A new interview in the Mommin' It Business Series is here! Featuring mom owned businesses that support pregnant and new moms.
Today I’m speaking with Maike Mancuso, owner of Maike Mancuso Coaching. Maike is a Certified Health Coach, Fitness and Yoga Instructor and Speaker. Her passion is to help individuals to create a healthy balanced lifestyle and elevate their quality of life.
Over the last few years she started focusing on Mamas-to-be and New Moms to support women in this unique transition with fitness, health and wellness programs. Maike is a mom of a little boy and gave birth to her second baby in January.
Tell us about your business. How do you help expecting or new moms?
I love to work one-on-one (in-person and now mainly virtually due to COVID) and offer a mix of personal training, health coaching, yoga and meditation for my mama-clients. All of the above have shown to be valuable components in the transition into motherhood and all carry their own power. I am very passionate about educating moms about core engagement, the importance of proper alignment in every day life and during workouts and much more, to empower women to feel confident and strong on a daily basis.
Every mom (to-be) can adjust her program with my support based on those components and find the right mix for each stage of pregnancy and postpartum recovery.
As an addition to my one-on-one session I also run weekly group classes stretching from Mindful Mama MeetUps, to pre and postnatal fitness classes and yoga sessions.
To support and reach more Mamas, I am currently working on offering more on-demand services and well researched information that I share on my blog and social media.
Overall I am aiming to build a community of confident Moms and Moms-to-be, who feel good and healthy in their bodies and ready to take on motherhood and so much more.
What makes you unique as a mom & business owner?
Aren't we all beautifully different and unique? I honestly don't know how to answer that question. What comes to mind are all things I hope are not just unique to me: like wanting the best for my family and clients, hoping to thrive in all of my rolls and responsibilities, and being able to raise respectful and loving children all while building a vibrant business. Again, I dearly hope I am not alone with that approach.
What's the hardest part of running your business and being a mom?
Finding the right balance, I would say. My family is my #1 priority, yet following my passion and doing what I love gives me energy and purpose and fills me with joy. In the last months during COVID it was tricky to find the balance between working from home and continuing to offer services, being their for my family and taking care of myself during my own pregnancy.
Also, I have high expectations towards myself and my work. It can be a stretch. Luckily I've learned to put boundaries and structures into place that help me recover that balance whenever my schedule gets too crazy. This remains a working progress - balance is something I sometimes have to lose to than reset and regain.
What is one "messy" thing about being a mom/biz owner that you would never share in public?
That is a trick question. You are asking me to share something publicly that I 'would never share in public'? Well, I am not sure there is a piece of information that would fit this criteria.
Being open and honest about the 'messy' stuff often is what connects us with others and what makes us human and relatable. My best answer (and I would totally share this in public), is that I create a lot of content for my own sake, because I need structure and community to stay accountable. I need reminders and I certainly fall of the wagon.
If I could follow all of the great advice and tips I put out there, that would be amazing. But just like everyone else, I fall in and out of 'good routines', life gets 'messy', and I slack on my meals or workouts or simply don't feel like meditating. As a result, I feel agitated and overwhelmed, till my husband reminds me to do what he just read in my last post on IG.
We often have a laugh and I feel more encourage to get back on track and take care of myself. This all ties back in with an earlier questions of finding balance and setting boundaries and building structures. I want people to know that 'knowing better' doesn't always mean we 'do better'. I too need support and reminders and that is perfectly fine.
What's your favorite thing about being a mom/biz owner?
Both of those roles very effortlessly capture my attention. Being a mom is amazing and I absolutely love how it has changed my life and myself - even on the messy days. And it has been a similar experience in my business.
Working for myself has been the best motivation and natural fuel to my creativity and productivity. It has been so rewarding to connect with my clients (many of who I now call friends and my community) and I am grateful for all I was able to learn in the process of moving to the US, starting from 0 and building up my business while growing my family.
In both positions I have a urge to step up and that feels good. It gives me so much energy in return for hard work, which is priceless
What advice and words of encouragement would you give to expecting or new moms?
Where to start? My biggest tip would be to 'seek out community'. While we might be able to manage on our own, I believe it to be a relief to simple connect with other moms and build connections. Yes, there are great books and online resources and doctors, but sharing some thoughts or experiences with other women in a similar state of their life can be a blessing.
Building social connections for anyone has been proven to be beneficial for stress relief and so much more. During pregnancy and postpartum it can do the same and so much more.
How has motherhood changed you?
Massively. It is somewhat hard to put into words as it feels like a internal shift more than 'change'. Here are a few ways how I can describe the experience or shift. I feel more present on a daily basis, more excited about the little things in life. I often have a warm feeling of gratitude vibrating in my heart and at the same time I have more worries. It also feels much easier for me to focus and prioritize on what's really important.
On a personal level, it made me feel strong in a totally new way! The appreciation for my body and the beauty of the process has given me a new perspective on 'beauty' or on my 'body image' overall.
What is one toy, item, product, book, resource, podcast that you would recommend to a new or expecting mom?
In short, meditation.
It is a great tool and go-to practice to center yourself and stay calm during overwhelming times. This is something I would recommend to anyone. Yet, as a mom and during pregnancy it can be a powerful tool to recharge your energy, patients and focus.
I am a big fan of short sessions (5 min) rather than long ones. I enjoyed my meditation practice during those stages, especially as many physical sensations felt foreign and my body felt foreign a times: hormones would take over and everything was 'new' and that's totally fine and absolutely expected, which didn't make it easier to cope with.
Meditation was like coming home. Reminding myself that inside, I am still myself and I can return to that comforting place at any time.
About Maike Mancuso
Maike Mancuso is originally from Germany, where postnatal care for mom and baby is extensive and organized. When she moved to the US and started teaching yoga and fitness classes Maike learned that the pre and postnatal care here was far from what is ideal. She decided to fill that gap and build safe and fun programs for pregnant clients and new moms.
Find Maike Mancuso:
Website: https://www.maikemancuso.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maike_mancuso/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaikeMancusoCoaching/
