SAL_MOM_FebMar19 - page 13

mommag.com
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Family comes first.
All families are unique. Tell us about
yours.
I’ve been married to my husband, Sam, for
four years and we have two beautiful sons,
Jack and Finn. Finn was born at 27.5 weeks
and was in the NICU for over two months.
This experience has brought all four of us
together in such a big way.
Every family has their own traditions,
rituals or inside jokes. What’s one of
yours?
We have a lot. We actually have a joke that
once we do something one time that it
becomes a tradition.
Tell us about one of your proudest mom
moments.
When we were going through Finn’s stay in
the NICU, Jack was so amazing. He was
resilient, he was kind, considerate and took
the transition like a champ. He has been
such a great big brother to Finn.
Mom always said…You hear your
mother’s voice when you say to your kids
(______).
I used to get bullied a lot when I was a kid
and, when I’d come home from school and
tell my momwhat someone called me, she’d
say“Well, do you think that?”When I said
“No,”she’d say,“See? Don’t give your power
away.”I will always carry that with me and
will tell my kids this some day.
No one works harder
than mom.
We know that being a mom is a full-time
job. Tell us about your work or volunteer-
ism outside of the home.
I co-own Movement Duets with Cara
Turnquist. Movement Duets is a personal
training company dedicated to helping
moms have active pregnancies, successful
postpartum recoveries and helping all
womxn gain strength and confidence on
the inside and out.
What’s the story behind Movement
Duets? How did you get started?
It all started with a friendship and a blog.
One thing that brought us together, besides
love and friendship, was fitness. We thought
of fitness together as a melody of
strength—thus, Movement Duets was born.
Movement Duets started out as a lifestyle
blog. We talked about how we found and
fell in love with our current husbands at the
gym (another Movement Duet of sorts), our
life outlook and challenges and, of course,
fitness.
It wasn’t until we became pregnant around
the same time that we gained an intense
interest in pre- and postnatal training. We
knew through experiences and stories that
there had to be a better way to stay
connected to your body and to get and stay
strong throughout pregnancy and after that
didn’t involve aches, pains and pee pads. So
we got to work. We left the gymwhere we
worked and started our own business. We
educated ourselves. We took certification
courses. We asked questions. We connected
with as many professionals who had
anything to do with birth work and women’s
health as we possibly could. And we’re
continuing to be perpetual students by
learning as much as we can and keeping up
to date with the latest research. We love
what we do and feel so grateful to share our
passion with others every day.
What have you learned professionally
that has helped you as a mom?
Each person is unique and responds to
different ways of coaching. This translates
directly to how I can communicate and
teach my sons.
Tell us about a recent achievement you’re
proud of or a personal passion or talent.
On November 12, 2018, Cara and I officially
opened our very own gym location. All of
the sweat, blood and tears of painting,
prepping, drilling, hammering, picking out
gym equipment and more all came to
fruition, and we are just so darn excited
about it! Plus, I used a power tool for the first
time.
If mom’s not happy,
nobody’s happy.
What’s your superpower?
Patience. I was born with a great amount of
it.
If you could turn any activity into an
Olympic sport, what would you have a
good chance at winning a medal for?
Singing while doing the dishes.
What is the best way that you let off
steam?
Usually with a workout or trashy tv. Or both!
What is something you think everyone
should do at least once in their lives?
Karaoke. Do it. Just once!
They say that everyone has a book in
them. What would your book be about?
I’m not entirely sure, but I think it would
have something to do with my birth
experience with Finn and his NICU stay.
These events have changed my family and
me forever, and I have a lot to say about it.
And if by sharing my story I help someone
else, then it is totally worth it.
Listen to MOM
Is motherhood what you expected?What
surprised you the most?
Nope! I don’t think anything can adequately
prepare you for the changes that happen
when you become a parent. What surprised
me the most was how okay I could be with
chaos because pre-mom Jill wasn’t having
it.
Who and what has influenced the mother
you are today?
My own parents. I have really great, loving
and patient parents, and I am so grateful for
them.
Continued on page 16
Jill McLean
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