With Mother’s Day around the corner, I’ve been thinking a lot about the balancing act of being an entrepreneur and a mother during the time of covid. I’ve always said that I have two children, my first being my son Carlos, and my second being Mestiza. The truth is that I live with this internal dichotomy of having two highly opposing forces in my life, both battling each other for my attention, and more often than not, me feeling like I am not giving enough of myself to either. To add to that, there is working from home without childcare, facilitating distance learning to a rambunctious 5 year old, and the logistical challenges of co-parenting with a newly married ex-husband. As all mother’s can attest, it’s a lot of juggling.

The day that we launched mestizanewyorkshop.us was the day I went into labor. It was June 13, 2015. Within 24 hours I was blessed with a 10.1 pound baby and our very first online sale, which was unsurprisingly from Sue Rechter, Louisas mom. Since that fateful day I have gone through a divorce, a successful fundraise, purchased my very first home and found my person. But, despite all these major life moments and everything seemingly falling into place, there are times where I feel completely drained and guilt-ridden for not giving my full attention to of the two most important things in my life.

Alessandra in an early Mestiza Mini, just weeks before her due date