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Early in December, I had an epiphany, mama.

Well, let me take a step back. 

Early in December, I broke. Like, ugly crying, temper tantrum, yelling at everyone around me, BROKE. I felt like a failure.

After our move, it just all got to be too much. Homeschooling the kids meant that I had no time to myself. No more babysitter meant no time for my business. No time for the gym. No time to breathe, think, create, reflect.

I was constantly frustrated with my kids, my husband, and myself. 

And then I felt guilty for feeling frustrated, for wanting time for myself, for wanting time for my business, for wanting time to pee. 

I’m guessing you’ve been there once or twice. 

When I thought about “quitting” homeschooling, I felt like a failure. Sure, I could logic my way out of that super-fun dilemma, but I’m working on feeling my feelings these days, and HOLY GUACAMOLE was I ever feeling the feelings. 

Which is when I had the epiphany that what if what’s best for me is actually what’s best for my family?

Right now, Audrey neeeeeeeeeds to be around other kids, to learn social skills, to play age-appropriate games with peers. To learn to wait in line, to take her turn, to assert herself in a healthy way, to argue with other kids — all of it. 

ALSO, when I’m honest with myself, having her at home while I’m trying to work with the other two is making me LOSE. MY. COOL.

Daphne misses the rigor of school days. She thrives in a classroom environment surrounded by friends. At home, she droops. 

I can objectively tell you that I’m pretty sure my kids need to go back to school, and at the same time, I can tell you that saying those words out loud makes me feel like a failure. 

Now, mama, I am extremely anti mom-guilt. It’s against my religion, you might say. But tell that to my achy-breaky heart, which is FEELING all kinds of mom guilt. 

Is it selfish to want to go to the gym? If you asked me, I’d tell you OF COURSE NOT! But when I ask myself, it feels selfish. And that makes me feel small.

Isn’t it amazing how we can do this to ourselves?

Like, let’s say you made a decision about your business that felt like exactly the right decision in the moment.  But fast forward a few months, and you’re miserable. And yet, you’re afraid to change direction, because that would signal failure. 

If you came into my Facebook group and said that, I’d do one of my ranty lives about how GUILT is not an emotion you should feel when you’re giving yourself what you need. About how changing course does not equate with failure. And still, that advice is easier to give than to take. 

In the moment that I broke, all I could think was, I can’t do this anymore. 

In the moment of my epiphany, I thought, We can survive this. 

Which moment are you in right now, mama? And if you have felt like a failure how can we help you get to where you want to go?

P.S. If you need even more of a reminder that life is survivable, check out the last blog post about what The Free Mama Movement accomplished in 2020!

P.S. If you’re feeling super overwhelmed with all of those New Year’s goals right now, I recommend that you go back to basics. Take a look at the Daily 5, and recommit to using it EVERY DAY.

Today is SUPER special, mama. We’re celebrating the 100th episode of FreeMamaTV. Can you believe we’ve been on the air for two years already?

Running a business takes work. It takes time and dedication. It takes money. And as you grow, it takes a team of people who are committed to your vision. 

In this week’s episode, I want to do something really special. Something that would have helped me a LOT if I’d had it back I was getting started.

I’m going to take you behind the scenes of running a 7-figure business — but for real. 

Today, you’ll see our profit and loss, our recurring revenue, and our expenses. If you’ve wondered how much I pay my team, how much I spend on ads, and where else my money goes, you don’t want to miss this episode.

Check out today’s special behind the scenes episode of FreeMamaTV for a real, unfiltered look at running a successful business.

And don’t forget to subscribe to Free Mama TV so you’re alerted each and every time a new episode drops!

P.S. Learn how to make $10k months a REALITY in last week’s episode of Free Mama TV!

P.P.S. Can you believe 2020 is over? Check out Lauren’s recent post to see all of the amazing things that happened to The Free Mama last year!

Oh boy, Mama.

If you had told me a year ago that right now I’d be living on a farm in Kansas and homeschooling my children, I’d have thought you were smoking cocaine.

SIDE NOTE: I do not actually know if cocaine is a thing that you smoke. 

But I definitely would have believed that you were on SOMETHING because this is absolutely a thing I could never have imagined a year ago.

And that’s the thing about a year, you know? You have no idea where it can take you.

We overestimate what we can do in a day, and we underestimate what we can do in a year, and here we are. We finally made it.

I don’t know about you, but I really could not have imagined this in my wildest dreams. 

And I know that this year has been devastating for many, but I want to take a few moments to focus on 20 things that made me extremely happy this year. 

Some of these are things that happened to me, some of these are things I did, some of these are things that we created in our community, and some of these are — well. You’ll see. Come along. 

1. In January, which was approximately 8 years ago, I went on a cruise with my family, hung out with Russell Brunson, and took a few minutes to celebrate this amazing community we’ve built. 
2. I earned a 2-Comma Club award, a major achievement for my business. It took me some time to be able to say that publicly, but I’m owning it. I’m super proud of it. 
3. When the pandemic hit, we created Free Mamas Unite, a huge, free event, where we came together and learned from some of the smartest people in the world. We pulled over 40 speakers together in a matter of days, and I’m so glad that we did.
4. When the world went crazy, we were able to Elevate Black Voices, because this community has ALWAYS been a place where Black lives matter, where BIPOC women are welcome and celebrated, and where we will always stand up for what we believe in.
5. We launched the Free Mama Squad to create support and accountability for women in our community.
6. My family and I went on an 8-week RV trip — a thing we thought we might “one day” do when we retired. We made that dream happen.
7. We got to see so much of this beautiful country. We had a chance to show our children how we live our values. We got to stand in the streets of Washington, D.C. and speak our truth.
8. When we were forced to suddenly change our plans, we had the ability to be flexible.
9. When we needed to be with family, we were able to be with family.
10. Over two dozen students told us they left their day jobs.
11. We launched Free Mama Radio on my birthday.
12. We spent time with our kids. SO MUCH TIME. 
13. We replanned Free Mama Live as a virtual event that exceeded everyone’s expectations. We brought together world-class speakers and spent two full weeks learning, growing, and doing. 
14. We planned a major move, packed up a house, and got it all done while I ran a 2-week live event from an AirBnB. 
15. We celebrated the first ever Free Mama Awards Ceremony. 13 Free Mamas shared with us their first $5k month in business in 2020. 6 made over $100,000. Some even made over $300,000.
16. We put a woman in the White House. A woman of color. IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
17. We got a dog.
18. We live near family again.
19. We launched the Inner Circle for Life and re-launched the Free Mama Squad Membership.
20. I got to wake up every day and serve you. 

It’s been a year but we finally made it, mama. And while I can’t say that I loved every minute, and while there were certainly dark days — for our country, and for the world — there were also a lot of really good moments, and I’m humbled that you choose to share so many moments with me.

Happy New Year.

P.S. Next week is our 100th episode of FreeMamaTV. Are you subscribed to the YouTube channel yet? You probably want to take care of that, because there just might be something exciting happening…

P.P.S. So what are your plans for next year? Want to scale your business to $10k months in 2021? Join the Inner Circle for Life!

I never thought we’d get here, but we finally did it!

Oh boy, mama.

If you had told me a year ago that right now I’d be living on a farm in Kansas and homeschooling my children, I’d have thought you were crazy. And I don’t mean, “Oh, haha, that’s some clever imagination you have!” 

I mean, I would have thought you were COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY INSANE. 

If you had told me a year ago that right now I’d be living on a farm in Kansas and homeschooling my children, I’d have thought you were smoking cocaine.

SIDE NOTE: I do not actually know if cocaine is a thing that you smoke. 

But I definitely would have believed that you were on SOMETHING, because this is absolutely a thing I could never have imagined a year ago. 

And that’s the thing about a year, you know? You have no idea where it can take you.

We overestimate what we can do in a day, and we underestimate what we can do in a year, and here we are. 

I don’t know about you, but I really could not have imagined this in my wildest dreams. 

And I know that this year has been devastating for many, but I want to take a few moments to focus on 20 things that made me extremely happy this year. 

Some of these are things that happened to me, some of these are things I did, some of these are things that we created in our community, and some of these are — well. You’ll see. Come along. 

1. In January, which was approximately 8 years ago, I went on a cruise with my family, hung out with Russell Brunson, and took a few minutes to celebrate this amazing community we’ve built. 
2. I earned a 2-Comma Club award, a major achievement for my business. It took me some time to be able to say that publicly, but I’m owning it. I’m super proud of it. 
3. When the pandemic hit, we created Free Mamas Unite, a huge, free event, where we came together and learned from some of the smartest people in the world. We pulled over 40 speakers together in a matter of days, and I’m so glad that we did.
4. When the world went crazy, we were able to Elevate Black Voices, because this community has ALWAYS been a place where Black lives matter, where BIPOC women are welcome and celebrated, and where we will always stand up for what we believe in.
5. We launched the Free Mama Squad to create support and accountability for women in our community.
6. My family and I went on an 8-week RV trip — a thing we thought we might “one day” do when we retired. We made that dream happen.
7. We got to see so much of this beautiful country. We had a chance to show our children how we live our values. We got to stand in the streets of Washington, D.C. and speak our truth.
8. When we were forced to suddenly change our plans, we had the ability to be flexible.
9. When we needed to be with family, we were able to be with family.
10. Inner Circle mamas hit the 6-figure mark.
11. We launched Free Mama Radio on my birthday.
12. We spent time with our kids. SO MUCH TIME. 
13. We replanned Free Mama Live as a virtual event that exceeded everyone’s expectations. We brought together world-class speakers and spent two full weeks learning, growing, and doing. 
14. We planned a major move, packed up a house, and got it all done while I ran a 2-week live event from an AirBnB. 
15. We celebrated the first ever Free Mama Awards Ceremony. 13 Free Mamas shared with us their first $5k month in business in 2020. 6 made over $100,000. Some even made over $300,000.
16. We put a woman in the White House. A woman of color. IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
17. We got a dog.
18. We live near family again.
19. We launched the Inner Circle for Life and re-launched the Free Mama Squad Membership.
20. I got to wake up every day and serve you. 

It’s been a year, mama And while I can’t say that I loved every minute, and while there were certainly dark days — for our country, and for the world — there were also a lot of really good moments, and I’m humbled that you choose to share so many moments with me.

Happy New Year. 

P.S. Next week is our 100th episode of FreeMamaTV. Are you subscribed to the YouTube channel yet? You probably want to take care of that, because there just might be something exciting happening…

P.P.S. Did you get a chance to read my blog from last week? I’m giving you a special gift for the holiday season and you don’t want to miss it!

Are you ready to level up your business and start earning the big money?

Rhetorical question time, mama….

Do you want to learn how to make $10k a month from your freelance business?

Well, I did SAY it was a rhetorical question. 

ANYWAY, if you are interested in earning the big bucks, you can. And in this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV, I’m going to show you exactly how it works. 

Because the thing is, it really does come down to a few simple, straightforward truths. And once you internalize those, it’s really just about the math. 

Join me over on YouTube for today’s episode of FreeMamaTV, where I’ll put on my professor hat (it’s not an actual hat), and teach you, step-by-step, how to make $10k a month in your freelancing business.

P.S. Just starting out as a freelancer and want to learn the basics about pricing packages? Check out last week’s episode of Free Mama TV!

And don’t forget to subscribe to Free Mama TV so you’re alerted each and every time a new episode drops!

And if you’re looking for even more Free Mama goodness, be sure to check out The Free Mama blog, where Lauren drops a new blog every single Thursday! If you’re struggling with having faith in becoming a freelance or a virtual assistant, definitely check out last week’s blog – she’s giving you a special gift right here: https://thefreemama.com/read-on-for-a-gift-from-me/

I have a special holiday gift for you, mama.

I’m giving it to you today because my family is celebrating Christmas right now — but I’m well aware that your family might have different traditions. (And I’d actually love to hear about them! We’ve started a thread in the Facebook group right here!)

So, this gift starts with a story, and it’s from one of my favorite Christmas movies, The Santa Clause. If you’ve never seen it, Tim Allen plays a man who accidentally knocks Santa off his roof and has to take over his deliveries for the night, and then somehow gets himself into a contract where he has to become Santa. 

SIDE NOTE: ALWAYS READ YOUR CONTRACTS CLOSELY.

Aaaaaanyway, there’s a great line from the move that always gives me chills. 

Seeing isn’t believing. Believing is seeing.

Think about when you were a little kid, and you believed — in Santa, in the Tooth Fairy, in any kind of magic. You believed, even when you had no proof. You believed, even before you could see it. 

That’s the kind of belief you need to have in your business. 

It would be so much easier if you could first see the ending. If you could understand exactly how your business would work, what niche you’d choose, how to land the client, how it all comes together — but that’s not the way it works. 

You don’t get to see the finish line when you’re at the start of the race. 

You don’t get to see how your business turns out before you’ve started. 

You have to believe first, and then you’ll start to see it take shape. 

When I was building The Free Mama Movement, my belief would waver on an almost daily basis. And every time that happened, my coach would tell me, I believe in you. 

So, mama, this is my special holiday gift to you.

I believe in you. When you waver, go ahead and borrow my belief. 

I hope that you and your family have an amazing holiday season, whatever you’re celebrating, and I’m looking forward to ringing in the New Year with you.

P.S. Want another gift? I have a FREE BONUS chapter of my bestselling book right here! This chapter isn’t in the book, it’s totally free, and this is the ONLY place to get it! 

P.P.S. Just getting started with your business? Learn what NOT to do when giving your new business a name!

Is it time for you to build out some pricing packages virtual assistant style for your business?

There you are, having a lovely day, when suddenly a message pops up. 

Hey, mama! I heard about you from a friend of mine. Can you send over your package pricing for me to take a look at?

ACK! What are you supposed to do now? How are you going to put together package pricing on the fly — and make sure that you’re doing it the right way?

Well, in today’s episode of FreeMamaTV, I’ll walk you through the process, step by step. 

You’ll learn when you want to create package pricing — and when it’s NOT a good idea at all. 

You’ll discover what to consider when you put your packages together, and what advice you can safely ignore completely. 

If you’re ready to build and pricing packages virtual assistant the right way — and get paid for the value you deliver to your clients regardless of how long the work takes, then tune into this week’s episode of FreeMamaTV.

P.S. Want to avoid clients who overstep their bounds? Definitely check out last week’s episode of Free Mama TV to learn about the five types of clients you want to avoid!!

And don’t forget to subscribe to Free Mama TV so you’re alerted each and every time a new episode drops!