Motherhood is sacred! Unarguably, mothers must be supported because their capacities have a ripple effect on their work, children, families, and communities. Mothers ought to be prioritized, and putting conscious effort into creating better conditions for their success paves the way for the whole of our communities to prosper. Stacey Freeman is an educator, a lifestyle influencer, and a mother of two who initially struggled to balance motherhood and work. Fortunately, with support from her family and friends, along with letting go of mom guilt, she learned to find a healthy balance.

Stacey is an LA-based author, entrepreneur, educator, and blogger/content creator. She has a Ph.D. in education, has worked in Higher Education for 20 years, and, over the last nine years has become a successful entreprenuer.. Stacey has grown a very successful lifestyle brand through social media and her blogs at poshinprogress.com. She is also the mom of two kids under ten years. 

People are generally fascinated with how she's been able to build two successful careers while still being a mom. Amazingly, she did it all simultaneously, including graduating with a Ph.D. in 2016.The working mom is applauded for completing her Ph.D. while parenting a three and 4-year-old and starting a new business in 2013. She shared that this was in no way an easy feat, and she made bold to say it's been one of the most challenging moments of her life.  Stacey also published her first book, a children's book, "A Thankful Book for Kids," in May 2022, which was an awesome accomplishment. 

Nonetheless, Stacey reveals the many hurdles she had to deal with to gain balance, "Mom guilt has been a big one; trying to grow two careers and having young kids is a lot. Many moms feel like they're failing if their kids' childhoods aren't as perfect as they planned. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to 'do it all.'" 

She added, "The best advice and how I overcame my mom's guilt is to realize that we can have it all, but not all in the same day. Some days we'll have to put work aside for our kids. Some days, we'll have to focus more on work, and we might resort to buying cupcakes from a store instead of making the Pinterest version we so much desired. It's all about finding balance most days and forgiving ourselves when things are perfect."

Stacey advises all working moms that they should learn to be kind to themselves in addition to striking a work-life balance. She stated, "While being kind and prioritizing everyone else, ensure to make time, take good care, and speak kindly to yourself. Our kids are constantly watching and imitating us. Thus, we need to take better care of ourselves; mentally, physically, and emotionally to be the best role model for them."

As an educator and lifestyle influencer, Stacey would like to continue finding effective ways to combine the two aspects of her life, to help more people. "Writing has always been my passion, and writing my first book this year has been an exciting experience. I want to continue in this regard- writing books for parents, kids and families. Furthermore, I also did a segment on KTLA that was a lot of fun; given this, I'd love to find more opportunities to pursue TV hosting in the future," declared Stacey.

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