More Than A Parent E002: Creating MOMentum Together w/ Brooke Markevicius
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Meet Brooke!
Brooke Markevicius is the Founder & CEO of MOMentum marketplace, a market of goods and services powered by moms. She is on a mission to get moms paid so they can lead a flexible life. Before founding MOMentum she co-founded a co-working space for moms in Tacoma WA, ran a successful freelancing business and worked for tech start ups like Postmates. She has 2 kids under 5, Lily and Lukas and her and her husband, kids and 2 dogs live in Durham, NC.
In this episode…
>> Hear what it was like for Brooke to go from Freelancer to Business Owner
>> Brooke shares her experience being a Stay At Home Mom
>> How MOMentum Marketplace was birthed and where it’s going next (very cool stuff via iFundWomen!)
>> Brooke shares a very funny and real story that happened during one of her live webinar workshops. Can you relate?! We’d love to hear your stories in the More Than A Parent Collective. Join us there!
Click here to listen now.
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Links mentioned in this episode:
- IFundWomen MOMentum Marketplace Crowdfunding link – Active November 2019
Make the most of this podcast:
- Join the MTAP Collective
- Check out the Transcript of the episode, below
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Transcript:
Caz
Gaddis: 00:00 Welcome
to more than a parent, a podcast, exploring who we are and what we want outside
of being a parent so we can create an integrated lifestyle with impact both in
and out of our homes. I’m Caz Gaddis and I invite you to join me to be your
more live your and.
Caz
Gaddis: 00:26 Hey,
Caz here. Welcome. Welcome. Today we’re going to be talking to Brooke
Markevicius. She is the founder and CEO of momentum like mom as in MOMentum get
it? Momentum marketplace to be exact, a place of goods and services powered by
moms. She’s on a mission to get moms paid so that they can lead a flexible
life. Before founding momentum, she cofounded a coworking space for moms in
Tacoma. Washington ran a successful freelancing business and worked for tech
startups like Postmates. She has two kids under five, Lily and Lucas and her
and her husband, kids and two dogs live in Durham, North Carolina. What’s
really cool about Brooke and this interview that you’re about to kind of dig
into with me is that, um, she’s very real. She’s been through it. She’s going
through it as well, right? Like the being more than a parent piece. Um, but
she’s launching this amazing marketplace, which I actually already thought was
launched and, um, over the last few years she’s just been developing it and had
it in, um, a smaller kind of testing beta stage.
Caz
Gaddis: 01:39 Well,
the exciting thing is that while you hear this episode, if you hear it in 2019
specifically now in October slash November, 2019, um, she has a crowd funding
campaign going on, um, about momentum, about the marketplace itself. And, uh,
she shared with me the details to be able to check out the crowd funding page.
I had that in the show notes for y’all and wherever it is that you’re listening
to this, it’ll be there for you to check out so that you can see I’m not only
is it, uh, a woman, a mom based platform fundraising platform, but what it is
that she is doing is just so different. So cool. And what a way for us to
support one another. We talk about what it is to, um, really do all the things,
be all the things that it is, um, that we are, and especially when it comes to
creating a business and, um, she shares her journey in how she’s done that. So
check out this interview with me and let us know what you think. Um, reach out
to us. Um, and definitely check out Brooke’s, crowd funding campaign, uh, for a
Momentum marketplace, um, in the app that you’ll eventually have coming out.
It’s just, it’s really cool to see what it is that she’s done. I followed her
for a long time. I’m on Facebook, we’ve been connected and just to see who it
is that she’s being and how that’s empowering other moms around her is amazing.
So hopefully you’ll be one of those two as am I, that is being empowered by who
it is that she’s being. Check it out.
Caz
Gaddis: 03:10 Tell
me a little bit about your journey in becoming a parent. Cause I’ve been
following you since you had your first baby. Okay. But yeah, tell us a little
bit about, I guess that that journey itself.
Brooke
M.: 03:20 Yeah.
Um, you know, I always wanted to be a mom. I babysat a lot. I nannied I was a
teacher for a bit of time, so I always thought that like motherhood was just my
natural, like what was gonna happen. Um, I have two other siblings, so grew up
with a few siblings in the household and um, my mom is worked at a church and
at a preschool, so she was around a lot, but she was working the whole time
too, but she was a very present mom.
Brooke
M.: 03:54 So
I just kind of thought that motherhood would be very similar to how I grew up
for me. Um, but then I have PCLs so I thought I was going to have a really hard
time having kids. Um, so I kind of prepared myself like, OK, I prepare my
husband like this to be a really hard journey for us. And then we got pregnant
like the second try. That’s hilarious. Okay. Well it was such a blessing, but
Oh wow. We’re going to be parents. And so it was like, we thought this long
journey ahead of us was going to be so hard. And then it was like you have a
baby. Um, and it was wonderful and I really think being a mom the first time
around, um, I was just reflecting on this recently, uh, was easier for me, um,
because of how I had set it up.
Brooke
M.: 04:45 So
I went back to work like probably, well, like 12 weeks after my daughter was
born, um, went back to work and I was working and so I had like that break for
myself even though I ended up quitting. And that’s a long story, but it was
definitely, um, good for me to go back to doing things for myself early on. Um,
and having a little bit of separation from my child, I was able to go home in
the evening and be so excited to see her and everything like that, but I didn’t
have that flexibility built into my life. So I had work, which I was excited
about and I had baby wish I was excited about, but I didn’t have me time. Um,
and I didn’t know what that looked like as a new mom. I was like, what is this
me time?
Brooke
M.: 05:29 Like,
how do you fit that in when you’re a wife, your age, I’m a mom and you’re, you
know, you’re working in a job. You have, those are your titles. I didn’t
realize that I needed to have means. Um, and I think it was kind of like a
awakening for me, uh, when I realized that I needed to have that time. Um, and
so that’s when I actually quit my job and I was like, we need flexibility, our
family needs flexibility. And I know I want to at some point, but I’ve got to
figure this out. Um, and that kind of started my whole journey, but I, you
know, I never thought I would be a stay at home mom. So I think like my dream
to be in a pair. Like I always thought I would be working like my mom did. I
would be working and I would have kids and so that was a whole new world for
me.
Brooke
M.: 06:16 My
mom had never been a stay at home mom. Um, so I didn’t even know what that
looks like until it was a really interesting journey when that occurred. So
that’s kind of my journey into the first child. And then there’s a sudden, and
there’s this thing when you, um, you mentioned an acronym at the beginning.
Could you, um, for those that don’t know, including myself, uh, could you let
us know what that is? A stay at home mom? No, no, don’t worry. Sorry. No,
though you would be surprised how many people do not know that. So let’s, let’s
start with that definition then. What is the stay at home mom and you’re in
your definition in your experience. Yeah. You know, I feel like there’s really
not truly that many actually stay at home moms. Um, it would be a mom that has
left her career, um, or maybe didn’t have a career, but decided to stay home
with her children once she was bearing children and she stayed home for a
period of time.
Brooke
M.: 07:11 Maybe
she goes back at some point, but she’s at home during that period of raising
children. And is that where you identify your season? And right now, no,
definitely not now. Um, and no, now I have, I don’t know what, so I feel like I
fit into a weird category now. I mean, honestly, I’m working full time. Um, but
we have part time childcare, so that’s the season we’re in now. And you’re
working full time. Um, but it’s for yourself, is that right? Yes, kind of. I
mean, I am, so I am the founder and CEO of our company, but now I have other
employees, so it’s not just me anymore. Um, it’s your own business, but it is
my own business. Yeah. So I still have that flexibility that I didn’t have when
I was working full time.
Caz
Gaddis: 07:55 Yeah.
Awesome. That’s amazing. Um, so you had mentioned their original acronym.
Caz
Gaddis: 07:59 Um,
something related to being able to conceive, I believe.
Brooke
M.: 08:03 Oh,
yes. See PCLs. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, you’re fine. I don’t know, mom brain. Um,
you’re good at. So polycystic ovarian syndrome. So, okay. It is where you’re
insulin resistant and you, um, have usually have cysts on your ovaries, so it’s
hard to conceive. Um, but first, um, really great reason, uh, when I first was
diagnosed when I was 21 till the time that, um, I had my daughter in my late
twenties, I had her at 29. Um, I just made a lot of good health changes in my
life and was able to get it under control. It’s awesome. Then I, luckily there
was no problems and I was able to have her and my son really quickly. Very
cool. Awesome.
Caz
Gaddis: 08:46 Thanks
for explaining that.
Brooke
M.: 08:47 Of
course.
Caz
Gaddis: 08:48 You
mentioned the, um, kind of the adventure into the first child and so what would
you say that second leg, that adventure with the second one, how did that look
like for you as far as becoming a parent the second time around?
Brooke
M.: 08:59 Yeah,
so I mean, we always knew we wanted to have two kids. Um, we knew two or three.
Now we’re very, we’re very sure it was too [inaudible] over here too. Yes. Two
and through, um, we have a boy and a girl. You have a boy and a girl too. Um,
which I mean, I didn’t really care, but we great. We’ve covered all the basis.
Um, but I think we just kinda thought it was time. Um, looking back, I
probably, I haven’t, I love my little one obviously, but I probably would’ve
waited longer. Um, it’s hard when they’re both not in school full time and
you’re trying to do other things. I love that they are about two and a half
years apart. So ask you. Yeah, I love that they’re, you know, pretty close and
they have so much fun together. They also fight a lot, but that’s natural
siblings this, uh, and I’m glad I’m done.
Brooke
M.: 09:54 Like
I’m glad now. Um, it’s a whole new season for us. Um, I think me and my husband
are both ready for that new season. Um, but it was hard, like literally the
last my son’s about to turn to. Um, and it’s been, it’s been a hard season. I
mean, neither one of us denied that and, um, my kid doesn’t sleep well. We’re
actually just speaking of things that we’re doing to make things better. Uh, I
probably should’ve done this like, you know, when he was 12 weeks old, but, um,
we are getting the sleep consultant now as a toddler just because I’m like,
this is not working. Like I need him to sleep solidly. My daughter sleeps great
now and I was like, I’m ready to sleep again and I’ll be a better parent. And
um, it’s, it’s a hard, you know, Parenthood is hard, but when I just that when
you decided to conceive my second, um, I was kind of in a weird phase of my
life too. Um, after leaving my job when I had my daughter, I lasted as a stay at
home mom for probably five minutes because probably a few days later I was
already researching how to be a freelancer and work from home. And I probably
have done just about everything you can think of
Caz
Gaddis: 11:05 as
well. Oh, sorry. Did you see me? I’m sorry. That was awesome. All right. Thank
God he has a big head. Hey, what did we get him on my headphones. Oh, sorry.
I’m totally, I’m with you.
Brooke
M.: 11:18 That
is so funny. Oh, research. I don’t know. Yeah, I was researching like all the
army, stay at home mom work that you can do from home. So I wrote resumes for
people. I did some MLM stuff for a while. I then I realized, Oh, I actually
have really great skills from my previous job. I was a project manager and
also, um, had web development skills. So I freelanced and all of my clients
were moms, um, pretty much moms that were starting businesses. And so that kind
of started my journey about four years ago, um, with working moms. And it’s,
it’s fun to see it now. I’m like five years later that, no, I’m kidding. This
company that is helping to get moms paid so they can lead a flexible life. And
that’s the thing I so desired five years ago is how do I get paid and how do I
lead a flexible life at the same time?
Brooke
M.: 12:10 Um,
so it’s so cool to see that, you know, come to fruition. Uh, but so many things
happen in that, in between. So when we were about to have my second, um, it was
an April and my son was born in end of November and one of my friends, I’m from
Tacoma, Washington, when we were living there, approached me. Um, we had just
met a few times at some events and her daughter was the same age as mine and
going to the same preschool and she goes, you know, you have a lot of skills
that I need and I really want to start a business. Well, you’ll have coffee
with me. Okay, sure. Um, and what transpired in that coffee play date, uh, on a
rainy day and, uh, outside of Seattle was building a coworking space for moms
and it was beautiful and an amazing journey.
Brooke
M.: 13:00 Um,
so for from April until we open the doors the first weekend in November and I
literally had the baby three weeks later. So just that crazy season of when
you’re, you’re birthing things literally and figuratively and, um, we created
this awesome space, but that’s what I needed in that season. And I think that,
um, I’m really glad that I honored that, that like this is, it’s okay. Yes, I’m
pregnant. People were like, what are you doing? You’re watching a business and
you’re super pregnant. But it’s what I needed and it helps me get through that
pregnancy. Um, I’m one of the ones that doesn’t really like to be pregnant
except for a little bit of the second trimester. Okay. I’m so happy to meet you
cause everyone else loves it or are they super hated? But I just, I did not. I
won’t miss him.
Brooke
M.: 13:46 Yeah.
Yeah, me either. Me either. I mean, that’s a hard, it’s a long time. And um, I
know I told my husband, I was like, I need a little break from birthing things
cause I felt like then I had my son and then I started this other company. So
now we’re birthing that and I’m like, we’re, we’re good birthing for awhile.
Um, but yeah, so it was a, it was a hard journey, you know, going into that and
then having a newborn with a new company like with a new coworking space and,
but I had created it for moms and so literally when he was like four weeks old,
I was at the coworking space doing some work and moms were holding my baby and
helping now. And you know, it was crazy, but it was all and I was taking them
to all the meetings.
Brooke
M.: 14:29 But
you know, I did what made me happy. It was a little crazy. I’m sure people
thought I was nuts, but at the same time it worked for me. Yeah. And I mean
life’s too short for normal. It is. And what an amazing sisterhood slash
motherhood literally and also in the bonding of being together and supporting
as a community, as a tribe. That’s beautiful for sure. It, it truly was. And
I’ll, I think all of those moms now, we’ve moved across the country, but all of
those moms will always be really special to me and, and my kids because whether
they remember it too much or not later on. Um, but like my daughter is still
asked like, Oh, I missed the pod and I missed the pod moms and stuff. And I’m
like, I know I do. But luckily we, there’s a really great, um, there’s a family
friendly coffee shop here that’s owned by an amazing family and it’s called
Nalliah coffee.
Brooke
M.: 15:20 Um,
and they’re doing a lot of the same things that we were doing at the pod. So
I’m just glad I have another pod here. Yeah, that’s wonderful. And it’s funny
too, cause pods move. So you haven’t found your new pod? They do. I found my
new pod. Yeah. That’s wonderful. So you’ve mentioned a lot of how kind of like,
yeah, I know how you’ve been able to integrate and also kind of transition
through all these different seasons of being a parent, of being you, of being a
business owner and also when you were working for someone else.
Caz
Gaddis: 15:49 How
do you describe or how do you relate your, um, how do you identify with being
more than a parent? Hmm. You know, I think for a long time I struggled with
being more than a parent.
Brooke
M.: 16:03 Um,
I think so much of society is like you’re a mom, you’re, you know, you get put
into this box and sometimes looks differently or doing different things and you
know, I probably have struggled with that even up till recently, but my
daughter’s preschool teacher, I will just choose my favorite person right now.
Brooke
M.: 16:25 Um,
I told her, I’m like, I’m sorry, like I’m not going to, or no, I didn’t even
tell her. I’ve made a Facebook post and she saw it and I was like, you know,
this is not my season to be a super present. Like mom at preschool. Like I’m
lucky if I return the permission form for the um, field trip. I almost forgot
that I had to take her on the field trip. I almost was late to school pickup
state. Like I’m not the present parent right now. Um, but I am there for her
and I am supportive of her. And, um, instead my daughter is seen that mommy’s
very happy with what she’s doing. And she’s always asking me, who did you talk
to on the podcast today? Or, you know, where are you traveling to next week?
And she’s excited about what I’m doing and she, this weekend we’re going to
have a booth and a local event.
Brooke
M.: 17:12 And
she’s like, how can I help raise money for momentum? And you know, it’s just,
it’s allowing yourself to be you while your parenting. Um, and that, that’s
just a part of us. It’s not all of us. And being self aware enough of that to
go, I can be both. Like just, I always tell people like, you’re not your job
and you’re not your course that you created. If no one buys it like you are,
you got something that you’ve put out into the world. That’s something like,
I’ve created this child and I’m raising them. Um, but it’s not just me, you
know? So that’s kind of more than a parent. It’s, it’s hard, but it’s, if you
aren’t more than if like, you wouldn’t ask your kid to just be your child.
Like, you know, like you wouldn’t ask them to stay in a box. Um, and I think we
put so many expectations on ourself, but we wouldn’t do that to our kid. So I
try to turn that around whenever I’m like, just as much as like the positive
self talk or negative self talk. Um, like I would never say to my daughter
like, you look fat or whatever. So why am I saying that to myself? So yeah. Um,
I think it’s the same as we have to display what we want our kids to see.
Caz
Gaddis: 18:26 That’s
beautiful. I not, I have not thought about that perspective before about like
would I have my child just be my child. Um, and it reminds me too, um, that
self talk and how we treat ourselves and versus how we treat others. Um, I
worked with someone before who did, um, inner healing for your child. Like for
your inner child, your [inaudible]. Yeah. And it’s like, you know, if you’re
inner child, if you’re feeling freaked out about something because of your past
or whatever, like validating that feeling and bringing awareness to it and
letting them know, you know what, I totally get why. You know, you’re freaked
out about this, but we got this, let me, you know, go hang out, you know, color
to your inner child. Let me go ahead and do that speech, you know, or whatever
it is. So I love that.
Caz
Gaddis: 19:10 Um,
was that perspective, um, something else you just said that really brought up
something for me, for us all to think about is, um, so in the podcast and
everything that I’m doing, I talk about being a present parent, but I think
it’s so important for us to look at what definition and what expectations, uh,
verbally or unspoken that we want to give different roles or whatever it is in
life, right? Whether it’s our relationship to self or to others. Um, because
being present, you’re doing it, you’re being it in the way that you’re doing
it. It may look different for one other person, you know, than you. And than
me. Um, so while you’re not being quote unquote maybe what society or maybe
you’re a preschool teacher it might expect or whatever you’re doing, those
things and how amazing. Like my, my, my inner just like we’re so happy, which
super weird thing to say. My inners were so happy but like my inner, everything
was just so happy to hear. There’s no way to come back from that once you’re a
mom. [inaudible]
Caz
Gaddis: 20:15 when
I was trying to say yeah, but I was trying to say is for your daughter to be
consciously asking about the podcast show or how she can help. Like you’re
making such a big impact with her, excuse me, that she’s looking at ways that
she can also so into what you’re doing. Yeah. And men like talk about goals.
Yeah. Mother goals. Goals in general to have kids tied into that as an it’s that
I have to remind myself to often that it’s that quality over quantity that like
this season, like there was a season when I was home with her all
Brooke
M.: 20:48 the
time and she didn’t go to childcare or daycare or anything and that was a
beautiful season in itself too. Um, but that, this season is not that, but
she’s blooming in her own way and love it. She loves to go to school and she
goes to a childcare place three times a week and she loves it and so it’s okay.
And she comes home and then I’m able to be very present because I’ve worked all
day and got things done and done what I wanted to do. And so now I can be more
present for her. Maybe it’s just a few hours in the evening, like in the
morning I go work out while my son is still asleep and she comes down to the
basement with me to work out and talk to me while I’m working out and
everything until we have those little times you fit it in. Um, and it works. So
Caz
Gaddis: 21:35 that’s
awesome. That’s super cool. So tell us a little bit more about your business in
itself and, um, just how you’re supporting and serving moms. Um, before you do,
I just wanted to say this is such a big deal because, um, as a mom, I, my first
child I had while I worked for someone in a company and so I had short term
disability or whatever, but it still is not enough, you know, and it’s, it’s
for such a short period of time and the timing of all, it’s all out of your
control. So I’m doing what you’re doing is serving in such a way that it’s,
it’s not just the money, it’s, it’s the time, it’s being able to be present and
also having inner peace. Yes. When you’re with your kids. So I just think it’s
really cool. And so, yeah. So tell us more about that.
Brooke
M.: 22:17 Yeah.
So after I founded the coworking space for moms, um, I just saw that so many
moms were buying and selling each other’s goods and services and they had
become this amazing pod, this tribe, this village around one another. Um, that
there was something really special about that. And they had really created
almost this like micro economy of helping to support one another. Um, and they
weren’t just bartering. They were actually buying and selling each other’s
stuff and promoting each other everywhere. Um, and telling people, Oh, this pod
mom does this and this pod mom does that. And then I saw that there were lots
of organizations or coworking spaces that were doing similar things for moms,
whether it was like a membership group or, um, it was a, you know, another
coworking space. And I’m like, why are these groups not connected? Like so many
people are doing amazing things, but maybe our pod doesn’t have a sleep
consultant or maybe are the other pod doesn’t have an accountant and how can we
connect to these?
Brooke
M.: 23:20 And
so that’s kind of where this idea for an online marketplace for moms came from.
And so it is called momentum of the name for it came from me just basically
banging my head against the wall, trying to think of an idea. And I’m like, Oh,
I can’t figure it out. And I told my husband and he’s like, well, what about,
we had thrown a lot of ideas out there and he’s like, what about moment? Cause
it’s like this moment in where, you know, a mom realizes she kind of needs
something different or she’s at home with her child and she wants to make some
money or she wants flexibility. And I was like, okay, you know, that’s kind of
cool. And it kind of sat on it. And then he was like, no, what about momentum?
And I was like, yes, yes. I was like, yes.
Brooke
M.: 24:03 Because
moms are helping each other to create momentum in their life and move forward.
And so as every mom and other people are coming in to buy and sell each other’s
goods and services, they make more money and they gain more flexibility and
that inner peace, um, for themselves. And so we launch for a sales next week
officially. And, um, I have spent the last year building out the platform. We
had an on like a closed beta. We’ve talked to hundreds and hundreds of moms
about what they want. It’s basically Etsy, Fiverr and Upwork merged into one
are the only marketplace that has both goods and services of any marketplace
out there. Um, which just was a beast in itself to create. But I was determined
to do it because that’s what moms want because they weren’t just doing goods,
they just weren’t doing services. We found so many moms that were doing graphic
design but also making jewelry or painting and also doing accounting.
Brooke
M.: 25:04 And
so I wanted moms to be able to come to one place, have a one stop shop to do it
all so they could have more time with their kids and be able to live that
season of motherhood. And then I found that a lot of, um, entrepreneurs that
were creating companies and startups and you know, starting to gain traction,
we’re needing to hire people, but they weren’t ready to hire a full time
employee. They weren’t even ready to bring on a, you know, even a full time
contractor or a part time contractor. And so they were coming to me going, Hey,
do you have a pod mom or somebody that you know in your network that could help
with this? And a lot of moms that I had worked on their websites years ago were
coming to me going, can you help me again? Like I need this for my business.
Brooke
M.: 25:49 And
it just started to kinda take traction. Um, and so that’s always done. And we
have worked with the whole bunch of those coworking spaces and mom
organizations around the country that, um, have these membership sites that are
predominantly directory based and they’re not actually making transactions. And
so we’re working with them to partners so they will get a lower percentage of transaction
fee on our platform. We don’t have any listing fees and we’re all about the
mom. So it’s free to list on our platform and all of that. Only time we’re
gonna charge you is when you make a transaction. And that’s for us hosting you
on our, on our platform. That’s amazing. I didn’t realize, um, first I didn’t
realize how intricate it was and then I didn’t realize that it was all beta.
And like now you’re really launching like this whole new level, which I’m so
stoked to see where this takes you in for our next conversation to see how it
Brooke
M.: 26:44 went
and some of the stories that you probably already have of the impact that
you’re making and the impact that the platform is making. And not just for the
moms, but who it’s connecting to and the greater impact. Yeah.
Caz
Gaddis: 26:55 That’s
awesome. Yeah.
Brooke
M.: 26:57 Of
beautiful, a beautiful and crazy journey. And um, but one that like I knew for
the last year, I was like, this has to get like this has to be made. And I kept
telling myself like, the mom need it and like I needed it five years ago and I
have moms, I pitched at an event the other day and I had a mom come to me that
is probably almost my mom’s age. And she was like, man, I really wish I had
this when I left my career cause she’s like, I didn’t really want to leave my
job, but it was kind of what was expected. And I, one of us, I believe our jobs
and my husband was making more, but she’s like, it was so hard to get back into
the workforce after my kids had left. I mean gone to school and stuff. And
she’s like, if I had just had something where I could keep my skills fresh or
try new things, um, on my terms, then that would have been so great.
Brooke
M.: 27:47 And
so just hearing those stories and of our moms that are trying to become
entrepreneurs and are able to come and use our platform and like someone is a
professor right now in Georgia and she needed a website because she’s a, she
just wrote a book and it has nothing to do with her, but you know what her
teaching is about. And so she needed to rebrand herself in a completely
different way. Um, and we were able to help her with all of those things in the
beta. So that’s super awesome, exciting. And um, we have, moms are just so
great and supportive and want to support each other. So we’ve had so much great
support and we launched a crowd funding campaign, um, next week too that will
help us to raise money to build an app. Cause right now we’re a web based
platform but with the app we’ll be able to get more, especially more, um,
buyers on the platform because they can go really quickly and purchase things.
Brooke
M.: 28:41 Yeah,
totally. So with this, um, with everything you have coming out next week and
we’ll actually be launching this podcast slash video cast will be coming out
tomorrow, which will be the 25th. Yeah. So this will be really nice time-based
for what you’re doing. So with that being said, um, where can we go to find out
more to check out the, um, not just like the platform itself, but you mentioned
the crowd funding, uh, website. Yeah,
Brooke
M.: 29:08 everything
will be. We’re actually running our crowd funding campaign through iFundWomen
because we, I mean there’s so many crowd funding platforms, but I really feel
like women need to put their money where their mouth is and we need to support
other women owned businesses. It is owned. Um, it’s cofounded by three moms.
Um, I’ve met, uh, one of them and I’m fine to meet the rest of them in a few
weeks in New York. Uh, they’re fabulous and they are on a mission to also get
moms paid more and get women in general. But I’m at a phenomenal platform,
really easy to use and really supportive. So we will be on iFundWomen. Um, we
are in like our incognito phase right now, but we’ll be live on November 1st,
so you can go to iFundWomen and find us there. I’m from momentum market and
then you can go to our website, which everything will be updated on there. Um,
it’s just momentum market.io. Um, you can go there to find us. And then our
Instagram is at momentum market. So both of those places are the best places to
find us.
Caz
Gaddis: 30:14 Awesome.
And I’ll make sure to share that in the show notes and whoever I post this to
so people will have access to that. And so that’s wonderful. Thank you. So as
we kind of wrap up and um,
Caz
Gaddis: 30:26 bringing
everything together. Yeah. You kind of already went into this, but I wonder if
you have anything else to share his, um, so like obviously our kids are always
observing all the things, all the things, right. Even the things we don’t think
they’re observing or is observable. I’m jokes on me, on us when that happens.
And it’s like, Oh, but I’m saw that. Yeah. So with all being, that being said,
regardless of what it is that, um, you know, obviously one of your kids is
talking now the other one, are they both talking now?
Brooke
M.: 31:00 They’re
both talking. One obviously talks a lot more than four and a half year old just
doesn’t stop. But yeah, they’re both talking now.
Caz
Gaddis: 31:08 I
was like, are they both? I’m so funny. I’m still learning kids. Like, this is
my second one, but like I’m still learning, you know, like, do they talk yet?
Um, when does it stop? No. Um, so with that being said, what is it that, um,
Caz
Gaddis: 31:24 let
me get this question right. So what would you want them to be able to say about
who it is that you’re being and what it is that you’re doing? So even like, you
know, in the future, I know that your daughter’s already said quite a bit of
things now, but future-based yeah.
Brooke
M.: 31:35 Um,
you know, I think just as much as what I, you know, want in my future, I really
want it to be a thought leader and the mom space. And so just, you know,
letting my daughter know that like women can be leaders and seeing that mommy
is a leader and, um, and she already knows, she’s like, you’re a CEO. That’s
what she always assaults people. And I’m like, well, that’s cute sweetie. Thank
you. But I don’t think she has any idea what a CEO is. She just likes to say
it. But you know, just knowing that she can be a leader too. And that women can
do big things. So, and for my son to to see that as well, I mean it’s, it’s
interesting cause when they’re not even two yet, like you haven’t fully seen
their personality of like what are they gonna gravitate towards? But you know,
just being raised by a strong woman, um, for my son as well, just to see that
that femininity, the feminine can be, um, just as beautiful as the masculine. I
don’t know. We work together. It can be even better.
Caz
Gaddis: 32:38 I
love it. So last question
Caz
Gaddis: 32:40 I
have for you is, um, if you could go back in time and send your past self a
message, right as you were in the midst of figuring out. And I know we still
are some times in the midst of figuring out all the integrations of being a
parent and whatever that more is for us. Yeah. But, um, just pick a time and
tell me what would you tell yourself back then?
Brooke
M.: 33:00 Yeah.
You know, this morning I had a podcast interview and, uh, Katherine wench who
wrote slay like a mother, that toe is talking to you. And she said that, um,
she wrote down on a sticky note when she was writing her book and she put it on
her computer that she said, I expect this to be hard because it is and it’s
going to be hard, but when you tell yourself, and I wish I had told myself then
that like, this is going to be hard.
Brooke
M.: 33:25 Um,
but also that you’re going to fail a lot. Uh, but to just always trust your gut
because that’s one thing that I feel like I’ve done throughout these last five
years since I became a parent or was pregnant and then had kids, um, was that
it doesn’t all look, you know, like what you think it’s going to be for a long
time. Like I never, you know, I was writing resumes and you know, doing MLM and
totally not what I’m doing now. Um, but it all led to this. And, uh, my COFA,
one of our, my chief operations officer, shoot, it is always like, you are a
master networker. And I’m like, it’s just because for five years I failed a
lot. I met a lot of people, but that’s failing and now it’s working for me. Um,
and it’s just, you know, knowing that, uh, your intuition is going to guide
you. I think that’s huge. Um, but knowing that it’s going to be hard, it’s
okay. Like it’s okay that it’s hard. Um, but not to be cliche, but like we can
do hard things, but also to expect that it’s going to be hard. Like, no, like
going back to that, no, it’s going to be a struggle, but it’s your choice how you’re
going to live it out.
Caz
Gaddis: 34:32 Mm.
Yeah. Yeah. Cause you can struggle and still be happy and still, you know, find
the grace in it or find the humor in it, even if it’s after. Yeah. But it’s
just a part of it for sure. It’s all choice. So, yeah. Thank you so much for
coming on today and just sharing who it is you’re being and what it is that
you’re doing. And, um, I really am excited to check out what you’re working on
and, uh, excited for November 1st.
Brooke
M.: 34:54 Yes,
I know, I know. We’re so, we’re so excited to, to put it all out there and I’m
really, we want to be, we’re already mom built and mom powered and now if we
want to be mom funded so we really can keep that, that feminine as part of the
company, um, as we move forward.
Caz
Gaddis: 35:13 That’s
awesome. Thank you so much. And again guys and check out the show notes that’ll
have all the information on how to contact Brooke and how to check out
momentum, um, and the crowd funding as well if you’re checking it during 2019.
Um, so yeah, so thank you so much. Of course. Thank you. Thank you for having
me. It’s been a pleasure.
Caz
Gaddis: 35:31 Thanks
for listening to this episode of more than a parent to be your more live here
and continue the conversation with us and connect at more than a parent dot. M
N. dot. C. O.
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