WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WISH YOU COULD OFFER YOUR FORMER, EXPECTANT SELF?

Don’t take it too seriously.

I got pregnant with our youngest in my 30s and went a little overboard.

 

DID THE LAUNCH OF YUMMY SPOONFULS® START OFF AS A PASSION PROJECT? A REACTION? WHAT OF YOUR CORPORATE LIFE THAT CAME BEFORE?

The inspiration for Yummy Spoonfuls really started in my mother’s garden. I grew up in Cameroon, West Africa, on a family farm. We always ate the freshest vegetables and fruits and my mother prepared everything from scratch. This knowledge has informed my entire life. When I moved to the US, I was shocked by the many diseases in my community that were directly tied to diet, I started teaching my friends and anyone ready to listen how to make better food choices, how to cook their meals without compromising taste while maximizing nutrients. Man was I ahead of my time, in the early 90s I was already teaching friends to make ‘fried’ chicken and fries in the oven for same crunch but without the oils.

 

When our youngest child, Jared-Zane, came along in 2004, I realized that healthy, tasty food for children did not exist in the marketplace. I made a shift and started teaching parents and anyone who would listen how to make fresh food for their babies that’s bursting with nutrients and taste. Word spread around, and soon I was teaching childhood nutrition classes in hospitals, in mom groups, my little community had grown to over 45k. I realized I needed to bring something to market that is just as good as what I was teaching in my workshop and feeding my own children, I needed to make delicious, healthy baby and kids food more accessible and in 2006 yummy Spoonfuls was born. And the rest as we say is history.

 

What I do today is so far remove from the corporate world I was a part of for decades, as director of quality assurance for a fortune 500 IT firm, I spent a major part of my time managing men and making sure applications for clients around the world were running smoothly, today my job is making sure health, especially women’s health is running smoothly.

 

IS THIS WHAT YOU EXPECTED WHEN YOU DREAMED UP YOUR PROFESSIONAL FUTURE?

Yes in a roundabout way, growing up I wanted to be a chef, my mother was mortified, “all these money in catholic schools and you want to be a what?” was her cry the very first time I mentioned this to her, I was 9 yrs old. Of course like every other African child I went off to college, graduated, made real money, moved up in corporate America, traveled the world. I remembered at my wedding in Jamaica in 2003, I was able to articulate to my mother why I wanted to be a chef many moons back, she was stunned. 3 years later in 2006 I quite my 6-figure job to after countless free workshops to launch my very first business doing what I had always wanted to do.  Wondering why my 9 yr old self wanted to be a cook/chef? Here is what I told my mother, “I wanted to cook, because food makes everyone happy, meal times were always the happiest, even tears were happy tears, I wanted to do work that made people happy.”, That is still my purpose at 54 years old with a slight twist, today I want to make people  happy and healthy.

 

YOUR PASSION AND COMMITMENT AROUND TO NUTRITION AND LIFESTYLE IS A POWERFUL, ENERGIZING FORCE. YOU HAVE FOCUSED YOUR REMARKABLE TALENT ON WOMEN AND THEIR LIFELONG PROCESS, WHY?

Ayaaaa, thank you sweet mama. The truth is women are the health leaders in their families – and it’s a tough job!, to change generational health I knew that I needed to tap into the main source, when I  successfully help a woman make diet and lifestyle changes, I see the immediate impact in her family and beyond. Listen. 7 out of the top 10 leading causes of deaths are diet and lifestyle related, we are not helpless victims to disease, health is possible when the right changes are made.

I remembered a mom who came to one of my workshops, ‘”My daughter has this ear infection that never seems to go away. Her pediatrician is planning on putting in a tube since nothing seems to work. Is there anything that can be done?”, she lamented with a deep sigh.

I asked her- will you be willing to make some changes to what your baby is currently eating for at least a few weeks? Honestly, will you trust me, allow me to completely change EVERYTHING you are feeding your baby? – “I will do anything, anything!” was her reply. We got to work. As a full-time working mother like me, I knew she needed a system that would not be overwhelming and would not require her to cook food for her baby every day. I came up with weekly batch recipes for her to make and freeze. We infused her baby with nutrient-dense meals.

At the next workshop, she came in excited “We haven’t had any recurrence. This is the first time we have gone for three weeks with no ear ache or runny nose. How come nobody ever mentioned that it might be her immune system due to a lack of nutrients she lamented? Her life was change forever but want to know what is even more powerful? Any other parents she going forward is changed forever.  I have a truckload of stories like this from mothers around the country. This continues to be my life’s work, making wellness accessible to millions around the world, it starts with one mama.

 

 

IN ADDITION TO  YUMMY SPOONFULS® YOU CONTINUE TO EXPLORE WAYS TO SUPPORT MOTHERS. WHAT IS NEXT? WHY YOU?

Because I am the change I would like to see in my community.  30 years ago, when I started this journey, I knew somebody had to do it so why not me. My purpose is to continue to empower women through my work to demystify wellness and end diet defunction, it doesn’t matter if you come from a family with a deep history of generational health issues, you break that circle, you can lose weight without losing a big chuck of your happiness, the human body has the capacity to heal when provided the right spiritual, mental and physical nourishment it needs to thrive. In my coaching I work with my clients to restore their health, happiness and their confidence to trust that which is already within in a more sustainable way that is authentic to each and everyone. My success with each woman I work with doesn’t just come from my mastery as a seasoned integrative nutrition health coach but from my lived experiences as a speaker, advocate and writer on diet and lifestyle issues for national outlets including the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Parent magazine, Motherly, Readers Digest.

 

I  KNOW YOU HAVE A BUSY HOME LIFE, HOW DO YOU MANAGE ALL YOU DO?

I am blessed with an incredible husband, in our home we all pitch in but most importantly I don’t try to do it all. Some days things don’t get done at that’s okay, motherhood is not a martyrdom, I have learnt along the way to give myself the same grace that I give to others. I don’t think twice about outsourcing- task rabbit is a lifesaver.

 

YOU WORK LONG HOURS AND OBVIOUSLY POUR YOUR DEDICATION INTO ALL YOU DO. HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF RESTED AND WELL?

This took some learning. I listen to my body, make time for exercise, get adjusted regularly by my amazing chiropractor for over 17 yrs now, I set time aside for reading and church. Weekends are family time with very rare exceptions to that rule. I prioritize sleep, I cannot stress enough as an integrative nutrition health coach the importance of this underutilized wellness strategy, lack of sleep is at the root of so many chronic diseases.

 

WAS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE AS A NEW MOTHER WORKING? IF NOT, WHAT?

It was keeping my mind free from feelings of guilt on those days where I have to meet a deadline rather than play with the kiddo.

 

WHAT PRO-TIPS DO YOU HAVE TO SHARE WITH OTHER NEW OR EXPECTANT MOTHERS?

Working with thousands of women over the years and hearing their stories I have a mouthful on this, thanks for this question mama.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t follow your career dreams because you’re a mom. You have ideas and passion to bring to the world.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t live your life fully and completely fulfilled, because your path can include a multiplicity of things. You can be a great mom and have a great career.

Surround yourself with positive, supportive people; do nurture yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

You can’t care for others or fulfill your potential without caring for yourself first. You are worth it.  Take care of yourself first. You will need every drop of mental, physical and emotional energy, and you will need it over the long haul.

Don’t let mom guilt keep you away from fulfilling your God given purpose. As moms, we must say “no” to guilt. My work has benefitted my family tremendously, and sets a great example for my kids. I don’t deny that it sometimes hurts when you have to choose work, and you’d rather be with your baby, but realize that your dreams and aspirations are just as important and it will enriches your children’s experience in the long run.

Let me share with you a personal story..

A few years ago, my company went through a major expansion, and I was constantly flying back and forth to Los Angeles from Atlanta.  One Sunday when I was home, we sat down to lunch, and my son, JZ asked if I was going to L.A. that week. I replied, yes – I had to be there Monday through Thursday. He said, “Remember tomorrow is the start of my Spring Break.”

I felt terrible. Spring Break had come up so fast, and I had completely forgotten. My travel schedule was so demanding that making plans for the break slipped through the cracks. I had no idea what he could do for four days but I started calling around. The only camp I could find was a music camp. There was space available, so I jumped on it.

In the morning I packed his lunch and we got in the car. My son started objecting to the camp. “Everybody I know is going to Florida,” he said. “I wish we could go. And you know I’m not musical. I hate music camp.” To make matters worse, when we walked into the camp, there were eight girls, the only one little 4-year-old boy in the group. My son looked at me and burst out crying.

I took him outside, and held him, and tried not to let myself cry. I said, “Just promise me that you are going to make the best of this. You know how I hate playing mini golf, but I take you all the time. I have to go to L.A. because I have to go to work.” Drying his tears he replied, “Ok, I promise I am going to be happy.”

I cried all the way to the airport. I was really sad, but I did not feel guilty, because I have to work to support my family. Even though I cried, I did what I had to do. And when I got back, we played mini golf all day long on the last day of spring break.

A lot of parents wouldn’t ask their child to sacrifice their holiday break; but I gave him an opportunity to contribute, and he seized it. We negotiated, and he understood that it was only fair because of all the other things that I do for him. He understood the importance of my work commitments, and he showed maturity and respect.

So, don’t let mommy guilt stop you from living your purpose. As mothers, we can do both: we can be great parents, great business owners and great employees. Society has made us think that mothers have to choose between parenting and career – but men can be fathers, and they don’t have to make that choice. With mothers, it’s exactly the same.

 

WHO WAS YOUR BIGGEST SOURCE OF SUPPORT IN RETURNING TO WORK AS A NEW MOTHER?

Oh man, the older I get the more I realized just how purposeful God is, He knew my life would be filled with such a great adventure and gave me the perfect partner for the ride. I tell you there is no me without my husband (my Oga Georges). Georges makes my life as a working mother easy, I know this is not the same for everyone, I share this to encourage any mama reading my story to know that it truly can be super easy with the right partner, being hard though common should never be your normal. Running late in a meeting and calling my husband to leave his own high-performance job that has a little bit more flexibility (because life for a working father is easy) to go pick up kids and start dinner is something I do without a thought, because we are equal partners at 100% in our marriage. I pray this gift for every mama out there.

 

WHO ARE YOUR MENTORS? WHO DO YOU MENTOR?

I am glad you said mentors because I have many. Amazing women and men around the world who continue to create a path for me and inspire me to continue to do and be more, to grow both in my personal and professional life, there are so many, my mother and paternal grandmama were my first and most instrumental respectively.. I have mentors for my spiritual life, my marriage, motherhood and business and I continue to be grateful for each and everyone of them.

I love playing it forward, I have lots of mentees whom I mentor,  some for personal growth (marriage) and others for business. I sit on a board of a nonprofit organization that helps prepare children as they journey through life.

 

FILL IN THE BLANKS:

As a working parent, I never expected finding a good daycare would be so hard and actually loving my life as a working mama would be so much easier.

 

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