By LIBBO CROSSWHITE
‘The Home and the Hustle’ for Christian working moms
Ask any mother and she’ll tell you that having good mom friends who point you to Christ is crucial. I met Lauren Williams a few years ago when her husband began working at Madison-Ridgeland Academy. What struck me most about her was that she genuinely loved the Lord first, and then everything else about her fell into place. And she lets her kids eat as much food from the concession stand as I let mine, so we had that “Did we just become friends?” moment pretty shortly after realizing we had similar (entertaining) parenting styles.
Lauren and her good friend Laura Johns have begun a journey that I am excited to see take off in 2021: The Home and the Hustle. I asked them a few questions as they’ve begun introducing this movement (including a podcast and blog) to help the many types of working moms, and I hope you enjoy learning about it as much as I did!
◼ How did the idea of The Home and the Hustle come about?
We’re two working mamas who want to encourage other women to enjoy both the home and the hustle. The world often tells us that working moms have to live in the struggle of survival mode, but we believe, with the grace of God, we all have the opportunity to love our work and our families, and to invest in both with joy. There is blessing in the balance.
At lunch over a year ago, I (Lauren) was telling Laura how I couldn’t find any resources (blogs, podcasts, etc.) available for Christian working moms. There were plenty for women who worked and wanted to advance in their careers, and some for Christian moms, but most (of the latter) either seemed to imply, or even directly state, their target audience was stay-at-home moms. There didn’t seem to be any content available for those who were trying to balance doing both well.
So I told her since I couldn’t find anything, then we should probably create something, because surely there were other women out there looking for the same encouragement. At the end of this past summer, Laura moved back to Jackson and had her second child. In the late fall, she called me and said, “Remember that idea? I’m in.”
◼ What can we expect from The Home and the Hustle in the first few months of 2021?
We really have hit the ground running, and we are so excited to be an encouragement to Christian working moms. We’ve already heard from SO many women who have called or messaged just to say thank you! Our website has several blog posts from us and from guest bloggers on various topics. Our next step is to add a recipe section to the website for quick and easy family-friendly recipes that show the actual recipe without requiring you to scroll down to find it!
What we are most excited about is our podcast! You can find us on Apple, Spotify and wherever else people listen to podcasts. Each episode we interview — or mostly just have a living room chat — with a working mom. We learn how she balances the home and the hustle, and what she has found to work (or not work) for her. It’s just such an encouragement to listen and learn from others who are either walking the same road or have walked it before.
We by no means claim to be experts, which is why we love hearing from others so much.
◼ What’s the best piece of motherhood advice you’ve ever been given?
Lauren: Mine really goes for all of life, but it really rang true in motherhood — and it’s that comparison is the thief of joy. Every family dynamic is different, every kid is different, and all circumstances are different. So you really just have to figure out what works best for you and your family. If others do it different, that’s OK! Don’t worry about them, and don’t worry about what they are thinking about you!
Laura: It might sound cliché, but the best advice for me is to accept help. I am one who doesn’t do that well naturally, but it’s important to let others help … especially if they’re offering. You aren’t superwoman, and it truly takes a village, especially when you work.
For more information, visit TheHomeAndTheHustle.com or find The Home and the Hustle on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest @thehomeandthehustle.
Libbo Haskins Crosswhite and her husband, Clay, live in Madison and attend Pinelake. They have one daughter, Mary Thomas, who is 7 years old, and a son, Russell, who is 5 years old. She is the high school guidance counselor at Madison-Ridgeland Academy and can be emailed at lcrosswhite@mrapats.org.
