Working Moms

In February 2018 I just landed an amazing job, bought my own house, just turned 23, felt the most comfortable I ever had in my own skin, and recently retired from competing for Miss Louisiana. I felt like things had fallen into place until I found out I was pregnant. I was scared, but not for the typical reasons someone young and not married would be scared about having a baby. I had supportive family and friends. That was no issue. It felt like a death sentence. I was scared because of everyone telling me “just wait”. Everything I was told and read made being pregnant feel like a death sentence. I was generally advised to hurry up and get married, quit...

My son turned one at the end of August. We didn’t have the celebration we had imagined, but we did get to celebrate him and the fact that we made it through the first year. We had a small gathering, grandparents and godparents. It was lovely and exhausting.  In preparation for the party, I hung a “1st BDay” banner from our unadorned curtain rod...It’s still there. I see those gold, semi-inflated letters as a representation of all of the chores that I’ve left undone, all of the unchecked boxes on my to-do list. I also see it as the time I’ve gotten to spend with my son and on myself.  As a working mom, it is sometimes difficult to reconcile my son...

I whole-heartedly jumped in so many activities fearlessly in my childhood, teenage, and college years, even when I absolutely sucked at said activities. My mom cheered the first time I got a foul during my short basketball stint because I was actually on the court I was in the right place on the court for the first time to have a chance at even getting a foul Yet, I still proudly walked around with my status as a basketball player. I look back at my 18-year-old self and can learn a few things from her. I gave a speech called “Failure is an Option.” That girl knew that it was okay to try new things and fail. She knew failure was...

Let's break it down. A waitress walks around her restaurant offering samples of a new lemonade they just started offering.  You see, the boss told her if she offers the lemonade to as many people as she can, it’s more likely she’ll find a few who love the lemonade and keep coming back for more. The more that come back, the more money the restaurant makes…and this means a Christmas bonus for the waitress. The waitress really needs this job. It’s out of her comfort zone, but she’s willing to give it a try. How hard can it be? After all, she really loves lemonade.    She approaches your table. “Hello. Would you be interested in trying our new lemonade? It’s so good, and...

Have you ever doubted yourself? If you're anything like me, you probably doubt yourself all the time. I constantly find myself in a cycle of thinking I'm not smart enough, good enough, savvy enough, etc. I let all the excuses of why I'm not enough pile up until they convince me that I shouldn't go after the things I want in life. I let these ridiculous emotions and insecurities control my life, and I've done it for as many years as I've been alive. But this year, that's going to change. If I've learned anything in 2020, it's that I need to STOP doubting myself because, in fact, I CAN do anything! If you're anything like what I described above, then...