me, T hates me, do I?
- 57:37She's, it should come with a disclaimer that say may cause temporary blindness.
- 57:41Yes, it does.
- 57:41Because that also might happen.
- 57:43You'll look amazing.
- 57:44You, but you won't be able to read the menu in order your dinner.
- 57:47Also, everyone around you will hate you, but it's fine.
- 57:50And you might, youll get the content, you'll get the picture.
- 57:53But like you can see the difference if anyone is watching the video.
- 57:57It like, is a, it's a big difference all of the time.
- 58:01Yes.
- 58:02Okay, good.
- 58:03Okay.
- 58:03You're helping me with my commercial.
- 58:04'cause it does, it makes such a big difference.
- 58:06And it's like an Amazon find.
- 58:07It's usually under$25.
- 58:09Yeah.
- 58:09I feel like even for like outfit pictures, like when we were just in New York for Fashion week, we pulled out our lights so we could get like night shots.
- 58:16That's the only way we would get a night shot.
- 58:18And it's, it makes such a difference.
- 58:20So content creator, but I feel like now everyone's a content creator, so you need this.
- 58:24Alex Earl was saying that this is how she creates all her content.
- 58:26'cause she always looks gorgeous and this is what she says.
- 58:28Yeah.
- 58:29Oh, good tip.
- 58:30Love it.
- 58:31So I'll link this one.
- 58:32What about Yout?
- 58:32I'm doing a product this week too, and it's ironic that I'm choosing this product on this week because I have a cold and I can't smell anything.
- 58:39But I always wear the same fragrance.
- 58:42I've worn Chanel number five since I was in high school.
- 58:45My mom bought it for me back then and I've always worn Chanel number five and I just got this new perfume in a few weeks ago.
- 58:51'cause my girlfriend Vanessa was wearing it and I think it smells.
- 58:54No, I know.
- 58:55So good.
- 58:56And I never changed my perfume and now I'm starting to wear this new one.
- 58:59It's Portofino 97 and it's Victoria Beckham.
- 59:03Ooh.
- 59:03It smells wanna smell delicious.
- 59:06So when you smell it at first, it has like a musky smell.
- 59:09Ooh, no, I like this.
- 59:10I like a muskie, but it dries sweet.
- 59:12I love it so much.
- 59:14She makes a good product.
- 59:15I have a lip stain by her, and it is, I love it.
- 59:20I haven't done any of her beauty stuff and now I'm, her beauty stuff is her eyeliners are really good.
- 59:24I don't know if you've ever tried those.
- 59:25They're like a gel.
- 59:26I haven't.
- 59:26They're very smooth.
- 59:28But oh, she doing it wrong.
- 59:29Yeah.
- 59:29I feel like some.
- 59:30I know I love her, so I'm like, but yeah, so this, that, that smells really nice.
- 59:34This was my little perfumes splurge, but again, I don't typically buy fragrances and you don't, you usually can have them for a while, so I feel like you can have them for a while.
- 59:41Yeah, totally.
- 59:41So this is mine.
- 59:42New switch up, so Love it.
- 59:43Now my girlfriend Vanessa's probably like, why did you copy my scent?
- 59:46Im like, too bad.
- 59:47Sorry.
- 59:48How about you Maria?
- 59:49Okay, so I'm going to share, not a product, but this is this just randomly came to my head, but it's something that we do at dinner time that I actually took from my neighbors who lived across the hall.
- 59:59They did it first and then we've adopted it in our family, but it's pit and peak.
- 1:00:03I love that.
- 1:00:03This, and we do it with our kids at dinner.
- 1:00:06We do not have family dinner every night, but when we do have family dinner, we will go around the table and talk about our peak of the day and our pit of the day.
- 1:00:14And I think it just gets the conversation flowing.
- 1:00:17And I think it's also good for our kids to hear that everyone had something that was awesome, but we might all have had something that.
- 1:00:24Wasn't as great and it gets your kids to share a little bit more in a safe space.
- 1:00:29And they love to do it.
- 1:00:30So I feel like if you are trying to get conversation going with your kids.
- 1:00:36During dinner time or whatever time that might be.
- 1:00:39Like, sometimes it's even when I pick them up from school in the car and I know we're not doing family dinner that night.
- 1:00:43I'll be like, all right.
- 1:00:43What?
- 1:00:43Tell me your pit and your peak of the day.
- 1:00:45And I like that you share too, so they get to hear from you.
- 1:00:48Yeah, we share it too.
- 1:00:49Yeah.
- 1:00:49That's really cool.
- 1:00:49Yeah.
- 1:00:50It's a good icebreaker.
- 1:00:51I love it.
- 1:00:51Yeah.
- 1:00:51That's a great, really great tip.
- 1:00:53That's fun.
- 1:00:54You share with your kids that we were your peak today.
- 1:00:56I know totally.
- 1:00:58Mommy was on a podcast.
- 1:00:59Yep.
- 1:01:00And yep.
- 1:01:01And guess what?
- 1:01:02Everybody goes through the same thing.
- 1:01:03You're mine.
- 1:01:03Yep.
- 1:01:04Exactly.
- 1:01:04Yes.
- 1:01:05Oh, I love it.
- 1:01:06So I know.
- 1:01:06That's so nice.
- 1:01:07This has been so fun.
- 1:01:08I can't believe it's, you guys are setting this up.
- 1:01:11Thank you.
- 1:01:11You, Abby.
- 1:01:12I know Maria, we are such big fans of you and we love you so much.
- 1:01:16If you guys have not followed her already, she's gonna be linked in our show notes.
- 1:01:20So just hit that follow button and go follow Maria.
- 1:01:23And we are so appreciative of you spending your morning with us and we just love you so much.
- 1:01:29We hope that your account continues to grow.
- 1:01:32We hope your business continues to grow and we're just excited to be able to be fans and watch you'cause it's amazing.
- 1:01:38You guys are the best.
- 1:01:39I love you.
- 1:01:40Thank you for having me.
- 1:01:41Honestly, we I wish we lived closer.
- 1:01:44I know.
- 1:01:44Next time I'll take a trip to, I'm due to for a Connecticut trip.
- 1:01:47It was so nice to talk to you, Maria.
- 1:01:50We will talk to you soon.
- 1:01:52So much for having me.
- 1:01:53Bye guys.
- 1:01:54Bye bye.