This is a guest post by Evelyn Wiseman, a doting mother and personal assistant to two wee children. Beyond this role, she comes with over a decade of experience in community building and helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses. She is currently Director of Community Growth at Subkit. If you are a Community member with a unique story to share let us know.
Being a mother and a small business owner can be extremely difficult, but we’ve found an incredible powerhouse that has managed to balance the best of both worlds. We interviewed Heather Archer, founder at Thriving with Heather, about her wellness consulting business and journey to motherhood. Check out her story:
Tell us about your business.
I help to recover perfectionists reclaim thriving in their work and personal lives. Perfectionism limits our self-worth and gets in the way of us accomplishing our dreams out of a fear of failing or making mistakes. I am a recovering perfectionist. My motherhood journey helped me propel my pathway to healing from perfectionism so I could show up as my authentic self both in my personal and professional life. Once I started to relinquish perfectionism, I noticed significant shifts in my life and attracted more abundance, enhanced health, well-being, and inner peace. My life’s mission is to hold space for recovering perfectionists and help them reclaim their right to thrive in their work and personal lives. I do this by incorporating healing modalities and strategic practices to move from grinding to thriving during your workweek.
I am a certified sound healer through the Complementary Therapists Accredited Association and a Reiki Level I and II practitioner. I have a B.A. in African American Studies from Smith College and an M.A. of Educational Leadership, Policy and Advocacy from New York University. I weave my academic and organizational background with my work as a healer to create transformational learning experiences for you on your journey towards healing from perfectionism in your work and personal life.
I work with individuals and organizations to reclaim their right to thrive in their personal and professional lives through independent and group coaching. In my first book, titled, The Grind Culture Detox: Heal from Capitalism, Thrive at Work, I am compiling my healing and well-being strategies to thrive at work will be released by Hierophant Publishing in June 2022.
If you're comfortable, please describe your journey to motherhood.
Motherhood is a spiritual portal. When I met myself as a mother, I also became reacquainted with my inner child. One aspect of motherhood that I was not prepared for was the spiritual oneness and realization that the process of bringing life into this world would inspire within me. When I gave birth to my son Cole, I literally felt like I was a bridge between two worlds. The simultaneous power and helplessness that I felt during this process almost felt overwhelming. For the first time in my life, I truly felt my creative potential through the process of bringing life into this world. I felt the nature of transcendence during my birthing process.
On the flip side, once I became a mother, my perfectionism went into overdrive. For the first time, I understood that the most important part of my life lived outside myself and left me feeling incredibly vulnerable. Living as a working mother in Western society presents a painful dichotomy. On the one hand, you're expected to nurture from an endless well of attention, care, and presence, and on the other, grind culture wants you to prove that your caretaking won’t be a liability. Much of my healing journey was propelled by motherhood.
How does being an entrepreneur blend with being a parent?
For most of my adult life, I have found my power and identity in being a highly driven career woman. I found my value and worth in my productivity and professional life. When I became pregnant, I felt like I had to prove my value and worth at every turn. I decided to go into business for myself to have more autonomy in my family life. I wanted to be in a position to set my own schedule to be attentive to my family’s needs. I am an entrepreneur to support me by showing up fully and authentically at home.
What are the biggest joys about being a mompreneur?
Setting my own schedule and doing work that creates a more caring and welcoming society for mothers and caregivers.
What are your biggest challenges being a mompreneur?
Setting boundaries with people around my capacity to produce in work settings. I've gotten a lot better at it, so much so that I now support my clients with this practice as well. However, boundary setting is hard work as a recovering people pleaser.
Why does a subscription model excite you as a mompreneur?
Consistency and predictable revenue. I would love to work smarter and not harder and also provide a way to keep my services affordable to people of all income levels.
Anything else you'd like to add?
To all the mothers out there who are showing up fully for their dreams and their families in this product-driven society, I see you!
Where can we follow you?
You can subscribe to my free newsletter on Subkit or follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube: @thriving_with_heather.
If you’re a mom and you feel ready to get back into business, here are a few ideas to help you make extra income as a stay-at-home mom entrepreneur. Or check out Subkit to launch the subscription business you’ve always dreamed of.
