Real {Moms} Women - Making Their Mark - Lindsay H. Hill

Hooray! Its a beautiful March day, the sun is shining, little h is napping and I am grateful to be able to share an inspiring series I'll be doing this month.

In honor of celebrating Women's History and Awareness Month Ive decided to reach out to a few ladies, entrepreneurs, moms, friends who inspire and encourage me to live my best life now. They are creating and defining success for themselves and making their mark!  And you can too... Just like:

Lindsay H. Hill
Mom of two boys, Owner and Health and Nutrition Coach of InHabit Health and new author of the upcoming book: The Get Real Diet - Say Goodbye to Processed Food, Learn to Love Whole Food, and Never Worry about Your Weight Again.


What were you doing career wise when you decided to create your own business?
I had recently stopped teaching Pilates and was primarily a stay-at-home mom but I was craving a different challenge, a more intellectual one.

What’s a typical day in the life?

No day is the same. I grab moments when I can (when the boys are playing happily rather than fighting, during nap time, during their allotted television time each day) to promote my business and write. A few nights a week I work between the dinner hour and the bedtime hour. I hire help about ten hours a week and use that time to exercise and work in addition to running errands and all the things every mom has to do every day. The thing about being a stay at home parent is that the weekends and weekdays all feel the same – up early and things to do! While it can be taxing, I also find it gives me freedom to work when I feel like it, which may be early Saturday morning or late Tuesday night. I am lucky to be able to do what I love and be with my kids, and I count my blessings every day. 

What’s your advice on balancing being a mom and a business owner?   

I am not the breadwinner of my family so for me personally there is no doubt that the children are my first priority. For women who contribute equally to the family finances or make the majority of the family’s income, this can be a real struggle and I have a lot of respect for women who are able to balance both. I have had weeks where I felt like I was poor parent because I was focused on writing my book or meeting a deadline and weeks where I felt like I couldn’t compete in the business world because I was a stay-at-home mom.  All I know is that you have to be kind to yourself and others and if you can do both of these things most of the time, you are doing your best. Women tend to feel guilty more than we should. Sometimes you can’t change the facts of your life but you can change how you handle stress and process your emotions in a more productive way.

What was your biggest obstacle?

My biggest obstacle is and probably always will be my lack of motivation to make big money. I was a very high achieving student and worked hard to get good grades, but I have never felt the need to be a big financial success and sometimes this stops me from going that extra step. My husband laughs because he says I crave the praise or “the good review” more than money and he’s probably right. Fortunately for us, he’s the opposite so it all works out!

How did you maintain your confidence when doors where closed in your face or things seemed like it might not happen?

I’m working on that right now.  I’m self-publishing my book through an Amazon subsidiary and due partly to my own naïveté about the process and partly to missed deadlines and mistakes on the design team’s side, it’s taking a lot longer than I thought to get done. I’m trying to tell myself it doesn’t matter because I know the content is good, but I am a little embarrassed that I said the book would be available for purchase by now and it’s not (as of March 2nd).

Where do you work from?

I write from home but meet coaching clients wherever works best for them.

How have you been using Social Media to grow your business?

Absolutely! It’s a lifesaver for someone like me who doesn't have the time (or the personality type) to pound the pavement and drive sales the old fashioned way. However, I think myself and others can fall into a trap of hiding behind social media rather than putting ourselves out there. Once the book is out, I plan to do a mix of events and social media to spread the word.

Do you have any role models that inspire you in your business? What about them inspires you?

There are a lot of people out there doing great work in this field. Certainly Michael Pollan’s books were a huge inspiration to me a few years ago when I discovered his writing and subsequently changed my approach to a balanced, healthy diet. And I am always impressed by the people who work very hard without high pay for non-profits like The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) and Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org) that are dedicated to making the world and it’s inhabitants healthier.

What’s your best healthy living advice?
Eat well. Start every day with a healthy breakfast that contains protein to boost your metabolism and healthy fat to satisfy you. Set a good example for your children by avoiding junk food. Be sure to move. You don’t have to hit the gym to be fit. Walk to a park instead of drive, chase the kids a bit. If you see housework as an opportunity to burn calories, it makes it go by faster!

Stay tuned for the upcoming release of Lindsays book which should provide excellent ideas to get healthier this year (its not too late!) and will be a great aid in my battle of the baby bulge.


My favorite thing about Lindsay is she speaks her mind and keeps it REAL. Oh and she's hilarious!


You can follow her here:

twitter.com/inhabithealth
facebook.com/inhabithealth
www.inhabithealth.com

xx,
Bunnie