Moms Actually
Moms Actually is a motherhood community that aims to redefine motherhood and break away from the unhealthy expectations society has placed on women.
Our community provides spaces for women to authentically relate to each other in a society that often prioritizes appearances over genuine experiences.
We host a visual podcast that addresses the experiences of womanhood, sisterhood and motherhood through candid and transparent discussions We have discussed a range of topics, including marriage, dating, single motherhood, body image, miscarriage and child loss, blended families, the impact of social media, entrepreneurship, mental health and much more.
Watch or listen on MomsActually.com, YouTube and all podcast platforms. Join our community on Instagram and Facebook.
Moms Actually
Time Out: Behind the Brand Part 2 - From Fear to Flourishing
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Picture the podcast landscape as a densely populated city. How would you carve out a niche for yourself? How do you find and connect with your tribe amidst the countless voices available? ...all while being a mom juggling countless responsibilities.
- Roadblocks we encountered on our journey
- Trials of identifying our audience
- Power of unity and collaboration in this crowded industry
- Evolution and journey to the evolution of season three
- Essence of building a mom-community in podcasting
- Significance of consistency
Growth is more than just number crunching. It's about resilience, facing down fear of failure, and ensuring every talk is meaningful and impactful. Remember, it's not just about the likes or shares; it's about fulfilling our mission to empower and impact mothers that keeps us ready to voice our thoughts, episode after episode.
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Starting and Building a Podcast Community
Speaker 1This is part two of how we build moms actually . Yeah , so if you have not tuned in to our part one , make sure you do that . We just kind of like started with really like all the questions that we normally get , as well as just giving you guys a more backstory about where we were at in our personal lives before we started moms actually , because it's kind of like necessary .
Speaker 2Oh agree , All those situations is why we can do what we're doing today .
Speaker 1Yeah , absolutely . So we pretty much , once we got like , once we decided we're in a thing , we're working , we literally like started . So once we have figured out that we were going to work together , we started to pretty much like kind of tell people proof of concept or we were thinking , started reaching out Because , again , collaboration still is like top tier . It's , you know , top two and not number two . It's the best thing because it helps you . Relationship is everything and allows for you to like get to the next level , because you just don't know people know all those things . So we just kind of started to talk to our friends , people we knew that could possibly help us , and someone had pretty much like kind of even killed our idea of having our friends on as well .
Speaker 2She was like oh , people want to listen to that .
Speaker 1Yeah , which , when we say it out loud , we also understand that most people's podcasts are that like it's a group of friends sitting around hanging out talking . But I think for us we also knew just what space we were in . Like I will be the first to tell you , I know that I'm not like I'm Joshua , like I mean I'm getting there , but you know , maybe people know me , maybe people don't , but I have to still prove myself in this industry .
Speaker 2So overall , people think they're more interesting than they are , and when you're a celebrity , you get away with not being interesting . Yeah , because you're a celebrity people are interested in everything you do , yeah but if you're not at that level like you get more of a fine tooth comb . Like here Selena Gomez , Summer Walker , Meg the stallion and Haley Bieber .
Speaker 1Yeah fiber .
Speaker 2But yeah , like talk about their toenails for three hours , Like if we start talking about our toenails , they'd be like this is boring .
Speaker 1We were these girls , yeah . So it's like we pretty much knew who we were . We recognize that and we're like what do we need to do to make this also make sense ? And so we also didn't want to be just two of us .
Speaker 2That's what we thought , yeah , because we wanted to get it's the beginning , what we talked about with our original platforms .
Speaker 1We want multiple perspectives .
Speaker 2And so the way we thought to do that was to have our friends on there , because initially we weren't going to do guests either . We were like who's going to want to show ?
Speaker 1our show . Who's going to want to be on our show ? And we're like keep you on Morgan and Blair's show . Who is Morgan and Blair ?
Speaker 2And then we also have to talk about this one day , but also because we have a podcast .
Speaker 1Everybody has a podcast .
Speaker 2No , matter how popular they are no matter how necessary they are . It sounds lame when you say you have a podcast , like oh , you have one too , oh cool .
Speaker 1Yeah , and that's what we thought , and I think , too , this was like this has all been . I know for me been something that is allowing me to one just be more confident in myself and what we're doing , because it's very easy to like downplay or be like oh well , I just have a podcast . No , it's not just a podcast .
Speaker 2I'm just a mom . Yeah , just have a podcast .
Speaker 1It's not just anything , because this is a lot of work , yeah . Like a lot of late nights , a lot of early mornings , a lot of juggling , because we're still juggling . Our personal regular mom lives .
Speaker 2And this is a lot of people that want to start podcasts that haven't . So it is just why does everybody want to do it ? Yeah ?
Speaker 1it's not a just thing . So this , this has been also telling for me to just like be more confident in like the things that we are doing , because a lot of people aren't .
Speaker 2Yeah , they aren't . And if it was easy , everybody be doing it . Yeah , and a lot of people are doing it , but for as many podcasts you see , there's a lot of people that say they wish they could start one one to start one , or don't even know they want to start one , but wish they had some sort of platform .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2Yeah , and also I think sometimes we don't want to start things because we're like oh , no one's going to notice it .
Speaker 1There's so many out there .
Speaker 2And we think success is all numbers 50,000 views , all that stuff . So Sopa told me this one day and she's like , if you are in a room Onstage speaking and 50 people are in that room , would you be disappointed ? I'm like , no , I wouldn't . If a hundred people bought a ticket to like come see me speak or something , that would actually be a success .
Speaker 1But yeah , I'm like oh my gosh , a hundred people want to see us late .
Speaker 2But if we see , a number like that on social media , we're like oh , yeah , which is not true .
Speaker 1It's not true at all . I think it's . It was for those people .
Speaker 2Yeah , you're trying to do stuff for everybody . You're always gonna fail because you can't Reach your audience like the people that need you . Because you're trying to reach this level that reaches everyone , that's a good one .
Speaker 1That's tip number one when you're getting ready to start something like figure out who you're doing it for and your why , because you'll always be able to come back to that when you're in a tizzy because you like .
Speaker 2That's how we always get yeah , every single time .
Speaker 1Every single time we come to like roadblocks or just moments where we have just taken it way too many things . Yeah , and to your point , like we talked about Before season three , we were just intaking so much that we were starting to research and , like , understand our space , which is healthy .
Speaker 1Yeah , but it's like you still have to have something to come back to . You have to have a foundation , otherwise you'll be changing every five seconds . You you won't be able to give people something that they can actually even commit to , because they don't know what they're showing up to Really . So I think that's the tip is know who your audience is , know your why , know who you're wanting to reach Into , talk to . We have to keep that in mind because it's very easy to be like , oh , this , this family what ?
Speaker 2why did you have ? Before throwing something out , you had to understand the why , yeah , and that goes back as what you were saying about when we were about to change everything . It's like why , yeah , why , like yes , and that's what I know , this like . A lot of podcasts are successful , aren't because they're Incredible like no shade it's not because they're incredible . Most people have a celebrity host , a YouTube star like they have somebody that Already has that .
Speaker 1Yeah , so we're starting from like ground zero , exactly Ground zero , which has been what has made it so incredible for us to be able to start from complete scratch and Get the buy-in that we've gotten from . You know the guests that we've gotten like we have had half-profile guests , which has helped you know , tremendously .
Speaker 1But I think that People see our platform and feel like , oh , there's no way I can do X , y , z , but we're here to tell you that we literally still are going through the everyday things that People are , you know , going through both internally , externally , of just what it looks like to start a business , to be an entrepreneur .
Speaker 2Because it's a lot . There's a lot , a lot of imposter syndrome a lot of imposter syndrome and I think also we have so many ideas and so many ones like we didn't actually kind of settle on what we are until this season . Yes , because before we would say we're a podcast and Now we're saying we're a , we're a digital platform , we're a motherhood community . We're larger than that . That's another reason why we wanted to do offseason content . Yeah , talk about , but we can't say we're a community and then go go grade until our next season , leave our community right , but what's up ?
Speaker 2We saw it's a podcast . It makes sense , but our mission is to create a community . So right something . You know the Mac was not math , it won't , so we had to make it math , make plus two , exactly so . But we didn't realize that . But we were so busy and it's a good thing we started and so once we started , we had to refine and refine and this was the first season . I think we had time to look back yeah , just like we have 20 seasons . But I know our third season was the opportunity to look back and say like , who we are because we're thinking about other opportunities .
Speaker 2So we had to think about what's our elevator pitch , what's our message , what , yeah , yeah , how , as we're going for grants , like what's special about ?
Speaker 1yeah , I'm gonna continue to get more traction , more attention , and this literally the question all the time , it's just how did you guys start ? Why are you guys doing this ? Because we are different . We're not the the mom platform that's talking about babies . Yeah , they come up , but that's just not our focus . There's enough of that out there and we know what you guys , what we as women , deserve to see and what we deserve to have at our fingertips is to have Right on the comfort of your couch or in your car or in your shower , whatever , whenever you listen or watch us like that's what we deserve . And so I think now we're at the place , especially like once sopa left , because we also , when we had her on , we thought like okay , three is like the perfect number . It , you know , got us out of our brains of doing it by ourselves , because I think it was .
Speaker 2She's an influencer , she had a problem .
Speaker 1It was kind of like a nice safety net because we felt like , okay , we don't have to like , just be out there just by ourselves . Yeah , we're not starting our podcast like with us and our friends like our team had to convince us to do an episode by ourselves for season three , and actually it like it was not only our team but like I think God really not do that thing . I know he made it work .
Speaker 1God literally was like no , y'all are doing this by
Season 3 Growth and Self-Belief Reflection
Speaker 1yourself . So because we try , we try to every , every way we could be like we're gonna have a guest for every special player .
Speaker 2Every single time , I'll be like you know what again . Let's just do an episode , let's do two episodes by ourselves , like yeah , I'm so reaching yeah , because I really want to , because my thing is I still go back to also perspectives and that's why I'm glad now we have off season for us to like happen , but I because we did a lot of research .
Speaker 2I see a lot of friends talking back and forth and we all think we're very interesting , so I didn't want it to be too much of that during a season , because we have our perspectives , but you also find out different stuff about yourself when other people are yeah , you never got different um aspects of that . Yeah , so it's just so interesting to see it in that perspective , but yeah , I was like I mean you guys ?
Speaker 2also prove y'all , don't , what well this season you did actually , but previous to this season , when it was just us y'all , y'all didn't really show up on you .
Speaker 1I was like I'll come back next week when y'all guys , whoever you got , I don't care who we have but that , but to that point , though , going back to the original , is we're still we were still like solidifying ourselves , who we were , like we're still do every , especially like the way we're growing , and this is something I have to keep in mind like we are growing at such a rapid pace that , like , say , we came out with an episode yesterday these are the . This is the first time that someone is coming in like contact with all of our content . They don't know who we are , who you know , what we are , whatever , and so it's like the buy-in has to be so strong off-rip . So the out of the thousands that like came across the , you know the hundreds that actually decided to watch and say you know , I think I like these girls . That matters , because it's the room that we talked about , you know , that that people show up in .
Speaker 1So I think now we're at a place , with season three happening and us just more really believing in ourselves , and not only that , but like a lot of the things that we're doing now are things that Blair and I talked about from the very beginning yeah , back to the original version yeah , like a lot of the things that we have done season three as well as like right now , in this moment are things that we always talked about , but we just were all over the place and it feels like y'all probably , like y'all not all of the place like everything is so curated .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , behind the scene job . We really be going back and forth about what we want it to be , because we also just don't want to get it wrong and I think that's with anybody who's starting a business , who's starting a brand you want to not look like a lame-o and you know they're saying I don't like to get out there and like embarrass themselves or look stupid yeah , so you want it to be right and you're afraid for it to fail , so you talk yourself out or into things that , like , might not make sense .
Speaker 1Yeah , because after we record every single time .
Speaker 2I'm like did we talk about anything ? Like did what we say really matter ? Like are we really different ? Like I do , not so much as this season , but especially season one , season two . I was like yeah , oh like what are we any different ?
Speaker 2I would think that every single time , like people are gonna see this and be like what was the point of that ? Yeah , like that's what I used to get freaked out about , every episode in my head , and I don't know that this season because I feel like we told better I just feel like the way we came into season three was so much stronger , like we just understood a lot more about ourselves and then , even through
Building Confidence and Creating Community
Speaker 2it .
Speaker 1We're confident too . Yeah , a lot more . And we're comfortable with each other because , again , we've only known each other for a year . It feels like we've known each other forever .
Speaker 1Like I don't really compute it sometimes that we don't know each other for longer than a year um , it's so strange , but it's like now we're more comfortable with each other , we're finishing up each other's sentences and just all of the things , and I think , like now we're in a place that actually , while we're here , we're like about to be on someone else's podcast , and so that's next like and then that's the new imposter syndrome like people want us , yes , when people want us . We're like wait why ? Why do they want to talk to ?
Speaker 2us , and so that's funny , because we do , because like this is what we wanted yes , this was the goal , and now that we're here , it does feel weird .
Speaker 1It feels like holy crap , what are we gonna say ? Well , will our , our , will , our answers be good enough ? You know , what I mean , and so do they matter , do they resonate ?
Speaker 2so it's like getting all of that , but I also think that's why we were able to find . So the thing is , every time we get in our heads or every time we start doing our own thing , god literally just like stops us . Every time it's just like hard .
Speaker 1Stop too . It's a hard stop and we're just like whoa , like a video game where the guy's like , just like , just like in right , walking in place . Yeah , because we're not like trying like , yes , not going nowhere , yes , not going nowhere , just hitting those hitting the wall .
Speaker 2Hitting the wall stops us every single time and I think that's also why it's easier to get confident each season because we know something that's not , as god doesn't let it happen .
Speaker 1He doesn't , because this is his yeah this is his platform , 100% that is starting that way , is going to be that way it's always going to be that way , and I think what has been beautiful about this , too , is we can talk about everything and still share our faith . It's it is our foundation , it's our base , it's everything , and I love that we're just in this space now that we can encourage women in so many ways . We can say me too . We can say hey , like , honestly , I'm not the expert , but I'm gonna pray for you . Like our community has become that , like I'm starting to see it when we're in our you know , group chats and things like that in our community . If you haven't joined our Facebook community , definitely do so . This is your moment .
Speaker 2Really the community part . Pause , join , press the link , pull okay in our description . Yeah , but that's the most important thing to me , because I see our numbers growing on Instagram , I see them growing on YouTube . They grow super naturally fast for where we are . But if we have all these people and we only have three people chatting like I feel , like we're not doing our job If we have three people engaging . We're not doing our job and not to say it's not for those three people .
Speaker 2it is , but we want to create community . That's , that's the whole point . Is , when we go back to what we're doing , this for it's the me too , it's so the person who really feels like they're doing the sucky job as a mom sucky job as a wife as a woman as a business person , as a you know a colleague all that kind of stuff . Like girl , it's me too . I want no one to feel there is not the query .
Speaker 2We have people like posting anonymously in our Facebook because it , you know , sometimes it makes people feel more comfortable , Like I can say whatever . They don't know me . Here it goes . Once your name's on it , it's like , oh , they're always going to look at , look at me as the girl with the marriage problems , so they're posting anonymously and there's nothing in there . That's like , oh , my God , you need to get out the group .
Speaker 1You can't do that . It's so simple . It's like simple things , but you can tell it doesn't feel like that . When it's like yeah , yeah , and we don't want that , and I think that's second point . So we already gave the first tip , but the second point too , when you're when she was talking about that , for me my immediate thought is the more consistently are it'll happen . Yes , and a lot of times people ask questions about like , how do you get this to happen ?
Speaker 2Consistency you go , you keep going , the state consisted because those three people or whatever people do matter . And if you stop because you only see a certain number , then you're saying , like those people , that God , yeah , did you with , don't matter , yeah , and they do , and you never know how that will you know , ever , ever progress and it might be more for you than even for them . Yeah , but be consistent . Don't let numbers stop you .
Speaker 1Because that . I think that's why a lot of people stop .
Speaker 2Oh , my video got five views again . It got five views again . I don't care If that's what God told you to do . You're passionate about it , whatever reason they don't do it for them , do it for you .
Speaker 2Yeah , and if you're doing it for them , not just to help them , but like for them for abuse to be liked , to have attention . It's not going to be sustainable ever , because even if you reach the high now , it's like oh , I used to have a million views , now I have 700,000 views . Like , the people don't like me anymore . Yeah , it's never going to last .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , I agree , and I think the I would say the last thing for me that I really have taken from this season is if God gave you a vision , you don't think he's going to sustain it . Like if God gave you something , because a lot of we love to say like God told me to do this , god told me to do this thing , x , y and D . If he did , you don't think that he's going to make sure that one . You are provided for in every step of the way .
Speaker 1There's a lot of times we make excuses like I don't have the resources , I don't have the money , I don't have this , I don't have the camera , I don't have all those things . You don't think he's going to make a way and even if it's not the best thing you know since sliced bread in the beginning , you don't think he's going to still like make sure that it gets in the right hands , gets to the right people , gets to the right thing , and like it be the thing that he called it to be . All he needs is your obedience , all he needs is your yes and the rest , and I had to learn it .
Speaker 2Don't be um , was it Moses ? And then have Aaron speaking for you . Yeah , just like God didn't know , moses had a stutter . I don't know like it's just every single time . He chose you for a reason . Yeah , and at this point you just have excuses of why you don't want to do it . And then you're sitting there like oh god , give me my purpose , give me my vision , like shut up , like we're praying for things he already answered , and that's why we're not supposed to pray for the same thing over and over again like a child , like , because he gives you the answers and it's just like are you ?
Speaker 2We were doing a ? Um , I was doing a diva with my friends in 2020 . We were talking about how we pray and we'll pray , pray , pray , and then we like get up and leave . Yeah , it's like we don't give any time for God to respond .
Speaker 1Yeah , it's like having a like , if I just talk to you , talk to you and I don't like , that's all right , okay , going right back to your thing , like whatever you were doing , and I think that that's so true , like I think that is key , key , key , key when you are building something , don't talk yourself out of the thing because you feel like what you're looking at in front of you just doesn't make sense .
Speaker 1Well , the vision and what God has for you doesn't make sense in , in the physical it never does like Our mind is blown every single day , even the things that we feel like we've planned , or even the things that , like , we've dreamed our wildest dreams or whatever , god always reminds us that , like , our dreams aren't big enough . God always reminds us that he has more , but we can't see it and we just have to trust and believe that that us just moving and being consistent and doing the things that are in our power Will then translate and he'll .
Speaker 2He'll do the rest , yeah and I just want to say sometimes like , mind you , we have sat on it , we've asked for vision when he's already given it to us .
Speaker 1Yeah , sometimes you know better , you don't do better .
Speaker 2So I'm not . I understand you're not going to watch this and be like okay .
Speaker 1I'm going .
Speaker 2There won't be that one person and I'm proud of you over achiever , but just Try to cherish the narrative , like when you talk yourself out of something has something that you immediately correct yourself . Make what you want to do . Make it smaller , like don't try to do everything One thing and get consistent . How do you eat it ? How do you eat it ? One bite at a time , that's it one bite at a time .
Speaker 1That's all . This is where we're going in , because I feel like we gave a lot y'all . We gave a whole lot working ready to feel some more stuff really excited . Um , we hope that you enjoyed the behind the brand . We hope that you um Got something from this comment down below .
Speaker 2Again , we still have more to we . Still , I don't know we part three for this . Yeah , we haven't , we haven't .
Speaker 1we'll try I think we'll continue to just give you guys as much as you ask for , um , if you guys enjoy this . You want a part three ?
Speaker 2Let us know and we up we and it's three of you and a three of you say it , we'll do it . Yeah , only three . Yeah , we only need one truly .
Speaker 1So this moment again pause . If you hadn't hit the bell yet , let us subscribe . Go ahead and do that . Thank you so much . We really appreciate you and see you next time . Bye , bye .
