The Conscious Motherhood Experience - Tess' story

In this final episode of our Motherhood Series on The Conscious Salon Podcast, we close out with a deeply personal conversation as I (Nicola) interview my sister and co-host, Tessa. This time, Tess takes the hot seat as she shares her journey into motherhood, her experience of maternity leave, and the lessons she has learned about balance, presence, and control while running two thriving businesses.

Tess is a business owner, mentor, stepmother, dog-mum, partner, and now mother to her little boy River. She has lived through multiple pathways into motherhood—first as a stepmum to Talia, then helping care for my son Solly when I was in recovery, and now raising her own baby. Each of these roles shaped the mother she is today and gave her unique preparation for the season she’s in now.

We dive into what it meant for Tess to take a truly present maternity leave—something we intentionally worked hard to create, especially after my own experience of blending birth and business during the height of COVID. Tess shares openly about how different it felt to step fully away from the salon, to let the team thrive without her, and to honour her new role as a mum without guilt.

But alongside the joy of presence, she also reveals the challenges: the sudden loss of identity, the isolation of being at home with a newborn, and the shift from being constantly validated by clients and team members to caring for a little human who cannot yet communicate back. This honesty is powerful, because it highlights a struggle many business-owning mums experience but rarely speak about.

We hope this final instalment of the Motherhood Series leaves you feeling empowered, less alone, and reminded that motherhood doesn’t have to mean the end of your ambitions - it can actually expand what’s possible.

To follow our journey:
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