This week we are excited to introduce Lyndsay Mason, the Founder and CEO of maternity and postnatal fashion rental and resale platform For The Creators. She’s also mum to a little boy, Hamish.
Hi Lyndsay, thank you so much for talking to us this week, could we start by asking you about what a typical work day looks like for you?
95% our staff are working mums and its always been imperative that we make work as flexible and as accommodating to motherhood as possible. Our core working hours are 10-4 and the team and I then have the flexibility to work our remaining hours at the times that suit us. It’s really important to me that my team get to be present for their kids which is why we have intentionally made working hours as fluid as possible.
I am based in Winchester but For The Creators HQ is based in Fulham so I split my time between working from home and from the studio.
Please share with us how you switch off in the evenings after a busy day?
Swimming is the ultimate stress reliever for me. If I can fit in a swim early in the evening it completely changes my mood and helps me sleep so much better. The same can be said for a great box set and a glass of wine (or two!)
Onto WoMo guilt! We ALL suffer with it but please tell us how you try and combat it?
With great difficulty. I setup For The Creators five months into my maternity leave and upon reflection I often wonder if I sacrificed precious time with Hamish to do so. My motivation to build this business has always been to create a better world for Hamish and the next generation and I remind myself of that whenever the guilt sets in (as it so often does)! I want him to be proud of what his mum and our incredible team have built and know that its made a positive change in the world.
What did you find the most challenging part of retuning to work after maternity leave?
I never really had maternity leave and that in itself was extremely challenging. I was running my advertising agency when Hamish arrived 7 weeks early so I never had the chance to hand over my workload and by default just kept on working (albeit with a minimised workload) when he was born. I really wish I had been stricter with myself and kinder to myself and permitted myself more of maternity leave.
What is your one WoMo guilty pleasure?
Wine and Wagamamas
If we asked Hamish what you did for a job, what would be say?
“I sell clothes to other mummies”
What have you learnt about yourself as a WoMo?
That working mothers are one of the most - if not the most, efficient, passionate and resilient collective within our countries workforce. There is so much talent and tenacity within the working mother community and I can honestly say I've never worked alongside a more exciting and impressive group of women than I have in building this business.
If you could offer one piece of advice to another mum, what would it be?
Find what makes you feel connected to who you are, your dreams, your passions and invest in it. I felt so lost after I had my son and completely lost my identity. Its only now 2 years later that i'm finally feeling like myself again. Its a process
Finally…. What would like like to teach future generations about working mums?
That there's no such thing as finding the perfect balance. Its impossible and you'll end up constantly disappointed if you try to find it.
IG: for.the.creators