Happy International Women’s Day and Month

Let’s celebrate the women who raised us, the little people we’re raising to build onto our world, the women we are, the friends we love, the leaders and neighbors who’ve helped us and brightened our days, and the men in our lives who cheer us on!

I was always inspired by creative entrepreneurship and amazing people doing awesome things… and even more so when I became mom. I to spend most of my time with them, but I also want something to call my own. I want my daughter’s to see me spending my time away from them doing something I love, not just a job I like most of the time.

I love that there are new perspectives for women in society today. I don’t feel like I saw a lot of these personas represented at all when I was a kid, or this strong of a voice amongst women collectively.

We’re all in this together. We’re all making our mark, whether that’s raising kids or raising powerful ideas or just raising a glass to what you believe in. If that’s not the spirit of the month, I don’t know what is!

I’ve featured five amazing women below who inspire me with their creativity and awesome corners of this online world!

Let’s jump into it!

Shawna of @ShawnatheMom and “Surviving Baby” Podcast

Shawna let me in on the fact that she is co-hosting a podcast launching soon on YouTube! Click here to subscribe!

TikTok recommended Shawna to me (thanks, algorithm; it knows me so well!). After I picked myself up from the floor laughing, my first thought was, where was this content when I first became a mom only three years ago?! Maybe I hadn’t yet been tended by the algorithms into the “mom world,” but I’m finding a lot more raw, real stuff these days.

When my first daughter was born, my mother-in-law gifted me this hilarious book that I read every time she went down for a nap. It saved me those first 8 weeks, and I remember literally laughing out loud while reading it. But, once the book ended, like lots of moms, I went back to work. I quickly realized that the spit up was no longer the worst part of the day, the PJs weren’t cutting it, and waking up at 3am to feed became, “I need to wake up in 3 hours again only to pump every 3 hours at work!”… needless to say I was a little lost in this new phase.

Now, as I navigate stay-at-home momhood, I’m finding myself in a whole new phase again. Comedy like Shawna’s is making the uncomfortable parts laughable and relatable.

I’m so happy that this is becoming common, celebrated in fact, for women. I like that we’ve normalized motherhood and all the messy stuff that comes with it: finding yourself after becoming a mom, feeling like “you” again, parenting with your partner, and making friends as a mom. And that we aren’t afraid to show it’s not just pretty pictures, comfy clothes, pretty park days, and rainbows and unicorns all day, every day.

I’m all for it, and Shawna IS SO HILARIOUS! If you are a mom, have a best friend who’s a mom, or are an expecting mom… FOLLOW her! You’ll be glad you did.

In Shawna’s words…

Why you’re doing what you do.
Becoming a mom was a really monumental thing for me, I felt like the world cracked open and all of a sudden everything was in technicolor. It was intense and surreal and there was so much love and pain and change all at once, and almost immediately I found that comedy helped me cope. I was an actor before baby but my creativity and this new desire to share funny stories from the motherhood trenches was born right along with my little guy. I want to help other mamas to laugh through those hard moments and to feel seen. Laughing at and validating those tough times helps us process them in what I think is a positive way.

What do you love about what you do?
I love laughing and I think it makes hard things more bearable, so for me sharing the unvarnished truth but putting a comedic spin on it, omg that’s the best feeling in the world. If I make myself laugh, I know the video will help someone else too.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
I am in awe of women daily, worldwide. And a lot of those women are moms doing the work in the home and in society. Honestly, I think women, and specifically mothers, will save the world. We are brilliant, kind, empathetic people who are raising a generation of emotionally intelligent humans and I have no doubt that the world is better off for it.

Wendy of Happy Bar | HappyBarServices.com

Wendy is that cool woman we all want to be. When I first heard her story, it stuck with me. She has a passion you can feel even through a phone call. And she’s a reminder that if you have a gut feeling you want to follow, go for it! You’ll probably rock it, just like her.

In Wendy’s words…

Why you’re doing what you do.
I suppose it may be chalked up to a “mid-life” awakening or something, but I was feeling pretty uninspired by my corporate job and had been seeking a change for a few years. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Then a cluster of life events reminded me that waiting for an opportunity to fall in my lap wasn’t going to happen and that life is short, so when I discovered this new niche of mobile bartending, I decided to jump in! I want spend the next decade or so of my career in the driver’s seat and a “car” that I’ve decided suits me.

What you love about what you do.
There’s lots to love and lots that isn’t so much fun about what I do. I’m an insatiable learner, so learning the hundreds of things needed to run a business fires my brain up! But the amount of time it takes to learn everything can be draining and overwhelming too. I suppose that may be a good example of a “love/hate” thing. I also love the real, human to human, relationships I get to grow with clients and other business owners. In the corporate world, I felt more like a robotic cog in the machine of company rules, culture, etc that I had no influence over. I love that I now am able to set the tone and culture for my ‘workplace’ and team.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
I think it’s a reminder that women should be recognized for their version of leadership, intelligence and strength. Although women today don’t have to literally to fight or put their lives on the line like those during the suffrage movement, we still have quite a way to go. We are still being boxed in by more subtle layers of societal, cultural and business ‘norms’ and sometimes we do it to ourselves.

Plus, if you’d like, share a quote or lesson from an inspiring woman in your life!
There are a lot of women who inspire me, but one that comes to mind first is a dear friend, a single mom of four, diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer who exemplified courage, generosity and kindness right up to the moment of her last breath. She inspires me everyday to create rich life full of love, kindness, great stories and to give the finger to our fears that keep us boxed in.

Terah of Terah Wine Co.| TerahWineCo.com

Terah has always inspired me. She had a traditional degree and great job, and decided to uproot, travel, and study to become a sommelier. This is not something our grandmother and the women who raised us (sisters, we’re cousins!) were really able to do, even just a generation back. 

Her intuition was right. She’s now a winemaker at a beautiful California vineyard, and building her own label, Terah Wine Co. Her wine is amazing if you like organic blends and natural wines. And she just released her spring wine today, in celebration!

 

Krystina of The Messy Cookie | TheMessyCookie.com

Krystina and her brand are just so cool! She’s got a ton of passion for her beautifully-crafted cookies, and she’s going places.

In Krystina’s words…

Why you’re doing what you do.
I believe it’s important to enjoy what you spend your time doing professionally. In the US we work for 72% of the days in our week. When we were younger we had so many preconceived notions about what one could do for a living that I think it’s important to realize — that thing you love to do outside of work? You can make a living doing it too. If you’re only looking forward to the 28% sliver of your week, how happy can you be?

What you love about what you do.
My creative freedom and having finally found a way to share the whimsical feeling of happy. I’ve always been an upbeat person, bubbly and passionate, but I struggled to find a way to share that enthusiasm with people! Now in the baking world, from my fun Cookie Ice Night experience to the actual cookies and cakes that come from my kitchen, people can’t not feel joy when they work with with The Messy Cookie!

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
My mom always taught me that I can conquer whatever I set out to do. She’s naturally entrepreneurial and artistic and has always found ways to spend time learning more about things she enjoys, which I’ve always admired. She made the idea of owning your own business possible in my brain from a pretty young age when she first opened a consignment shop to her successful votive shop.

LaToria of the Ultimate Financial Boutique

Why are you doing doing what you do?
Years ago, I found myself in a financially dire situation because I was too kind during my previous marriage and during the divorce. I had two small children and myself I needed to provide for. So, I took a step back and began to study the fundamentals of credit, what makes your credit score move, and what is your credit score composed of. This began my interest in the financial world. I knew if I needed help and knowledge, there may be other women out there, who wanted someone to help them and get the job done.

We fast forward to 2020. As an educator, I see the deep need for financial literacy because it is not taught in schools and rarely discussed in homes. During July 2020, I Stewart founded The Ultimate Financial Boutique to empower and educate individuals.

What do you love about what you do?
I love that The Ultimate Financial Boutique has been successful in educating and empowering clients achieve financial empowerment in various ways.

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