We recently connected with Yolanda Jenkins and have shared our conversation below.

Yolanda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Often the greatest growth and the biggest wins come right after a defeat. Other times the failure serves as a lesson that’s helpful later in your journey. We’d appreciate if you could open up about a time you’ve failed.

When I first pivoted my business from strategic consulting into the momma self-care and wellbeing space I was terrified. I was changing the entire business, but it felt more in line with my heart’s work. I started the shift by planning three events designed to give mommas space to pause and take time for themselves. The first event went well, but I went into the red to hold it. For the second event, I had to pivot from in-person to virtual and I lost half of my event space deposit. The third event sold out, but I didn’t account for all my costs so I made about $30 bucks. On paper, the events were ok. Financially, they were definitely a failure. However, I knew that I needed to look at that failure as data and use it to evaluate. The data told me that I had proof of concept because people showed up, but that I needed to do a better job of promoting and listening to my target audience. Now I’m diving deeper into my target market, what they want, what they need, who else is offering it, and where there are gaps. I’m also discovering my own brand voice and how I want to show up in this self-care and wellbeing space in a way that feels aligned with who I am.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Yolanda Jenkins founder of SLC presents Mommying IRL. Mommying IRL’s purpose is to hold space Black and Brown mommas to center their humanity by prioritizing caring for themselves and their own wellbeing. I say what makes MIRL different is that it lives at the intersection of practicality and woo-woo. There is space for rest, self-connection, connection to other mommas, joy…all the touchy-feely stuff, while being grounded in the actual strategies and tactics mommas need to make space for those things.

MIRL’ goal is to help mommas shift from booked and busy to fulfilled and aligned. There isn’t often enough time for mommas to do all the things, so taking care of themselves gets put on the back burner. This leads to stress, irritability, and burnout. But being a parent isn’t like a job you can quit when you realize you’ve hit a wall. You have to find a way to pour into your own cup while life is still lifin.

I got into this work because I know so many mommas who want to have more time to tend to their own needs. When the pandemic hit my high-functioning anxiety went into overdrive. If you’ve ever suffered from anxiety, you know that it is an MF-er all on its own, so shifting into overdrive was a recipe for disaster. I was so desperately trying to hold it all together until my husband lovingly pointed out that I wasn’t myself and needed to figure out what was going on. As a result, I dove back into therapy and I learned lots of tools on how to take care of myself first. 3 of my top 5 Clifton Strengths lie in strategy and I used that strength to develop the practical skills that allow me to get self-care 4-5 days a week.

I’m most proud of the fact that this work is centered in service. I love Black and Brown women. The challenges we face are unique, pervasive, and systemic. Helping to combat some of those challenges through this work is an honor.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I’ve always loved learning. My parents instilled that value very early in my life. I carry that with me into my business, by investing money and time into continuing education. There are so many ways to get the information that you need for your business whether it’s webinars, training, coaches, books, or good ole YouTube-university. I’m currently enrolled in the Early Entrepreneurs Growth Program with The Women Entrepreneur Leadership Lab (The WELL). I highly encourage business owners to find a group of like-minded entrepreneurs that they can learn from and grow with. Book wise I’ve learned a lot from Rachel Rogers’ We Should All Be Millionaires, Simon Sinek’s Start With Why, and Gay Hendricks’ The Big Leap. These books were pivotal in working on my mindset. Shifting from being an employee to being a business owner absolutely requires that we work on our beliefs and mindset. On my to-read list are books suggested by other The WELL members: The 12-week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington and Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman. I’ve also been working with a business coach Alexis Frank with The Filing Cabinet in order to get personalized support. She’s been instrumental in helping me clarify my business offerings.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I started my business, Sopact Leadership Consulting, in 2021 to provide strategic planning and consulting support for social impact organizations and individuals. Four months in, I started feeling a pull that the work that I was doing wasn’t filling. I loved working with clients, asking them questions, and helping them find answers. As I mentioned before, 3 of my top 5 Clifton Strengths are in strategic thinking. However, when it came time to sit and write out the strategic plan or the standard operating procedure, I didn’t want to do it. It felt draining. Around the same time, I’d begun having conversations with mom friends about how they never had any time for themselves. After thinking about it, I realized that my strategic thinking strengths are what have allowed me to carve out time for myself. I felt so excited about the possibility of serving mommas by using my strengths. I slowly wound down my strategy clients and began shifting into the well-being space. That’s why the business is named SLC presents Mommying IRL.

Through workshops and programming, MIRL provides mommas with tangible strategies for creating time to center themselves without guilt. Through wellbeing sessions and collaborations, MIRL offers meditation and mindfulness classes that allow individuals to engage in self-care and wellness practices. We’re hosting a retreat in March that I’m super excited about. It’s intentionally designed for mommas to rest while connecting with themselves, building their wellbeing toolkit, and connecting with other mommas.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mommyingirl.sopactleadership.com/about_us
• Instagram: @mommying_irl

Image Credits
Headshot by Danyett Tucker