Monday, April 2, 2012

Spotlight on Mom -- Carly Cooper, Life Coach for Moms, and Author of Balance the Mother Load




I am so excited to share this week's Spotlight on Mom, Carly Cooper with you, as I just finished her book, which came out at the end of January called, Balance the Mother Load.  I will not go into too much detail about this book, as I will be sharing my thoughts about it and offering a giveaway of a copy for one lucky reader,  in my Feature Friday post at the end of the week.  But, here is the gist about Carly's new book:


You Need This Book If...


  • You consider yourself lucky when you have time to shave both legs.

  • Your kids think it’s odd when you spend more than a few hours with them.

  • You think running out the door counts as exercise.

  • You’re having a more intimate relationship with your smart phone than your spouse.

  • You think putting on clean clothes is dressing up.

  • You look forward to your annual pap just to have some “me” time.

So many moms neglect themselves and their well-being because they think it’s the only way to take care of their family. After all, isn’t that what a “good mom” does?

Carly Cooper, a certified life coach for moms, shares her unique R.E.I.N.V.E.N.T. System™ that she created to help busy, stressed-out moms shift this backward perception and get back in touch with who they really are. Using practical advice, tips, strategies, and hands-on exercises, you are shown exactly how to become the best woman and mom you can be by learning to have more freedom, more sanity, and more time to enjoy it all.

Click here to request FREE Chapters from Carly's new book, as well as sign up for her ezine.  
In the meantime, please enjoy with Spotlight on Mom interview with Carly Cooper, life coach and author of Balance the Mother Load. Enjoy!



Name:  Carly Cooper
Company Name/Product/Service:  Balance the Mother Load. I’m a life coach for moms who want to attract a life they love. 
Company Location: Toronto, ON Canada
Company Website: http://www.balance-the-mother-load.com/
Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/balancethemotherload
Twitter Handle: @carlycooper6
Age of Company: 5 years
Favorite Inspirational Quotes: I have so many! I’ll try to narrow it down.
"I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." -Bill Cosby 
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” Dolly Parton 
"If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders."--Abigail Van Buren 
"We must be the change we wish to see." Gandhi 
"There are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths." Mark Nepo
"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." Oprah Winfrey 
"If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place." Lao-tzu
Favorite Book: It’s hard to just name one because I’m always reading something. But here are my top three right now. Eat, Pray, Love, The Help, Excuses Begone by Dr. Wayne Dyer




Tell us a little bit about yourself. How many children do you have? What are their ages? Your hobbies? Etc.

I have been with my amazing husband for 17 years and we’ve been married for 10. Together we have a hilarious 5 and a half year old son and a sweet golden doodle named Scout. They are all the joy and light of my life. I love to read and last year I performed in two amateur plays, “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.” I lose track of time when I’m singing (Karaoke, in my car, in front of my dog) and my absolute passion in life is continuing to learn about and teach personal development and growth. 


Briefly explain your business. How did it come about?  

I never thought I was the maternal type. In fact, I didn’t hold my first baby until I was 27. When my husband and I decided to start a family, I quickly realized that it wasn’t as easy as I expected it to be. Due to endometriosis, it took me a year and a half, plus a surgery to become pregnant. When my son was finally born, I was so appreciative and grateful for him that I refused to ask for help. I wanted to do every feeding, diaper change and be with him constantly. Then the 6 month mark hit and I was sitting in a mom and baby class. The ambitious, independent, go-getter that I used to be came back with a vengeance. I wanted more for my life. I needed more. But what came with that desire were tremendous feelings of guilt, unrealistic expectations and feeling like I didn’t recognize the person I had become. Because I have been a self-help junkie since high school, I was able to get myself out of my rut and back on track fairly quickly. I knew that I wasn’t the only mom to have these feelings and yet I didn’t see a lot of non-judgemental, objective support out there. So I took a certification to become a life coach and decided to make moms my focus.
So many women think that a “good mom” means sacrificing her well-being and desires in order to take care of everyone else. I know firsthand that the opposite is true. When we are happy, so is everyone else. So as a life coach, I teach busy moms how to stop attracting what they don’t want so they can start attracting a life full of passion, abundance and fun. 

What is a typical work day like?

For me, every day is a little bit different and that’s what I love about what I do. I try and go to the gym 3-4 times a week and I usually do that after I drop my son off at school. Then I come home, write my blog, do a bit of social media, coach some private clients, work on new projects and then do some marketing.

What has been a struggle while starting up your company? 


For me it was really finding clarity on my target market. I knew I wanted to work with moms but there are so many niches moms fall into. At first it was new moms, then working moms. I was trying really hard to please everyone and I’ve learned that it isn’t possible. So I’ve become really clear about who my ideal client is. In the beginning another struggle was believing in myself and my service. Because I didn’t have many clients at first, I mistook that as I sign that what I had to offer wasn’t valuable. When I got clear about my intention, I began to believe in what I had to offer. I also learned to trust and have more faith in the process. Things take time to develop. I’ve learned to become a lot more patient. 

What did you do in your past work life? 

How much room do I have?? I had 15 jobs before I became a life coach! But the ones that I stuck with for a while were copywriting, party planning, and I had my own scrapbook business.

What have been some of your major successes? 


Aside from having my son, I recently wrote and published a book called “Balance the Mother Load: R.E.I.N.V.E.N.T. Your Life in Just 8 Weeks!”, I have been married to the same guy that I met 17 years ago and we still make each other laugh. I faced a major fear of mine and held a live tarantula in my hand and I have created a career that I’m passionate about and that helps change the lives of other women.

What have been some of your major challenges?

Being patient with myself and the process of creating a successful business. I’m really ambitious and have a ton of things I want to accomplish. It’s easy for me to get discouraged when the results are slow to come. I’ve had to be really deliberate in retraining my mind to stay focused, positive and only think about what I want. And then let go and allow my desires to manifest. This is really hard to do but a necessary step.

On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?


The feelings that I had when I worked in the corporate world. Not to bash corporate, but it was not a healthy environment for me. I know that I’m not only about getting a paycheck and that happiness is more important to me. So I push through those days and feel grateful that I can work for myself doing something that fulfills me.

What is your balancing secret in managing a business and family?


For me, it’s aligning my expectations with my reality. I work from home and have a young son. While I do have part time help, I’m still very hands on in his life. That means, I only have so many hours during the day or week to get things done. I’ve learned to accept what I can do in that amount of time and be proud of my accomplishments, even if they’re small. Before I go to bed I ask myself if I’ve moved even an inch closer towards my goals than I was yesterday. If the answer is yes, then I have reason to celebrate. 


What is next for your business?

I will be launching my book April 1
st, and I will continue to get out there and offer more presentations, workshops and teleseminars. I want to be known as the go to life coach for ambitious moms who want to attract a life they love.


Do you have any advice for other mom entrepreneurs that are starting out and struggling, or are on the fence about starting a business?


Really get clear about what you want and why you want it. The “why” has to be really clear. Most people give up on their dreams because they don’t understand “how” to make it happen. The how will reveal itself to you in the right time that you are meant to receive it. If you have a passion, trust your instincts, follow your heart and have faith that you are on this path for a reason. Feel your fear and do it anyway.

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