ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Hi there my name is Jo, I am the founder and owner of The Mamahood Collective. I live on a sheep and beef farm that my husband Chris manages here in stunning Hindon, Otago.

We have three beautiful children, Florence 7, Quinn 4, and Thomas has just turned 2 years old. We also have our Miniature Schnauzer Molly who is 13 (slightly biased but we think she is the best dog ever), our very chilled out cat Casper, 6 farm dogs, and our pet farm animals which consists of a cow, chooks and some of the cutest sheep in the world!

Since becoming a Mum 8 years ago, I have felt the need to begin a new venture and follow a passion of mine. I am very passionate about all things Mum life and love helping, supporting and learning from other Mum’s who are also in the thick of ‘Mamahood’. With Florence I had a really difficult time establishing breastfeeding, and my milk supply (I will write a blog about my story in more depth). I triple fed her for 16 weeks. It was exhausting, and it was difficult and it stole my beautiful newborn days/weeks with her. It definitely showed my stubborn trait (as my husband would tell you). Hence the Lactation Range that I have developed. This was an important line for me to include in The Mamahood Collective as I had so much trouble with my milk supply I wanted to be able to have something that I can offer to support Mum’s in the same position - to help support them on their Breastfeeding Journey.

Previous to becoming a SAHM I was a teacher. I completed my Bachelor of Education in both Primary and Early Childhood, but found my passion to be teaching in the 0-5 years. The caring and nurturing role of teaching, supporting and learning from my little sidekicks has transferred over to this space where I want to be able to create a supportive, safe, fun and non-judgmental space for Mum’s to enjoy and participate in.

Mamahood is a really tough gig, it has been the toughest thing I have done in my entire life. I love being a Mum, however the feeling of loneliness and losing myself and my purpose over the latter years has been very real. I feel like I need this space just as much as you may feel like you need it too! Together we can chat about all things that relate to being a Mum, but also, other interests like food/recipes, self-care (I really need some encouragement here), fitness (help here also!), pregnancy, birth stories, postpartum, breastfeeding, fashion, sports (I am Netball crazy!) and anything else we find interest in.

Ten Fun Facts About Me:

1) I feel like I’ve always had a deep calling to support mamas in the thick of motherhood. I knew I wanted to create a space where we could connect, feel seen, and support one another through this wild ride that changes us, challenges us - and sometimes even breaks us. The Mamahood Collective was born from that vision.

2) I haven’t had a night away from my kids at all … so that’s almost 8 years! I do plan to change that this year though - which is very exciting!

3) I love fashion (I originally wanted to be a fashion designer when I left school). Shopping for new outfits used to be a favourite pastime pre-kids - oh how times have changed! Now it's mostly all for my tribe. Maybe one day I’ll fill that fashion design dream.

4) I love Netball, and it’s something I really miss playing. We’ve moved around a lot over the past 14 years and it was through Netball that I always met really good friends.

5) As a family we enjoy camping trips in our caravan, fishing, hunting, boating, walks, watching movies, spending time with friends and family, chocolate, and lately we’ve been getting into board games with the kids (turns out we’re a very competitive crew!).

6) Baking! I love baking (as you probably can tell), and I’m so proud of what I’ve created through The Mamahood Collective. I enjoy baking far more than cooking meals and definitely have a sweet tooth. I’m also gluten free and love tweaking recipes to suit.

7) I always forget to take meat out for tea (I really need to get more organised and stop getting distracted by the million things around me!)

8) I have Hashimoto’s, which is an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid. I was diagnosed around 16 years ago but was unwell for a while before that. It’s a big reason why I’m gluten free. It’s one of those illnesses you don’t fully understand unless you’ve lived it. I’m managing it, but it does take a lot from me.

9) I’m quite shy until I get to know people and feel comfortable I guess I’m an extroverted introvert.

10) While I love fashion and dressing up, I’m at my happiest in my comfies at home with a cheeky vino and my favourite people