Motherhood, Mental Health & the Quiet Work of Showing Up
Guess who is back?
It is your Manic Momboss, who is happy to share that she is entering Mother’s Day this year as a mom of 2!
The last six months, my focus was fully on family life and being a (new) mom.
It made me realize again how important rest is in our daily life full of commitments, especially while being a mompreneur.
So, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m dedicating this column to all the neurodivergent mompreneurs out there. The ones juggling everything. The ones doing the invisible work of showing up, even when it’s hard.
It can be hard sometimes, especially in moments when you have to work harder to be present as a parent.
During my second pregnancy, I made the decision to step away from work for six months. Not because I didn’t love what I do, but because being a mother, preparing for labor, and caring for both a toddler and a newborn required my full energy. And if there’s one thing I take seriously, it’s protecting my inner peace.
Being present as a parent isn’t just about being in the room. For me, it means being emotionally available, stable, and connected. To get there, I’ve had to be honest about my limits. I’ve learned to schedule mental rest into my week—not just for me, but with my kids, so they grow up seeing rest not as a reward, but as a habit.
Being present as a parent means, for me, way more than only being around them in person. I want to make sure that my energy is in balance and I am emotionally available whenever needed.
Here are some activities we do together and consider as “mental rest activities”:
- Diamond painting or coloring by number with soft music in the background
- Freehand drawing for one another
- Making smoothies or banana pancakes
- Beach walks (and shell collecting) or forest strolls
- Freestyle dancing in the living room to our self-made playlist
- Karaoke sessions
- And our favorite: Saturday night movie-in-bed tradition
Yes, sleep matters, but these little habits give our minds space throughout the day. And when overwhelm creeps in, we already have built-in tools to soften the edges.
Pro tip: always carry a coloring book and water marker in your bag, it’s a lifesaver at restaurants or on-the-go.
Now let’s talk about being emotionally available and how I try to manage that.
My main tool now is being part of the Inner Circle community led by my speaker coach, Nick Santonastasso, for over a year. Each Monday, we gather for a motivation call, guided by Nick himself, that helps me recenter and stay connected to my long-term goals, both personal and professional.
My top priority will always be being the mom my kids deserve. And that sometimes means stepping back from business. Staying motivated can be tough in those moments, but these calls help me stay aligned and energized. Since it’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and Nick’s birthday is on the 20th, I’m sharing this for anyone who might need that same anchor:
👉 https://www.skool.com/victoriousic/about?ref=d90a0f11820c4289b3f361bf09c22035
Finally, one of the quietest but most powerful practices I’ve maintained is how I end my day: I write down one win, one emotional trigger, and how I responded. This small ritual has helped me stay grounded through my own journey with bipolar disorder. And now, it helps me show up: calm, aware, and honest for my kids.
So, those are my go-to tools for protecting mental health while navigating motherhood and entrepreneurship.
Wishing you all a peaceful Mother’s Day and a restorative Mental Health Awareness Month.
It’s good to be back!
