Ep 96. Creating Functional and Beautiful Family Spaces w/Jenna Morrow
In today's episode, I'm sitting down with the fabulous Jenna Morrow, founder and principal designer of Morrow Design Studios. Jenna is an amazing self-taught interior designer and a true example of balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship.
Together, we dive into Jenna's journey from corporate marketing to full-time interior designing, inspired by the birth of her daughter and her fight with postpartum anxiety. She shares her top decor tips for making your home stylish and functional even with little ones running around. Plus, Jenna offers practical advice on managing a business while being present for your family as a mompreneur.
LINKS & MENTIONS
- Connect with Jenna on Instagram
- www.morrowdesignstudios.com
- Email Jenna: jenna@morrowdesignstudios.com
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Transcript
You are now tuned in to the mom CEO suite podcast.
Speaker:I'm your host, Felicia, wife, mom and
Speaker:entrepreneur. In this podcast, I'll be sharing my mompreneur
Speaker:journey along with strategies that will help you build your online
Speaker:business operations in a sustainable way. The goal is
Speaker:to help you build a business that fits into your lifestyle as a mom who
Speaker:values putting family first. We will also hear the
Speaker:experiences and expertise of other moms with service
Speaker:based businesses. You'll get a peek into our journeys, so you'll
Speaker:know that you aren't alone. Motherhood gets hard.
Speaker:Entrepreneurship gets hard. But together, we can
Speaker:do hard things. Welcome to The Suite.
Speaker:Hey friends, welcome to another episode. Thank you so much for being here. I
Speaker:am very excited for today's episode. We have a guest with
Speaker:us in the suite. Our guest today is Jenna Morrow and she is
Speaker:the founder and principal designer behind Morrow Design
Speaker:Studios, which she opened in 2021 following an
Speaker:intense battle with postpartum anxiety. She's a Philadelphia
Speaker:native, so she's no stranger. to strength and grit, but
Speaker:both were threatened after the birth of her first child. She sought
Speaker:professional help from a therapist who offered a variety of coping
Speaker:mechanisms, including the 5 4 3 2 1
Speaker:method, which encourages you to tap into your five
Speaker:senses to bring you out of an anxious state and into the present
Speaker:moment. And it was during this exercise that Jenna
Speaker:realized her home was not an environment that supported her
Speaker:anxiety as it lacked a sensory experience.
Speaker:And so her design firms mission was
Speaker:conceived. Jenna is also a multiple sclerosis
Speaker:warrior. She was diagnosed in 2012 and has been an
Speaker:advocate for MS awareness by sharing her story and
Speaker:supporting various organizations. So
Speaker:welcome to the suite. Jenna, how are you today? Hi, I am
Speaker:good. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited for this. Yes, I'm
Speaker:excited to, and you guys, I know I talk about this a lot on the
Speaker:podcast now, but Jenna and I actually connected randomly on threads.
Speaker:So y'all, if you are not on thread, it
Speaker:is so easy to connect with people over there and we found out we're both
Speaker:from Philadelphia and we're both in the DMV area now, Yes.
Speaker:Yeah, your shot. It's fun over there. Jenna,
Speaker:tell us a little bit more about you yourself and just what
Speaker:you do through your business. absolutely. So like you said, I am
Speaker:Jenna Morrow, Philly native, go Eagles. And I live in the DC
Speaker:area, um, where I run my interior design firm that focuses primarily on
Speaker:residential projects, but we also dabble in commercial projects. And so
Speaker:just like you said, when you read my introduction, thank you for that, by the
Speaker:way. Um, You know, I want to make sure that when people look
Speaker:around at their homes, they see a home that identifies with who they are, but
Speaker:also one that supports their mental health, supports their overall
Speaker:wellbeing and then supports their goals in life. I always
Speaker:say we design for who you are, where you've been, but what also
Speaker:for who you aspire to be. And I think having all of those factors in
Speaker:a space is really important. So that is what we do.
Speaker:Love that we don't get to talk much about that here on the podcast. We
Speaker:talk a lot about business and just navigating mom life and things,
Speaker:but I don't think we really realize how much our
Speaker:surroundings and our home has an effect just on
Speaker:Like I mentioned in your bio, you know, it wasn't good for your postpartum anxiety.
Speaker:And so I'm glad we're having this conversation today. since we mentioned
Speaker:that, do you mind talking about what that kind of looked like for you when
Speaker:you were going through postpartum anxiety? what were some of the,
Speaker:symptoms or things that you were experiencing? Um,
Speaker:Just so people can understand what that really looks like, because I
Speaker:believe that some people really are going through it and they just don't really know
Speaker:because they are just tough and we're used to pushing through things.
Speaker:So can you talk a little bit about what that looked like for you? And
Speaker:I was actually one of those people, so I never knew.
Speaker:I heard people say, Oh, I had anxiety, but I never knew what that meant.
Speaker:And so I always knew in my life, though, I constantly chalked it up
Speaker:to I'm a worrier. I worry a lot. I worry a lot because I heard
Speaker:my mom saying that. So when I had my daughter
Speaker:Harper, that was in the thick of the pandemic. She was born October 2020.
Speaker:And when we brought her home, I was scared because I have MS. So I
Speaker:was a part of that immunocompromised group. And I have this little baby who is
Speaker:also a part of that, you know, immunocompromised group. And so
Speaker:I had this intense fear and worry,
Speaker:at least so I thought that's what it was that Something bad was going to
Speaker:happen to my daughter. She was going to catch COVID. She was going to pass
Speaker:away. I was going to catch COVID. I was going to pass away. So that
Speaker:started the fear. And then the anxiety just kind of went into
Speaker:over overload because suddenly it
Speaker:wasn't just COVID that I feared it was our safety in general.
Speaker:And so there were things such as if I had to take her to the
Speaker:doctor, I couldn't drive her there by myself. I
Speaker:would have an anxiety attack. My husband was like, why don't you go for a
Speaker:walk by yourself? You know, just enjoy some time away from her. And I had
Speaker:a full blown anxiety attack. I'm using that language now because I know what it
Speaker:was now, but then I didn't understand it. But what it looked like was
Speaker:me just crying uncontrollably, my heart racing, and I didn't
Speaker:understand what it was. But after it happened continuously
Speaker:in April of 2021, I had 17. panic attacks
Speaker:in that month alone. I started keeping count. So finally, the
Speaker:last one I had in April, it was really bad. And my husband
Speaker:looked at me and said, I think we have to get you help. And I
Speaker:said, you know what? I think we do too. Because I can't live like this.
Speaker:When you're a mom, you're a mom for the rest of your life.
Speaker:And I was like, I don't want to go through life with this feeling and
Speaker:this quote unquote worry, which became, which was
Speaker:anxiety. And I was like, I want better for myself. I
Speaker:want better for my daughter because I did have a little black girl. And I
Speaker:was like, I don't want her seeing her mom, you know, this ball of
Speaker:tears every time she had to leave the house or go do something.
Speaker:So I was, fully accepting of the fact that I needed
Speaker:help. And so I got it. And then that's when I got the therapist who
Speaker:introduced me to that 54321 method that you mentioned.
Speaker:That's really interesting. Thank you for sharing that when it comes to
Speaker:the anxiety piece, was that something that you experienced?
Speaker:you had your child, it was that triggered simply by giving
Speaker:birth. It's something looking back and having talked to
Speaker:a therapist. It's something I had my entire life,
Speaker:Okay. it was far worse when I had a baby.
Speaker:But I was I was a student in school who, if I knew the answer,
Speaker:of raising my hand, I would start sweating, my heart would start
Speaker:racing. And so I just wouldn't raise my hand. And so
Speaker:like, I've always had anxiety. No one knew it though.
Speaker:Psychiatrists, um, that I have now, you know, has given me medication for it,
Speaker:which I'm, I'm fully, you know, accepting a saying. And I
Speaker:joked with him and I said, Now, if I had had this about 20 years
Speaker:ago, I could have gone to Harvard. I'd probably be a CEO of some
Speaker:major company. I was joking with him, obviously, but I was just thinking
Speaker:this has been so transformative for me as an adult. I could only
Speaker:imagine how transforming my life would have been in my more
Speaker:formative years. Had I had that support then.
Speaker:That is so interesting. When you mentioned, you know, not wanting to raise
Speaker:your hand as a child. Like I definitely experienced that too. Even
Speaker:making phone calls when I was like in my younger adulthood,
Speaker:I would like have to pump myself up to just make a simple
Speaker:phone call to somebody. And I never thought that it was like anxiety or I
Speaker:never thought anything of it. I just thought, Oh, this is my personality. This is
Speaker:how I am. But now hearing you share your story, it's like, Oh,
Speaker:maybe that was something else. Maybe. Maybe I should talk to
Speaker:somebody about that. So that's why I love people to share
Speaker:their stories and I really dig deeper into like common language that we
Speaker:always say, but we never really unpack. Like, what does anxiety really look
Speaker:like? So thank you so much for sharing that. Um,
Speaker:now what was it? Okay. You went through the therapy. What was
Speaker:it going on in your home that you realized it wasn't conducive for your
Speaker:anxiety? Like, how did that. Part unpick. So
Speaker:in my, um, the home we were living in was our first home that my
Speaker:husband and I bought, you know, ever. And so when I was decorating it, I
Speaker:was just like, okay, I need a picture here. And I wasn't too
Speaker:focused on, you know, it needs to be a picture of this to reflect Jenna
Speaker:and Jenna's interest. That wasn't going through my mind at all. I was just
Speaker:thinking, I need a picture that contains this color. That's this size. And it needs
Speaker:to go right here on the wall. So when I was doing the five, four,
Speaker:three, two, one method, the way it works is. I may mess this up a
Speaker:little bit, but you have to name five things you can see, four things you
Speaker:can feel, three things you can
Speaker:see, two things you can hear,
Speaker:and one thing you can taste. And so when I was sitting,
Speaker:I would do it in my living room because that was the room that You
Speaker:know, made me come to life in hindsight. It was the
Speaker:room that had the most natural light. Therefore it supported my anxiety. And again, these
Speaker:are all things I didn't know at the time, but I love that room and
Speaker:gravitated to is that's always where I did the five, four, three, two, one method,
Speaker:and I would do five and I'm like, okay, five. And then when it got
Speaker:to like four, five things you can touch, I didn't have a lot
Speaker:of different textures in my living room. I had maybe like.
Speaker:Three. And again, because I wasn't going for texture, I was going for
Speaker:a look. I was like, it's our first house. Let's fill this, let's fill it
Speaker:up. It doesn't matter how. And then when it got to things like
Speaker:scent and even hearing, I'm like, this doesn't reflect
Speaker:me. Jenna likes natural light. So I want to be able to see the
Speaker:outside in a room that I'm in. I also love, love, love
Speaker:music. Nineties R& B. Like that's it for me. So, you
Speaker:know, I didn't have a speaker in that room. I didn't have
Speaker:anything in that room going on to kind of help ground me when I was
Speaker:going through that. And so every time I did things I could hear, I'm like,
Speaker:I hear a lawnmower, but there's nothing grounding about a
Speaker:lawnmower or soothing about that. You know, if I wanted to change my
Speaker:environment to reflect Jenna, reflect what uplifts
Speaker:me, what inspires me, and also what grounds me when I am having those moments
Speaker:of anxiety, doubt, imposter syndrome, and so on.
Speaker:This is so intriguing like as you're talking I'm thinking about how
Speaker:For me to feel, I don't want to say safe, but for me to feel
Speaker:like I can be productive in my work, like my space has to be a
Speaker:certain way. Like it has to be clean. I need to have a candlelit, all
Speaker:these things. Right. So a lot of our audience are moms who
Speaker:work from home as well. So can you kind of share
Speaker:just some tips related to how they can create that
Speaker:environment that's, you know, reflective of them, all the things you were just
Speaker:saying, like it helps to ground them and helps them just to be more
Speaker:productive as well. For sure. So I think you have to just
Speaker:like you said, determine what factors will keep you inspired and
Speaker:focused when you are working for me. I need natural light.
Speaker:You cannot put me in a windowless room and think I'm going to get anything
Speaker:done. So that's the first thing. Determine what those
Speaker:factors are. But then, you know, You know, the easiest way to do it is
Speaker:actually through your five senses. So how does it smell?
Speaker:If you struggle with focus, maybe you need sage or cinnamon because
Speaker:they help with focus. Maybe you need that a candle that smells like that in
Speaker:the room. Um, or if you're someone who needs some sort of music
Speaker:playing, when I was in college, I only studied to music.
Speaker:And so when I started working, I'm like, clearly I have to work to
Speaker:music, but maybe you're somebody who like, I can't focus if there's a lot of
Speaker:background noise, like somebody, my neighbor's cutting the grass. I can't get any work done.
Speaker:So that's you. Then you need to get some noise canceling headphones, but you have
Speaker:to think about your five senses and then create that environment
Speaker:where you work. And I think sometimes, you know, We
Speaker:don't always look at home or our offices or even our offices at
Speaker:home as sensory experiences, but that's essentially
Speaker:what they have to be. And they have to be tailored to what it is
Speaker:that makes us feel good about ourselves. And so when you think about
Speaker:decorating and designing as a sensory experience, that's
Speaker:only going to elevate and positively impact your
Speaker:productivity. That's so
Speaker:good I am interested to know, like if
Speaker:you have any tips as far as how moms
Speaker:can they're doing the sensory thing, you know, making it
Speaker:conducive for themselves. How can they bring
Speaker:their style into their, their environment, but
Speaker:also making it, you know, like childproof conducive for a family,
Speaker:right? Because those two things, sometimes it can be hard to match them.
Speaker:So do you have any tips for that? Yeah. So the first thing I
Speaker:always tell my clients. Is your furniture will
Speaker:be as good to you as you are to your furniture. So if
Speaker:you have a house where I know some people who, you know, they let their
Speaker:family eat on the couch, more power to them. But if that's the
Speaker:case, that white couch, that is your style.
Speaker:You gotta let it go. It's not gonna, it's not gonna fit in that living
Speaker:room because your family is allowed to eat. And there's no white couch that will
Speaker:sustain a family that eats on it regularly. So we have to
Speaker:be realistic about. Our lifestyles and
Speaker:the behaviors that are within our homes. And so
Speaker:if you, if you have a style, that's not conducive to the behaviors of your
Speaker:family and your kids, then you have to compromise a little bit.
Speaker:The second thing is there's literally nothing wrong. And whoever tells you there's something wrong
Speaker:with it is wrong. There is nothing wrong with combining high
Speaker:end pieces with budget friendly furniture. I do it all the time in
Speaker:my house and clients homes. And I have two toddlers.
Speaker:So I always tell clients and myself that when you are combining high
Speaker:end and budget friendly, the thing you want to do is invest in your bigger
Speaker:pieces and then go budget friendly for your smaller pieces. So
Speaker:think about a dining room table or dining room, for example. So you want to
Speaker:invest in the dining room table because one, they're expensive. You don't want to keep
Speaker:buying a new one, you know, every couple of years, but then go budget
Speaker:friendly on the chairs. And I say that because those chairs with kids
Speaker:are going to see the most Accidents are going to see spills, maybe some
Speaker:footprints here and there. Um, and then you go affordable
Speaker:with the area rug, for example, under the table. Cause that's also, you know, high
Speaker:traffic, but then you go high end on that chandelier that's above
Speaker:the dining room table. Cause that's again, an item you're not going to swap in
Speaker:and out every couple of years. And don't be afraid of dupes. Dupes
Speaker:are phenomenal. And what a dupe is basically is a
Speaker:cheaper version that, you know, looks a little bit different from
Speaker:a more expensive item. There was a marble bistro table I
Speaker:wanted so bad from CB2. It wasn't in the budget, and it
Speaker:also wasn't conducive to a family with two toddlers, so I opted
Speaker:for a dupe. From Amazon that was like not even a quarter of the
Speaker:price and it's been holding up perfectly and serving his purpose. So
Speaker:don't be afraid of dupes. Another thing I want to say is be mindful, not
Speaker:just of the durability of the items you buy. Like, yes, they have to be
Speaker:durable with kids, but you also have to consider how it's cleaned. And I think
Speaker:that's something a lot of people overlook. You have to read the cleaning
Speaker:instructions before you invest. So some furniture will say like spot clean
Speaker:only, and some will say professional cleaning only. If you have
Speaker:kids, you don't want either one of those options. You have to go for something
Speaker:that you can, you yourself easily clean with gentle
Speaker:soap and water, even a cleaning solution that is specifically made for that
Speaker:fabric. And then lastly, there are other ways to
Speaker:incorporate your style beyond furniture, like have fun with
Speaker:the features of your home and also with the decor. So when I'm speaking about
Speaker:features, I'm thinking of wall molding, I'm thinking of wallpaper.
Speaker:Then when it comes to the decor, you've got curtains, you can have fun with,
Speaker:throw pillows, wall art. There are so many ways to include your
Speaker:style that will work in a home that has kids, and I don't want
Speaker:anyone to overlook that. So your style can certainly come
Speaker:to life in a home with a boring couch. Because you have kids
Speaker:by way of your decor and even the features of your home. Oh,
Speaker:my goodness. Those were some great, great tips getting me so
Speaker:excited over here. So as you're talking, like, if you guys are listening, you
Speaker:can tell you're an expert at what you do. Right? So I'm
Speaker:interested to hear more about your journey. Like, how did you kind of
Speaker:stumble into interior design? Were you
Speaker:introduced to it somehow when you were younger? Did you know somebody? Did you
Speaker:go to school for it? Like, how did that unravel? Yes. So I am
Speaker:one of those people who was self taught. Um, if you look at like
Speaker:Shay McGee or Joanna Gaines, I'm a part of that tribe. We are all
Speaker:self taught. So I fell into it when I was little, my mom always
Speaker:jokes that we would go to someone's house and it was well decorated. I would
Speaker:come back to our house and then start rearranging things. So I guess it kind
Speaker:of started there, but I was always drawn to creativity and
Speaker:art and, When I was in school, those were my electives. And so as I
Speaker:got older, it wasn't until my husband and I bought our
Speaker:first house. That I started to really, you know, there was
Speaker:space and opportunity for me to make it come to life. And I was like,
Speaker:Oh, I like this. This is fun. So I started a blog and then that
Speaker:led, and I started posting on social media that led to friends asking me to
Speaker:help them with their homes, which led to becoming
Speaker:clients to me, but I was in corporate America doing marketing at the
Speaker:time. And so I was like, I can't, you know, it's just not realistic to
Speaker:do both. I was a newlywed. I was like, I want to, you know, have
Speaker:fun too. And so finally, uh, after my daughter was born, when I was
Speaker:going through that postpartum anxiety was my husband who said to me, you
Speaker:should quit and pursue design full time because you're really good at it. Just
Speaker:naturally and quitting and allowing me to do it full time also
Speaker:created space and opportunity for me to. Teach myself even more
Speaker:because I had more time and flexibility to do so. So no, I didn't go
Speaker:to school for it. I was just always drawn to creativity and art
Speaker:and according to my parents, decorating and
Speaker:doing it in my home caught the attention of others. So I got to start
Speaker:doing it in their home. I love that. I always
Speaker:love hearing people's story because it's never what you think it's going to be right.
Speaker:never is. And it's just so interesting to hear how people kind of got to
Speaker:where they are today. It's always like a combination of these
Speaker:experiences and and now they're here, but it's never like a
Speaker:linear path, right? Agree. so wow.
Speaker:So you started your business recently. You just are naturally gifted
Speaker:in it. And so your first child, you said was born
Speaker:during the pandemic. So how
Speaker:are you managing the intersection of motherhood and
Speaker:entrepreneurship? Because I feel like that all kind of happens around the same
Speaker:time. So how have you been able to manage that? What are the things that
Speaker:help you in that intersection? I do, before
Speaker:I answer this one, just say. Although it may look
Speaker:easy from the outside, looking in from the inside, it's,
Speaker:it's extremely hard and I wouldn't even say I'm
Speaker:managing. And I would say I'm juggling it as best I can. So the
Speaker:way I'm doing that is one discipline. So I have a routine during the week
Speaker:that I try to follow as much as possible. And that's, that's for home,
Speaker:but also for business. And I try to treat my business the way I
Speaker:treat it, my nine to five. So when I worked in corporate, I No matter
Speaker:what kind of night I had, if I tossed and turned and got two hours
Speaker:of sleep or eight hours. Better believe I was at my desk at 9
Speaker:a. m. And so I like to give my business the same treatment and the
Speaker:same respect. Now, if I had to step away and take a nap during the
Speaker:day, that's my business, but I do my
Speaker:best to maintain discipline with my work, my
Speaker:job, and also with my, my family. And I say
Speaker:discipline because discipline trumps motivation every single time.
Speaker:Second, I would say flexibility. So I'm really strict about what my goals
Speaker:are, but I'm very flexible about my methods and the way that I
Speaker:achieve them. And so as a mom, you know, I have to be. I got
Speaker:a call a couple weeks ago from my daughter's school that the power went out
Speaker:because of a storm. And so You know, of course that impacted my day,
Speaker:but motherhood has truly taught me the importance of adaptability. And so I had to
Speaker:be adaptable that day. And in most cases, just about every week,
Speaker:but adaptability is, is good because it has,
Speaker:it's an essential part of running a business. You
Speaker:have to be flexible and adaptable because things are changing. I mean,
Speaker:AI, look at AI. You have to adapt and learn how to use it or
Speaker:else it's going to be running. Your business, you know, how do you make it
Speaker:work with your business? Social media is always changing. So there has to be an
Speaker:adaptability at work and at home as a mom,
Speaker:who's also an entrepreneur and then, um, do not
Speaker:disturb. So I'm an iPhone user. If anyone listening
Speaker:also is too, you probably use it, but do not disturb. I have fallen in
Speaker:love with that feature. And so when I'm in deep focus mode
Speaker:at work or when I'm tending to, you know, my house, I
Speaker:limit everyone's access to me. by selecting do not
Speaker:disturb. And I do this because I discovered that a
Speaker:major part or major cause of my overwhelm was
Speaker:trying to do too much at once multitasking. I would be
Speaker:changing my daughter's diaper while reading a text message. And so finally I was
Speaker:like, girl, what are you doing? This isn't life or death. The text message
Speaker:can wait. And so I couldn't lend my
Speaker:focus to just one area. I was trying to lend it to
Speaker:multiple at once. And that just turned me into, you know, big ball of stress.
Speaker:So my whole life is on my phone, which
Speaker:is why my phone is what gets that do not disturb.
Speaker:arrangement because I need life beyond
Speaker:what's in front of me to pause so I can focus on what I need
Speaker:to get done. So I shut off notifications, the calls, the likes, the email
Speaker:popups, everything pauses so I can focus and steady my
Speaker:pace. And the last thing is I minimize distractions
Speaker:when I'm with my kids, our time,
Speaker:even with my husband too, like our time is our time. And so when I
Speaker:started my business, Not happy to say this, but I'm sure many moms can
Speaker:relate. I would be the mom who would be replying to an email while my
Speaker:toddler's saying, Mommy, Mommy, watch me or watch this. And after a
Speaker:while, it was just like, you know what? She doesn't deserve this. So now
Speaker:my time with my kids is, is important and
Speaker:it's our time and everything else can wait unless it's urgent. But if it is
Speaker:urgent, I'm, I'm that mom who is not afraid to
Speaker:communicate with my kids and say, Hey guys, listen, mommy has to do
Speaker:something for work for five minutes. Can you, can you give mommy five minutes? And
Speaker:they'll say, okay. I do that though, because there's a couple, a
Speaker:couple of reasons. One, I want them to know that mommy does work and is
Speaker:chasing her dreams, which I hope one day empowers them to do the same.
Speaker:Two multitasking just isn't ideal. You just heard me talk about
Speaker:what, what it did to me. Right. And I want them to know it's
Speaker:okay to put something down in order to pick something else up. You
Speaker:don't have to hold both at the same time. Three, I don't
Speaker:want them to be strangers to work. Because it is something that all of
Speaker:us must do at some point in our lives. And I don't want to shut
Speaker:them off from the concept of work, no matter how young they are.
Speaker:And then four, I want them to know that mommy's life can be
Speaker:inclusive of work and family. But it requires mommy
Speaker:juggling. It requires mommy pausing work for, you know, an hour to play with the
Speaker:kids or Paul causes mommy to tell the kids let's pause for five minutes. So
Speaker:I can tend to work. I want them to witness mommy
Speaker:juggling. So they grow to understand that as they get older,
Speaker:because as women, that's kind of what's required of us,
Speaker:according to society, that's kind of the box that society puts us in.
Speaker:And so they're going to be a product of that too. And so, but I
Speaker:feel like. You know, achieving all of that starts with being
Speaker:open with them about work so they can understand what it is and why
Speaker:it's important. That was so Very
Speaker:sorry. Well,
Speaker:so I hope you guys were taking notes. I think a lot of what you
Speaker:said, though, was really relatable. Um, and you're speaking a lot
Speaker:to what we talk about here on the podcast often, you know, just having
Speaker:your priorities and having those boundaries, not just
Speaker:boundaries for like the family, but boundaries for the business. So you can be
Speaker:fully present with your Children in the moment. Okay. Um, but then
Speaker:also that communication piece. I like that you included that, like, okay,
Speaker:if there is something that you do need to address with the business, just communicating
Speaker:with your children or your family, that that's what it is. So
Speaker:that they are, you know, that they understand what work is because like you
Speaker:mentioned, they are going to have to, um, at some point be in that
Speaker:same, space. So I, I love, I love, I love that mini
Speaker:masterclass you just gave us. Um,
Speaker:That was really good. So you mentioned how motherhood,
Speaker:uh, let me see, what did you say? It helped you to be more
Speaker:adaptable. And so I know motherhood
Speaker:kind of teaches you a lot of different things, how to be adaptable, how to
Speaker:be flexible. I did an episode about how it helped me be a better business
Speaker:owner. So for you, how did motherhood though, how
Speaker:did it prepare you for managing a team?
Speaker:yes, because before starting this business, I had never managed a team.
Speaker:So I, just like I was new to motherhood in 2020, I was new to
Speaker:managing a team in 2021. But I would say there's three ways for
Speaker:this one. So one, all of us receive information differently.
Speaker:I can't instruct both of my kids the same way. And
Speaker:that's also the case when you manage a team, some have a bevy of questions
Speaker:when you share instructions and others may need time to
Speaker:process and then come back to you with questions. And then you may have someone
Speaker:who just gets it right away, but sharing information or
Speaker:instructions. In one way doesn't mean that everyone
Speaker:understood it the same way. And so just like, you know, your kids will,
Speaker:you have to get to know each member of your team so you know how
Speaker:to effectively lead them. And this requires patience with the
Speaker:process of leading because you won't know How every team member
Speaker:receives information from day one. It takes time. Your kids are
Speaker:born. You don't, you know them, you know, when they're born, but like
Speaker:over time, you're going to get to know their personalities and their ticks and all
Speaker:that. It's the same thing with a team member. You have to take time and
Speaker:be patient with the process of getting to know them. The second thing is
Speaker:perspective is in the eye of the viewer. You can put 10
Speaker:people in front of one piece of art. Okay. All 10 are not going to
Speaker:have the same perspective of that piece of art, and that's okay, right? I
Speaker:think those differences in perspective are where true influence
Speaker:and innovation lie. But as a leader, and as a mom, I feel
Speaker:like it's important to pause and understand what my kids
Speaker:and my team see. I may show both of my
Speaker:kids a really tall slide. My oldest daughter may be like, this looks like
Speaker:fun because she's a little daredevil. While my youngest daughter, who's a little more cautious,
Speaker:she may see it and think, oh my gosh, this looks terrifying. And both
Speaker:perspectives are right. Because they're theirs.
Speaker:So you have to practice as a leader, just like you do as a mom,
Speaker:active listening to hear what your team members are seeing.
Speaker:And then you have to understand why, why are you seeing it that way? How
Speaker:have your past experiences led you to this perspective? So I
Speaker:think that's also important. And then third,
Speaker:affirmations are essential. As a mom, my
Speaker:kids faces light up when I affirm them. If I'm like, Oh, you
Speaker:look beautiful. Or I love your hair or your dress is so nice. Or simply,
Speaker:I love you. They truly value knowing I see them. And as
Speaker:a leader, it's the same thing. We have to have empathy towards our team members.
Speaker:You know, all of us know what it was like. the
Speaker:leader. We all started there right in our careers. And so we
Speaker:have to empathize with their position and understand what's required
Speaker:of us as leaders to make them feel safe, appreciated
Speaker:and value just the same as we do as moms towards our kids.
Speaker:And so to me, You know, empathy is the hallmark of good
Speaker:leadership. And when you operate from a place of empathy and
Speaker:compassion, you'll always have team members who are willing to support
Speaker:you. Just the same as if you operate from that place as a mom, your
Speaker:kids will always, always love you. That was so
Speaker:good, Jenna. Oh my goodness. Empathy is the hallmark of good leadership. I'm not
Speaker:even going to add anything on top of that because you just said it
Speaker:so, just so gracefully and wonderfully. Um, I'm
Speaker:curious though, About your team. Did you
Speaker:start out your business with the team or was there a period where it was
Speaker:just you? And then, well, how long was that period between when it
Speaker:was just you? And when you hired,
Speaker:Um, it was, so I started the business August of 2021,
Speaker:hired my first team member. I think it was April of
Speaker:2022, or maybe it was June. I think it was April. So it was me
Speaker:for how many months? And Eight months. okay. I was by myself for the
Speaker:first eight months. Um, and then, yeah, hired my first team member in
Speaker:April and then a second one. And then, you know, I had to
Speaker:make some adjustments. So both of them are no longer with me. They were full
Speaker:time employees. They are no longer with me. And I added 2 more who were
Speaker:full time contractors. So I prefer that
Speaker:method. I, you know, if you want me to explain why I'm happy to, but,
Speaker:um, I chose the contractor model because that was just a
Speaker:smart decision. Yes. I know. Yes. You can go
Speaker:ahead and expand on that. I know some people are like, Oh, what's the difference?
Speaker:So go ahead. Explain your Yeah. So if you have a
Speaker:full time employee, there are a lot of other responsibilities that come with,
Speaker:with, you know, that such as you have to provide, you know,
Speaker:healthcare. You have to provide, um, unemployment insurance.
Speaker:There are a lot of things that you have to provide to them. And there
Speaker:are also a lot of protections that they receive, which I think is great.
Speaker:But if you're a new business, you may not have the
Speaker:financial means to provide. All of that to them.
Speaker:And then with contractors, you know, the reason I was
Speaker:Indecisive about which way to go in the beginning was because with contractors,
Speaker:it's a little tricky about their schedules. They completely own their
Speaker:schedules. So it's not one of those arrangements where you can tell them what
Speaker:to do. They operate on their own time. And that's by
Speaker:law, whereas an employee. You can kind of dictate
Speaker:their day. We need to have a, you know, a weekly meeting at 12 every
Speaker:Wednesday and a meeting on, on Thursdays it's at four.
Speaker:So I, I gravitated to that at first, but now that I've done the
Speaker:contractor model, you know, I'm kind of void of any
Speaker:major responsibilities like the health insurance and unemployment insurance.
Speaker:Um, and then also taxes. They pay their own
Speaker:taxes. I don't have to do anything with their taxes. If they were
Speaker:employees, that's a totally different story. So it's just a simpler
Speaker:model. It's easier to manage, and when it comes down
Speaker:to the, the paperwork and the backend operations of it all con, the
Speaker:contractor model is a lot easier, especially in the beginning of your
Speaker:career as a business. Yes, there definitely
Speaker:are major differences. And so if you are in that space where you're thinking about,
Speaker:you know, hiring definitely consult with a
Speaker:professional to kind of give you all of the pros and cons
Speaker:and what would make sense for you and your business. So I'm glad we were
Speaker:able just to touch on that a little bit lightly. Um, but this has been
Speaker:so good. Oh my goodness. This conversation literally could go on forever,
Speaker:but. Um, let people
Speaker:know just how they can connect with you. Where are you? Are you on
Speaker:social? And just what does it look like to work with you?
Speaker:Yeah. So where I am, I'm everywhere. Just like, you know, Felicia said at the
Speaker:beginning threads. Um, but of course, because I'm on threads, that means I'm on
Speaker:Instagram. Jenna DeMauro. I'm also on YouTube as
Speaker:Jenna DeMauro. Everything is Jenna DeMauro. If you're looking for me, Pinterest,
Speaker:TikTok, it's all Jenna DeMauro. And then my business is
Speaker:Morrow Design Studios. Like you said, at the beginning, my website is morrowdesignstudios.
Speaker:com. And what it's like to work with me, I always say, and you'll find
Speaker:this on my website, you embark on a journey of discovery. And that's what it's
Speaker:like working with me because I will, you know, want to hear your life story.
Speaker:I want to hear about your past, your values. And I want to use that
Speaker:to inspire the way we decorate and design your space. And
Speaker:it's, you know, I'm very, I love the fact that we do it in a
Speaker:way that you wouldn't expect. And I think that's what makes us unique. The
Speaker:other thing, because I do have multiple sclerosis, when you do work with me, you
Speaker:support the MS society because a percentage of every project is
Speaker:donated to the MS society in hopes of finding a cure.
Speaker:So I think working with us is fun. I think
Speaker:it's impactful. I think it's, you know, it's just
Speaker:one big journey of discovery. And I think in the end people
Speaker:learn to value and appreciate their homes even more because it truly reflects who
Speaker:they are. So, so good. So
Speaker:guys, we will put all of Jenna's info in the show description so you
Speaker:can click all the links, get connected, um, set up a
Speaker:consultation. If you're just interested in working with Jenna or finding
Speaker:out more about how she may be able to help you with your
Speaker:interior design. This has been an amazing episode. Thank you guys
Speaker:for tuning in. Thank you, Jennifer, coming on, and we'll see you in the
Speaker:next episode. Thank you for listening to the Mom CEO Suite
Speaker:Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, can you do us a favor?
Speaker:Leave a review on iTunes and share with other moms in business
Speaker:like you. Help us spread our message and empower others who are
Speaker:at this intersection of motherhood and entrepreneurship.
