e010 – The Part-Time Jungle Podcast: Keeping It REAL in Motherhood & Work with Vivian Rajic

Vivian Rajic is a full-time working from home boss mom to 2 boys and the founder of REAL Biz Moms. Vivian's personal experience of isolation and her feelings of unworthiness as a mother is what led her to create a safe, supportive and empowering community where mothers can be REAL and where they can flourish in life and in business together.   In this episode: The importance of being REAL (Recognized, Empowered, Authentic, and Loved) in motherhood and work How there are many ways to be a good mom; there isn’t just one way. Taking small steps can create a motherhood village with incredible connection and community.    Connect with Vivian: * Website: https://www.realbizmoms.com * Instagram: @realbozmoms https://www.instagram.com/realbizmoms/  * Facebook: @realbizmoms https://www.facebook.com/groups/realbizmoms/  On this episode of The Part-Time Jungle Podcast, I had a great conversation with Vivian Rajic about the importance of being REAL in motherhood and work, how there are many ways to be a good mom, and how taking small steps can foster connection and community in building a motherhood village.    If you prefer to listen, check out Episode 10 of The Part-Time Jungle Podcast.      I really enjoyed the opportunity to chat with Vivian! I have had the privilege to meet Vivian in person and when I did, she greeted me with a big hug. She is a warm and caring person who does an incredible job of facilitating connection and building community! Her words of wisdom: “Do what works best for you” and “Go at your own pace”.    HOW REAL BIZ MOMS GOT STARTED When Vivian had her first child, she had this image of what being a mom “looked like”. This included staying at home, having fresh, home cooked meals three times a day, having a clean house, and constantly having activities planned throughout the day. However, she was not enjoying motherhood because she felt like she wasn’t doing the things that she SHOULD be. She was frustrated, angry, and unhappy.    Vivian attended an event hosted by an organization supporting women entrepreneurs. She enjoyed it and left feeling empowered. However, Vivian wasn’t sure of her next steps which left her feeling overwhelmed. Many of the women at the event weren’t moms and that’s where the disconnect was for her. Vivian decided that there should be the same sort of group created for moms in order to ignite a flame in mothers. This is how Real Biz Moms came to be!  WHAT DOES BEING “REAL” MEAN? REAL is an acronym that stands for Recognized, Empowered, Authentic, and Loved. For Vivian being “Recognized” means having moms recognize themselves and THEIR hopes and dreams. As moms, we often are thinking about everyone else and can lose sight of who we are and what we want to do and accomplish.   Being “Empowered” is about having a community that can uplift us, empower us, and get us out of a rut when we are having those hard times and when we are struggling.   “Authentic” addresses the importance of being who we are. With social media, we are constantly comparing ourselves to one another and we see all these amazing moms doing all these amazing things. Our real lives are filled with good times AND hard times and it helps to have a safe space to be our authentic selves.