Mama of the Month: Erin Carpenter Owusu-Kesse
Posted on May 01 2019
Name: Erin Carpenter Owusu-Kesse
Mom To: Mikel (7 months)
Current Projects you're working on:
Figuring out motherhood, running my company Nude Barre (nudebarre.com), and part time teaching barre at Exhale spa a few nights a week...So a lot
How have you changed since becoming a Mama?
I have mainly become more calculated. I used to struggle with saying no to things and would often pack my schedule. I no longer feel that I have the ability to do that nor is it the best thing for my family and I. I have exclusively breastfed my baby for the past 6 months, so if I am away from her I have to really plan and calculate our time apart because of her milk and my body. I really try to define what things are important or require me to appear in person. Sometimes I am right and sometimes I am wrong and I have to be ok with that.
How do you take care of yourself outside of motherhood?
Honestly, I am still figuring this out. I try to do little things like watch a feel good movie alone once every is asleep, get my hair and nails done, but these things do not happen weekly nor frequently. The only thing I do frequently is move my body. I teach barre a few times a week. Although I am giving more of myself to others, it allows me to be present in a different way and to tune into my body. It also helps me fine tune mantras as I say them to my students to encourage them through tough moments in the workout. At the end of class, I feel like I accomplished something different in my day. It is something that I know I am good at and feel confident in.
Every mother needs to find balance, what does your village look like?
I am not sure if we have truly found balance but my husband and I over communicate on all things. We do weekly check ins to see if there's anything that we can assist each other with, communicate better, or just a general chat on how we feel. We are still figuring out childcare but we try to utilized close friends in our neighborhood and family as much as possible. We do not have family in NYC so we try to plan based on when family can visit us and help. But all in all, we feel very supported. My doula and very close friend lives walking distance and we help each other out a ton. I am a part of a mom group and we try to get together at least once a quarter. I always feel like I have groups of people to vent to or get advice from.
What are you working on improving about yourself as a woman and mother?
Not being so hard on myself. I work very hard and a lot of hours. When I am taking breaks I often feel that I should not and that there is always something I could be doing. So I am trying to let that go a little bit more. Because mentally and physically, I do need down time to operate at my best. I am a better mom, wife and entrepreneur when I have time to reset/regroup.
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