I cannot believe the first round of Tribes is over. It seems like such a whirlwind. I got the idea to create this community at the end of January and was able to launch in February. I’ve gotten asked a lot “How are you doing this?!?” and my response is “I had to.” I saw a HUGE need in our motherhood community and I know that I can help fill it. God put this on my heart and I am doing something about it! It is as simple and as complicated as that! I spent seven weeks (we had a week off while I was in LA) with this amazing group of mommas and they taught me SO much that I thought I should share what I’ve learned with you.

1. Motherhood communities are NEEDED. Like seriously. It doesn’t matter if you work, stay home, or do something in between, you need a tribe of mommas that you can connect with and feel supported by. One thing that each tribe did was support one another. The mommas were always offering up ideas that worked for them or empathizing and validating one another. It was so beautiful.

2. Video conferencing has NO body language. Each week we talked on a video conferencing app called Zoom. We were able to see each other every week and social cues don’t always translate. For example, when I was presenting on Language and Development for babies/toddlers/preschoolers, all the women were attentive and listening but I had NO CLUE if they liked the topic or if it was helpful because their body language (slight head nodding/vocalizing agreements, etc.) didn’t necessarily translate through technology. There was a huge learning curve for me because I tend to talk with my hands and am usually aware of the body language of others.

3. No marriage is PERFECT. I mean I think I knew this but when we had our marriage therapist come do a Q and A with us, it was so refreshing and comforting to know that marriage is hard. Throw in a couple of littles, a job and a social life and it can be down right challenging. It is one of the main reasons that I have “Marriage” as a central pillar of The Momma Tribes. It takes work, dedication and intention if you are going to beat the 50% success rate of staying married and my hope is that through these Tribes I can help change that statistic! Some tips from the marriage therapist can be found here!

4. I know I harped on it in my Momma Monday emails but SELF CARE is essential. When we take time to fill ourselves up we are more patient and have more energy to give to all of the people that need and love us. So DO IT. If you don’t know what self care looks like for you, go here and do this exercise and do more things that give you energy.

5. Everything is ENERGY. I learned that I can’t do more than two Tribes in one night because I give so much energy on those calls that by the third call I usually had to pump myself up (dance/jump around) to get my energy flowing to be the best I could be for those women. Giving for three Tribes in three hours was too much and moving forward I am only doing two a night!

6. Getting uncomfortable is where you GROW. I am not going to lie, this entire business is way out of my comfort zone. But can I be honest with you? For the first time in a long time I feel so fulfilled and so in alignment with life that I wake up excited to find out what’s next.   I wouldn’t feel that way if I didn’t push myself to get outside my comfort zone every single day. What can you do today that pushes you outside your comfort zone? Give a compliment? Go after a dream? Post an Instagram on TV? Just DO something that gets you up and outside your norm and see how you feel afterwards. I know that you can grow and expand in way you never thought possible!

I learned a lot from the 1st Tribe experience and I hope that there is something you can take away from what I learned and apply it to your family and life.  Excited about the future of The Momma Tribe and the impact it will have in the life of mommas.