We recently connected with STEPHANIE THORMAN and have shared our conversation below.

Hi STEPHANIE, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

About 8 summers ago, I made up a party to throw for me and my mom friends. I told everyone that spouses and kids were not welcome….Moms only! I warmed up the pool, hired a bartender and caterer, made us all matching shirts and hats, and I called it, Moms Day Off. It ended up truly being the most remarkably fun day ever. At the time, I had very young kids and was constantly at their beck and call. I could never have a full conversation with anyone, never was really able to sit down for a meal, and really missed being with my friends for uninterrupted hours. So I made up this day and the outcome was the best. We were able to speak in full sentences, laugh, have fun, and just be us…the people we were before kids. Moms Day Off was a tradition after that, we would look forward to it with each passing year. About 5 years in, I realized that this “silly party” was absolutely something that every mom needed to experience. So I created Moms Day Off, the business. The launch of my Moms Day Off did not go as planned with the pandemic literally having just started so I pivoted my way into product and events for local moms. Currently, I have hosted more than 20 events all over southern California and have a National holiday, National Moms Day Off is officially on September 12th. This year I am partnering with Pacific City, in Huntington Beach on September 10th for a full day of celebration. We are having local mom-owned vendors present, photo-ops, free beverages, giveaways, discounts in store, entertainment, and more! I am also currently working on creating packages for moms to host their own in-home moms day off events, so they can create their own annual tradition. The goal is to reach moms across the nation and really allow them the space to rediscover the people they are aside from being a mom. We love celebrating moms and really desire for them to feel valued and loved.

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 have been in event planning for over 20 years. I have worked corporate events internationally, planned weddings and small intimate gatherings, and even planned events for a large university. My knowledge is vast in this industry. When I had my first child 13 years ago, I decided to stay home with her and raise her. I since had my son, (11 now )and ended up being a stay at home mom for most of their lives. While I loved being home with them, my heart ached to do more and have something of my own. Being able to show women that it’s ok to want more, and that you still are a full person outside of being a mom is really what I want. I am absolutely most proud of the fact that with each event, I partner with local non-profit organizations and I am able to send moms that are going through challenging times, whether it be a loss of a child, illness, or just trauma. I love that I can bless these women with a day just for them. I really would love to eventually make Moms Day Off a National event brand. Aside from mothers day, moms don’t get much recognition. I would love for moms to be celebrated often.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I began Moms Day Off to be an in-home party package service. So, women could throw their own Moms Day Off with their friends at their homes. I had been working on MDO for a year before I was ready to launch. I wrote down a launch date and committed to it. A week before my launch date, the world shut down for COVID. I went through with launching, thinking this thing was only going to last two weeks. Needless to say, I had to pivot and figure something else out as we had 2 years of people not getting together to have parties. I began selling merchandise. E-commerce was an easy transition as I had a lot of stuff already created. However, it was through this process that I learned it was not my passion. I love events! I love bringing people together and celebrating them in a beautiful and creative way. As the world began to reopen I started to do community events and learned how much I love those and will continue to do them. I am currently also working on re-launching in home packages for moms to host their own moms day offs in home. This will be done in more of a virtual way, so moms can plan with ease and learn some tips and tricks on making their event successful and memorable.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

INTEGRITY. It applies to everything I do. I refuse to do and be anything that is not with the upmost integrity. Whether it be my product, my events, the person I am, and how I run my business. Moms Day Off is about celebrating moms and honoring them for where they are in life. My desire is to have them walk away from an event and feel really loved and seen. I really believe in serving women. I also have a profound desire to give back. With each event I send women for free who are dealing with some sort of trauma whether it be a sick child or difficult season…being able to bless women with a day that celebrates them is really special.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.momsdayoff.com/
• Instagram: instagram.com/moms_day_off
• Youtube: @moms_day_off