This month, we are shining a spotlight on some incredible women who have made a significant impact on the lives of mothers around the globe. Welcome to “Inspiring Mamas,” a blog series dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the inspiring mom bloggers whose words, experiences, and insights have resonated with millions.
Motherhood is a journey that transcends borders, cultures, and backgrounds. In this series, we will dive into the stories of influential mom bloggers who have not only embraced the challenges of parenthood but have also shared their triumphs, struggles, and wisdom with an ever-growing community of readers. These women have become beacons of support, guidance, and inspiration for mothers navigating the beautiful, chaotic, and transformative journey of raising children.
Each blog post in this series will feature a remarkable mom blogger, delving into their personal narratives, the topics that resonate with their audience, and the positive impact they’ve had on the lives of countless mothers. From parenting advice and lifestyle tips to mental health advocacy and self-care strategies, these bloggers cover a vast array of subjects that speak to the diverse experiences of motherhood.
In today’s post, we had the pleasure of hearing from Jenn Hallak, the inspiring mama behind the hit blog, The Overwhelmed Mommy. Jenn candidly shares her journey through the twists and turns of motherhood, offering a relatable space for moms to navigate the challenges and joys together. Beyond the chaos, she loves sharing baby products, adorable kids’ clothes, and the fun of mommy-and-me matching outfits, fostering a community of rock star mamas who understand that sometimes Google just isn’t enough – we need each other.
What led you to found The Overwhelmed Mommy? What was going on in your life at the time that set the stage for you to start the blog?
Right out of college I got an amazing job as a wedding coordinator as I knew that was what I wanted to do (I had interned for 3 years during college and loved it!). I ended up leaving that company after a few years and was between jobs, just looking for my next venture in the wedding space but I had no kids and I was bored. I always wanted to be doing something so I started a blog called The Overwhelmed Bride. It was really just for fun and was before blogging and Instagram were super popular for a career. Well, companies started asking if they could pay me to post on my page as I had grown fast very quick. I then started my own wedding coordination company called The Overwhelmed Bride with a focus on Malibu weddings, continued the blog and then years later when I was pregnant with my first baby, Ava Sue, I decided to start The Overwhelmed Mommy!
When you started The Overwhelmed Mommy, did you imagine you would achieve the success that you have? What do you think made your blog resonate with so many people?
Honestly, yes. But only because I had my previous wedding blog and already had a lot of success there so I knew of the potential that this blog could bring. And in my eyes, it would have even more potential because the niche wasn’t as small. But before The Overwhelmed Bride, I had no clue that this could bring me my full time career and it’s still pretty crazy to me thinking back on how that was never even the goal and just sort of happened!
I think people resonate with the blog because I talk about topics that so many of us are thinking but really don’t talk about – the in’s and outs of parenthood. I also cover a whole lot of baby fashion and mommy and me matching looks because those are so fun to me and what parent doesn’t love dressing up their babies?!
How do you maintain the motivation to continue creating content on top of everything else you’re doing?
I go through so many waves of this. One month I will have so many ideas and I will be creating reel after reel with tons of new ideas flowing. And then the next month I may be zero inspiration. For a while this got to me but I’ve learned to just let the waves roll. If I don’t have inspiration, then I just don’t post and if I do, I go all out!
What’s your favorite thing about running The Overwhelmed Mommy?
I just love creating!! I’d say that although it’s my career, it’s also a fun hobby! I am always challenging myself to come up with new ideas, create new “magic” in my reels and put out content that’s super fun to watch and of course, content that brands love too! And I’ve met so many people along the way – some are my real life friends now too! And it’s so cool to be able to chat with people you know are going through the same things as you from even across the world, making you feel less alone in the struggles I’m going through. And one of the coolest things I think has happened to be through my Instagram and blog is getting a medical diagnosis for one of my sons because of the community I’ve made on there! I bounced ideas off of people, got referrals and things to research and for 3.5 years I continued to connect with others on there finally bringing him to a diagnosis. And truly I don’t think that would have happened without my community. And through the years of opening up and continuing to update that journey, there have been numerous moms who have let me know that their children have also received the same diagnosis, only because I had posted and had opened their eyes to what may have been going on with their own children.. I mean, how incredible is that?!
If you had one piece of advice for the overwhelmed moms out there, what would it be?
I think we need to let ourselves feel. So many people say “they’re only this little once” and we should “cherish every moment” but YOU DON’T HAVE TO LOVE EVERY MOMENT. That’s just not life! I used to beat myself down for not “cherishing” the snuggles 7 times a night (I need my sleep!) and that made it harder on me thinking that something was wrong with me for not loving everything about every stage. Love the stages and moments that you love and realize that there will be stages you don’t love and that’s okay too!
About Jenn Hallak
I’m Jenn (@jennhallak), mama to four beautiful babies – Ava Sue, Franky, Hayes and Macallen. We LOVE fashion (especially mommy and me outfits), love chatting through the ups and downs of parenting and we make a whole lot of *magic* on our Instagram. I also own a jewelry company called Avasue Jewelry Co. (www.shopavasue.com) with encouraging and meaningful jewelry hoping to change the way people look at themselves and ultimately, change the world.
Follow Jenn on Instagram!
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