Kick-Ass Moms: Volume 2

Did you catch Volume 1 of our Kick-Ass Moms series? We are continuing to share some amazing moms that we think you would want in your own League of Moms!   Get inspired by these mamas who are balancing parenting, entrepreneurship, charity work and making a difference in their communities! Check out their tips for how they do it!

Katie Steinfeld, President of On the Block Realty
Instagram: @getontheblock
Kids: 8, 6, 4 and 2 years old
 
Why you want Katie in your League of Moms?   She bakes AND she knows real estate!

Katie is one busy mama with four kids and a budding new business. In partnership with her husband, Katie is turning the real estate industry on its head with On The Block Realty, a first-of-its-kind real estate company combining a full-service brokerage, with a proprietary online auction platform.  Their aim is to bring transparency to the process, cost, and information in Ontario real estate.  Katie, who is eager to make a change in the industry also recently ran for a Board of Director position on the Real Estate Board.  If that wasn’t enough, Katie also loves to bake and shares her impressive gluten-free baking via Instagram.

Tips for balancing mom life and entrepreneurial life?
Create a to-do list every day and include both family and work items along with items big and small.  On those days when you feel like you’ve failed as a mother and businesswoman, checking items off your list helps you to realize that you’ve actually been productive.

Moms Hacks…
Get your children (especially JKs/SKs) to pick out their clothes at nighttime to avoid any wardrobe meltdowns in the morning.
 
Tips for Mat Leave Moms…
Get out of the house!  Early years centres, community programs, local libraries, IKEA, the mall – there are lots of places to go to get a change of scenery throughout the day.  You need it!

Christine Lim, Wedding Photographer, Christinelim.com
Instagram: @chrissylim
Kids: 6 year old and 4 year old

Why you want Christine in your League of Moms? She’ll make you look effortless in all those selfies!

Christine Lim is a highly sought after Toronto Wedding Photographer who was named one of the 30 Most Inspiring Photographers in 2015.  It all started with a hand-me-down camera at 10 years old and it became a passion that blossomed over the years to finally making her passion her career, which we all know takes a LOT of guts! Christine’s work has been featured by Weddingbells and on blogs such as Once Wed, 100 Layer Cake, Ruffled, Refinery29 and The Wedding Co.

Christine’s Mom Hack…

Snacks.  Always have snacks (for me AND the kids!)

Tips for balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship?
Being self-employed has been a great way to be at home with my children, but it can also be a challenge during busier seasons.  Time management around scheduling meetings and shoots is my biggest challenge!  The key is to find your village so that you can get help when you need it.  I am lucky to be able to call in family, close friends, and my husband has some flexibility to work from home from his job which also really helps!

Laura Sanhueza
Instagram: @ironmom.ca
Kids: 2 year old and one on the way

Why you want Laura in your League of Moms?  She will exhaust you and inspire you with all that she gets done!

Laura is a multitasking mom with a daughter, a baby on the way, a full-time corporate career, a charity and she is a hardcore athlete! Apart from her children, one of her most amazing accomplishments to date is SHE; a non-profit organization she founded that is dedicated to increasing the health and well-being of young women between 8 to 13 years old. SHE’s (which stands for Shaping Her Esteem) mission is to ensure that each girl feels valued, included and empowered while participating in our programs that promote physical activity.  Laura created this organization after her own experience as a young competitive athlete.  Laura has big goals across all aspects of her life; she completed her first Ironman 9 months postpartum and she documents her journey on Instagram.

What’s the biggest challenge you face as a mom plus all the other things you do! 
Time!  I wish there were more hours in a day.  I try to do it all but something will always slip through the cracks.  I try to prep in advance as much as possible, but the reality with my work is that anything can happen at any time, and so my schedule can change quite quickly.
 
Moms Hacks…
My mom hacks are all around breakfast prep.  Fortunately my daughter loves oatmeal and so when I know I’m going to have an early morning and busy day, I make overnight oats the night before so that they’re ready to go in the morning for breakfast (2 handfuls of oats, mashed banana, 1 cup of almond milk, chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut flakes, any other goodies you wantJ).

Your mat leave tips…
Part of mat leave is recovery, and having a smooth and healthy recovery can sometimes “make” or “break” a matleave.  I encourage moms’ to leverage one of the baby’s naps during the day as time for her to do as little as 10 minutes of stretching or deep core exercises (no crunches!!).  There are a ton of youtube videos on “how to” address diastasis recti and strengthen one’s deep core muscles, so moms can take advantage of these resources and time because it’ll help in their everyday activities during matleave – walking, picking up baby, posture, etc.

Nathania Harrison
Instagram: @wellandtight
Kids: 4 years old and 2 years old
 
Why you want Nat in your League of Moms? She will be your biggest supporter in everything you do!

After many years in a busy and lucrative corporate career, Nat decided to refocus her energy and priorities on what’s most important to her; her family.   So she left the working world, but being a life-long learner between time with the kids she became a certified nutritionist, certified trainer in Barre, Power Yoga and Pilates.  She started workouts in her backyard with friends which organically grew to the point that the next logical step was opening well&tight; a community-driven organization focused on physical and mental health through training, nutrition and wellness programs.  Nat is an amazing spirit that is truly dedicated to supporting others to be their very best!

Advice for anyone wanting to make a major career leap/change like you did?

• Patience and persistence: It takes time to learn and grow in this new space. Have patience for the process and be persistent with your efforts.
• Take Action (imperfect action): Don’t wait until your idea or concept is perfect before taking action. Action leads to motivation and you’ll learn so much from the imperfect efforts.
• Keep learning: Take online and night courses, read, host informative interviews of likeminded people etc…
• Get connected: This space can be scary and lonely. And the more you can admit you feel vulnerable, raw, scared, exposed etc…the sooner you’ll meet your tribe who will support and motivate you to succeed when you feel like quitting.

Tips for work/life balance?

• Schedule office hours. Trying to squeeze in work while a child or other commitments need your attention is frustrating for everyone.
• Think outside the box when it comes to scheduling your ‘office hours’. Early mornings, nap time,  evenings and weekends. Don’t feel the pressure to work during the 9-5 window and avoid feeling guilty when your work schedule falls into ‘family time’. You are creating your own hours now and that’s a much better quality of life in the long term.
• Take ‘office hours’ outside the home when possible. The library is a great spot to be productive as there are no distractions.

Mom Hacks…

• Leave the mom-guilt behind. You are a great mother and doing the best you can. We are meant for more than the roles we take on (mother, wife, friend, sister etc…) and need to be true to ourselves in order to be happy.
• Continue to prioritize self-love. As you take time away from other commitments to pursue your business, you may feel guilty to also take time to focus on yourself. Exercise, journaling, coffee with friends etc…make time for self-love AS WELL AS productive work hours.

 We’ll be sharing more inspiring, kick-ass Toronto moms throughout May!  Join our email list to get inspired!