Working Mom Series: Joana
Meet Joana and her daughter, Milana 👧
I met Joana back in 2013 when she came in to teach yoga at Ryerson University where I used to work. It was my first ever yoga class and she immediately made me fall in it. She was so calm, collected, friendly and very knowledgable. I loved that she explained why we were doing all these moves and poses, and did it in a non-judgmental, very educational way. Joana is a FST therapist and Ayurveda Skin care and wellness practitioner. She lives in South Etobicoke, and have a 5 year old daughter Milana.
Here she talks about running her own business and being a full-time mom and the importance of having a fulfilling life outside of motherhood. Hope you enjoy!
I do many things. I am often juggling a few unique interior design projects a year and some commissioned art pieces however the bulk of what I do and truly love is Facial Stretch Therapy (FST) and teaching.
I teach a number of workshops and programs on personal development, mindset, embodiment and natural health and beauty. These workshops focus on whole body- mind health and transformation.
I work with clients one on one; Facial Stretch Therapy (FST), Sound therapy, Movement, Mindset coaching, and I also run group programs a few times a year.
I took a full 5 month break once I gave birth and returned to the studio to teach 3 times a week at 5 months postpartum.
I only returned to a full schedule of clients and teaching once my daughter was 2 and in daycare.
On her typical day:
I wake up at 7, have coffee 😊, then make breakfast and get Milana ready for school. Sometimes I work out after dropping her off , other days I go straight into work with appointments, meetings, zoom calls, workshop development, or design work for a new project.
I always take 10-20 mins of quiet time for myself before starting work every day, it’s a must for me. Sometimes its sitting in silence with my coffee or tea, other times it’s a full meditation or a sound session with my crystal bowls.
I do most of my work while Milana is in school. I also share her with her dad and he takes her after school every second week which is so helpful and gives me time to get a lot of work done.
On the biggest challenge about being a working mom:
I would say that the biggest challenge isn’t just working, it’s running my own business where work actually never ends. I always have work to do at home, phone calls planning, and meetings and they don’t just end at 3:30pm when Milana comes back home.
It’s also hard to take time for me, time to workout, time to recharge, but I try my best even if it’s just 20 minutes a day.
On burn out and the importance of having a life outside of motherhood:
For me it’s important to have a fulfilling life outside of motherhood. I need to be inspired and stimulated beyond the home and my role as Mother. We are dynamic creatures that crave passion, creativity, and learning, and I get that from being a mom but also from exploring my own development and growth through my work and my clients.
I did experience mental and emotional burn out and, yes, as a mother and a professional. When I’m feeling burnt out I like to book a reiki session ( that’s my go to) but I don’t wait until the burnout anymore …
In the last two years I’ve learnt to prioritize “me time” – daily and weekly. And ‘ me time’ isn’t working out – that is body health maintenance. What is truly time for one’s self is something that is nurturing and soothing.
I like to take a day to just do nothing at all … read, walk, play music, have a salt bath, massage my body if I can’t book one. Quiet alone time really helps me rebalance and re-ground. If and when possible time away to a peaceful destination where I can do yoga, meditate and be in the sun – well then that is just the perfect medicine for me 😊
On removing guilt from your life and other tips:
Make space for yourself daily – weather it means getting up earlier than everyone so you can have 10-20 minutes to yourself or doing it mid day, but make room daily for some “you time” in quiet stillness.
Book yourself something soothing weekly:
Coffee with a friend
A massage
Reiki
A facial
A walk in nature. Pick one and book it into your calendar, get a sitter for an hour if need be, but do it and make no exceptions.
Make time for play and pleasure: whatever that means to you. Painting, dancing, cooking, whatever it is, it must be fun! We need peace and quiet to ground and balance, and we need playfulness and pleasure to ignite our fire, and turn ourselves back on. Back on to life, to our passions, and our creative playfulness.
Remove guilt from your life! Do not feel guilt for having needs and listening and responding to your own needs. You cannot parent from lack and depletion. Guilt robs you of your joy and peace… Nurture you as you nurture your child and both you and your child reap all the benefits.