Leyla Milani-Khoshbin
Founder & Philanthropist
016
Shame on mom-shamers. Experienced their wrath?Share your story.
I was mom-shamed for not taking my children on a trip. My husband and I are both busy entrepreneurs and we travel often. Some for business and some for pleasure, and some of course are both! We have figured out a way of travel that gives us our time together as a couple and our time to spend with our children as a family. We plan our travels in a way where we do 1 trip (whether business or pleasure) as a couple without our children and we do the next one, as a family. This way, we get our much-needed time together as a couple AND we get to enjoy our family together on another trip. We look forward to both trips so much more as a result of this arrangement.
If any line of work needs inspo, it's motherhood. What type of mothers inspire you?
The ones that seem to be able to do DO IT ALL with grace, compassion and determination. The ones that are confident, happy, driven, non judgmental. As a female entrepreneur and mom of two, I wear many hats both at home and at the office. To me, balance is everything and if you can master both motherhood AND your career, you can do anything!
Sometimes we're all BAD MUTHAs (as we should be). When did you go against traditional advice?
Being so open on social media and sharing my daily life which includes my kids, I was criticized for allowing my son to still have his pacifier. Children develop differently and you can’t judge one child’s development to another’s. My son at the time was not emotionally ready to give up his pacifier at bed time and I was not going to force him to do so. The saying is true that as a Mother, you need to trust your own instincts and let’s face it, no one knows your child more than you do.
"More than anything, we need to operate from a place of LOVE!"
Better worlds start with better moms. How can the motherhood community improve?
More than anything, we need to operate from a place of LOVE! I see so many women judging one another instead of offering support. So many women-especially new moms find it difficult to navigate this new uncharted territory with no instruction manual, called MOTHERHOOD. We need to come together more as a community to offer support, guidance and do it with love. No person is perfect and no one has all the answers. My motto has always been collaboration over competition. I will never forget the women that supported and guided me throughout my journey.
How do you like to MUTHA yourself and ensure you still have some 'me' time?
Taking care of our mind, body and soul especially during these uncertain times is absolutely critical. If we’re not taking care of ourselves first, we can’t do anything for those that depend on us. Self-care for me is getting a massage, having my nails done, drinking my herbal tea while listening to relaxing music and a little retail therapy always does the trick.