In light of International women’s day today we have interviewed a lady who is pretty much superwoman! Mother of twin girls and momentrepreneur (an entrepreneur who is also a mother). Whilst she was pregnant with her twins, she was very active in holding down a full time job whilst being a busy body with her own ventures. Such an inspiration to all, when I read her responses back to her interview it honestly made me think ‘wow I really need to get my ish together truly and honestly’ Read below and get inspired and Happy international women’s day to all you beautiful ladies!
You recently shared on Twitter your amazing achievements that you have accomplished all whilst being pregnant with twins. What motivation did you give to yourself? My pregnancy actually became my motivation. I was going to bring two little girls into the world so I had to focus. My dreams were no longer just mine. This was something I wanted to share with my daughters to show them that they are more than capable of doing anything they wanted regardless of their circumstances and what people had already defined as being impossible.
You were working full time and balanced this with your freelance work all whilst being pregnant. How did you manage to balance all of this, did you ever feel stressed at times?
It was incredibly stressful, there were so many moments where I felt like just giving up. But I realised it was about finding ways to work through those feelings in healthy practical ways. When I felt like it was just too overwhelming I forced myself to switch off and rest because my wellbeing had to come first especially as I carried two lives inside me.
I would give myself motivation during my morning commute by listening to podcasts like Side Hustle Pro. My intense morning sickness meant there were a lot of times I couldn’t make it into work, luckily I have such a supportive boss who gave me the time off when I needed it. I would write blog posts on my phone while lying down in bed because I was too weak to stand up, sometimes even recording what I wanted to write on my Voice Memos so I could write it down later when I had a little more energy.
There were also a lot of late nights where I would stay in the office until 9pm just to avoid the long journey home from working in Central London and feeling too tired to do anything else. I would work on my storytelling platform PVO or a blog post. It was a lot! But I wanted it enough to just get on with it.
There is a rise of the mompreneurs at the moment, a lot of mothers that have just given birth have started their own business and would rather stay at home with their children and work for home as oppose to going back into full time work. Why do you feel that there is a rise in this? and will this be the case for yourself as well?
Well first of all separation anxiety is a real thing! Even when I just quickly run to the shops I’m missing my babies. I want to be present for all the little milestones. I think a lot of mothers choose to start their own businesses from home because it grants us the flexibility we need to make money, look after our children and not miss those little milestones. Plus childcare fees can make your eyes water, sometimes you are left with no choice but to not return to work.
I am currently on Maternity Leave and I will be returning to full-time work, I’ll still be freelancing, writing stories and running PVO. The goal is to eventually work on PVO full time. But now that I have children I need to be realistic about when I can take those steps. If I want to work solely for myself I need to do so when I can comfortably afford to.
You spoke briefly about the e-books you have written and your blogging space, has writing always been something that you have wanted to do? As I know that you are also an editor for Simply Oloni.
Writing has always been my first love. I’ve been writing fictional content for as long as I can remember. After writing on Wattpad for several years and receiving over 400,000 reads and messages from black girls and women in London just like me thanking me for writing about women who looked like them and went through situations they could relate to I decided to launch my very own website which will tell the story of women through two different blogs, fictional stories, audio, and print.
Now that you have had your twin girls, how is motherhood treating you? Is it anything how you expected?
Motherhood is even better than anything I ever expected. It’s teaching me so much about myself and every day I strive to be a better person for my girls.
When did you start writing?
I started writing seriously when I was 19.
What tips do you have for someone that maybe wants to start freelancing or have their own side hustle but don’t necessarily know how to go about it because they already a busy mother?
Find a routine that works for you and your baby/babies before you throw in focusing on your side hustle. If you’re still struggling to find time to wash your hair and or even have a shower. Wait. Because the better you manage your busy schedule being a mum and you’ve more or less mastered some sort of routine then the less difficult it would be to include a side hustle or freelancing.
What goals do you have for your writing career/freelancing this year?
My first goal is to launch PVO, release my ebooks and clean up the second draft of my novel I managed to get some great feedback from Penguin Random House WriteNow event so now it’s time to put the work in!
TW: PaigeVahla
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