The pressure on female business owners like myself to do all the things is huge. We run companies and kids in carpools. We take classes on QuickBooks and core fitness, yet we still struggle with isolation. I’ve found that it’s far too easy to buy the lie that no one understands the daily paradigms we’re experiencing.
However, somewhere out there, there’s a fellow #realmomrealceo just like you who—at this very moment—is writing notes on an Expo board in the shower while also helping two of her children: one with a math homework question and the other with dolly clothing that won’t fit.
Would you like to join me in a fun Instagram challenge?
I think it will prove—to me, you, and other moms—that we’re not alone. It also has a fitness angle!
You see, even while many social media memes tell me to be myself because “everyone else is taken,” I still live with a healthy fear of scaring people away from my brand. I post on our social media accounts almost every day, and I generally put my best self out there.
However, it’s not the polished posts about new home fitness workout releases and Fit2B Radio podcasts that generate the most interaction.
No, my most successful posts occur when I’m trusting my following with my foibles, because what people deeply want is relationship and connection. They want to see that I’m in this with them—and I truly am.
Here’s my first image for the challenge. Click on it to be taken to my explanation post on our Instagram account @fit2bstudio and be sure you’re following us there for totally different content. I love posting stories of my everyday life and fitness adventures.
The irony is that being real with my fans has reinforced my belief in the value of community over commodity. One of the mini-courses included in Fit2B membership is “Beth In Real Life” that has more than 30 videos of me bringing movement into my home.
“Beth In Real Life just cracked me up! It gave me a good laugh…and I really needed that today. I do appreciate what you noted about bikes and riding bc I have been wondering about that.” –Margaret H.
Here’s more about the challenge list
Day 1: Shower Fresh – wet hair, just out of the shower
Day 2: Eating Food – what’s on your plate for realz? Cheetos? Dr. Pepper?
Day 3: Support – holding hands, out with a friend, quiet time
Day 4: No Makeup – no frills, no fuss, no mascara
Day 5: Fave Drink – coffee, kombucha, wine?
Day 6: Sweaty Selfie – stressed or strong, carried all the groceries or just worked out?
Day 7: Doing Chores – mopping, washing windows, cleaning the tub
Day 8: Self Care – the boring stuff: brushing teeth, washing face, doctor appointment, dentist
Day 9: Cellulite – dimples, cottage cheese, extra love . . . we all have it.
Day 10: Awkward position – kid snuggles, gardening antics, weird poses we find ourselves in
Day 11: Jammy Pants – in the morning or before bed, you in your pajamas
Day 12: Blue Mood – your face, your surroundings on a not-so-great day
Day 13: Workout – your least favorite (or most favorite) movement or stretch
Day 14: Bad Hair Day – we all have them! #messyhairdontcare
Day 15: Personal Triumph – a moment in which you’re satisfied with your work
You don’t have to go in order. You do need to be real and use the daily hashtags along with #realmomrealceo.
Yes, you can use the list image, save it, and share it on your social media. Yes, you can do it even if you don’t “own a company.” You’re a CEO in my eyes if you are the “chief executive officer” of anything.
Please don’t worry about perfection. Please do invite your friends and followers to join. Please feel free to do this on Facebook or Twitter, too, not just Instagram.
Don’t worry about losing people. You want authentic followers anyway, right? You want people interested in the real you and the things you’re passionate to provide.
Even if you read this a couple years after it publishes (wow, Fit2B will be 10 by then!) and you’re a small biz owner or entrepreneur, it’s not too late to join the fun.
Comment if you’re participating!
Please leave a comment below with the account you’re using to participate so we can connect, follow, and like your posts! You can use old pictures or fresh ones taken in the moment. Just post one a day (or whenever, because: life), and use the hashtags so we can all connect. More moms need more reminders that they aren’t alone, that juggling business and babies can be done!
P.S. I’d be honored if you’d tag @fit2bstudio and use #fit2b during this challenge—or at least any posts with a fitness angle. Thank you!
How funny! I forgot to comment, I just started picking something every couple of days to post. I love the encouragement on this blog and this list in particular. We aren’t going to have businesses that look exactly the way we imagined them. My personal life is zany, but I am making peace with the joy of each moment in the gross (I have kids and I’m a caregiver), in the painful (currently in a season of debilitating migraines), and the spectacular (the sun does break through sometimes). All of this can be seen as a burden if I chose to look at it that way as I work on my career as an author. The truth is, though, that I’m discovering, it truly makes it worthwhile. Many times our challenges seem to make even small victories better. What a privilege to get to be a member of Fit2B and journey together!