💌 WM Digest | June 11, 2024

New workshop + new book club pick

Author

Kate Westlund Tovsen
June 11, 2024

Motherhood is nothing if not a series of new and novel experiences that constantly recalibrate our baseline for what is possible.

Oh, you’ve got a big complicated project coming up at work? You potty trained your toddler in a total state of sleep deprivation while feeding a tiny human while on maternity leave, after your spouse went back to work. YOU. CAN. DO. ANYTHING.

Anyway, I keep coming back to this, shared by founding member Jillian in the #everything-else🔒️ channel:

There’s a wave coming.

Something really beautiful is happening.

Even on my hardest days, I feel it.

There’s no shortage of connection amongst mothers.

Every journey - so unique. Every moment - so distinctly cherished.

But too many spaces were we feel alone…

Until we’re brought back, wrapped in the warm embrace of the women who have done this before us; reassured, even, by the distance we’ve achieved from previous versions of ourselves.

To me, this community is that “warm embrace” that Jillian talks about. I’m so grateful to everyone here — whether you’re actively participating in the Slack community, coming to one-off events, or following along as a supporter.

Thanks for being here and contributing to that sense of connectedness, for me, and for the rest of the group.

Reminder: links followed by a ‘🔒️’ are links to the WM Slack community.

If you’re a former member and you’d like to re-up your membership, you can do so at this link. Please forward me your confirmation once you do and I’ll reactivate your Slack access. If you had a lifetime promo code (looking at you, beta testers!) I will continue to honor that.

If you’d like to join us in Slack for the first time, you can apply at www.working-moms.com/apply.

🌐 COMMUNITY NOTES 🌐

  • Welcome to our newest membesr: Monét and Julie! 👋

  • We had a great book club chat with author L’Oreal Thompson Payton last week! Next up on the book list is a 180 — a fictional work called “The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett,” with an author chat slated for Wednesday, July 31!

    • See #low-stakes-book-club🔒️ to see upcoming books plus vote on titles through the end of the year!

  • This week’s coaching session will be on the themes of mom guilt and mom shame.

    • If you are new to the group, we hope you’ll check this out! It’s a great way to both connect with other group members and plant some seeds for self-growth. 🌻 

  • Have an upcoming workshop you want to, well, workshop? Want to share a cool new tool you learned about? Want to facilitate a journaling exercise to ground the group? Want to host a weekly YouTube cardio dance sesh for fun (slash accountability!)? The possibilities are endless! Sign up to present to the WM community via #present-a-session🔒️ (formerly known as #pitch-a-session).

🗓️ UPCOMING EVENTS 🗓️
(Newly added or updated events are highlighted. Coaching is limited to WM Slack group members, but all others are open to the public!)

  • Wed, June 12 @ 12:00PM CT - Coaching Convo with Jess (RSVP)

  • Fri, June 14 @ 12:00PM CT - June Workshop: Get 8 Hours Back (RSVP)

  • Wed, June 19 @ 12:00PM CT - Coaching Convo with Jess (RSVP)

  • Thurs, June 20 @ 8:30PM CT - Working Mom Speed Networking (RSVP)

  • Wed, June 26 @ 12:00 PM CT - Coaching Convo with Jess (RSVP)

  • Thur, June 27 @ 12:00 PM CT - Community-Led Workshop: Matrescence: the history of motherhood at work (and self-coaching 101) with Jess (RSVP)

  • Mon, July 1 @ 11:30 AM CT - Working Mom Speed Networking (RSVP)

Our June sponsor is Coexist, the app that helps you and your partner effortlessly share tasks, plan meals, collaborate on lists, and even give each other kudos. Coexist is available worldwide on Android and iOS.

The WM community gets an exclusive 15% off the annual plan on iOS when you sign up for a two-week free trial before June 30th with the code WORKINGMOMS15.

🧵 THREADS OF NOTE 🧵 

  • Toys/activities for a 2 yo? (weigh in!🔒️)

  • Food allergy experiences? (weigh in!🔒️)

  • Advice to newer moms re: taking pictures of your kids for eventual slideshows (take notes!🔒️)

  • Advice for making the leap from FT to solopreneur? (weigh in!🔒️)

Member Recs:

Advocacy and Action:

🔦 NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 🔦 

🔗 Katie Ryder Hall | Data Analyst, Chemist, Analytical Lab Manager, New Mother
👨‍👩‍👦 Kids: Declan, 9 months
📍 Location: Birmingham, AL
💗 Favorite thing about WM: Getting to meet new people to share experiences, bounce ideas, celebrate, and support each other.
🌯 Favorite food: Mexican - beef burrito supreme no lettuce
🎥 Favorite movie: South Park: Bigger Longer Uncut
🐕️ Pets: Bruce the void cat and Selina the calico both 7 and named after Batman and Catwoman (see the #pets🔒️ channel for pics!)
👀 Hidden talent: cake decorating/baking
🌊 Favorite way to relax: board games, but we have a “shelf of shame” of unopened games we haven't played since the baby arrived.
🎯 Goal for the upcoming year: find a job in a data focused role

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