We recently connected with Kimberly Mead and have shared our conversation below.

Kimberly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

60 hours of labor. 1 emergency c-section. 4-nights in the NICU. Meeting my first-born for the first time on FaceTime.

This is a summary of how my motherhood journey began. Like many moms, I struggled mentally, physically, and spiritually after the birth of my baby. However, what I didn’t know was that while most moms are told their postpartum recovery windows will last 6-8 weeks after birth, mine would end up lasting almost two full years.

Between postpartum anxiety and depression, 18 months of intense physical pain, and a total loss of identity – I spent most of my days looking in the mirror and seeing someone I no longer recognized.

Thoughts of ending my life sent me into the chair at a counselor’s office. This was the beginning of a new story.

It was springtime. My son was almost 1 and I needed sunlight.

We began walking to our neighborhood park every morning after breakfast. After a few weeks of this, I began recognizing and having small conversations with the same three women; all mothers of young children.

Outside of giving credit to God, I can’t explain the healing that took place as weeks turned into months, then into years with these same three moms. The community and relationships I accidentally built with these kind individuals brought clarity, peace, and new perspectives.

Leaving the isolation I had found myself in, and instead pursuing time with other people, gave me a sense of control over my thoughts. As trust was built, I would share my struggles with my new friends and they would share theirs.

Hearing my voice explain to my friends the thoughts I was having internally, set something straight in me. The heaviness in my chest lightened. The darkness in my head began to clear. I wasn’t just a mom who was in pain. Now, I was also a friend who could laugh and talk about things other than my struggles.

Community brought healing.

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Before I was a mom, I was a wedding photographer for 5 years. In the midst of my postpartum pain, I sold all of my camera equipment and “quit” my wedding photography business. I was burned out and confused about my purpose.

Just a few months after my first walk to our park, my husband brought home a camera from his workplace so I could continuing creating for the sake of creating.

I decided I would use my camera to bring beauty and celebrate motherhood. I started taking photos of moms and used social media as an avenue to share their stories. (Think “Humans of New York.” This was “Moms of Oklahoma City.”)

As interest grew, so did my dreams. That winter, I hosted my first “Mama Mixer” event where I sold mini photo sessions for moms and used the space to also host and invite even more moms to mingle, meet, and hopefully build community – just like I had.

These events began small, but 10 months after my first event, I hosted a “Mama Mixer & Market” event where over 1,000 people attended!

I decided to shift my focus from photos to event planning and community building. Today, the 405 Moms Club’s mission is to build community for all moms of Oklahoma City through events and gatherings.

As I so painfully learned, we aren’t meant to do motherhood alone.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am wedding photographer turned community builder and event planner! Before I became a mother, I was a wedding photographer for almost 5 years! I loved the industry, but after trying to continue my business in the midst of my dark, postpartum journey – I sold all of my camera equipment and quit.

As part of my “healing” process, I found myself missing my camera and my husband brought home a small camera from his workplace so I could begin creating again, for the sake of creating. I never set out to start a new business.

When I stopped thinking about what I could gain from my photography, and instead shifted my focus on how I could celebrate and champion the moms I was taking photos of, everything changed.

My old mindset about business was one of scarcity and seeking to control as much as possible. After I lost so much control of my life, I figured looking at things from a different angle couldn’t hurt.

Abundance. This is where the magic happens in business.

Soon I realized, getting to make space to share the words of others on my page, actually attracted more eyes than my words ever could on their own.

Soon I realized, partnering with other small businesses in my community wouldn’t keep me from making sales, they would actually bring in more people to the events I was hosting. Ultimately, leading to more sales, connections, and opportunities.

Soon I realized, pivoting from photography to event planning was the best use of my time and resources. Instead of wasting time wondering if I was making the right “calculated business move,” I decided to take a risk and just go where the momentum was flowing.

While some may think niching my business down to only moms in Oklahoma City limits the number of customers I serve, I would argue the opposite. By niching down to the moms in my local community, I have seen more growth in one year of business, than I saw in the 5 years combined in my old wedding photography business.

Today, it is my biggest joy to meet and host events for so many moms in our community! Not only does my business provide a safe space for moms to meet and connect, but we also get to partner with local non-profits in the community and share their resources with our community as well!

Giving and receiving freely has allowed business to be fun, but also profitable.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Stewarding and protecting the time of my clientele. I want everything they see, read, or consume from me to be inspiring, to the point, and beneficial.

Everyone’s time is so precious. But talk to a mama with children or babies, and the word “precious” takes on a new meaning.

It is so important to steward the time of our readers, listeners, and followers. Especially in this age of digital overload. I believe successful businesses are no longer the ones who are sending 10 emails a week, posting 10 times a day, or promoting 10 different things at once.

Instead, the successful businesses are the ones who are treating their clientele’s time as valuable as their own.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I referenced earlier about how my business started out as a photography business that specialized in capturing moms in their current motherhood season.

While this was incredibly fulfilling and profitable, I began noticing the momentum shift after my first photo mini session / Mama Mixer event.

Moms started asking for more gatherings and opportunities to meet other mom friends. This ask was in direct alignment with my mission for combating isolation by building community.

So after only one year of Mama’s Moments Co. photography, I pivoted and started my new business, the 405 Moms Club, which focuses on building community for all of moms of Oklahoma City through gatherings and events.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/405momsclub
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/405momsclub
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@405MomsClub

Image Credits

Kyle Hood of Alongside Creative