Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Miller.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a mama to two boys under two, fiancé, dancer, and professional hot mess. I’m a “working mama”, but I have always considered that title redundant. I am originally from Greenville, South Carolina, but moved to Texas for graduate school. In May 2016, I received my Masters of Fine Arts degree in Dance and a positive pregnancy test! That’s right. I was 9 weeks pregnant when I walked across the stage, and as if post-grad life wasn’t scary enough…now I would have a tiny human along for the ride! Or at least that was my hope. A miscarriage prior to this pregnancy still sat pretty heavy on my mind. I was hopeful for our future with a child, but couldn’t stop entertaining all the “what-ifs”of our past. At 24 weeks pregnant, I sat down on the floor of our 1-bedroom apartment and read the children’s book “Love You Forever”. On the last page, I placed my hand on my belly, with tears in my eyes because I KNEW our baby would make it earthside, and I KNEW he was a boy! On December 13, 2016, I became a mother…the most amazing part of myself. When my first son was about 6 months, the isolation of motherhood started to set in and before I let it consume me I searched for an outlet. I turned to social media. There were a few reasons for this choice, primarily I just wanted someone (other than a baby) to talk to throughout the day. I started taking more pictures, documenting our days, and sharing my experiences as a first time mom! On April 11, 2018 we welcomed our second baby boy into the world. Having two kids under two is a whole new experience. Only about half of what I learned the first go-round matters and there is twice the mess. I was in full on survival mode for the first two months…not to mention the whole breastfeeding situation! Despite the perfect mess of motherhood I was experiencing, I continued sharing our story on Instagram. I was blown away by the number of women that appreciated how I kept it “real”. I actually giggled at the first message a mother sent to me thanking me for showing the REAL stories and messes of motherhood. It hadn’t even occurred to me that a large portion of images portraying motherhood were staged! I hadn’t even realized how significant my voice was until people started talking back to me! But could I ever be more than JUST a mom? What about all the stuff I enjoyed BEFORE babies…*cue music for a kitchen dance party! This was a defining moment in the motherhood I was experiencing…for myself, for my kids, and for my relationship! One kitchen dance party and the rest is history. My kids were screaming, my boobs were leaking, the meal I had made my toddler had turned into an arts and crafts mess, the clean laundry pile was a couch mountain that would make Everest jealous, and right when I was about to throw in the towel and cry myself into a corner…I stopped. THIS IS NOT THE END. CALM DOWN. CELEBRATE THE MESS YOU WILL ONE DAY MISS…so I did. I turned on a random song, as loud as I could, and busted out dancing. I sang to the top of my lungs. I picked up one kid with a rag in the other and just had fun. Who knew cleaning cold oatmeal could be so fun! On a separate day, I recorded myself and shared it to my instastory. The response was AMAZING! Women saying I made their day, mothers taking a sigh of relief that they weren’t alone, friends saying I looked like a fun mom…and all of us enjoying one simple moment of conquered defeat! So…in an effort to spread joy and find balance in my own chaos I kept sharing my kitchen dancing. I eventually realized that dancing while pumping actually increased my milk supply! Wanna know something else? I rediscovered my love for movement! My grad school days were full of critique and technique, and right in my kitchen, I could throw all that away and just move my body. It felt so good to just do what I wanted and have fun. This is my “me time”. But even more than that…THIS is what my kids get to remember about their early years!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My journey has NOT been an easy one. If I’m being honest…it still isn’t easy. One day, in the midst of dirty diapers, overdue bills, and empty cabinets I thought to myself, “Why can’t this be easier? Don’t I deserve a break?!” I paused for a moment though and actually thought what life would look like if it WERE easier. I thought about all the things I wouldn’t have to worry about. I thought about how much “happier” I would be if it were EASIER…but then I realized one tiny detail: I am in control of how I feel.I had been associating happiness with a “better” lifestyle as if I weren’t allowed to feel that through the struggle. I was attending my own pity party…and for what? NEWS FLASH: You can’t change your situation, if you can’t even change your own mind. You can’t change your situation, or you can’t even change your own mind. Through my journey of motherhood, I have dealt with miscarriage, deferring student loans, overdrafting accounts, career changes, and WIC (government assistance), just to name a few. The struggle is real Y’all…but so is the hustle. You are allowed to smile through the crappy days. You deserve to treat yourself when you can. You don’t need permission to feel the way you want to feel! Every day I wake up ready to deal with the inevitable hot mess that’s going to happen, and I just laugh. I laugh because I know it will make me stronger and that I will get through it like everything else!
What should we know about your business? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a woman sharing my perfect mess of motherhood through the squares of Instagram. I encourage community over competition and believe everyone is worthy of self-love. In an effort to “practice what I preach”, I share the struggles and celebrations that happen in my journey of self-love and body positivity. Daily dance parties keep me sane, my kids remind me to have fun, my fiancé supports the shenanigans, and the amazing group of women encouraging me along the way remind me of just how important ONE voice can be. I am a mama, but I am so much more than that. I hope that my story can help support other mothers through the beautiful mess of motherhood and show them that it’s okay to NOT be perfect…because no one is!
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
I am inspired by my grandmother, mother, and aunt. My family moved from North Philly to South Carolina on a purple school bus, and I still don’t know how they did it…How they are STILL doing it!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/inthemuddleofmitchells
Image Credit:
All images were taken by me, Lauren Miller. They feature myself and my boys, Acie & Kruz.
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