CYBEX Hot Mom Walk Podcast

CYBEX Hot Mom Walk Episode #21: Find Your Village with Jenna Christie

• CYBEX • Season 2 • Episode 21

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CYBEX Mama Mentor Jenna Christie (@jennamaaac) joins us again to discuss the importance of "The Village".

In her final episode this season, Jenna is joined by mom-friend and fellow entrepreneur Andrea France, founder of the Moms Niagara social community and Mama Bear Wellness. Together, they provide tips and insight into finding your village and building your mama community.

Show notes:
https://www.instagram.com/cybex_usa
https://www.instagram.com/jennamaaac
https://www.instagram.com/momsniagara  


Hello and welcome to the Cybex Hot Mom Walk podcast. Cybex started this series as a recent study found that 80 % of women at three months postpartum say they feel more alone than ever. Designed to help mitigate feeling isolated, the Cybex Hot Mom Walk podcast series aims to help moms across North America cope with the feeling of isolation and the huge identity shift that comes with parenthood. What's up mama? This is Jenna Christie and I am so stoked to be hosting this week's episode of Your Cybex.

Hot Mom Walk podcast. I'm so excited for today's episode, mainly because I'm not alone this time. I have my girlfriend, Andrea France. She's actually the founder of Moms Niagara. She's a mom.

Twin mom at that. She teaches pre and postnatal fitness classes and she's joining me today to talk about finding your village. What is your village? How do you find your village after having a baby? And when I was choosing my topics for the Cybex Hot Mom Walk podcast, honestly, I was a little bit torn on a couple. So I took to Instagram and I made a poll and this is actually the one that came out on top that most people wanted to hear about. So I knew I had to bring in the best and that's why Andrea is here today. When I listen to podcasts, I like to be able to walk away thinking that

bettered myself in some way shape or form. So you're gonna have homework with this episode. I'm sorry, it'll be at the end of class. And I'll have some action items that I'd really love for you to take away with you to help you take action in growing and finding your village. So let's talk about how I met Andrea, which is kind of a funny story. We actually met at one of her events and of all out of all the events, it was a cold plunge event. And Andrea was my partner. And we did this like sauna

Cold Plunge night, it was around Christmas time. It was such a cool, like innovative event when I saw her post about it, I was like, I need to go to that. It was actually my first Moms Niagara event, but it definitely wasn't gonna be my last. So without further ado, Andrea, take the mic, tell us about yourself. How many kids do you have? How old are they? What do you do? Tell us about Moms Niagara.

Hey Jenna, thank you so much for inviting me to be here. I am so pumped to be speaking to all of you. I definitely get a case of mom brain, so you'll have to bear with me over the next little bit. I will do my best to remember all the good stuff. So yes, I am a stay at home mom. I have four children, including a set of twins. The oldest is seven, the twins are four and a half, and my youngest is two and a half. my gosh, that sounds busy. Boys or girls? So the oldest is a boy, and then I have three girls.

Three girls. Yes. Okay. So the fact when we found out that we were having twins, that did not shock me. It's when we found out we were having two girls, but my jaw hit the floor because I, my brain went right to teenagers and I was like, my God, what am I going to do? my gosh. Yes. It is insanely busy sometimes, but in my extra time, you know, magic time that I make up, I run a mama bear wellness, which is a pre post needle focused fitness business with yoga bar and stroller fit and, Moms Niagara. Okay.

We're definitely gonna get into the Moms Niagara stuff, because I wanna hear all about that, but give everybody like a brief overview of what Moms Niagara is. So Moms Niagara is a community for moms all over the Niagara region with events and meetups and workshops for them to attend on their own or with their baby or littles in tow. Love

So fun. I just want to say, I love how innovative you are with these events. I like the cold plunge thing. That's so cool. Or what did you do? The temporary tattoo or something like that? saw that. yeah, those were not temporary. Those were real. They were real? Did people get real tattoos? Yes, they did. It was in collaboration with Dreamscape Smithville, but mom's mother's stage. Stop. I didn't know that. I thought it was a temporary tattoo workshop. Good thing I didn't go or I would have came back with a tattoo. They were beautiful, but yeah, they were permanent.

Amazing. And fun fact is that me and Andrea actually haven't hung out since the cold plunge event. Not that we didn't want to, it's just, you know, we're moms, we're busy. It hasn't worked out. So this is the first time we've been allowed to hang out and actually have a conversation. So we're all getting to know each other today, which is going to be super fun, I think, for all the listeners and for me and Andrea. So let's get into it then. So Andrea, what?

Would you define as your village? That is the ultimate question, isn't it? Ultimately, your village is your support network. So whether this is friends, family, your husband, your partner, your massage therapist, your hairstylist, who you bitch to. Whether this is your daycare provider, whether this

Other moms. I love that. Cause I feel like when I had my baby and like, you know, they all say it takes a village. I kind of thought, I think to my head before were the people who like dropped off food postpartum. But then you realize real quickly your village is so much more than that and like extend so much further than those, you know, couple of first weeks postpartum. But I think you realize too, like after you get over that fourth trimester and even beyond it, that your village expands way beyond that into like, I love what you said about your hairstylist being part of your village, your daycare

The beautiful thing about mom friends is they just get it, you know, they are not judging They are open to it and honestly like you might send them a message and they might respond like two hours or two days later But they're still there. They're still your support for sure I thought it was so crazy like when I became a mom these women in my life that I haven't spoken to in years like there's one girl and if she's listening to this she knows who she is she was

ex -boyfriend's friend's ex -girlfriend, but we happen to have babies within the same time frame. And we're texting each other, like, did you lose your mucus plug yet? just like, you get so real. The most intimate details with this extended, extended, person. Exactly. But that's just, it's so cool. And I wish, that's something I wish that I could, I guess you can't prepare yourself for it, but it's just such

cool element of motherhood. You join this incredible community and tribe of women who are just so supportive. And I think even when you like feel physically alone sometimes or you're up at 2 a .m. with the baby, like you're never, you're never really alone. Exactly. Social media is so good for that, honestly. I met so many great moms during the pandemic and we connected and we didn't meet in person until like way later. Absolutely. That's so cool. There's actually a, I have a mom friend who I met

on a miscarriage Facebook group, we both like miscarried the same time. We ultimately ended up falling pregnant a year later, like within a month of each other. We like experienced our pregnancies together. Like I totally remember the day she had Owen and then I ended up having Lucy on her other son's first birthday. It's just the crazy, and we still talk every day. It's just so crazy how, you you can be connected and how motherhood can like make these incredible friendships blossom.

when it just it was such an unexpected part of motherhood that I truly truly love. So did you have a hard time finding your village? I know Cybex uses this stat often that 80 % of women feel lonely three months postpartum. Did you feel that way? yeah absolutely. After my son was born we were actually subletting in poor credit while the house here in Niagara Falls was being built. Our selling date was my due date which was really fun. So luckily we moved out a month ahead but we were subletting oh my god

the end of pregnancy in a subletted place with all rented furniture. my god. And just waiting for your water break, by the way. my god. Yeah. The end of pregnancy, period. Yeah, period. Period. And they didn't know I was pregnant. And like, there's a whole other podcast episode. But basically, when my water broke, I knew it. And I ninja rolled out of the bed, thank god. Yes, I had protective mattress covers. But I was still so worried it was going to happen. And anyways, I survived. And the bed survived. There you go. But basically, yeah, in

I was totally alone.

I luckily had some friends from naturopathy school who came to visit, but my mom was in a different province. My husband was working long days at the time out on different sites all over Ontario and I didn't have my family close. I didn't have too many friends. So luckily we were on Lakeshore. You know, I'd strap the baby in, I'd go for walks and I discovered some postnatal classes which opened my eyes to the idea of, you know, eventually doing it myself since I already taught classes for Good Life. That's so cool. Okay. Also, I didn't

you're an archipath? Yeah, I went to school for it. I'm not practicing, but yeah, I have my degree. That's awesome. I did not know that. And I didn't know, were you teaching at Good Life before you had the baby? Yeah, so was working there part -time teaching aqua -fit randomly all over Toronto and hot yoga and

And what else did I teach? Zumba? Yeah, jack of all trades. Did know I'm a certified fitness instructor also? FIS, can fit pro. Right, But yeah, anyways, so that's something I ended up continuing with into MatLeave, which was very beneficial. But long story short, I didn't know anyone there. So it really took a toll on my mental health more than I expected. I think I had some...

form of blues and I was definitely more emotional with my husband then yeah, he would tell you a whole bunch about it. I still hear about it, I swear to God.

seven years later, but yeah, it's very tough and it can be so isolating, especially when you're home most of the day with a newborn. I was one of the more later of my group of friends to have children, which also opens your eyes a ton. I literally went to my old friends to apologize to be like, I'm sorry I wasn't more supportive when you had the baby. So for me, I felt lonely, but in a different way, I felt like the world was going on without me and I was just stuck.

with this baby and trying to figure everything out and like you know have that support but no matter what no matter how much support you have there's still these moments of intense loneliness and i feel like everybody experiences that okay so you're in poor credit you know no one what helped you with these bouts of loneliness so for me getting my body moving whether that was doing some

movement at home or getting out strolling along Lake Shore or eventually getting into classes where I could see other moms and meet other littles. They had a really good library program like we do in the region too. Yeah. So it was great to just kind of get out there and see other happy faces, other moms. For sure. I love that. Yeah, that's honestly I'd add my own but they were kind of the same. One of the best things I did was joining a post natal like pelvic floor.

Class at built with Alex fairgrieve. I remember I was two weeks postpartum like I was so fresh and I remember messaging her being like I don't know if I'm like too early But I really want to go and then after I signed up I like kind of regretted it cuz I was like I just felt too fresh like I was you know Still bleeding going to this class. but ultimately it was the best thing I could have done because that right away just showed me I was like right away introduced to these like other network of moms who were going through a similar thing as me and I had to force myself out of the house twice a week even when you know, I was scared

this newborn baby who like I didn't know how she was gonna act so I think just like yeah forcing myself to get out there joining something so I was like monetarily committed and I had to go. It's on the schedule. Right. Was a really really key thing in my postpartum village finding journey. Okay so let's pretend there's a new mom listening to this it's 2 a .m. she's nursing the baby with this podcast in her ears and she just feels so alone what would you tell her? You got this. It might not feel like it but you

are an amazing mom, you're doing so great and you have to remember no one really knows. No one really knows what they're doing. Okay, I'm like seven years into this bitch. I still don't know what I'm doing. I'm just going with the flow and everybody, every child, every pregnancy is different. So just keep doing you. You're doing amazing. And if you are feeling alone, don't be afraid to reach

Don't be afraid to reach out to people on social media, in Facebook groups, you know, let those around you know if you're feeling down. I think it's Anna Lee on TikTok has this like really cool skit and she's showing herself at like 2 a .m. like nursing her baby and you know, the baby's crying and she's like, you know, she's crying and she looks across the window and she sees a light on down the street and it's another I'm gonna I'm getting chills just thinking about this. And there's another mom doing the same thing, you know, they kind of just like give each other that.

you little wave. And I think that's just such a powerful little skit and something to remember and something like I've thought of when I've had those moments at, 3am with a screaming baby that there are millions of other moms at any point in time experiencing the exact same, they're up with you, they're crying with you. So segueing from feeling alone, let's talk about Moms Niagara, which is kind of, you know, meant to combat that. Tell me why you started. So

I had the idea for Mums Niagara after having my twins. Long story short, I had been teaching pre postnatal with my son. I had been running classes and I found that as that progressed, the need was there for more of social connection. So classes went from being like more professional and physical to including more of a social component. And like towards the end of that year, you know, we were doing mimosas and bar, like bar is the bar. Where was that? When I was postpartum. You weren't there yet. So it was pre COVID as well.

I was like, okay, well, you I love the pre postnatal, but this feels like it needs to be something separate. And I want to be building on this. And I was getting visits from my dear friend, Ashley. She would bring me a coffee and we would hang out and chat. And I was like, how great would it if we could go out to a coffee shop?

But I knew because I had twins with me, baby twins and a toddler at home that basically it would be an endeavor. But I knew that other moms probably felt the same way as me. And you know, I didn't really know too many moms other than my mom friends, right? I grew up in BC. So it's not like I had these friends that were along the journey with me. I was really making new friends in this postpartum period. And I knew that I would want to get out and enjoy everything Niagara had to offer and that other moms like me would be looking to make more

So I kind of had this light bulb moment in the shower and I was like, my gosh, you know, I need to make this a thing. I need to help organize these events. Cause if I don't organize them, I'm not getting out with all these children. That was the main thing. But also other moms must feel like me. They're looking for this connection. They're looking to make more friends and they're looking to enjoy their life in this mat leave period and beyond. And a place where they can like bring their kids and feel safe. Like what you said,

Packing up your twins to go to a coffee shop is an extreme sport, I'm sure. It is. And I remember the first time we went out for dinner with our first baby. I think everyone goes through this where you're so nervous, you're going to cry or freak out, but nobody cares. Right. And like you said, being able to find venues. Vineyards are beautiful to let bigger kids run around, to let little ones be on your mat. And let mom have a glass of wine.

Exactly. It is a win, win, win, win, win. love what you said too, talking about kind of like merging.

mom group and like happy hour is kind of what you your kind of mission was here, which is just like such a fun way to look at it. And it's totally optional to partake. There's never that pressure. Even though this community is about supporting moms with a full cup, you interpret how that works for you. So is that a cup of coffee? Is that a full glass of wine? I love that. that your kombucha? Whatever works for you. Absolutely. So you started in 2020. Tell me how Moms Niagara has evolved. What was the first event? What was that like versus like what do your events look like now?

your most epic event. All right so I started with a coffee shop so it mama needs a coffee and basically I just helped organize a group going out to one of the beautiful local coffee shops in Port Dalhousie, Balzac's coffee and I got the word out through social media. Luckily I did have connections through Mama Bear Wellness so a lot of the mums came from that but just putting it out into the social media space

ended up getting people out and I had 20 moms. 20 moms at your first event? Yeah, it was kind of epic. It was amazing. We filled up that space. Were you surprised with that number? I was really happy. It confirmed that this was needed in the area, that this is what I was meant to do. That's so cool. And did you reach out to Balls Accident? Did you just show up with a bunch of moms and strollers? So I gave them a heads up that this was a plan. Most often I can do this through social media. And they're happy to welcome moms, especially during times that are a

or like weekday daytime.

Absolutely, that's so smart. Okay, now tell me about, as I said, her events have been so innovative and so cool. I told you about the tattoo event, we did the cold plunge event. Tell me about your most epic or favorite event. Yeah, yeah, so definitely we've had a bunch of the vineyard picnics with photographers, which worked so well. We've had a standup paddle boarding and sipping cider, which was one of my favorites. We did an awesome Mother's Day event where we had great sponsors and people involved. But I think the favorite of mine actually was a bit of a segue

business. So I created a business summit and I held it at 124 Unqueen in Noggin Lake which is a beautiful venue and we had eight guest mom business speakers. not it wasn't only for moms it wasn't exclusive it was open to everybody but it was about female empowerment and especially about mom empowerment and we had such a great you know menu from 124 Unqueen they did a high tea lunch and we had amazing door prizes from like the

and Health Club, Malia Hair Co. And I was able to get swag bag sponsors like local brand Cheekbone Beauty and Lovebee products, et cetera, et cetera. It was amazing. my gosh. If you ever do that again, I'm coming. That one, that is right on my You know what? I probably will do it again. I'll make it an annual thing, but

I was running about six other events at the time in October and then I organized this within three weeks. It was insane. Holy smokes. And we sold out and I cannot wait to do it as an annual thing. I put it under something called the Aspire Business Collective just to keep it separate, but it is very much part of this because there's that need to. I'm obsessed. Supporting mompreneurs. Okay, so now let's say I'm a mom listening to this and I'm, you

from a small town, maybe I'm like super interested in entrepreneurship and you're like super inspiring me right now, what advice would you give me? Like if I'm interested in starting a mom group in my area? That's awesome, do it. Don't wait on the idea. I sat on Mama Bear for like a year and I regretted it when I thought of Moms Niagara, I jumped on the opportunity. Do it, there are other moms that feel just like you and you will enjoy it. It may be a little bit more work initially, cause you have to get that word out, but once you do, there will be word of mouth. So like.

Find your other local Facebook groups, any parenting groups, you know.

consider putting up signs in different local businesses, in a grocery store, in the coffee shop. Get that word out and just start doing it. Do things that suit your schedule. And if you're looking for a particular mom business niche, know, reach out and see if there's other parenting groups or other postpartum, postnatal groups that you can align with. And also as someone who like works in social media, do not underestimate the power of your own network. Like I can tell you firsthand from doing the Cybex Mom Mentor research, I was absolutely blown away from the people I had cheering me on from the sidelines that you don't even know would

Like, yeah, I would absolutely love to come to your mom event. you know, post on your socials, do what you gotta do because you'll surprise yourself. Exactly. So I started from nothing, literally building it person by person, celebrating, you know, 500 followers and so on and so on. Now it's over 10K, which blows my mind. And so much of this is also thanks to the collaboration and partnerships with local brands and businesses. And as you start this endeavor, whatever it might look like for you, you're gonna build those relationships and your community as a result of that. So do

you're gonna do awesome. Okay, and what about for the mama listening right now who like just wants mom friends? What tips would you give for someone, you know, looking to expand their network of mom friends? So, you know, getting out to events like this that might be in your area already. So don't be afraid to go on your own. So many connections I know have been built through these in -person meetups and events, as well as through our private Facebook group. yeah, you have a Facebook group, which I'm gonna be honest, I'm in that Facebook group.

It can be a little unhinged. It gets a little spicy sometimes, I'm not gonna lie. It is also 10K, over 10K at this point, and a different population than Instagram. And we ask in the rules, I ask when I say we, I always mean I, to be kind, courteous, respectful, non -judgmental, but people are people.

And some people do not shy away from making their opinions known when they're behind a screen. But that being said, I've seen so many beautiful, authentic connections happening through this group. People are genuine, people speak from their heart, people are looking to make play dates. Absolutely. And I think like, you know, going back to what we talking about of those times when you're feeling alone, that would be a great place to post because there's absolutely zero judgment. And I can only imagine the type of support you would get from

10 ,000 moms. For me, my advice that I would give someone trying to meet mom friends is it's kind of like you're dating again. You really just gotta shoot your shot. I remember when I was doing that built postpartum class, there was this one girl that I was just like, I think I'd like to have a glass of wine with her. She seems like my kind of mom, you know? And it was the last day and we were all packing up and I was like, if I don't say something right now, she's gonna be the friend that got away. And I was just

You know, I told her like, I really like your vibe. Like if you'd want to ever like go to a coffee shop one time with the babies, like let me know. And like that's never gonna, no one's ever gonna be like, ew. Like that's a flattering thing. Like if you find a mom friend that you think that you would like to hang out with, tell them. anything, that's just like a nice thing to hear that makes you feel good. 100%. Never in the wrong to compliment a mom. A mom would love to hear, you're doing a great job. You're gorgeous, whatever. That's how we make friends. Yeah. It works. Someone told me, I think you'd be fun to have wine with. I'd be like,

I am. Let's do it now. Yeah. I was just thinking about this now. I remember being like newly postpartum and I was like selling some of my wedding stuff on Facebook marketplace and I connected with this mom and we were like, you know, chatting on Facebook marketplace chat, not how you typically chat on Facebook marketplace chat. And when she came to pick up the stuff, like as she was leaving, I was like, you want to hang out with me sometime? Like just absolutely shooting one shot. And we did. We went for a great walk together and we're still friends to this day. So yeah. love it. Facebook connections. Absolutely.

one more element of your village that we need to talk about. And she is the mayor of the village. Okay? And this is you. Like you need to also make sure you're doing the things that fill your cup up and doing the things that make you happy. So Andrea, tell me a little bit about how you did that postpartum and how you, you know, filled your own cup. with simple acts of self care. So this could be making sure that I get

have my coffee, I get outside of the house, I have water, have sunlight, I am a plant that needs these things. I have a plant too. And then include the movement. So definitely getting outside, getting baby in a baby carrier or your Cybex stroller and go out for that walk. Right. Get moving and then, you know, try to do the things that you need to. If you can have somebody watch baby so that you can get your nails done. your eyebrows done. Do the things that make you feel good. And I know that we often

experience mom guilt from these things. And we are encouraging you to try not to feel that way. This is your excuse. Like book that appointment. Like you deserve to feel beautiful too. Something like really cool that I did postpartum that for Mother's Day, my husband got me a motherhood photo shoot. So for like the first time in a very long time, I did my hair. I did my makeup. I put on a little cute outfit. And I got these photos with my daughter that I will truly.

Never forget, I'll never forget the experience too of just like, know, feeling beautiful and holding her and having someone like take pictures of me. Like it was just, it was so, so special. I cannot agree with you more. Getting photos as you have your little growing of you as well is so key. I know that's why we have photography for the events. Cause like capturing that moment is so special. Even if you don't feel like it is in that moment, you're gonna want those photos later. Yes. And I know like, especially postpartum, sometimes taking photos is hard cause you, don't feel like yourself and

it's you're meeting this new version of you. I know I think about this all the time and it really makes me sad because when Lucy was like a couple weeks old, I remember I was like, I'm gonna film a little video of us dancing. I'm gonna get emotional talking about this. And I remember watching the video back and being like, I don't know her. Like it wasn't, you know what I mean? It wasn't, I didn't like the way I looked. And to this day, now that I'm kind of on the other side of it, I am

So upset I deleted that video of this point in time I had with my little girl that I deleted it. So don't delete the photos. Don't do it. Just keep them, put them in a secret folder if you need to. Save them. Save them. yeah. Okay, mama. So it is homework time. Andrea and I have come up with three action items we want you to take away from this podcast and apply to your life to expand your village. So the first one

Something I want you to do right now. I want you to get your phone and I know you have it on you, because you're listening to this podcast. And I want you to reach out to a mom friend. Just say hi, just vibe check. If you're like, I don't have any mom friends, message me or Andrea. If you don't know what to say, just say, hey, pay them a compliment. Compliments are always welcome. anytime. Next up, we want you to find your local mom group. So check out Facebook, check out Instagram, see if there's one already happening wherever you live. And if there isn't,

consider starting your own. There's gotta be other moms in your area that feel the same way you do. And if that's not really your thing right now, check out maybe your local library, other programs. No matter what you choose, just get a vibe check for what's going on. I know like Mums Niagara, we have an email subscription list. So just get on those kind of lists, see what's going on and there's no pressure to attend. And the final action item is we want you to do something for you this week. Whether that's attending a yoga class or getting your nails done.

or going to that Cybex Hot Mom Walk. We want you to do something just for you. But that wraps it up and I really hope this episode helped you in any way, shape or form. Andrea, where can people find you on social? So we have a brand new spanking website, momsniagara .ca, but you can also find us at Moms Niagara and you can find my other sister projects.

at mamabear .wellness and at Aspire Business Collective if you're interested. And I don't have any fancy handles, but if you wanna follow me, just search my name, Jenna Christie, with a C -H, and you'll find me on.

Instagram. I love following your journey. I love seeing you doing these marathons. It's so inspiring. Follow her please. thanks. All right. Also get your homework done. Follow me and Andrea. Rate the Cybex Hot Mom Walk podcast. And remember, you're a hot mom. Yeah, you are. Thanks for tuning in to the Cybex Hot Mom Walk podcast series. Follow the Cybex Spotify channel for more updates and for new episodes.