Our second #MOTHERSINMJ feature is the lovely Eileen Rosete of OUR SACRED WOMEN. Eileen is not only an inspirational mother but also has a background in family therapy. She's a creative entrepreneur with a mission to restore women to a place of reverence through specialty gifts that help women feel seen, valued, and honored.
1. How has becoming a mother altered your daily routine? Becoming a mother and an entrepreneur has made it challenging for me to keep a daily routine since the demands from both roles change on a daily basis. I'm trying to reintroduce daily rituals that help me feel more grounded and that I think will also be helpful to my daughter. Simple things like making the bed in the morning, and also screen-free evenings for reading books and energetically transitioning in preparation for sleep.
Photo by Caroline Tran
2. What has been your biggest challenge as a mother?
It has been incredibly challenging to parent mindfully while also building my brand intentionally AND tending to my own needs as an individual. One major issue I'm facing right now is my screen time use. I do a lot of work on my phone and I'm having a tough time setting healthy boundaries and modeling that for my 2 year old daughter. I cringe internally each time I catch myself on my phone when Celine is trying to make a bid for connection. That slight delay in my reaction is so palpable. I personally get annoyed with that lag time when I'm trying to engage with someone who is on their phone, and Celine too becomes frustrated with me. Just the other day she repeatedly said to me "mama no phone! no phone mama!" and my heart just broke. It can be tough to make lifestyle shifts like reducing your screen time exposure when serious issues like screen addiction has become normalized in our culture.
photo by Howl and Rose Photography for Fashion Mamas
3. Any tips for entrepreneurial/ working moms starting on their postpartum journey?
Rest. Rest. Rest. You just did a truly miraculous thing - growing a human being for the past
40 weeks (give or take) and then giving birth! You deserve to sleep and replenish your body and spirit, hopefully with the support of loved ones. Unfortunately, among advanced economies, the United States is the only country that does not mandate any paid leave for new parents. I repeat: the US is the ONLY country that doesn't have federally mandated maternity/paternity leave. It's such a sad and outrageous reality that I hope will change in our lifetime.
So I highly encourage mamas to reach out for support. You may be surprised at the resources available to us despite our country's refusal to support us on a systemic level. Find mommy groups on Facebook and in your local communities for example. I made a lot of strong connections by taking Celine to free story time events at our local public libraries. And if resources allow, see healing practitioners who can support you in your postpartum period. I've been very fortunate to have great health insurance through my partner's employer and was able to regularly see a chiropractor, acupuncturist, and massage therapist after Celine's birth and after my two miscarriages
last year.
4. How do you create or maintain balance in your life?
I listened to an episode of the Proof to Product podcast recently in which Tonya Dalton of inkWELL Press talked about rejecting the idea of work-life balance because it implies we need to strive for a state in which there is stillness (i.e. balance). Instead she advocates for work-life harmony - the ability to achieve a sense of harmony among the various parts of your life that are always in flux. I love this idea of harmony, not balance, because I find that I do need to give more of myself to certain aspects of my life than others at times and that it is always changing. That said, I am struggling but still making a concerted effort to create harmony in my life. Starting last week, I began a 30 day workout program (this will be my third attempt at trying to finish it) and I'm trying to do things that bring me pleasure (like going to a Korean spa for a body scrub and reading romance novels!). So I'm feeling more grounded than I have in a while. But I'm also trying to be compassionate with myself given the fact that I'm still healing from the trauma of the two miscarriages I had last year, and knowing that it may still take more time for me to process it all and feel strong again in my body.
5. What is your favorite aspect of parenthood? Witnessing Celine's utterly beautiful sense of freedom and exploration. She is so curious about everything around her and hasn't learned to make herself smaller for the comfort or convenience of others - something I am trying to unlearn myself.
Eileen wears the Bezel Itty Bitty Choker and Crystal Eyelet Handlet