Showing posts with label Inspired Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inspired Series. Show all posts

Thursday, August 23, 2018

::Supporting Local Moms:: #InspiredSeries


It shouldn’t be a surprise that I often find myself connecting, networking, stalking (in a very non-creepy way) local mom groups or women’s groups in general. I love forming relationships with these women because well, that’s kind of what I do. A few months ago, I connected with Amanda of the West University Moms Network and a few weeks ago I discovered a similar group closer to where I live, the Katy Moms Network so naturally I asked Amanda to introduce me to them and well now here we are. I was featured on their page and since they are pretty badass women I decided that to feature them here would be perfect!  Meet Audrey & Natalie as they share with us how they met and are building a community for local momma’s. 



Hey y’all! 

We are Audrey & Natalie from Katy Moms Network! We were brought together by motherhood two years ago when we moved across the street from each other and quickly became best friends. We’ve got four amazing kiddos between the two of us, and our sweet, supportive husbands. And they’re all best friends, too! Our oldest, both daughters, are four months apart, and our youngest, both boys, are four months apart! Natalie not-so-secretly fantasizes about getting pregnant with Audrey again at the same time and hopes their husbands aren’t reading this! 


Audrey is a Katy native and after moving around Texas for a few years, made her way back to this amazing community to raise her family. Natalie’s an Oklahoma girl who lived in the Northeast for five years before coming home to the great state of Texas in 2015!

We launched Katy Moms Network, an online platform for moms, in early June and have been blown away by the early support! We’ve also started getting out in the community to connect with moms outside phone and computer screens, and that’s been super rewarding. We hosted a Toddler Time event at a local Chick-fil-A recently and were approached by two separate moms who said they hadn’t had the best luck with getting to know other moms in the community, but thanked us for being open, inviting, welcoming and warm. We looked at each other and said if we do nothing else...if all we do is THAT...then we’re happy. We have big dreams for this community and it’s been so fun getting to connect with so many already.

The wheels started turning for Katy Moms Network in the early Spring of 2018, after recognizing a need in the community. What if we could create an online community where local moms could go for resources and information, while also being a source of inspiration, community and togetherness, and support. 

We’re also deeply passionate about motherhood. The journey of motherhood is something that overtook us in a way that we never knew possible. It’s this life-changing, earth-shattering moment when you become a mom, and a deep, indescribable love you never knew you could feel. But motherhood also comes with really hard, hard stuff. It’s a role we hoped we’d always play, but didn’t know just how much it would transform our hearts. Motherhood: something we were designed and made to do and something literally billions of women do across the globe, but also something so intricate that every woman has their own unique, beautiful experience and journey with. 

Most of us all follow some larger scale mom community online. The ‘I Mom So Hard’ and ‘Cat & Nat’s of the World, along with awesome blogs like Motherly and Scary Mommy. Tons of amazing platforms that bring togetherness, acceptance, and support back to motherhood. But there’s nothing like that on a hyper-local scale that we’ve ever been able to connect with on a meaningful level. We wanted to create a space where we can go to feel supported, inspired, accepted, normal, and all feel a true sense of community. A place where you feel understood by the moms who literally live next door, who are doing this all right along with you. A place where you can get all the information you need- best doctors, best places for dinner with kids, and what the heck to do in this town with those tiny humans! All this in one place, curated for you. So we created it! And Katy Moms Network was born.

What you’ll find on our site and our social media channels is a resource-rich website with local activities and events, as well as original, unique content. Our content will aim to inform, support, inspire, uplift, educate, and hopefully even make you laugh. Or maybe we can make a day where you felt guilty for yelling at your dang kids all day feel okay and normal because hey, we probably did it too. Because behind this website are just two Katy moms, just like you. We’ll aim to continually evolve this space, so it becomes your go-to resource in Katy, TX. We’ve also had so much fun adding the Monday Meet A Mom Feature, as well as Small Business Saturday, as a way to highlight mamas kicking ass and businesses that inspire us. Katy’s a pretty special place and we feel lucky we get to raise a family here. The moms we’ve met over the last few years in Katy have been instrumental in our lives and we’ve built friendships that will last a lifetime- not only for us moms but for our kiddos.

We like to think the best way to do this whole mom thing is with each other- a community of strong, kind, supportive mamas. They say it takes a village and we couldn’t agree more. Our best advice for any mother is to find your people. And if you don’t have your people yet, let us be your people. We would love to be in your village!

FOLLOW THEM HERE: 






Monday, January 8, 2018

::Motivational Monday:: Workout Goals with Bryanna G. for 2018

Some of the most inspiring women in my life are, no surprise, family. Bryanna and I are cousins. We didn't really see each other much when we were growing up but now as adults via Facebook, we've become reacquainted. Bryanna is such an inspiration, she is a fellow momma of dos, married and with a busy work life. It has been now that she found her motivation and her reason and she is pushing towards her best self. I love her story and hope you join her on this journey. 


Me wearing a maternity dress, Easter 2016, holding my 9-month old precious boy. “Before” pic.


The narrative below was written by Bryanna Gutierrez: 

It was just another evening in my hometown, Corpus Christi, Texas and I was headed into the shower, but my husband came home early! “Hi, Amor,” he said. My name is Bryanna, but we call each other “Amor.” I ran into my closet to hide.

I thought. What do I do now?

Wait until morning when he’s asleep? No..I never wake up that early…Should I undress here in the closet, wrap a towel around me & run for the bathroom? What if he walks INTO the bathroom? We have one of those stupid see-through, glass showers! My heart pounds when I think that he might see the mountain of fat that pushes out my navel, the two fat rolls below that, or the beyond-wrinkled, loose skin that looks like forgotten clothes at the bottom of a smashed bag.

Nine years married to a man that loves me no matter how I look, but here I am in my mid-30’s, wearing maternity clothes nine months after my second baby, trying to shower and change in secret. It hit me: This isn’t healthy! I shouldn’t be hiding in my own home! I’m pretty confident in others areas of life but I can’t take a shower without a mini, mental freakout? This has to stop.

Months after having my baby, a doctor said that surgery was the way to lose most of my fat, the 30 lbs left over from pregnancy. I didn’t want to do that. My motivation and goal became to get out of maternity clothes, without surgery, and no fear of the shower!

I went to my husband for help. He said he would help how he could, but reminded me that I had to follow through with my part, which was exercising and eating right. I realized there wasn’t much he could do for me besides cheering me on. He couldn’t exercise FOR me. He could cook something for me, but I had to eat it instead of going to eat with co-workers. I had to lose the excuses.

It was me. The most difficult part was accepting this. I had to take responsibility for myself and make the decision to be committed. I also realized that whatever I did would become “normal” to my daughter. When she’s older, do I want her feeling bad because she actually eats food? Do I want her skipping meals or turning to magic “diet” pills? No! For me, there has been no quote, book or movie that has enabled me to stay committed to my own decision and the desire to be my daughter’s example of true health. This became my new motivation, and keeps me going today!

My “after” pics, most recently completed  28-day challenge in August 2017.

I committed to exercising 3 times a week and saying no to eating out at lunch. I developed time-saving tricks for making homemade meals. I’m a busy mom of two and work full-time. My husband works days and evenings, so I need to save time where I can because it’s full-time mommy duty after work!

When a 21-day or 28-day challenge popped up, I participated! I did two in five months and lost 23 lbs! I maintained for 6 months before doing another 28-day challenge, losing another 5.5 lbs, totaling nearly 29 lbs overall! I’m ecstatic to say I don’t need maternity clothes! I’m stronger physically and mentally. I still have fat and loose, wrinkly skin, but NOTHING like before! In August 2017, I took my health to the next level by becoming a certified Ground Force Method INSTRUCTOR! And…I no longer fear the shower!

The best advice I have for you is to decide to be committed! Make a plan for eating better and exercising - either on your own or hire a coach - and STICK TO THE PLAN! You WILL succeed with consistency!

You ARE a strong mom!

Training at gym, summer 2017



LATEST VIDEO CLICK HERE.

How to contact Bryanna G.:
Email: bryanna_g@me.com
Facebook: @healthyBryannaG
Instagram: @_Bryanna_G  
        

Thursday, January 4, 2018

::Momma Podcast:: #InspiredSeries

It's 2018 Y'all!!! 

Did you miss me? Well, I am back. Sharing some fun ladies this week. Here we go. 

One of my favorite things to do is listen to Podcasts. I might have mentioned in the past that one of my favorites is THE MFCEO. Well, think of that but with MOMMAS! 

I started following and listening to Elle and Liz a few months ago when we met in a Facebook and Instagram group. Their conversations are SO fun, so real and so heart-warming. They have truly inspired me and moved me to tears with their shows. So, I decided to kick off the year by featuring them and their Mami podcast. (Links at the end of this post.) 

Hoping to one day follow in their podcaster footsteps... hello universe in 2018, te hablo a ti. 


:: About Oye Mami Hosts :: 

Hi! Our names are Elle Gutierrez & Liz Quirion, We are 36 & 32 yrs old and we are from New York City. Upper West Side and Brooklyn to be exact. Liz's parents were both born in the Dominican Republic and Elle's parents were born in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. Liz is married and has three children, a 3-year-old son and (surprise) twin 2-year-old girls. Elle is married to her college sweetheart and has three children, two girls ages 10 and 9 and one 5-year-old son. 

:: Interview :: 

Tell me what is it that you are after when it comes to your podcast? What was your original goal? 

We wanted to give women like us a voice. The American Latina is a forgotten genre. Our audience loves Univision as much as ABC, the Latin Grammys as much as the VMAs, Biggie Smalls as much as Marc Anthony. This country is filled with women just like us who struggle with being the bridge between their Latino and American cultures. Our goal is to give these women a home.

Tell me what motivated you to start on this journey?
What motivated us was that during our weekly bochinche calls we would always have a story about someone pointing out how we weren't Latino or American enough. That's how this all started two outsiders rallying up other outsiders and becoming a movement.

Was was your plan of action?
Our first plan of action was to start our podcast off with a good foundation. We studied and learned for a year. We split responsibilities. One of us did all the tech and marketing research while the other listened to podcasts all day so that we could know what we did and didn't want to do. We also worked with our podcast spirit guide, Jackie MacDougall who is a TV & Digital Producer, Podcaster, Writer, and Media coach to help us kick off our podcast in seamless manner. 

How did you first get started and what was the most difficult part?
The most difficult part was going live and sharing our idea with whoever wanted to listen. We stalled so many times. Nothing was ever "right". The fear of vulnerability was our biggest obstacle. 

Did anyone help push you or inspired you to get here?
Elle: My husband. I am so grateful for his support and how he believes in my crazy ideas even more than I do. Also, Liz. When I called her with this idea she could have easily said, "Bish, you crazy" but instead she said, "Let's do this bish". 
 Liz: Elle inspired and pushed me to get here. My husband and family have also been so supportive in believing in our mission and pitching in to help with my three toddlers whenever I need it.

What has your progress been?

We set short term goals and surpassed them. Not to sound super cliche, but we are truly blessed that putting our hearts on our sleeves is being well received. It shows that this was needed. 

How are you keeping motivated to continue down this path?

What keeps us most motivated are our listeners. We had no idea what an impact our show would make in people's lives or how many women would connect with what we were going through. Men too! Whenever a listener slides up into our DM and says that we make them feel normal or that we get them or that we helped them get through a tough day gives us so much motivation to keep pushing. If you have listened to our episodes from the very beginning until now you will see how we held back more in the beginning and are now at a point where we say, "F-it, don't leave that on the cutting room floor because someone will connect". 

What advice do you have for others in your place?

Our advice would be to lead with your gut and work with your brain. Get ready to lose sleep, make mistakes, and get good sunglasses because the shade is real.

We all struggle daily with so many "self-issues"; what has been your favorite quote, book, movie, item, or website that has helped you keep strong and move forward?

Elle: For me and don't laugh it's DJ Khaled. His positivity is contagious. Whenever I feel overwhelmed I tune in to his snapchat story and feel like, if Asahd is a king, I'm a freaking king too. Liz even sent me a DJ Khaled book when I was in one of the lowest points in my life. She loves me. I also keep a mini notebook in my purse where I write my own personal quotes that pop into my head and reading those over inspire me. Now I sound like a low-key narcissist but seriously, re-reading those one liners that I came up with make me re-connect with those times. Some positive, some negative and they inspire me to keep moving forward and creating even more one liners. 

Liz: "It's never too late to be what you might have been" that's my favorite quote by George Eliot. I remember the first time I read that quote. I almost came to tears because I was at a point in my life where I was scared and then this quote popped up and I was like, THIS! THIS! THIS! It keeps me in check every time I think it's too late to accomplish my dreams. 

 
You can contact Elle and Liz (Oye Mami) via 
Twitter: @OyeMamiShow 
slide up in our DMs on Instagram: @OyeMamiShow