Elena Bosch About a year ago I found myself in a flurry of self-care on a mission to solve some serious imbalances in my life. I had spent my entire thirty-plus years putting others first and putting myself last but as a young mom, I quickly learned putting the care of yourself last could quickly be putting others, more specifically your little one, at risk.
Through the deep dive into finding that balance between taking care of myself and taking care of my growing family, I found that the moments I surrounded myself around positive and uplifting women were when I truly started to come up for air. When I couldn’t be around those women in person, I found myself getting lost in the words of entertaining mom blogs, Facebook support groups and best-selling authors.
As a full-time working mom, I hardly had time to sift through the pages of a paperback but in between naps, on lunch breaks and through evening housework, you could find me, buds in ears, getting lost in the words of mothers who have paved the way before me. It’s a form of self-care I’ve grown to cherish immensely.
Through the years, I have found that constantly leaning on the learnings of these four women have helped me stand tall, even when I’ve felt pretty small. I’ve come back to their works, time and time again, and without them, I’m not sure I would be the woman I am today. Without further ado, here’s my gift for you – five fierce females you have got to follow and read.
Jessica Shortall, Author of “Work, Pump, Repeat”
The early days of motherhood can be quite challenging, especially for moms who struggle to breastfeed or have an especially difficult recovery. I was challenged with both scenarios. I was placed on strict orders from the hospital nurses to pump every two hours during a time I hardly had the strength to walk to the restroom.
To survive what I liked to call “the Circus” of infant-mom life, I listened (and thanks to whispersync, highlighted in my kindle) incessantly to “Work, Pump, Repeat.” Shorthall’s easy and practical tips for pumping moms made a very difficult process much more bearable. Her light-hearted jokes of feeling like a cow lifted my spirits and her encouraging words helped me feel like I was not alone in my struggle. This is almost always the first book I recommend to moms who plan to breastfeed and if you plan to go back to work, I recommend you read it a few times. She’s my mom-crush and someone I highly recommend you get to know if you have boobs and plan to use them to feed a small person.
Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch, Co-Authors of “Spark”
Going back to work as a mom was a very interesting time in my career. To say that the first year of balancing work and life demands as a mom was a challenge is a vast understatement. I was lucky to have a very understanding female boss who worked while raising kids most of her 20-year career. Still, I found myself spread so thin that on more than one occasion I would find my shirt inside out half-way through my day.
Enter “Spark.” This book helped me foster the untapped values that made me a leader. Values that are oftentimes naturally feminine like accountability, intent, and service. I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to refine the values within that help them propel ahead. Mom or not. You will be giving yourself the gift of knowing how you can evolve into a better leader.
Glennon Doyle, Founder of Momastery and Best-Selling Author of “Love Warrior” and “Carry On Love Warrior”
The world’s most famous mom-blogger spills all in this incredibly heartwarming memoir of love, life and motherhood. Glennon’s words are real and raw and will have you feeling feels you never knew you could feel. I quite literally screamed, “Fuck yes” roughly one million times reading and/or listening to this book.
Many know Glennon as who she is now: an avid activist for LGBTQ rights, impoverished families and sensible gun laws. However, I’ve followed Glennon for the better part of a decade and found her early views of religion, society and mental health to be the fresh cup of water I needed to get through some really dark seasons of my own. Looking for a good cry? Read everything from this one. You will feel all of the feels.
Brené Brown, author of four #1 New York Times bestsellers including my personal favorite “Braving the Wilderness” She is also a renowned research professor at the University of Houston and the founder and CEO of Brave Leaders Inc.
If there is a woman, a person, who I can honestly say takes the words right out of my head and puts them in a much more eloquent form, it is this woman. She is truly an inspirational hero of mine. If I accomplish a fraction of what this woman has achieved to bring awareness to the need to discuss courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy, I will consider myself successful.
I have a confession … I didn’t start reading her work until fairly recently. She first caught my attention after speaking live on Facebook to her followers about the horrific incident in Charlottesville that left a counter-protester dead at the hands of a white supremacist. Shortly after, she took to Facebook again to help her hometown overcome hurricane Harvey. This is a woman who not only talks the talk, she walks the walk. After reading her latest book “Braving the Wildnerness,” I basically treated myself to a Brené Brown binge fest and can tell you honestly, I’ve never felt more enlightened after reading a book. If you have the chance, check out her TED Talk on vulnerability and I dare you to tell me she isn’t a fierce woman worth reading about.
If you’re a busy gal like me, go treat yourself to an Audible subscription and give yourself the gift of some good reads. Don’t care to support Amazon (I know, I know, I cringe too sometimes). Tell me in the comments how you find your favorite books on audio. There is nothing more I’d love to see than the power of words get in the hands of more women on this day, one way or another.
