While many of you know that I've been staying at home with the kids for the past several years, I also am a part of something else that I hold near and dear. And it's something I'm excited to be a part of because, while it has been indescribably rewarding to truly shape my kids and watch them come into themselves, I know that I personally have struggled with being "just" that. I say "just" in quotation marks because, obviously, being a stay-at-home mom is a full-time job. It's often times exhausting and thankless and stressful and is completely pro-bono 100% of the time. But for me, there were times that I would feel that I wasn't enough. For myself. Before we get into all of the reasons why I should be gentler with myself (and trust me, there are a myriad of reasons), I want to say with complete support to the mamas who have made and are making the choice to solely be with their kids, I see you. I hear you. You are amazing. And to the others who are going through their own struggles of having to work or choosing to work or even wanting to work, I see you, too. I hear you, too. And you are also amazing.

That said, I recently became the manager to the flagship store location of The LB Brand.

Jen Roberts, the founder of the brand (who happens to also be my most serendipitous friend), started this brand from her kitchen table when she was a new mom navigating motherhood shortly after losing her own mother. She found herself in motherless motherhood. Wrap your head around that. You know how moms rely on each other? Facebook groups, mom groups, "Moms Night Out"s all exist because of the community that is so vital in lifting each other up and supporting each other. And a huge part of being a mother is being able to go back talk to your own mom about experiences or difficulties or milestones that happen as they come. But she didn't have that. Instead, she took her pain and emotional chaos and turned it into what is now The LB Brand.

Anyone who meets her is immediately inspired. She exudes an energy about her that brings people to want to tell their own stories. She empowers those who have had their own traumas and challenges to breathe and sit with their feelings because, quite honestly, everyone needs to feel things to understand what's happening to them. And her brand, this company, embodies all of that.

The thing is, there is no one way to be a mother. It is life-changing, to say the least. Yes, there are parts of me that will always be the same. There are other parts of me, bigger parts of me, however, that have shifted and evolved into something richer and deeper, hopefully wiser and more patient. I couldn't be more proud of the place I work and its core message: Live Bold.