I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you about the Mediterranean Getaway that I prepared for the lucky women/mothers/wives/entrepreneurs experienced this past weekend at With Mom In Mind.  We left our involved lives and set sail for sunshine.  Once we arrived, we spiced our tongue with Greek Pesto Swordfish Kebabs and Currant Feta Cous-Cous.  After exploring the beautiful coast lines, we took a seat and cooled down with Minty Lemon Cucumber Cooler.  Before heading home to our families so that we could share our journey, we took one last exploration and sweetened our tastebuds with a Honey Citrus Glazed Mandarin Trifle.  By the time we returned, we were all well refreshed and ready to face the week

Photo taken by Creative Soul Photography

It wasn’t just the Edible Destination trip that gave us energy. We had a mental meal with Christine Martinello, best-selling author of The Momager Guide.  She took us on a ride down mothering lane with fascinating and engaging stories about her own encounters with Mom Management.  It was particularly helpful for me, because as an eventual mother, I often wonder how in the WORLD I plan to manage a child, yet alone the 3 that I want, with my delicious husband, my top rated culinary show, my best-selling culinary book signings, live culinary demos at foodie festivals, managing a million dollar enterprise, my retail natural beauty care line and numerous interviews….yeah….I was “SOOOO tryna” figure that one out!  Then Christine, blessed me with a gem—-she essentially said that motherhood is part of your journey, but it’s not the entire journey. You’ll only raise children for a segment of your life and while you’ll always BE a mother, you’ll also always have your gifts.  Find those gifts and continue to bless yourself and the world with them. Always keep you.

And to prepare us for the main leg of the journey, was a revealing yet calming yoga session with Tiffany Campbell of I Love My Temple Wellness Center. When I say revealing, I mean she revealed every crook and crack of my body….while some of us struggled to maintain balance or even find the position in the first place, Tiffany guided us with her voice, like that of a patient mother who simply trusts that through her gentleness you will find your way. And find our way we did! The Yoga experience was a gift and unlike some classes that I’ve been to, where I feel like I’m competing for the position of the best human pretzel, this one, simply reminded me that no matter what, as I journey in my womanhood/pre-mothering stages, I can always find time to Stretch out the Stress, Bend through the Breaks, and Laugh at my Limbs.

And lastly but not least, I was reminded on how beautiful it is to do what I love and inspire people enough to recreate my love in their own kitchens.  One participant said that if it wasn’t for this event, she would have never tried (eaten) anything like that.  Another attendee exclaimed that she was going to make the meal for her family this week and later confirmed on Facebook how much her family oohed and aaahed!  Another graced my ears by letting me know that I gave her hope beyond chicken and rice.

For all of those women who blessed themselves by sharing in this event, we thank you for you nourishing and nurturing your womanly growth and allowing us to serve you.   And those of you, that can’t wait until the next With Mom In Mind….Akilah at Execumama.com and Naturi Beauty look forward to meeting and feeding you then.