MUSES Convo with: Terese Ask, co-founder of Impression PR and podcast host of the Busigirl Podcast and Momtivation Podcast

Solo Motherhood: What has been the most rewarding aspect of being a solo mom, and what challenges have you faced along the way?

The most rewarding aspect of solo motherhood has of course been carrying and meeting my babygirl. The journey for me was beautiful. Although I was scared to embark upon the journey when I first called my doctor to discuss the options, I've learned so much along the way, and when I decided to proceed with treatment, it just felt so right and empowering to me to chose myself and follow my dream on my own terms.

Impact of Motherhood: How has your experience as a mother influenced your perspective on business and entrepreneurship?

I know it's such a cliché to say you become much more efficient, but it really is true. As a mom you develop an impeccable skillset to be efficient, eat with one hand, juggle twenty things at once and that makes my office time very focused. It's also made me realize that the freedom I have of being my own boss is what makes our day to day flow naturally in a calm way, and I wish every woman could have the opportunity to feel that level of flexibility when having small children. I think it's very important that companies make their employees feel safe when coming back from maternity leave and give them the space to get settled with the new routines and day to day life.

Balancing Life and Work: What techniques or routines do you find most effective in balancing your responsibilities as a solo mom with your role as a podcast host and business partner?

I'm a very structured person and I love routines. I also believe children thrive with a recognizable routine on the daily, I know my daughter does. I always reflect, so if something is not working I immediately find a solution. I am the one who has to make our daily life work and I make it a big priority to be present when I'm with her and never stress. I want to offer her a calm and loving home, and I hate to be in a hurry myself, so I make sure we have enough time in the morning to get ready for the day before we head out the door for a lovely 15 minute walk to her daycare. In the afternoon when I pick her up, we don't have too many hours before bedtime, so I make sure my phone and computer is in a closet not disturbing our time together and make it a priority to put on music and dance with her which she loves. My goal for every day is that we laugh together because I think laughter is so important to have a happy life, and unfortunately as adults we don't do that enough! 

Self-Care Strategies: How do you make time for self-care and ensure that your own needs are met, despite the demands of motherhood and work?

I believe selfcare is an important prioritization for all women, especially moms! It's probably the easiest thing to dismiss, but it's so important. I am working on getting better at it myself because I used to be such a selfcare queen and love spoiling myself, but when my daughter has been put to sleep I often need to work for a few hours and then I'm too tired to do much. However I'm good at delegating tasks, so I ask someone weekly (mostly my sister because she lives nearby, or my mom who visits often) to play with her for an hour or two so I can go to the gym, take a long shower, put on a face mask or go to the spa. Even a small thing can do so much, and I find that if we schedule it, which I do for almost every Sunday, then I look forward to it all week and enjoy it that much more! My next goal is to wake up 20 min before my daughter in the morning so I have time for a cold shower and my skincare routine before all eyes are on her. However she seems to wake up as soon as I do most days, our inner clocks must be connected!

Evening Rituals: What does your evening routine look like once your daughter goes to sleep, and how do you use that time for yourself?

My daughter is put to sleep every night at 7pm at the moment. She's 1 year old and thrives best with this bedtime, and that gives me a few hours to myself every night which I really enjoy. It's me time to decompress and most nights I make sure to eat with her and clean up before she's put to bed so I can cuddle up on my couch with my computer or a show as soon as she sleeps. Most nights I have some work left from the day, and other nights I just enjoy some me time. I have a lot of friends living abroad so I also spend some of my evenings catching up with them over a glass of wine on FaceTime. In general I feel like I'm in "go mode" all day so between 7pm-9pm I try to catch up on the world. I do my skincare early so I'm not too tired to do it, and I try to be in bed by 9.30pm, as you never know how the night goes with a little one.

Future Aspirations: What are your hopes for the future, both personally and professionally, as you continue your journey as a mom and a businesswoman?

I really hope we continue to thrive the way we do now. My daughter and I have such a close bond and I spent the first year of her life going lots of places with her. I love to be out and about and I love traveling. I didn't want to change that because I had a baby, so she's already been on an airplane 10 times. Of course now our life is a bit more predictable because I'm back at work and she's started daycare, but I still want us to go on adventures and we've already planned a trip to Switzerland for Easter and Spain in the summer with family. I want to make memories with her and her family and just be in a calm and happy space. Professionally I dream of making an impact even more than we do now. We have some growing communities of entrepreneurs and amazing moms through our podcasts and we're hosting some exciting events in the spring. I would love to do much more of that, and be on stage speaking and moderating. 

Role Modeling: What values or lessons do you hope to impart to your daughter as she grows up, especially regarding independence and pursuing dreams?

I want to show her that she can do whatever she dreams of and that being a kind person and working hard is the way to achieve her dreams. I give her lots of love and tell her how cool, smart, funny and beautiful she is. I don't want to say only those traditional things we tell girls, because I also want her to be strong and ready for this world, so I make sure to also show her a tougher side when needed, If she falls I tell her "whoopsie, get back up, you're ok." Unless she really hurts herself of course. But I'm very aware that I am one parent and I need to give her both the softness and the toughness, all in the most loving way. I really hope she grows up and keeps the confidence I see in her already now. 

Community Engagement: How important is community to you as a mother and a business partner, and how do you cultivate those connections?

Community is everything to me! Especially the solo mom community. My biggest worry of choosing this path was loneliness, and not once have I felt lonely. I think a big part of that is my family and network, but also the community of other solo moms I've gotten to know on this journey, and I've even started my own community where I plan to cultivate events that gives us the opportunity to connect and learn from each other as well as supporting each other. I find that we as women are very good at coming together and supporting each other and I think that's really beautiful, because it takes a village to raise a child, and it's nice to have good people around you who understand all aspects of this setup. I made a very good friend while we were both pregnant and we ended up becoming very close and spent most of our maternity leaves together, I definitely thing we both gained a lot from that during our first year as mothers, and will continue to in the future.

Inspiration for BumpMuse: How do you envision BumpMuse supporting mothers like yourself, and what do you hope the brand achieves in the market?

I really love the vision of the brand. I still wanted to feel like myself when pregnant and in the first year after, breastfeeding, but found it difficult to dress the part. I love a brand that makes that possible and celebrates femininity. I would love for BumpMuse to support mothers by inspiring through interviews like this, social media and even events or collabs.

Advice for Other Solo Moms: What advice would you give to other solo moms navigating their own journeys, particularly in balancing motherhood and career?

Follow your intuition! Everything is possible, maybe not at all at once, but you can still thrive in the areas you set your mind to. Give yourself grace, it's ok that you're navigating this new life. Try to set a routine and stick to it as much as possible. When something doesn't work, change it up, we evolve all the time. And most of all, enjoy the newborn phase and be in the moment. Your body and everything else will bounce back when the time is right. In this first part of your baby's life, just be and surround yourself with love for you and your child.

Influence of Your Podcasts: How do your podcasts, ‘Busigirl Podcast’ and ‘MOMtivation Podcast,’ reflect your experiences as a mother, and what messages do you aim to share through them?

While Busigirl focuses on the go getter in us, career, self improvement, female empowerment and everything between, MOMtivation is much more focused on the positive aspects of motherhood. But what counts for both is the aim to inspire and leave our communities with a feeling of having this break to reflect and give them the power to keep being the amazing women they are. I really just want all women to be their own best friend and thrive without being too hard on themselves. And to succeed with that, we also need to give that to others and support our fellow "sisters". This is my part in doing that, and I love the conversations I get to have in the podcast studio, but also with our listeners when I meet them out in the real world. 

Future Family Plans: Looking ahead, do you have thoughts about expanding your family, and how might that impact your current lifestyle and work commitments?

I've actually lived in my future for years, dreaming of motherhood and everything life holds when you have your own little family. Now that I have this amazing life with my daughter I finally feel like I live in the present, and so I don't think much about my future. Of course I have dreams and goals, but it feels great to just be in the present and enjoy this amazing moment and time in our lives. I have always dreamed of having two children, but I also want to be able to keep the lifestyle we have now with travel and adventure. I guess we'll see what the future holds, but maybe another little member will join our family in 3-4 years if I'm lucky! For now I'm happy where I'm at and taking it all in. <3