The Brand.

My pregnancy wasn’t the best pregnancy for various reasons but that is another blog for another day. I then had Hendrix and for those that don’t know, I got Post Natal Depression and anxiety. My PND and anxiety over the past 2 years has (quite naturally) held me back from doing so much. When Hendrix was about 9 months old I had this idea to do something to help support my tummy. The idea stemmed from a situation I found myself in 6 months prior.

I had started back to playing basketball when Hendrix was 3 months old. I needed to be on court for my sanity. My whole life before being a momma was basketball and I wanted to prove (to myself more than anything) that being a mother now wasn’t going to stop me from doing what I know. That I would still be able to compete at a high level. That I wouldn’t completely lose my own identity as a person and as a woman because being a mother now took priority. In hindsight it was new found insecurities from being in this unknown territory of motherhood that was driving me to be back so soon. However it was also an escape. I loved that my baba was on the sideline watching, the mother in me now couldn’t be too far away from him. Stepping within the black lines of the court though allowed me to not have to worry about his nappy or his cry for 40 minutes. I could just focus on me, the team, the ball, my first love. Playing so soon after my c-section naturally my belly was the area I was the most conscious of. So I invested in some high waisted leggings but they just didn’t seem strong enough. I then went on to research different types of belts but none of what I found I felt fit for what I was looking for. In fact none of anything was what I was looking for. There were companies that did Mommy stuff, but most of it was for DURING your pregnancy. Also, they spoke of pregnancy and becoming a mother in such a hairy fairy, rainbows and unicorns manner. Don’t get me wrong, i am not anti-pregnancy or anti-motherhood. I LOVE that I’ve had a baby and I plan to have more in the future but pregnancy is not a rainbow. Being a mother is HARD WORK and there Is nothing wrong in admitting that. There are a lot of scenarios and real truths that a lot of companies are just afraid to speak on. I mean, no one told me that I was never going to be able to go to the toilet alone anymore. I however was not afraid to speak up. If people judged me because a mom-bun was my new favourite hair style, or because I thought being the size of an elephant (because trust me I was that big when pregnant) was not my idea of fun; then so be it. So I started being a bit more transparent on social media about my life. Talking about what motherhood was bringing to my life daily, posting more pictures of me and my ‘new’ body online. One of them went ‘viral (viral for me at least). 22,000+ likes, even a few celebs like Kelly Rowland. At this point I realised there must have been at least 22,000 people out there that either appreciated the real side I was showing or even better; they related to it.

This prompted me to start a blog. It started off as everything about being a mom. However it naturally became everything about being a WOMAN. This was
because I was still a woman, I was still discovering new things about myself as a woman as well as a new momma. I guess you guys liked it because you all started letting me know. I started having loads of really good conversations with women relating to me and my story. Messages about how my transparency had helped them in some kind of way. Not just Mother’s though. Women from all backgrounds going through all types of things found relatable parts to what was being said. What they didn’t know was, in them telling me I had helped them, they had helped me. I wasn’t alone in this discovery thing. I wasn’t the only person having the fears I had. I wasn’t the only woman achieving the great things I was. It was such an uplifting feeling realising there was a whole community of people right under my nose going through similar things that i was too. The confidence gained from my interactions lead me to doing Live chats on my Instagram. Me and my fellow women just bouncing off each other. You’d be surprised how entertaining a conversation that started off as ‘So today I couldn’t hold my pee in’ can be lol.

Then I started getting back to working out. All my life I had been an athlete, yes. On the basketball court was second nature to me. Lifting weights came along with that and I used to LOVE it. Especially putting the extra KG’s on the bar that would have men think ‘no way is she gonna do that.’ However, becoming a mom, my body looked and felt different. Things weren’t as tight as before, even my joints were now softer. This mixed in with a dash, a huge dash, a few cups full of anxiety to be accurate, stopped me from going back to the gym. Now though, I was beginning to appreciate my body more but I wasn’t quite ready to go in the gym. So I started in the house. I started talking about home workouts in my blog. People started to ask about what I did. So I started to do Workout party’s every Wednesday night on my insta live. To my surprise loads of women turned up. In the comforts of our home we worked out, we celebrated getting through the workout and we all had a glass of wine as a pat on the back for doing so. (I encourage this lol). Then one workout someone asked me about the belt I had on around the stomach. I replied.
‘it’s a prototype of my sweat belt I would like to launch. Helps me lose water weight, keeps my back supported and gives me a bit of confidence knowing my c-section area is protected’
I’m not even sure where that response came from. I had no intention of putting it out there yet, I was merely testing it out for my own benefits.
She replied.
‘OMG I want one!!!’

So I messaged Ryan in January of last year with an idea. A place for women, ALL women. A place where they could go to know they were not alone in this womanhood thing of ours. Once again in stepped my depression and anxiety and it held me back from something I was actually passionate about. I doubted I could do it. I mean who am I really? What credentials did I have to start a whole brand? Who would even care about what I had to say? It’s all good reading something but to actually depart with your hard earned money for something I have created, no way. So the idea stayed dormant.

2019, I have changed my mentality and really worked on my mental health and because of that I decided enough is enough and it was to time make this dream come to life. I wanted to build a brand that was from a woman to a woman but it wasn’t about me, it was about US. A safe place for women of all shapes, sizes, races, and back grounds. Whether you are a mother, entrepreneur, nurse, model or in the army (basically all bad ass women everywhere), you would find something here for you. A place that if you’re feeling alone, had a bad day or just need a bit of uplifting, WE GOT YOU. In the same respect, if you have done something amazing, are taking your first steps towards something great or just want to show off your womanhood, WE GOT YOU.

This is where MUMBOD was born. Why MUMBOD? Well we all either have a mum, have lost a mum, are a mum or want to be a mum. I myself since becoming a mum have learnt so much about myself it’s been life changing. My mind has changed but my body has changed for sure. I now have stretch marks on places I didn’t think you could even get stretch marks and because I had an emergency c section I now have a scar across my belly. Right after Hendrix I struggled with all of these changes, my body especially, before I was an athlete and my body was ripped and strong and now all of a sudden after the baby I felt weak and had all these marks that’s society deemed as ‘unacceptable’. It took me almost 2 years to realise that my body now is the best it’s ever been. My body, the stretch marks, the scar are my trophies and should be worn with pride. That’s why THE BOD is an important part of my brand. I want women to be proud of their bodies, forget what society says. Wear you’re stretch marks, scars, weight, height, hair, makeup, non-makeup with pride. If YOU want to make a change, that is great too. Not because of the change, but because you are actioning YOUR desire to change. MUMBOD is a brand for ALL women. If you are big and curvy and want to stay that way, PERFECT. Let’s celebrate how beautiful you are. If you want to change your body, PERFECT. Let my products and services help you achieve that change. Society says you are too ‘skinny’, we ask ‘are you healthy and happy?’. If you are, then let’s celebrate that. Body confidence can be knocked by all sorts of things. Self love can be de-prioritised. Motivation can be hard sought after. MUMBOD is here to help YOU be the best YOU. Let’s change the stigma of what a ‘MUMBOD’ means. It no longer means frumpy, loose, or ugly, those type of words don’t exist in our world. MUMBOD now means, beautiful, confident, elegant...basically whatever the f**k YOU want it to mean. MUMBOD just the place where it all comes together and we as a community of WOMEN, empower and celebrate just how dope we all are.

So personally from me to you all.

Thank you x