MMIA Magazine - Million Moms In Action Magazine June/July 2014 | Page 31
exclusive
interview
THE neapolitan
20 ENTREPRENEUR moms YOU’LL LOVE
diva
“I did my research & planning while
I was still working for someone else
and one day I just put my business
out there and marketed it like
crazy.”
MMIA: Why did you decide to
become an entrepreneur?
CHRISTINA: I started out writing
about women’s issues for publications
and I just wanted to do more. I felt
deeply compelled by the women who
I was writing about and I designed
my business to do something about
the things that I wanted to change for
women, working moms in particular.
MMIA: How long did it take you
to go from business idea to actually
seeing income?
CHRISTINA: Within a year. I did
my research & planning while I was
still working for someone else and
one day I just put my business out
there and marketed it like crazy.
MMIA: Do you ever regret your
decision to become a full-time
entrepreneur?
CHRISTINA: No way Jose lol. My
only regret is that I didn’t start sooner.
MMIA: How do you balance the roles
of mom and entrepreneur?
CHRISTINA: I always wake up
at 4am. I know that between my
daughter, who is on the brink of the
terrible twos, and my business that’s
growing more and more each day, I’m
going to have a lot on my hands. It’s
important for me to at least have the
first part of the day to myself in order
to get centered before it all begins. I
don’t balance it perfectly, but I always
prioritize. It is my most important job
to be a present & loving mother to my
little girl above anything else. So after
I’ve prayed and 1 meditated in the
morning, I handle any heavy business
work before my daughter even wakes
up to ensure that I’m not preoccupied
all day with what I should be doing.
MMIA: What advice can you give to
the woman who doubts her ability to
succeed as an entrepreneur mom?
CHRISTINA: You can create any
life you want. T he life you have
now, whether you like it or not, is
a complete manufacturing of your
thoughts, words, and actions. Just
imagine what kind of happy life
you can have if you refocus those
thoughts, words, and actions. Find
positive supportive people, speak
encouraging words to yourself, and be
pulled by what naturally makes you
light up. Let the joy from the work
that you were meant to do pull you
out of fear. Anyone or anything that
says you can’t do this, is lying to you.
Believe in yourself.
Christina Caldwell
Coco Mommy
Montgomery, AL
Christina Caldwell, the woman behind Coco Mommy,
is an acclaimed women’s issues writer whose work has
been featured by Forbes and Slate. She has also provided
commentary on the National Public Radio station “To
the Point”. She has done extensive research & work in
the areas of maternal mortality, parental leave, family
dynamics, & the glass ceiling effect on women & minorities
for reputable print and online publications.
Christina Caldwell
IG: @agirlnamedtutu
Twitter: @Cocomommytweets
June 2014 | MMIA Magazine | 31