Episode 40: Investing in Yourself with Time and Space
Because being a Momprenuer doesn't always mean "work-from-home"
Hey BRILLIANT Mompreneurs!
Do find that you work faster and more efficiently at coffee shops than at home? Do you ever wish you had a space away to focus on your business? How about being able to enter a zone with work and not get distracted with loads of laundry or kids needing things?
Today’s Guest is the brilliant Lori Gasca; business woman, writer, and owner of the Grove. In this episode we dive into the value of us moms taking time for ourselves, how separation between work and home can be super healthy, creative ways that we can find community, and so much more!
"When you start believing in you, everyone else is going to believe in you. But it starts with you."
Discussed in this Episode...
It's okay (beneficial even) to take time away
For the past two years, Lori has gone on a Birthday trip. Not a big party trip with friends or family, but a trip alone on her actual birthday. It wasn’t initially going to be an annual thing, but after two of these trips Lori already can’t wait for next year. She can’t imagine what her life would be without them now!
There were times in her life, many years actually, where she didn’t life herself enough to be by herself for a whole weekend. It can be hard to get real with your thoughts when it gets quiet. She is also in a phase of life with older children (ranging from 16 to 23) that are pretty self-reliant. Your time of replenishment or your time of just refreshing your soul may look really different than what Lori’s looks like right now. And that’s okay! We don’t want to get trapped in comparison. Maybe your time of refreshing is just one day alone at your own home, when everybody’s gone. You do what you need to do when you have littles at home!
How can you practically do this?
So just the thought of being alone. Like what does that bring up in you? Does that bring fear? Does that bring up anxiety? Does that bring up total excitement? Let’s sit with that question just a bit and then grab a journal. Maybe your first step is going to Hobby Lobby and buy a cute little journal and some pens. Find a place to hide away by yourself (this could be your closet), and just let your thought pour out.
Lori and her family lived in a tiny little house. The four kids shared two bedrooms, and they had two bathrooms but only one of those bathrooms had a bathtub. So it was the kids tub. Lori loves taking a bath. So every once in a while, she would go in there and take a bath. Now, when mom is in the bathtub, who comes in? The children! Lori recounted one instance where she had just had it with the day. She took all the toys out the bathtub, filled it with hot water, got in there, and locked the door. She had come to the point where the house could burn down, but she was locking the door. And then, she heard the inevitable knob jiggle; someone was trying to get in only to find that it was lock. From the other side of the door Lori heard a voice say “that is so smart”. It was her husband. That one phrase was the encouragement, or permission that she needed to fully relax and take that time by herself with the door locked. It became a habit and a way that she survived the tiny children years.
When it helps to have an office space outside the home
Lori has sold essential oils for 14 years now and has grown it to a very profitable stage.She had reached the top 2% of the company and was making a good income. Her business grew best around a coffee table, so there really was no real logistical reason for her to have an office. Emotionally though, it was a different story.
See, Lori had a virtual assistant that she met with once a month at a coffee shop. In those few hours she would accomplish more than she could accomplish in a week or two at home. Because let’s face it, multitasking really isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. It’s hard to be super efficient when you’re trying to do a little bit of a lot of things, all at the same time. It just doesn’t work.
Lori knew she needed to be intentional. She wanted to be efficient with her time and have a bit more separation from between work and home. One thing she realized for herself was when her work was at home, she never really left work. She was never able to fully check out, close her computer, or turn off her phone. And that was the motivation to start looking for a work space.
A few more things we discuss:
- How Lori’s need for a work space grew into a larger business opportunity
- The need for community as a woman and a mom
- Creative ways that we can find community
- What is a co-working space and how does it work?
- Ways to use a co-working space, that aren’t working
- How we need to stop minimizing ourselves and what we do
Brilliant Recommendations:
- The Empowered Business M.O.M.s Circle
- The Profitable M.O.M. Club
- 1:1 Coaching
- Brilliant Mompreneurs Society | Facebook
- The Grove Directory (Use LANI5 for $5 off)
About Lori Gasca:
Lori is a country girl, Jesus-loving, hippie, and is happiest barefoot or in Birks! She is an adored wife and slightly crazy mom to the most gorgeous Kids who were ever born (I’m sure yours are cute too…) She dabbles in lots but is a self-admitted serial entrepreneur. She’s in the process of writing her first book and has a passion for empowering women to live their true passion.
More about Lani Jackson:
Lani is a mom to 6 kids, and wife to her husband of 15 years. She survives on caffeine, laughing with her kids, cooking in the kitchen, hiding in the pantry eating chocolate, and helping other women know they are not alone in the chaos of motherhood & their entrepreneur journey.
She is a Clarity & Strategy Coach for mom entrepreneurs! Helping them to create flexible strategies that adjust and move with the chaos of mom life, but still bring consistent monthly income. Her mission is to help mompreneurs get out of survival mode, release the mom guilt, and create a clear plan of action that will help them reach their dreams of consistent monthly income, flexibility, and freedom.
