Who are you (name, location, number of kids etc)? Hi! I am Theresa Martinez, I am a mama to 4 busy kiddos and we live in Ottawa, Canada. I work as a coach with busy moms too! I love to support other moms because I get how busy, chaotic and amazing motherhood can be! Tell us about what you do and what inspired you to get started? I have worked with moms professionally for over 15 years working as a Parent Coach for parents of children with Autism. What I saw when meeting with parents as well as being around other mom friends was a lack of support for the moms themselves and being a busy working mom I could relate. When we are balancing kids, home, work and life, our well being and care gets put to the bottom of the list. So many moms are struggling to keep it together. This is why I began working as a coach with mothers to help them take care of themselves again, get rid of the mom guilt so many of us suffer with and find the fun in the daily grind of our lives again! And I absolutely love it! As a working mum, how do you find calm in the chaos? As a working mom I strive the best I can for balance. I need to make time for my real priorities, taking care of myself, quality time with my family and having fun! (while also keeping my house running 😉). The best way I find to do this is to plan ahead, plan my week on Sundays, plan my day each morning and most of all plan in times for self-care (set an alarm each morning to get up for quiet time), plan time for date nights regularly and fun outings with the kids (ex. Game night each Saturday night etc.) and of course I meal plan and have a cleaning schedule. The key for me was actually adding my true priorities to my to-do list like I would an actual chore, then it got done! During the times when you feel overwhelmed or lacking in motivation, what helps you get back on track? When I am feeling overwhelmed and what I tell my clients is I really need to listen to my body – what is it craving, am I tired? Am I snapping at the kids? Am I feeling stressed like there is too much to do? Journaling really helps me to write down my thoughts and find the root of what is causing me to feel off. When I feel this way I usually need to slow down, to step back. I give myself extra self-care. I let go of some chores and give myself grace if they wait awhile. I say no to unnecessary commitments. I ask for help with extra chores or ask a friend to watch my kids etc. The key is to stay in tune with your body and what is not feeling right and then adjust, ask for help and be kind to yourself in the process. What do you do to relax and unwind? I love a good book or a great romantic comedy but definitely, a warm bath and a chai tea and I would be in heaven! What has been your greatest achievement to date? My greatest achievement so far aside from my amazing kiddos who have taught me more about myself that I could have imagined. I would say pushing fear aside, getting out of my own way and starting up my own business with a new found strength and confidence that had been there all along. What is your life motto or positive affirmation? Being an anxious introvert for much of my life, I have come so far and have so much empathy and admiration for everyone’s journey. For me, my motto would be, ‘if it scares you, you probably need to do it’. If the only reason I don’t want to do something is fear, now I face it head on and know that fear doesn’t have a hold on my life any longer and I’m going to crush it. Have you ever had a disappointment or setback that ended up leading you to something wonderful? This may be a different viewpoint but being an introvert I have a few close friends and that’s all, I often found motherhood to be lonely and often isolating in the day to day of diaper changes, feeds and nap times. Through my lonely years it propelled me to step out of my comfort zone and put myself out there more to connect to the point that I started a FB group, called Transparency Come As You Are for that very reason, lets connect & be real about motherhood, the hardships the loneliness and lets support each with grace, kindness and encouragement. The amazing supportive moms I have met through this group have been the connections I was missing. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresamartinez_transparency/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/246141986127944/ Email: theresamartinez2@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theresa.b.martinez.1 
“The Key for Me” will motivate and empower by supporting you to find the keys to set in motional goals and aspirations to help you make a better life for yourself. 