10 Things I've Learned About Juggling Motherhood and Running A Business

ACM co-founder Jojo White on lessons learned from 'the juggle'.

Jul 17, 2022

What a ride the last five years have been.

Back in 2016, I was newly married and child-free. All Conditions Media consisted of just five people and two dogs in an office in Brighton’s North Laine, which we shared with our freelance pals.

Life was pretty cruisey - post-work pints, early morning wakeboarding sessions, and spontaneous surf trips were the order of the day. Marriage was quickly followed by two babies as the business revved up. We went remote at the beginning of 2020 and then boom! Covid hit. We scaled back slightly, then rapidly scaled up. We now have 18 full time employees (and counting), with ambitious plans to grow further.

Outside work, my two young daughters keep me on my toes from sunrise to sunset. Sleepless nights and nappies have been replaced with the joys of teaching them to swim and ride bikes. Motherhood is an epic journey - full of love; and peppered with angst, tears, admin and exhaustion! Happily, my husband, possibly the world’s most enthusiastic human, is there every step of the way.

Now I’m through the thick fog of toddlerdom and the mist is clearing, here are a few lessons I've picked up on the journey. Hopefully, they’ll be of use to other women juggling the demands of raising a family while either running a business or working full time.

Jojo and Matt on our recent away day trip to Aviemore. Photo: Hannah Bailey

1. Assemble your A-team

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a solid squad to support a busy working mother.

I’m lucky to have an awesome business partner and great friend rolled into one: Matt Barr, aka Mr Looking Sideways. My most enjoyable moments in business are when we’re surfing or snowboarding together (one of the reasons our company Away Days have seen us take the crew to the Wave in Bristol and Aviemore for a splitboard trip, for example). It’s a perfect reminder of why we went into partnership eight years ago, and that our mutual love of action sports cancels out the endless spreadsheets!

Our team at ACM are all phenomenal. Going remote when we did was the best business move we’ve ever made, as it enabled us to hire the best people no matter where they’re based. The supportive and collaborative spirit they bring is an inspiration, and is what makes our remote culture such a success.

I really love doing business with super smart women, especially in such a male-dominated industry. I’m incredibly proud half our board is female and wouldn’t have it any other way! I’m also inspired by some of the amazing women I've worked with client-side, such as Anna Pretnar from Arc’teryx and Melanja from Elan, both of whom combine effortless communication skills with dynamic leadership, and make that weekly zoom call fun.

Away from the laptop, a solid personal network is absolutely key in keeping me sane - a dependable squad of go-tos you can rely on. For me, that’s a local babysitter and a tight group of girlfriends who love sport and espresso martinis in equal measure.

2. Divvy up the domestic

The main reason resentment builds up in relationships is because people feel there’s a workload imbalance. Of course, women *usually* take on more of the load - both domestic and mental. Hence resentment creeps in which, if left undiscussed, can fester and spread.

In our case, we found it helpful to write out a list of all our combined jobs, split them in half (yes he did baggsie the bins), and commit to being accountable for them, just as you would at work. Which means I’m the washer-woman and my husband is the dish-pig. It’s a great starting point for harmony - as well as clean dishes and clothes.

Obviously this speaks to a deeper societal issue - the fact that there’s generally a huge gender imbalance when it comes to taking responsibility for these domestic necessities. Clearly, this is something we need to address: the sisterhood needs to unite, and stop passively agreeing to just take it all on!

3. Avoid over-scheduling

Why do we do this to ourselves? I know I’m particularly guilty of it, and I also know it compromises my mental wellbeing, because filling all available spaces with sport/coffee meet-ups/playdates/personal development courses can lead me to the point of overwhelm. When I recognised that and learned to say no to myself, a huge weight was lifted.

I still enjoy all of those things, but now I’m much more careful about only using my spare time to have fun with my kids.

Jojo about to get stuck in on a classic Brighton winter’s day.

4. Make time for sport and adventure

The age-old ‘no work on a powder day’ rule still applies, twenty years after I got my first ‘proper job’ at Onboard snowboard magazine.

Well, perhaps not so literally, given I live on the south coast of England these days. But when the conditions are just-right, those days need to be grabbed with abandon. So whether it’s a rare off-shore day, or a perfect flat sea for a swim, make sure you postpone that meeting and keep the stoke alive!

Jojo and Lucy at our recent Neighbourhood Skate Club away day. Photo: Liz Seabrook

5. Don’t sweat the small stuff

Accept the fact that when you’ve got so many plates spinning, occasionally one or two will hit the floor. Whether it’s an important missed email, dirty PE kit or scheduling mix up, make peace with this inevitability and stop sweating about it - you’ll feel much better for it. Just write another list and move on.

Jojo with our ACM friends and colleagues Lucy, Mark and Lyndsay. Photo: Liz Seabrook

6. Bookend the week

I love this tip about bracketing your working week given to me by the inspirational business mentor Jess Harvey.

The idea is to start your week up with a weekly set-up session. This involves allocating some uninterrupted time to writing that week’s to-do list (in a columned A5 notepad no less!), accompanied only by good coffee and nice music. It means you can start your week with a little zen time before emails and endless meetings take over. At the end of your week, take ten minutes to reflect on what went well, what could have gone better - and maybe even give yourself a little pat on the back. You probably deserve it.

Jojo and AJ on an ACM trip to Innsbruck. Photo: Nat.

7. Learn to breathe better

There have been many days in the last five years where I’ve caught myself hyperventilating before breakfast. The multiple to-do lists, the sudden switch to a life-lived on Zoom, the fatigue, the laundry, the tantrums…

Developing basic breathing techniques is a key part of my personal tool kit. Tap into them throughout the day or, even better, (although this might involve setting the alarm before 6!), do a five-ten minute meditation session when you wake up to help keep your nervous system in check.

Jojo at a recent catch up with our client Jon from Db. Photo: Matt

8. Elevate your mornings to reclaim your evenings

I *aim* to wake up half an hour before the household and snatch a little window of time to read/stretch and whatnot.

When it works (depending on how many times you’ve been up in the night) it really makes you feel set-up for the day. It’s my cheat’s version of the 5am Club, and is way more beneficial than staying up late doing the death-scroll.

9. Have courageous conversations

Those sticky, awkward chats that everybody avoids are often exactly what’s required to make progress. Rather than fear them, I now open myself up to the opportunities they present.

I’ve found the best way of doing this is to gather your key points on paper, tap into those breathing techniques and embrace a positive outlook. I’ve learned to be less personally affected, to worry less, and realise that ultimate such encounters are tricky because they represent a block that needs to be cleared. Once you get into the habit of embracing these scenarios, it really is transformative.

10. Self care is essential - and it’s more than a bubble bath

Put your own lifejacket on first, or so the cliche goes.

A healthy mothership leads to a healthy home life and better working relationships. Sure, self-care can mean a face-mask and a bubble bath. Or it could be the discipline to do the thing you don’t feel like doing that you know will make you feel better - that 5K run, weekly spin class or meditation session.

Accrued anxiety isn’t great for the harmony of the wider team, so scheduling switch off time is essential. Commit to scheduling in your guilt-free me time - and make it part of the family routine so it doesn’t get swallowed up.

For me, that would look like a mountain bike ride on the South Downs followed by a pint. Or a sea swim and a Sundowner… not how can I fit that in once a week?

Thanks for reading! Do you have any tips on balancing working and home life?👇

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