In this week’s edition of Meet The WoMos, we speak with Olivia Riddiford, a 34-year-old mother of two boys aged 4 and 1. Olivia is a multiple business owner with a background in the wedding and events industry with an award-winning planning business and venue consultancy.
Olivia’s second child was born in lockdown and she experienced first-hand the absence of family & friends in those early weeks. She felt there was a lack of communities specifically for Mums where we could ‘escape’ to relax and unwind and indulge in some much-needed self-care. Cue… ‘The Mum Retreat’ is a community offering mums a place to focus on ‘me-time’ and socialise with other like-minded mums.
In true WoMo style, Olivia starts by telling us that she once conducted a zoom meeting with the whole family in the back of the car! Thankfully her clients are very forgiving and understanding. We can relate, especially during school holidays.
The help with busy WoMo life Olivia’s advice is to ‘Schedule and automate as much as you can’, especially if you have your own business. She goes on to say ‘it may mean you have to do a little more work upfront such as social media planning but once done you can relax knowing that your content is being pushed out and your visibility is still high. If you're employed, the same thing applies. Plan your week in advance on say a Sunday, meal plan, time block everything. Being as organised as possible really helps but it's not always realistic as we well know!’
There was a time when she went to work on just two hours sleep (umm, we hear you!) but says that's a superpower that most women have. Taking lots of little breaks and pacing herself ensured she made it through.
“You just cope, don’t you?”
We asked what her Working Mother mantra would be and she said You are enough, mama.
'“My day always goes better when I remind myself in the morning that whatever I’m doing or not doing, it’s already enough. Enough for me. For my family. For my job. It just is. Because really, it has to be.”
We’re here for that and couldn’t agree more, Olivia!
Describing how being a working mother makes her feel, Olivia feels empowered doing what she does. At the end of the day, she enjoys nothing more than a hot bubble bath to relax and combat any WoMo guilt!
“Mummy helps people get married”
Her children are always quick to tell their friends that "Mummy helps people get married and helps mummies get some sleep!" if they’re asked what she does for a living (how sweet!).
When asked what she’d learned about herself as a WoMo she said ‘I’m stronger than I think’ and given the choice between dealing with a boardroom presentation or tantrum, Olivia would much rather be navigating a tantrum (I have to agree with you there…I personally, am not a fan of public speaking!).
We enjoyed listening to Olivia’s best WoMo achievement to date, where she says,
“Every day feels like a win (even the not so great days), the juggle is real, isn't it?! Just making sure everyone is happy is enough for me. My 'why' is my family and being able to provide for them. Having the flexibility to work around my children and not miss the big milestones and the school run is my motivation to continue on the self-employed journey”
We wouldn’t agree with you more, Olivia!
The final question we put to Olivia was, what do you want to teach your kids about working mothers? To which she replied. ‘Having two boys, I want them to totally respect women and the choices they decide to make in all aspects of their lives.
That for mummy to be at home so much for cuddles and fun times, I have to work too. That it's all about balance and positive role models. My husband is self-employed too so it'll be interesting to see if the boys decide to start their own businesses too. We will support them whatever path they choose but I like to think as they grow they will understand about working hard and enjoying your job - it's so important!’
Thank you, Olivia! We have loved hearing about your experience as a WoMo and we salute you!