It was so much fun to work with the Body Conceptions team (led by Mahri Relin) for the Uplifting Fitness Fest on 10/25. I love this honest and heartfelt piece that Mahri wrote for the BoCo blog after our event together.
That was the question I got a few times from friends and clients who found out about my event with Randi Zinn at Athleta a few weeks ago. They were enticed by the event but were unsure whether motherhood was a requirement since we would be touching on “motherhood” themes. It was definitely a fair question.
I first heard of Randi Zinn through a dear friend, and I quickly felt like I had found a kindred spirit when I finally met her. I realized immediately that she was a truly thoughtful and intelligent person with a depth to her that I sought in good friends. Randi’s work with mothers came out of her own experience as a entrepreneur trying to find her identity beyond just “mother.” She met other women who were struggling with similar questions and who had not found a support network that really spoke to their struggles. And that’s when her business, Beyond Mom, was born.
I am not yet a mother, but I quickly realized after getting to know Randi that identity, transition, and empowerment are themes she addresses that are truly universal. We are all pulled in so many different directions — from societal expectations to mass media images to our workplaces. When Randi would talk about the ways that mothers could get lost between the demands of their family and professional lives, I recognized that this was an issue present across many categories of women.
Don’t get me wrong – I know that motherhood is so very unique and needs to be addressed in its own right. And Randi is an important voice for mothers, especially female entrepreneurs who have ambition and an identity that can be challenged when they start a family. What I soon recognized, though, is that this was a conversation that could be stretched — that all women could benefit from her insights and advice. An event focusing on self-care and personal wellness as a source of strength, and creating community in the process, was good for ALL of us.
