Caffeinated Chaos

33. Finding Fulfillment & Purpose as a Mompreneur with Guest Lydia Harris

• Whitney Aguon • Episode 33

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In this episode, I sit down with Lydia, a holistic business mentor for moms, to discuss the intersection of motherhood and entrepreneurship. Lydia shares her journey from teaching to entrepreneurship, the lessons she learned along the way, and how moms can find more fulfillment in their businesses. We also dive into the challenges of balancing business and family, navigating chaotic moments, and the importance of showing up as your authentic self.

What We Cover:

  • Lydia’s background as a mom of three and holistic business mentor
  • The journey from teaching to entrepreneurship and discovering purpose
  • How becoming a mom sparked creativity and led to business growth
  • The flexibility of entrepreneurship and how it enhances motherhood
  • Funny stories about working from home with kids
  • The importance of batch recording and setting boundaries to be present with family
  • Taking maternity leave as an entrepreneur and planning for time off
  • Navigating challenges like sickness and unexpected interruptions
  • The concept of “muchness mapping” and how to discover your true purpose
  • Encouraging listeners to look back, reach back, and help others along the way
  • Lydia’s upcoming guide, Flow State: A 31-Day Journey for Moms to Tap into Their Creative Genius
  • Her free podcast, Path to Pivot, to help moms transition into more fulfilling work

Actionable Takeaways:

  1. Reflect on Past Experiences: Identify patterns in your life where you felt the most fulfilled and use that as a guide for your next steps.
  2. Embrace Your Unique Purpose: Money is great, but aligning your business with your true self creates lasting fulfillment and success.
  3. Batch Work for Flexibility: Set up systems like batch recording to ensure more presence in your family life.
  4. Take Control of Your Path: You always have a choice in how your life and business evolve—lean into your strengths and intuition.

Resources & Links:

Cheers! Thank you for joining us for another episode. Have a chaotic moment, question, or topic you want us to cover? Drop us a message or leave a review! If you loved this episode, share it with a friend who thrives in beautiful chaos too.

Let’s Connect:


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Welcome to Caffeinated Chaos, where business deals happen between diaper changes and friendships are fueled by caffeine. I'm Whitney Uggen, your host, and I'm here to talk all things business, parenthood, and of course, keeping up with the BFFs. Whether you're juggling the boardroom, the playroom, or just here for some coffee fueled chaos, we've got you covered. Get ready for real talk, laughs, and a whole lot of heart as we dive into the beautiful mess that is entrepreneurship, parenthood, and everything in between. So let's embrace the chaos together. Caffeinated, of course. Welcome back to the podcast. Today, our special guest is Lydia Harris. She helps entrepreneur mothers discover who they are and reconnect them with their intuition so that they can experience more vitality, and sustainability in both motherhood and business. I am so excited to get into our conversation. So let's welcome Lydia to the podcast. Thanks so much for having me. So why don't you tell our listeners a little bit about you before we dive into everything we're going to talk about? Yeah, so I am a mom living in the Midwest. I have three kids under five and I am a holistic business mentor for other moms who have businesses. So really what I do is help them. To find more fulfillment in their business, which often leads to more profit, just by leaning into who they naturally are. I love that. Okay. I've talked about so many people and so much on this podcast already about being like, and showing up as your authentic self. So I feel like we are about to get into like some good conversation right now. Yeah. How about we start about with like, what's your favorite thing about being a mom and an entrepreneur? Yeah, like both at the same time. Or separately. Yeah, sure. Yeah. I was just making a video earlier about how I felt like I have always. Wanted to be a mom like from the time I was little like I just knew I was taking care of like nieces and nephews And I was like the mom of my friend group like it's just always I've always had that kind of maternal Instinct and everything and so I always knew that I wanted to be a mom and It was when I became a mom that then I realized like, wow, I have so much creative potential for entrepreneurship. And that was really the catalyst for me becoming an entrepreneur was first becoming a mom. So I left teaching to become a mom. And what I really love about it, about that intersection is obviously just like getting to be so present with my kids that entrepreneurship is so flexible and you can really do. In this day and age, anything and make money from it, like basically anything. And so like finding the ways that I've been able to become a better mother because I'm an entrepreneur and become a better entrepreneur because I'm a mom, like they just play off of each other so well. And that's been like a really fun and fulfilling journey. Nice, nice. So, a little off topic, but do your kids do like little funny things or like Try to come to you when you're working, because mine definitely does yes, yeah, so my oldest is four and Sometimes I'll find her like with like a little like a DVD case or something and she's like, this is my laptop. I'm working So they definitely do things like that and they yeah, they often come up and they want to be involved in what I'm doing They want to see me see like what that is all about. And they don't, I'm sure they don't understand what it is I actually do, but they know that I get to work from anywhere and that's fun. Yeah. My daughter, she calls it, she goes, mommy, are you working on your homework? And I was like, yeah, I'm working at home. Yeah, I guess it's homework, you know, and she's only three. So she doesn't even go to school. She doesn't know what homework is, but it's like, I'm at home. And she's doing some kind of work and she goes, you're working on your homework. And I was like, yeah, and then she goes, me too. And then she'll come over and I have this like little spiral notebook and she'll just like scribble and she'll be like, I wrote notes. And I was like, good for you. That's so sweet. And then I was telling this to another person that I interviewed, but yeah, that's it. Our little routine before we get ready for an interview if she's up and around We'll light a candle and then i'll do my makeup and she'll come over and she'll do like the finishing powder So she's just like I want to help you, and I was like, okay, here's some like, translucent finishing powder. And she'll like, come over and she'll like, dab both my cheeks, and then my nose, and my chin, and like, literally just those four spots, And she'll just like, you're all set, mommy, you're ready. And I was like, thanks, babe. And she goes, okay, I'm going to go to the room and then she'll like go to play with her toys. But she knows like the mic is out. The ring light is out, you know, I'm doing my makeup. Yeah. And it was really cute. I was lucky enough to capture part of it for a reel. And I was just like, yeah. I'm just getting ready for a meeting and my daughter's helping me do my makeup and she just, and she is rough with that brush. It took her a while to learn to be soft. But she'll like, straight on, like a bingo marker, like, on my nose and my cheeks. I was talking to you before about, like, how I'm, like, batch recording everything. And I think it's so important that people learn how to batch record stuff so that you can be more present. Because my goal is to not have to work during my birthday month, but also not have to work during the summer. Even though she's still like home all the time, I still want summer to be a summer break for the kids. Yeah, totally. I feel like there's so much to, to figure out with that when you become an entrepreneur, like. taking maternity leave. I have three kids now, so I've done like two maternity leaves as an entrepreneur. And it's like figuring out what does that look like? How do I like set up space for myself to like have that time? Because it's just so different than when you're in like a traditional career. So yeah. Totally agree. Gosh, I, this last pregnancy, Jasmine, she put me through a hard time. Um, and so this podcast was actually supposed to be started a year ago, but then when I got pregnant and It was a rough pregnancy. I just didn't have the energy or the bandwidth to like, really just be like, I need to sit down and record and my husband and my housemate were so like supportive. They actually got me headphones and a mic for that year just start and I had the setup and I was just like, I got pregnancy brain fog, So I love that we're talking about so many things right now. Let's shift again, because I want to introduce a chaotic moment. Just get that one out of the way. So do you have one? Oh my goodness. Yes. There's so many that I could choose from, but this past week, we got hit with a stomach bug, and I was the only survivor left standing, so I've still, been healthy, which has been great. But, yeah, trying to manage, I had to reschedule some meetings, we had been sick. Like a couple weeks ago. So it's like I had to reschedule and then I was like, do I need to reschedule again? Because now my kids are sick. My husband was sick and I was like holding down the fort So it was just yeah this whole week has been like a little bit messy and finding the moments where we can You know pause as needed take the space as needed But also still get done the things that i've like committed to or the things that I really need to get done. So it's been interesting one, knock on wood but also, I feel like so many people this week or these, last couple weeks have been dealing with so many chaotic moments because, everyone knows about the, at the time of this recording, LA Fires is still very much a thing. Now. And there's even more popping up. And then the other part of the country is like covered in snow, I just saw that Disney World got a couple inches of snow and they were just like, Oh, okay. I guess we have snow now, So Lydia, you help. moms who are entrepreneurs, right? And so with you, what's your journey? And how did you decide that that's what you wanted to do Yeah, so I was a public school teacher for several years. And that's like what I went to school for. And like I mentioned, becoming a mom is when I realized I need to do something different, because I need to have the flexibility and the space to be able to be home with. Her. And so originally when I was like looking for options, I found like a course to take about freelancing and really like where I started out was actually brand and web design. And so for four years I was a brand designer and that was a lot of fun. And, I worked with moms in, in that business as well, helping them to paint their vision and with the visuals. And yeah, that was a lot of fun, but then I realized as I was Having more kids, raising my kids, setting this example and painting more of a vision of what I wanted for my own life, I really realized that there was more purpose that I could find in the work that I was doing and I didn't want to. You just have a business sort of as like a means to an end, if that makes sense. Like it was a great season that, yeah, it like, it was great that it brought me home to be with my kids, but I knew like there, there was more for me. And since I already had that experience of having a business and being home with my kids, I was like, I know I can tap into something and make something more. So that's when I pivoted into mentorship and helping moms to connect. To their purpose and really be who they are. Cause I was like, that's what I was doing with branding, helping them to make their business, reflect who they are as a business owner. But I was like, I want to do this in a more holistic way and help moms to really capture that vision. So yeah, that's been the journey from. Teaching to what I'm doing now, and there's so many common threads, it's all, yeah, you can see the patterns through it all of how it's all connected, but that's, the short version. Nice. I love a good actionable step, and so do my listeners, if someone is okay, yeah, that sounds interesting, what would you suggest be, like, First timers. First step. Yeah. If they're wanting to start a business or looking to find more purpose in their work, wanting to find more fulfillment, they can first just really get present with who they are. And that could look a lot of different ways for everybody. But sort of just like a tidbit that I can give people is what I call muchness mapping. And really that's like looking back at the patterns of your life, the roles or jobs that you have had and seeing what about those things that I've done has been most fulfilling for me. Because I think a lot of times, like I was saying, we might be in business as a means to an end and realize that there's something more for us. And one way that we can find out what that more is, what that more could look like is just looking back on our life and saying, what have I already done and already experienced that made me feel most alive? And how could I bring that into the next season of my business? I love that. Okay, so I'm going to tell you a little story. Back when I was in high school, I had this life skills teacher who was amazing. She is now principal of that same high school, and she taught us one, she taught us many things, but one thing that always stuck with me is you can move forward in your life and what you're doing, but don't ever forget it. To look back, reach back, and help the person behind you. And, so like, when we go up, we pull someone up with us. And I think that's so important having that purpose where, like, yes, you can keep climbing your ladder and do what you want to do. But if you're the type of person like me who, you know, I was inspired by my high school teacher, I want to bring the person behind me back up and hopefully then they look back and they bring a person up too because then everyone goes up the ladder at the same time. You know, that kind of thing. Yeah, I love that so much. And that's been such a big reason of why I want to mentor moms now is because I, throughout my journey as a brand designer, I just kept meeting moms in business who it was really hard for them to articulate the vision that they had for like what they wanted their brand to represent because they were building it as just something to make money. for them. And so I was like, this is actually a big problem that I'm seeing a lot of moms deal with. And so, yeah, I was like, okay, well, I am digging into my purpose. And yeah, I want to bring you along with me. I want all the moms to be like, this is not just which like money is a great, uh, purpose to have behind your business. But obviously like there is so much more potential based on the unique way that we were all designed to operate. And Yeah. Yeah, just bringing, I'm bringing them along too. I know that you have a guide coming out for moms. You want to tell us a little bit about that? Yeah, so it's called Flow State and it's a 31 day journey for moms to tap into their creative genius so that they can have more fulfillment and purpose in their business. Awesome. And so I will get the link from you. I'll put it down in the show notes for everyone. And so everyone can just go and click on that. But besides that is, how else can people connect with you if they're, feeling inspired by what you do or want to learn more? about how to connect or how to connect and get your services. Yeah. So mostly I'm on Instagram at live wholly you. And that's like wholly as in the whole thing. So yeah, I'm over there all the time. You can come and connect in DM with me or find out more there, you know, in my Lincoln bio and that sort of thing. But I do have like one to one mentorship or containers and things like that. If people are. Interested in discovering more about who they are and what their purpose could be. Nice. Okay. I love that. So we have talked so much about just the whole finding of purpose and I love that part. You were a teacher and then you pivoted, so you going through that, what could you say to inspire those who are maybe thinking about the same kind of transition? Thanks for asking about that. I do, and I do have a resource, a free resource. It's actually a free pop up like podcast over this topic. It's called Path to Pivot. Through my journey of pivoting from teaching. Into entrepreneurship and then from service provider to mentor like there are so many lessons that I learned along the way of how to uncover the like I said earlier that like muchness them, like looking back on your life, like uncovering the patterns that can reveal to you like what your purpose really could look like, And part of the very first step for me was really just getting present with what I wanted because I realized like as a teacher and as a service provider that I was going through the motions and just doing the thing that I thought that I should do. So I just always encourage business owners who are feeling like this nag in their heart, if you will, like that something is maybe not right, or there's maybe something more for them. Just, providing the space for themself to dream bigger and really tune in and listen to their intuition and what that might be telling them about what is next for them. And then in that free podcast, I go into more steps about, the practicals of, like, okay, what kind of steps can you lay for yourself to start to make a change if you feel like that's actually what is next for you. Okay, awesome. And I'll put the link down to the podcast. But where can they find it? Besides the link at the link in my bio on Instagram, I have it linked as like a free resource. Cool. Sounds good. Okay. Thank you. For our listeners on the podcast, any kind of final thoughts? Yeah. So I think that a big thing that Most parents need to be reminded of is just that they have a choice about the kind of fulfillment that they have in life and business. And I think so many of us get caught up with our circumstances and it can be easy to. to feel like life is happening to us. And I just always want to encourage them that, you have the agency and the autonomy to look at what's before you and really make a decision about what you want to do next, whether that's pivoting or staying or changing things up. And you always like, nobody can take away that choice or take away who it is that you are. So the more that you discover who you are and lean into that, lean into your purpose. Like it's only up from there. Like nobody can take that from you. And that is really, to me, the path to greater purpose and fulfillment is leaning into who you are. Okay, awesome. So if you haven't yet, click the links in the bio, grab the guides, and yeah, thank you for joining us, Lydia. Thank you so much. We went by so fast because you were so good at just answering multiple questions as one, and I love it. Yeah, this has been so fun, and I'm, yeah, grateful to have been able to chat with you. Awesome. Okay, everyone else, I will see you in our next podcast, and Lydia, I will see you soon. That's a wrap on another episode of Caffeinated Chaos. I hope you're leaving with a little more clarity, a lot more inspiration, and maybe even an extra shot of motivation. If you loved today's episode, don't forget to follow us, leave a review, and share it with a friend who could use just a little chaos and caffeine in their life. Until next time, keep embracing the mess, chase your dreams, and make magic happen. One caffeinated, chaotic moment at a time. I will see you all soon. Bye now.

People on this episode

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Whitney Mihalko - Aguon

Host
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Lydia Harris

Guest

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