Clockwise from top left: Aisha Carrington; Rebecca Walker; Leila Fataar; Katy Worwood; Caroline Watson; Rima Theisen; Founder of Mothers Meeting, Jenny Scott; Carrie Anne Roberts

‘Mothers Meeting is a collective, a community, a welcoming space for women, because motherhood is hard. When you wake up and feel really sad for no reason, even though you’ve got a healthy child, only another mother could understand that. So, it’s really important to have a platform where you can vent, whether it’s how you didn’t sleep the night before, or because you’ve got a business idea and don’t know how to make it happen. Having that group of women around you – who are ready to listen and give you feedback – empowers mothers to be the best version of themselves.

‘The idea for Mothers Meeting came from my heart. It wasn’t about making money, it was
about making friends. I gave birth to my first baby, Sonny, when I was 28, and had no idea
that having a child would change anything. I didn’t realise motherhood would be so hard,
or that I’d be so lonely. So, I thought, I’ve got to do something about this. I looked in Time Out
for an exhibition that I wanted to go to, but knew if I just said I was going, I’d end up watching The Jeremy Kyle Show in my pyjamas and feeling sorry for myself. So, because I’m a graphic designer, I designed a poster [inviting others] to go to the exhibition and put it on social media. Then I had to go, in case someone else turned up. One person came to the first one, and that was the beginning of Mothers Meeting. I started a blog and it grew organically; [it seemed there were] more and more women who wanted to be mums, but also didn’t want it to be the end of their lives.
‘Mothers Meeting has been my saviour; it’s like my fourth child. I’ve got three children:
Sonny is nine, Jasmine is five and Sky is two, and each time I’ve had a newborn, I’ve found
motherhood lonely in different ways. When Jasmine was eight months old and Sonny was
five, their dad cheated on me and left, so Mothers Meeting became my best friend in
a way, and it has changed and evolved with me. ‘We’ve hosted more than 500 Mothers
Meeting events now. We have our meet-ups for Soho House members, we do events for brands
from Netflix to Estée Lauder, and we have an online group with about 200 members. It’s full
of so many different types of women.

​ One of the things I was really psyched about before
I had my first baby, was meeting people who worked in different jobs beyond the industry
that I was operating in. As a graphic designer working in streetwear, I was going to the same
type of events and talking to the same kind of people. I was so excited that I’d be able to sit in
a room with lawyers and estate agents and people from all different walks of life when I
had a baby. I think a lot of mum groups are very white and very middle class, but Mothers
Meeting has always been diverse. Our Instagram [page] is full of quotes you can relate
to, whatever your age or background. I try to find our common ground.

‘We’re all here to inspire and support each other; to watch these women grow together is
just amazing. Mothers Meeting gives so many women a springboard. Loads of mums have
come to me and said they’d really like to do a talk about a certain subject, then that talk has
been seen by [someone from] a publishing company. More than 20 women have launched
books off the back of attending our events. ‘Honesty is really important in building
a community. When you have a baby and meet people, it’s always, “How are you doing?” “Great!” Because for that split second, you are alright. But when I introduce Mothers Meeting events, I’m always like, “I’m really grateful for you being here today because, no matter what type of mum you are, whether you work full time or stay at home, it’s really hard.” I want everyone in Mothers Meeting to feel like they’re on an equal footing; all the speakers at the events that we put on talk in a way that’s accessible. It might be a highbrow subject, but we always make it digestible. ‘How do you build a family out of a group of strangers? Talk from your heart. I think that’s really important. There’s so much bullshit out there these days – as soon as people feel like you are being real, it gives them licence to drop their guard. I try to pair people up, knowing who’s doing what and who would get on with who. I’ve done that since I was a kid; my mum used to say I was like the Pied Piper. I love
bringing everyone together, I get a thrill from introducing people to one another.’

THANK GOD NOT ANOTHER PANEL TALK!!!!
THIS EVENT WAS ALLLLL ABOUT YOU AND FOR YOU!! 

Absolute buzzing AFTER our MM on Monday at the super sexy @thecurtainldn - not all mum meet ups are in Church Halls!! Because all us mums deserve to get glam now and again even if it is at 11am and not 9pm! We had the amazing @tibaandmarl @bexfast_@noella23 giving their top networking tips! And @junie_poonie  our MEGA MINGLE MC! Over 100 tickets were snapped up and it was BLOODY BRILLIANT!!!!! Babies were welcome! 
Just have a pic at the pics to get a feel of the vibe!!! It was just fab!!
​
Bored of listening to other people telling you what to do? Or how awesome they are? We bloody are!! lol!!!
What’s the first question most people ask you when you meet?
It’s likely, “What do you do?”
This has become the new “How’s it going?” or “How about that weather?” and it’s awful.
If you’re anything like me, this question leaves you feeling sized-up and minimized. It’s as if the asker is thinking to herself, “I’m out of here if she doesn’t fit my predetermined criteria of what is interesting.”
So, you struggle to answer, not even sure if the asker cares in the first place, or if it’s just small talk.
Why does it have to be like this? And why do we care so much about what someone does, anyway? Hopefully, we respect ourselves enough to know that we are dynamic people who can’t be described adequately in one sentence.
Want to share your thoughts, feelings, questions?? Not just WHAT YOU DO or WHO YOU ARE!!!!! Cause that whole conversation is kinda dry especially if that is all that matters to the person asking!!


WE Want YOU to meet new inspiring women, in the same boat as you or women that can help you feel less alone and more inspired???
Than this event is for you!! Think mega mum get together - cause you can bring the bubba!!! But loads of really cool 'networking' games to help everyone get conversations flowing and overcome shyness and awkwardness!!! But we just hate the word ' NETWORKING' It is basically a room full of kick ass women (yep we are talking about you!!!) getting to chat to new like-minded women!! Exchanging ideas, swapping skills and generally have a moan that that they have not had their moustache threaded in 4 months!! That kind of thing!! 
So if you HAVE been looking for a excuse to get out of the house with the bubba or maybe without - just an excuse to get some lippy on THEN YOU HAVE TO COME TO THIS!!!!! And we promise you will not regret it!!!

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT EMMA AND HER BRILLIANT BRAND HERE

​Mothers Meeting 
Staying Strong in Business


Recently I listened to Alyson Hogg (owner of Vita Liberata) talk about how she has succeeded in business and one of her biggest lessons was surrounding lack of complacency. That ultimately, staying strong, being tenacious and flexible in challenging times was vital to a business success.

Staying strong in challenging times has been a large part of my business journey at LITTLE HOTDOG WATSON https://www.littlehotdogwatson.com/ sometimes the challenges have been bigger than others, and some days I have felt a little overwhelmed but each major challenge has taught me something in business and has improved how I do things.

Here are three of the biggest challenges I have faced so far and how I stayed strong and fought / flexed through them. You may recognise some of them yourself now or in the future.

1. BREXIT - when I launched Little Hotdog Watson we got off to a great start having built a loyal social media following. A few weeks after we launched the Brexit vote hit and the UK was plunged into uncertainty. Sales slowed almost overnight not just for me but across the UK and small businesses were left in a very precarious position. My plan for the business had been to focus on a direct business model and concentrate on the UK market for the first year. I quickly realised that if the business was going to survive I would need to pivot and accelerate my plans and introduce wholesale. Within a couple of weeks I had signed up to my first tradeshow Dot to Dot, London. At Dot to Dot, we won Best New Brand, secured a handful of wholesale contracts. If it hadn’t been for Brexit I wouldn’t have begun wholesaling, so I’m grateful for that door opening.

1. COPYING - it’s a tale as old as time and they say imitation is the highest form of flattery but in some cases it just isn't! A few months into the business I was copied on a huge scale with my branding, face, and products being used. As I had protection in place I was quickly able to enlist legal help and I worked with the social media platforms to have all copyright infringed images removed. Over the last three years this continues to happen and in each instance I have taken a different tact to dealing with the issue, whether it’s been a kindly word to someone not realising how much they’ve been inspired by me to legal action or engaging with other small business for support. It’s taught me to always ensure that I am ahead of the game with the products that I develop so I am always pushing for newness, I protect my designs and I have a zero tolerance of any inspiration of my design, I also don’t show anything on social media until they are ready to launch. This meant I had to change my behind the scenes social media strategy a little but has ultimately protected me more and lets me worry less.

1. FAMILY - setting up and running a business around kids is tough. Anyone who tells you different must have the best behaved kids around. I had the idea for Little Hotdog Watson when my eldest was 3.5months old. I worked on the idea for a long time and launched when she was just over a year old. I was living in a new city and didn’t have childcare for most of that time. Later on my parents moved close by and nursery a few mornings a week became an option but running a business is full on and kids are full on. It’s not by any stretch the easy option. We had our second daughter in January 2019 and right upto the day I went to hospital to have her I was being emailed and called constantly. When I arrived home from hospital with my new daughter I was greeted by the health visitor and a lorry with a LOT of hats. It was at that point with two children that I had to stop and reassess so I didn’t go crazy. We shifted to warehousing and I adapted my working day again around sleep patterns and streamlining my focus. The difference it has made it huge. Had it not been for the arrival of my youngest I probably wouldn’t have been brave enough to take a leap and push my business to the next step.

Strength comes in all forms but knowing that solutions to the problems we face can actually make better businesses I’ve found super helpful to taking the stress out of the situation.

Emma Watson, is the owner of Little Hotdog Watson. A kidswear brand making sun hat combining style + innovation to get kids away from the screen and out into the fresh air. The sun hat offer triple protection from UV, Mosquitoes and Overheating and are currently stocked in 100 + stores in 7 countries worldwide.    

​

Amazing pics as always by the fab @kellyreevesphotography

There are so many defining moments in my life but nothing, nothing, nothing could ever prepare me for the shock of finding out I had breast cancer. I was 38. My kids were tiny (4 and 2). I was nursing my mum through terminal and aggressive lymphoma. I was running a creative business, a content agency that employed seven women who all relied on me to be able to pay their bills.


October 2014. It was my husbands birthday. Rather than celebrating down the pub we were in the strip lit cancer centre.


“I’m sorry but you have aggressive breast cancer.” 


In that split second life took an unchartered trajectory and changed forever. All I could think was a) how would I cope with everything I was juggling and b) how my kids might grow up without me.


But I learned how resilient I really was. I had to go through a mastectomy, radiotherapy and 18 rounds of chemotherapy. God, I hated sitting in that room, being pumped full of drugs - some days I had treatment on the same day as my mum, some days randomly sitting next to the butchers wife - as you do - making small talk like “how you doing today?” It was so weird.


My dad had already died, and watching my mum become more and more poorly and in the worst pain was literally one of the most heart-breaking times of my life. It was so unfair. Watching her die was the strangest and hardest thing ever but also a privilege. I literally had to go straight from the hospice the day she’d passed away to have my own chemotherapy appointment. It was all so surreal. 


I was literally in danger of losing my sh*t.


Lucky for me I’ve never been conventional so when my husband suggested moving abroad to get away from it all for a bit, to heal and do something different, to live by the sea and learn a new language I took all of a nano second to say yes. The day after my last chemotherapy session we moved to Barcelona, bought a camper van (and named her Annie after my mum @anniethevan on Insta) and spent two and a half years travelling.


And all that sunshine, learning a new language and yoga on the beach opened up my closed and bedraggled heart. So I wanted to share the lessons I learned because what I know is that grief is really all about love. And I don’t hate cancer, in fact I have learned to be grateful for all these things it taught me. 


1. When you’re faced with sh*t, your inner goddess makes an entrance.


Because we are all waaaayyy more badass than we think, it’s inside us all already. You, me, everyone. So, quite literally, grief and cancer have gifted me with the meeting of my inner self, and now I know she’s there, I know she’ll always have my back!


2. It’s not the time we’ve got, it’s the memories we make. 
Sharing a small van with kids might not be for everyone, but for us it works. We lived in 10square metres together for 6 months and covered 17 countries. Nothing beats the thrill of parking up by deserted beaches and cooking our dinner watching the surfers, or of road tripping around the Croatian countryside singing our hearts out with literally NO plan about where we are going to go next. 


3. You’ve got to do what makes you happy. Not just on the surface but deep inside. 


It was only after making a massive lifestyle change I realised working with major brands didn’t make me happy. My clients were the likes of Unilever, Jumeirah and Wedgwood. Little old me, a new mum who grew a business to multiple six figures. Success, right? But what I really craved was a deeper connection and I realised I could use all my experience to help other women, so I started my new business from a point of love.




4. There is NO love like mother’s love, whether they are here or not.


Losing my own mum as I was worrying about my own mortality was traumatic. But all this only made my love stronger. An elderly neighbour told me once that relationships still evolve after someone has passed away and it’s so true. I am grateful to have amazing people in my life but nobody will ever be able to look deep into my soul like my mum and my daughters can. That her love would flow down so freely through me into them. And even though she's not here, she still guides me unconditionally through life.


5. Grief is a powerful part of love.


It helps me see what is truly important. It shows me not to sweat the small stuff, but to crouch down tenderly and savour the simple moments. The kids crawling into bed with us in the morning, washing up in the sun by the campervan, waking up on a deserted beach, snogging my husband.


So when I'm knackered after being up with sick kids, or like now, going through a load of tests to check whether the cancer has come back, I hold onto these lessons tight because they have made me evolve and grow into the woman and mum I think I was always meant to be.


Bio


Ruth Hoskins (@ruthie_hoskins on Insta) - I'm a writer, podcaster and mentor to creatives as well as a mum of two girls and step mum to one (big) boy. I've just moved back to the UK after years of travelling and living in Barcelona. I'm about to launch an online course for creatives to find chemistry within their business. I'm obsessed with the 80s and dim sum.



ruthhoskins.com

​
 
Happy Mother’s Day to me.  Or maybe not.  It’s 6:01am, I’m awake, my son is having the mother of all meltdowns.  He’s crying and I’m crying.  This is why I hate Mother’s Day, there’s too much expectation.  But I’m sleep-deprived and would desperately have liked a lie-in.  That is all.
 
My bet would be that you’re reading this and assuming my son is a toddler - he’s not.  He’s 7 and has ADHD.  When you think about ADHD no doubt the obvious behaviours spring to mind such as hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Forget the misconceptions about bad parenting or naughty boys.  ADHD is real. ADHD is a complex neurological disorder.  It’s a hidden disability. It’s exhausting.
 
His insatiable energy knows know limits.  He is like a Duracell Bunny, he literally never stops and has volume levels that are not for the faint-hearted.  But that’s the easy part.  The bit that most people have no idea about is the intense and volatile emotions that explode frequently without warning. 
 
It’s like there is a mini caveman inside his brain, so when he feels any kind of emotional stress his parasympathetic nervous system kicks in, flooding him with adrenalin and causing him to get locked in Fight mode.  Often, it’s hard for him to distinguish between feelings of anxiety and excitement so his angry outbursts can be triggered by positive experiences or events, as well as negative ones.  Punishment is not effective for children with ADHD, so when he is in Fight mode, all I can do is calm and comfort him.  These behaviours are impulsive.  They are not deliberate.  He’s not giving me a hard time, he’s having a hard time.  But it is draining, soul destroying and utterly heart-breaking.
 
Sometimes it starts before I’ve even got out of bed in the morning.  Then come nighttime, his anxieties are in full flow which often means sitting outside of his bedroom door until he falls asleep.  By which point I’m drained and have no real break before it starts all over again.  It’s 24/7. 
 
It seems to take more and more from me each day.  I’m struggling.  But it’s my responsibility to help and protect him.  Help he so desperately wants.  I’m doing everything I can, but it is a slow process with no short-term fix and no end in sight.  There’s no immediate solution.  No magic wand.  And I feel unbelievable gut-wrenching guilt for even saying this stuff out loud.  The worst thing is the feeling that I’m doing him a huge disservice by sharing this.
 
I’m probably painting a really bad image of my son, because the reality is that he is absolutely not a naughty boy. He’s challenging.  Oh my god he’s challenging.  But he is not a naughty boy.  He’s an incredibly sensitive, kind and caring little boy.  A really sociable kid.  ADHD is also his super power.  He is bright, has an absolute lust for life and boundless energy which he channels into lots of sports to great achievement.  He’s only 7 and was just awarded his 600m swimming badge.  Then there’s his creativity.  His imagination knows no limits.  And when he draws, he has the ability to hyper focus, getting lost in his illustrations.
 
ADHD was diagnosed almost 18 months ago.  The diagnosis itself was a shock as until then I thought I was just a rubbish Mum.  For a brief window the symptoms provided explanation and temporary relief.  But things seem to be getting worse.  I haven’t spoken about it publicly until now as I’ve been so frightened that sharing this label with the world would make things worse for him.  It’s only become aware to me recently how much of a hidden disability it is.  He is not a neurotypical child, something I’m learning to recognise.   So, I’ve been summoning the courage and confidence to write this.  Because ADHD is real.  It’s not an excuse.  It’s not his fault. It’s a description of his brain.  It’s unhelpful and unhealthy to expect certain things of him.  So please don’t judge him, because he’s the boy I love most in this world.  I just have to dig a little deeper.
 
Mother’s Day wasn’t a complete write off, I got to eat pizza and drink wine at tea time.  But I’ve decided from now on it’s best not to distinguish it too much from any other Sunday.  That way it removes the anxiety-inducing expectation for him, and the disappointment from me.  But I’d still really like some sleep!

Claire Quigley Ward MBA
Co-founder & Managing Director
@from_pea
 
 
 
 

In spite of running my business for the last 10 years it is the last 3-4 years I have focussed on Instagram.   I have grown my Mama Designs Instagram from less than 400 to  over  51,000 followers in this time. I have done this organically and have found that it has made a huge difference to my business. I have found new retailers, collaborated with influencers and celebrities (who have discovered us on Instagram) ,  collaborated with other  small brands and even done some influencer marketing myself.

Here are my top 5 tips for brands on Instagram. Firstly I should say that I love Instagram and I do spend quite a bit of time on there but I totally think that it is worth it and it has paid off for me (in the form of followers and also sales).

1. Collaborate!!  This has been the biggest way I have achieved Instagram growth. This can be with other brands, similar target audience, so for me brands selling to parents (product or services). Collaboration can be in the form of creating images (product swaps), shout outs  or even sharing discount codes. I recently did this with the Positive Birth Company, we have a similar target audience. I am pregnant and have been using their digital pack, which I think is amazing, so I have shared about this a few times and she has shared a discount code for Mama Designs.  A simple and effective collaboration!
Giveaways are another great way of collaborating. Although the algorithm seems to be picking up on wording in the copy and showing to less people as a result so lately I have noticed that giveaways are less successful than previously. Still a good way to be discovered and followed by more brands.
Influencer gifting can be a great way for gaining exposure. Bigger is not always better! Research the influencer as some will certainly be more giving than others and you might get more from a smaller "micro" influencer.  I would avoid paying for influencer marketing. 

2.  Be fussy with what you post! Could your picture go in a magazine? Is it good enough? This is you curating your own mini magazine advertising your products!  I don't post pics if they are fuzzy, off brand or have mess in the background, or even if the colours don't work with my feed.  If you want a curated feed that works together you do need to think about the overall look and feel of your feed.

3. Plan ahead!  When I don't do this I always regret it. Having a week ahead planned is always a good idea and means you can take time to put together posts and copy (you can always add to the copy when you post). It means you can think about your hashtags etc. I have used Planoly in the past for working out what works next to each other.  There is a downloadable  Instagram planner in my online course which is really useful for this.

4. Create your own great content. Although you can share pictures from other people and other  brands featuring your products, having brand new content is always good. You can  easily create content in so many ways. Flatlays (whether you sell a product or not, just even items in your colours),  shelfies, selfies  or set up a scene / shoot at home or at a friend's house. Use friends for your pics, their homes, their children.  I have been creating nursery scenes at home for years in spite of not having a nursery.  You will be surprised by how many items you already have at home that you could create great posts from.

5. Be sociable!! It is called social media after all. This means replying to every comment you receive (and not simply liking). It means liking and commenting on other peoples content too. Not only does this connect you with that person (to a degree) but it also means more people are likely to see your name and discover you as a result.  You want to be commenting on other peoples pics, who have a similar target audience.  Also going to events (Mothers Meetings for example!) is a great way to network and be sociable in real life with the people you meet in these little squares. Don;t be shy it definitely pays to be sociable!

My online business course Grow Your Business On a  Budget is a self taught course, packed with easily actionable tips and advice (including an Instagram section) You can find out more here...  https://www.mamadesigns.co.uk/mama-designs-business-club/