Motherhood. A never-ending process of love, grace, wonder, and bravery - topped with a lot of fearlessness and vigor.
Being a mom is one of the most important and trusted roles where you are expected to be a master-level expert without prior knowledge, training, or even a degree for that matter. Moms are charged with raising and nurturing children to equip them with everything they need to be successful and valuable in their own life and the world around them. It is an expectation that far exceeds a daily planner and post-it notes.
Moms are no strangers to multitasking from sun-up to sun-down with the hope of being rewarded with a good night’s rest, only to press repeat all over again. Often, though, they do it without thinking twice about their own needs.
We asked five local moms to share their experience of motherhood - the good, the bad, and well, the not-so pretty. These moms have been influential in the Memphis business community and - while not at all perfect - have certainly proven their diligence in working to balance it all: faith, family, work, and even adventures in between. They express how being intentional about taking care of “self” has proven to be a factor that keeps them going strong.
Yancy Villa, a socially engaged artist and civic design consultant, has been an impactful voice and advocate seeking to create awareness, engage in conversation, and encourage action on issues of social justice, equity, and community prosperity. “I am grateful for having the privilege to dedicate the majority of my time to raising my children, often resulting in my professional career moving to the back burner,” says Yancy. She is founder of YancyArt and a mom of three teens - Anna (18), Carolina (16), and Santiago (14).
Yancy is very grateful to be a mom and feels motherhood has been rewarding beyond her imagination. “It blows me away to see how kind, strong, self-motivated, independent, and socially responsible they’ve become as teenagers,” says Yancy. The most challenging period of motherhood for Yancy (hands down) has been her divorce. “It has been a very rough period in our lives but we are working through challenges and seeking happiness in a different dynamic,” says Yancy. “My love for them as a mom will always be there; the love of their father for them will always be there.”
Yancy believes mothers have the instinct for sacrificing themselves - health, sleep, girls’ night out - to ensure everyone in the family is okay. “But, that’s not sustainable,” she says. “Ten years ago, I had multiple jobs to make ends meet, studying for my second master’s degree, and training for a marathon. Eventually, my body couldn’t handle it.” Suffering from two episodes of body paralysis in three months, her doctor insisted she slow down and focus on her health. Yancy has since implemented major changes in her life to include exercise, therapy, and meditation - a practice she learned from friends in India.
Like most moms, Yancy is in constant search for balancing work and family. “Motherhood gives me energy and another reason to work hard,” she says. “Just knowing I did the best I could with all the strength and love I was able to give each day,” is what keeps her grounded in self-worth.
Christina McCarter is a local food business entrepreneur and founder of Feast & Graze, Craft Food and Wine Festival, and City Tasting Box. She loves serving and bringing people together over good food, and is the proud mom of nine-year-old, Elijah. Her proudest journey of motherhood is “finding this new balance and new way of living,” she says. “We don’t have a very traditional life, so accepting that, and making our own path is something I’m most proud of.”
The most challenging season of motherhood for Christina was the infancy stage. “Wow, I don’t know how God saw me fit, but He did,” says Christina. “I have family that look at Elijah and me, to this day and think, wow, she really did it, and she did it her way!” Christina’s main focus is “continuously trying to make sure our son is healthy - physically and mentally.” She also believes in the importance of moms checking in with their overall health and well-being. “Listen to your body,” she says. “If you aren’t okay, no one in your house will be okay.”
Christina stays grounded in self-worth by knowing the value she adds to the family and partnership. “My family is a representation of me,” says Christina. “Soon, my son will create his own identity in this world and to know I am adding doses in there is awesome!” Christina tends to be her biggest cheerleader as a mom. “I will always cheer for myself louder than anyone else,” she says. “If I don’t, then I’m relying on humans to treat me better than I even treat myself.”
As a passionate entrepreneur, Christina gives credit for her business success to being a mom. “As a business owner, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for motherhood,” says Christina. “Learning how to talk to my son allowed me room to learn how to be a leader. If I was doing this just for me, I don’t know if I would be trying to reach my highest level.”
Amy Speropoulos is a veteran in TV news and communications. She currently serves as a news anchor for WREG, writer at Hope Church, and director of communications at New Hope Christian Academy. She is a mom to three girls who are her pride and joy - Hailey (16), Ashlyn Kate (14), and Scottie Lea (11). As a mom, Amy juggles a variety of things including working with organizations pursuing the work of Jesus Christ. She serves on many boards and is involved with animal advocacy.
Amy is proud her daughters love Jesus, and have a genuine love for others. “I am most proud that they have listened to those who have gone before them and have a fierce desire to help other people,” says Amy. The most difficult part of motherhood for Amy is balancing work, parental duties, and being a mom to three girls. “I have to intentionally carve out time to be with my girls, to be present and active,” says Amy. “The only way I can do this is to put my phone down and disconnect. I am fortunate to have a job now where I can spend more time with my girls, but it is still a challenge because I am hardwired to work.”
Amy tries to be intentional and observant by engaging in self-care. “I am bad about taking care of myself,” says Amy. “I rarely carve out time to be with girlfriends. I do, however, carve out time to stay sober. I am passionate about this time, because I have to work at it.” As for multitasking, Amy asked, “How many times have you had an entire conversation while giving advice to your daughter, painting your fingernails, doing laundry, cooking dinner, responding to work emails, and texting your own mom?”
Amy feels motherhood has made her bold, confident, and passionate to speak up, stand up, and take up for other people. “Being a person of good character means you don’t have to be recognized for acts of kindness,” says Amy. “Sometimes simply smiling at someone is an act of good faith and words of kindness and affirmation go a long way.”
Kristi Kloos is owner of Frost Bake Shop and mom of 10-year-old, Anna. Kristi, along with husband, Bill Kloos, run three Frost storefronts in Memphis, Collierville, and Lakeland, and she certainly has her hands full at the start of dusk. Kristi constantly balances being a mom who runs a business and staying present and available for her daughter’s needs. “My daughter’s love language is ‘quality time,’ so I know how important it is for her well-being that we are present and available,” says Kristi.
Kristi is thankful for the opportunity to be a mother which didn’t seem to be a likely chance due to infertility issues. “After two IVF attempts, I am grateful to have been able to even have a child,” says Kristi. “She is a gift.” The most challenging times of motherhood for Kristi have been “any time we open a new store,” she says. “It pulls me away with many late nights, long hours, and my attention is there and not at home. I try to include my daughter as much as possible so she feels like she is a part of it.”
Finding time for herself in the mornings (before others wake) has helped Kristi keep a focused mindset. “That is my time with my books, coffee, and my ‘Kristi cave’ (where others aren’t allowed without permission),” says Kristi. “I have learned that true self-care is about learning who you are, self-acceptance, what you stand for, and how to be at peace with yourself and others.”
For Kristi, having a business is not only mothering to your biological child, but also to the business. “I really have 50 people to look after and care for,” she says. “Thankfully, I have a partner that participates in parenting, too.”
Jennifer Purnell is a serial entrepreneur who has set her goals on building products and services to benefit the wellness of others. She is a mom to Micah (15), Aiden (11), and Lillian (6), and is owner of September Body & Nail Salon, Seven Cleaning Group, The Memphis Group, and The Refresh Weekend (opening this fall).
Jennifer believes while she certainly can’t control all of her children’s actions, she works very hard in giving them the tools needed to be thriving and productive adults. “When I look at my kids change and develop from season to season, I’m always proud of their sense of self and watching their independence grow,” says Jennifer. “I love when they speak up for themselves and express their emotions and I am most proud when I see them being thoughtful and kind to others.”
The last couple of years have been challenging, not only in the world, but for Jennifer and her family. “This has been a period of helping my kids navigate our constantly changing world,” she says. “Explaining to them the reality of change and helping them understand that change doesn’t always feel good, but teaching them how to handle and respond.”
Jennifer is a huge advocate for therapy and counseling. “Our emotional and mental state drives so many of our daily decisions in life,” says Jennifer. “Just as we go to the doctor for checkups, we should do the same when it comes to our mental and emotional health.” Affirmations are tremendous when it comes to Jennifer staying grounded. “I firmly believe whatever we hear over and over is what we believe,” she says. Jennifer believes self-care starts with doing whatever brings you joy, and doing it often.
In a nutshell, being a mom is extremely hard work where you never clock out or sometimes even honor your retirement plan. For most moms, it’s a life-long commitment they enjoy waking up to, even if the day before produced heartache, sweat, and tears. These women are all supermoms in their own right. Make a mom’s day by reminding her of how important and valuable she is in this world.