BC full-time work-at-home-mom coaches moms in her Mama Bliss Coaching School
Our next mompreneur rockstar comes from British Columbia and is on a mission to add a touch of bliss back in our family and business lives. She teaches us the importance of taking care of our needs first, so we can more effectively tend to the needs of those who count on us in our home and business life.
Welcome to Mompreneur Media, Kathy. Please tell us a little about yourself
I’m Kathy Stowell – a rockstar mom with a gang of groupies that include my nine-year-old girl, five-year-old boy, and my soulmate-type husband. We currently live on seven acres of forest in a quaint ‘40s farmhouse, on the outskirts of a town tucked in the Kootenay Mountains of British Columbia. I’m also the founder of Mama Bliss Coaching School, which is a 12-week training program that teaches moms how to coach other moms and lead them to a deeper relationship with their self-care practices, creativity, values, and the role of simplicity in their lives. I also help moms who offer coaching to build sustainable practices that are in sync with their consciously chosen lifestyle.
What inspired you to start your business?
Because we wanted to live in such a remote part of the country, I had to get creative with how I was going to earn an income from home. I started by selling my hand-spun yarn and handmade clothing on Etsy, but found myself quickly burnt out by that business model and losing some love for my craft. Meanwhile, I found that if I carved out the time and space to bring my attention to both my creative spirit and self-care needs every day, my bliss bucket would get replenished and I would have more patience, compassion, and the capacity to be the mom my awesome kids deserve. So I decided to get certified as a coach. I wanted to share these reminders with others. Mama Bliss Coaching sees to it that moms are supported and encouraged to take care of their needs first, so they can more effectively tend to the needs of those who count on them and also follow their own passions outside of motherhood.
What is The Blissful Mama’s 3 Month Coaching Biz Plan and who is it for?
The Blissful Mama’s Three Month Coaching Biz Plan is a five-day e-course that helps moms with budding coaching practices see their areas of focus in the next three months of their business. In less than a week, strategies are put into place to ensure Mama Guilt is kept at bay, self-care is kept front and center, and reminders are sprinkled throughout her day to keep her motivated and focused. On the final day of the course, participants find themselves with a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule to follow that helps alleviate overwhelm, decision fatigue, and helps them make even more progress toward their income goal.
How do you run a business around your busy family and manage to stay blissful?
My peak creative time is early in the morning. I’m usually up at 6; I make myself a cup of coffee and get right to work on my top three tasks, which I’ve outlined the night before. During the summer, I work every day until 9AM, which is when my husband goes downstairs to his own office. About four days out of the week, a babysitter takes over to watch the kids until noon and that’s typically when I take my coaching calls. After that, I’m “fun rockstar mom”. I’ll take the kids down to beach, go on adventure of some sort (like heading to the grocery store after the park), or we’ll go visit some friends. To stay blissful, I pay attention to what my mind, body, and heart is guiding me to shift my attention towards. If I’m feeling burnout creep up, I’ll take a couple of days off and do something to get into my body more, like a yoga class or going for a hike. Or sometimes, I’ll just lay in bed with some gossip mags and a cup of tea. If I’m feeling a creative surge coming on, I’ll put the support systems in place (extra child-care, a couple of Waldorf-friendly kid movies on standby) to ride that inspiration wave. And I treat myself to mama-only trips abroad each summer. The last few years I’ve traveled to Portland. It reminds me of my groovy mountain town but it’s an American version: about 50 times bigger and with way more ethnic restaurants to choose from!
1 thing you do for yourself to unwind from it all
It’s so cliché, but it’s that glass of wine at dinner! I don’t know if it’s the wine or the dinner (probably mostly the wine), but I’m reminded then to pause and savor life. Because my husband and I both work from home, I can count on my hands and toes the number of times we haven’t convened together as a family at the dinner table. We are the house of early bedtimes, so right after dinner the kids have a bath, then dessert, followed by story time and lights out. My second way to unwind comes in the form of another liquid – a bath followed by a hot chamomile tea, while my husband and I hang out before our own bedtime. This is when we discuss things not meant for little ears (usually celebrity gossip) or binge watch a TV series on our laptop. We’re on a “Suits” kick right now!
A favorite website you like to browse for fun?
I love Dottie Angel! She’s been my inspiration for many years. She’s a British granny-chic bohemian living in suburbia. One of her to-do’s is to “feel a little crafty at least twice a day”. This mandate has helped me enhance my bliss so much throughout my rockstar career!
Kathy is the founder of Mama Bliss Coaching School ~ a 12-week coaching training program for moms. She’s a full-time work-at-home-mom that coaches other moms who coach moms on building sustainable, bliss-centered businesses. Her work has been published by Leonie Dawson, Tiny Buddha, Simple Kids, The When I Grow Up Coach, and more. She can talk birthing analogies until the cows come home to calf and is addicted to warm lattes and hot yoga.
Experience her free 3-day e-course to help you experience all the work-at-home-mom bliss within: Money Bliss: Earn an Income from Home (and still be an awesome Mom)
Connect with Kathy Stowell:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlissBeyondNaptime Twitter: https://twitter.com/kathystowell Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/while_tangerine/
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