Juggling work and home is not glamorous most of the time.

I love being behind the chair. I love being with my son. What I don’t love is trying to do both wholeheartedly with half my brain because I was up multiple times last night. I’m a hairstylist AND a mom. Balancing the two can be a beautiful chaos sometimes.

Some days I feel like I crush it, others I feel like a total failure. Through it all, I continue to show up even if it takes dedicated intention, grace, and some humor.

Mom before work always

Every work morning is absolutely insane, never fails. My son is only 13 months but I swear he knows the days that I go to work because he is stuck at my hip. Some days this means literally making breakfast while holding him if that keeps him from crying at my feet all morning. Or it means taking a shower while he plays peekaboo with me through the curtain the entire time. I’m mentally prepping for my client list while giving my mom (our babysitter MVP) the rundown on what he needs for lunch.

Working motherhood is constant multitasking. Half my brain is in mom-mode, the other half is trying to brace for a 10-hour day.

Do I crave slow mornings? Every single day.
Do I still show up? Every single time.

Salon life with mom brain

Now add on being pregnant to that… some days are a lost cause. My commute is my reset. It’s when I flip my brain from “mom” to “stylist”. I usually listen to worship music and pray my brain will settle enough to pour into the next set of people I’m about to see. Even while I am chatting with my clients, giving them relationship or hair advice, I am always thinking about my kid. I’m checking in with my mom, managing anxiety, wondering how his nap went. Hairstylists wear a lot of hats: therapist, bestie, emotional anchor.
And so do moms. It can be a lot.
I adore my clients, but I’m always counting down the minutes to get home.
Truthfully, I’m always halfway there already.

The things that keep me grounded

It it were not for my amazing husband and mother, I think I would absolutely lose my sanity. I often think to myself, I don’t know how single mothers do it – you guys are literal rockstars. My mom being the one to watch my son gives me unexplainable peace of mind. My husband is an extremely hands on husband and dad. He has dinner made every working day for me, stays on top of dishes, and dads like a boss. Teamwork is a powerful tool, we had to learn that.

I have had to train myself to offer grace. The house cannot constantly be spotless with a toddler and two working parents – and guess what??? That’s OKAY.

Switching roles can be overwhelming

Going from deep conversations to toddler meltdowns over a diaper change when I get home 😅😅😅 what is life sometimes, ya know? It’s so funny because I get mom guilt from not being home constantly, but then I get mom guilt when I want a few hours of alone time because I can’t handle being a human jungle gym for another second.

I have had to learn that motherhood is never going to be perfect. The guilt is going to be there no matter what you do. You cannot win against your brain – stop trying. Find a rhythm and embrace it. Remind yourself that you are not two different people – you are one person wearing multiple hats, sometimes all at once. Give yourself grace.

What I hope you can take away from this

If working and being a mom feels hard – it’s because it is hard. It’s all hard.
You can want to stay home and still love your career. You can love your child with your whole heart and still need time away.

You are not less of a mother because you work. You are not broken because you feel torn (hello, this is ME). You are allowed to be both.

Whether your fully at home, or your clocking in at work, motherhood is messy, imperfect, sacred, and so incredibly worth it.