LAUREN PHELPS

momsiheart

MOMS I HEART: ELIZABETH DAMRICH

MusingsLauren Phelps

Hi Friends,

I am proud to bring you a new edition of MOMS I HEART: highlighting the impactful, amazing, and inspiring moms in my life.

For this edition, I am joined by Elizabeth Damrich. Liz is not only a talented designer but also a fellow University of Alabama alumnus with a generous spirit and endless style. It’s a joy to watch her evolve as both an artist and a mother. Her home, like those of many of my Southern friends, is featured in Southern Interiors, a new book by Schumacher and Tori Mellot. This will be my go-to holiday gift for nearly everyone on my list!

As many of you know, the undeniably chic, Elizabeth Damrich x Antonia Melani holiday collection just launched at Dillard’s. I am delighted to share a few of my favorites with you here:

MOMS I HEART

Elizabeth damrich

creative director + designer

WHO OR WHAT MADE YOU A MOM?

My little girl, Gigi, made me a mom on a warm February day almost six years ago.

A RECENT BIG LITTLE MOMENT…

My three year old boy and I have started the ritual of a "wittle walk" as he calls it. It could be in nature or downtown, but it's all about exploring. I let him lead the direction, and we love to talk about what we see along the way while holding hands. I'm a design lover and want my kids to develop a point of view of their own so we also like to talk about buildings -- what we like, don't like and what we may do differently. I also get him to find the most beautiful thing about it. It's always a good thing to learn to look for the beauty in everything from a young age.

DAILY RITUAL?

As a typically sleep-deprived mom, I start my day with a few pauses of gratitude and a full glass of electrolytes from Moon Juice as we're getting the kids ready for school. My husband always fixes our coffee and has it waiting on me which feels like a loving little luxury.

THE ADVICE YOU DIDN’T TAKE

I didn't listen to those who said it was too hard to have your own business while the kids are young. It's difficult but so rewarding to forge your own path and for them to see you doing what you love. I hope it gives them permission to do the same one day.

THE ADVICE YOU NOW GIVE

I wish I would have joined an hour long, weekly class early in motherhood like painting, sculpture, gardening, etc. I've found it to be incredibly important to create a dedicated time for yourself to learn something new that lights you up (especially during those early days). Lean on those in your village to help you during that hour each week. I feel like it would have done wonders for me!

YOUR WISH FOR EVERY MOM

The courage to show up imperfectly and know that it is enough.

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MOMS I HEART: LINDSEY JOHNSON

MusingsLauren Phelps

Hi Friends,

I am proud to bring you a new edition of MOMS I HEART: highlighting the impactful, amazing, and inspiring moms in my life.

For this edition, I am joined by Lindsey Johnson - CEO and co-founder of Weezie Towels. As a mom-owned business, Weezie’s mission is to make everyday essentials feel a little more special. Their luxury line of towels and robes are highly thought out and detailed, with 100% organic cotton sourced from a third-generation family-owned farm in Portugal. With an in-house team in Atlanta, every item is hand-crafted, inspected, and embroidered to perfection. The good-hearted nature of founders Lindsey and Liz is reflected in their product: creating an elevated essential that everyone in the family can feel good about.

As a fellow MOMS heart MOMS contributor, I was excited to learn more about Lindsey’s motherhood story and ask her a few questions. Read on below for a glimpse of our conversation.

MOMS I HEART

LINDSEY JOHNSON

CO-FOUNDER & CEO OF WEEZIE TOWELS

WHO OR WHAT MADE YOU A MOM?

I was a dog mom first to our french bulldog, Moose we got in May of 2018! My first child, a daughter named Miller, was born in March of 2020.

A RECENT BIG LITTLE MOMENT…

My 3 and 4 year old have started to feed our 8 month old her bottle in the mornings and in addition to being extremely helpful, it is just so heartwarming watching them care for her. 

DAILY RITUAL?

Exercise has become an almost daily ritual for me. Specifically, tennis. It keeps me sane! 

THE ADVICE YOU DIDN’T TAKE

So many people told us not to have kids so close together - our first two are 13 months apart. While it has been absolute chaos since our second was born, it is so fun watching them become each others' built in best friends and I would not trade it for a second! 

THE ADVICE YOU NOW GIVE

Do not be afraid to ask for help and do not feel guilty for taking it! Raising children really does take a village so I encourage everyone to find theirs and lean on it when needed. Your children are happier when you are at your best and if that means taking some time for yourself away from the kids then do it! 

YOUR WISH FOR EVERY MOM

At the risk of repeating myself...my wish is that you find your village! Whether that be in the form of hired help or even just a community of other mom friends - co-parenting with friends and their kids is so much more fun - and easier : ) 

MOMS I HEART: NEHA RUCH

MusingsLauren Phelps

Hi Friends,

I am proud to bring you a new edition of MOMS I HEART: highlighting the impactful, amazing, and inspiring moms in my life.

For this edition, I am joined by Neha Ruch - founder of Mother Untitled and author of The Power Pause. Following a 10-year career in brand strategy and after receiving an MBA from Standford, Neha gave birth to her second child. After pausing her career, she was confronted with stereotypes of the ‘stay at home mom’. She founded Mother Untitled to redefine what it meant to take a career pause, and empower the modern mother. Mother Untitled is a community of women who realize they can be empowered, proud, and ambitious, regardless of their status as mother.

Her new book, The Power Pause, outlines how mothers can redefine their career pauses as an empowering and enriching chapter of their life: rebranding the ‘stay at home mom’ trope. The book is set to release in early 2025, and pre-orders are available here.

Neha is a fellow MOMS HEART MOMS contributor, and I am so grateful for her generosity and wisdom. To learn more about the initiative, read on here.

To learn more about Neha and Mother Untitled, be sure to support her on socials here:

Learn more about Neha Ruch and Mother Untitled

Follow Mother Untitled on Instagram

Preorder The Power Pause today

MOMS I HEART

Neha ruch

FOUNDER OF mother untitled and author of ‘the power pause’

WHO OR WHAT MADE YOU A MOM?

My first, baby, Bodie, who's not such a baby anymore!

A RECENT BIG LITTLE MOMENT…

My son, yesterday, in the car asking how my husband and I met. 

DAILY RITUAL?

A five minute meditation and bullet gratitude journaling in my Iphone notes.

THE ADVICE YOU DIDN’T TAKE

When everyone advised against my choice to pause my career, I'm glad I bet on this chapter of family life as a powerful part of a long story.

THE ADVICE YOU NOW GIVE

Make the best choice for right now -- you'll get to come back and recalibrate often. 

YOUR WISH FOR EVERY MOM

Support -- emotional and physical, paid or unpaid. Every mother works, every mother deserves support.

MOMS I HEART: LEAH MELBY CLINTON

MusingsLauren Phelps

Hi Friends,

I am proud to bring you a new edition of MOMS I HEART: highlighting some of the impactful, amazing, and inspiring moms in my life.

For this edition, I interviewed my friend Leah Melby Clinton, founder of InKind Magazine and Diana. With a background in editorial writing and content strategy, Leah founded InKind Magazine upon becoming a mother, creating a likeminded community of women.

Leah is a fellow MOMS HEART MOMS contributor. To learn more about the initiative, read on here.

To learn more about Leah and InKind, be sure to support her on socials here:

In Kind

Diana

MOMS I HEART

LEAH MELBY CLINTON

FOUNDER OF INKIND MAGAZINE AND DIANA

Leah Melby Clinton of InKind and Diana


WHO OR WHAT MADE YOU A MOM?

Technically, my oldest nearly five years ago, but the older I get and the more years I have in my mothering journey, the more I think about how the maternal instinct isn’t suddenly turned on with the birth of a child. We mother in so many ways and moments, and for many of us, that starts years before having children is part of our story (and it’s why I’ve felt really strongly about making the Mother’s Day messages we share on In Kind every year be directed to women more so than just mothers). The thing I find the most fulfilling about motherhood is giving another human a supportive space to explore—letting them feel safe to try and dream and do—and I realized I started doing that much earlier than becoming a mother. I started laying the groundwork for who I am as a mother as a camp counselor I think, as odd as that might sound. It was the first place I learned to love and live with the special magic that comes with creating space for individuality and exploration. 

A RECENT BIG LITTLE MOMENT…

Being reminded that our children are watching us constantly and letting our actions inform their ideal is truly breathtaking. As a writer, seeing my daughter create lists and stories or make a “magazine” has pulled at my heartstrings recently. 

DAILY RITUAL?

I keep this five-year journal in my bedside table and opening it each night is so special. I love writing down a few quick things, big or small or simply things I’m grateful for. Now that I’m three years in, I really love re-reading what we were doing on that exact day in the past, whether it was a big moment or just some small element of our day-to-day life.

THE ADVICE YOU DIDN’T TAKE

The thing I find most dangerous for me as a mother is the vast ocean of completely well-meaning advice shared on social media. I don’t take any of it, because I’ve mostly scrubbed it from my feed (I think people are shocked to hear I don’t follow Dr. Becky). Kids are so different and women are so different, and the few times something has popped up in my orbit or been forwarded to me, I invariably start doubting everything I do and think and believe. It relates to one piece of advice I’m very glad I did take when my firstborn was weeks old. My mother told me that I was her mother and no one knew my baby like I did. That meant something differently when she was two weeks old versus now, but the idea is still the same. I believe your instinct is always going to serve you better than what someone is posting on Instagram.   

THE ADVICE YOU NOW GIVE

To fill up your own cup and focus on what makes you tick and dream and feel fulfilled as a person. It will make you a better person and a better mother. There’s a Jung quote I love— “the greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of its parents”— and I think about it often. That if mothers shelf a part of themselves in order to tend to their children, there’s a risk it will not only drain your life of color but also affect your children when they’re older. Kids can sense and see when a parent is happy and engaged and following their own dreams, whether that’s a 2-year-old noticing how happy their mother seems or a preteen watching her pursue her own hobby and joy.  

YOUR WISH FOR EVERY MOM

To push guilt as far away as possible, if not fully obliterate it. If your child is fed, clothed, in a bed at night, with multiple people who love them and are taking care of them, you are a fantastic mother, period, end of story. I wish we could all stop feeling guilty or questioning ourselves and remember that simple fact.

MOMS I HEART: Sally King McBride, founder of The Letter Nest

MusingsLauren Phelps

Hi Friends,

I am excited to launch the new series MOMS I HEART, highlighting some of the impactful, amazing, and inspiring moms in my life.

For this first edition, I am interviewing my great friend Sally King McBride, founder of The Letter Nest. As a veteran in the art world, Sally launched The Letter Nest in response to the mothers in her life. On a constant search for the perfect gift, Sally decided to create her own: hand-illustrated alphabet prints.

I am lucky to be partnering with Sally this month in the MOMS HEART MOMS virtual fundraiser. To learn more about the initiative, read on here, and stay tuned on Instagram for a special giveaway featuring a generous contribution from Sally.

Read on to learn more about Sally and The Letter Nest, and be sure to support her website and Instagram.

With love and gratitude,

MOMS I HEART

sally king mcbride

founder of the letter nest

Who or what made you a mom?

“My sons, Matt and Alex!”

A recent big little moment…

“I love that my kids have their own friendship independent of me and my husband. It's their own little world, with secrets, games, occasional hand-holding, and a lot of Pokemon.”

Daily ritual?

“Painting and Peloton.

And I love walking around NYC...”

The advice you didn’t take

“I generally steer clear of professionalized parenting advice—

I don't need more voices in my head than the one already present. :-) “

The advice you now give

“Don't do it all.”

Your wish for every mom

“A manicure.

And that she knows she's loved.”