Jenny Schatzle

Cassandra Troy Walker

Little West Co-Founder and Entrepreneur on How to Balance Work and Family as a Mom

 

EPISODE: 4   |    DATE: August 27, 2020

We need to stop comparing our internal lives to people’s external lives. We put up the cute pics on social media. We don’t put up the pics of us disciplining our children. But it happens for everyone”.

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Key Takeaways

  • Cassandra is an amazing chef but she ultimately opened a Juice Bar because of how juicing changed her nutrition, her skin, her cravings, etc. and ultimately made her healthier.
  • She and her husband agreed to open the juice bar over cocktails one night with friends who expressed a need for it!
  • She still feels like a total fraud (imposter syndrome) even 7 years into owner and operating her successful juice company. Her secret? Surround yourself with people who can be a resource to you to help you figure out how to get something done. Keep going. Keep pushing. You can do it.
  • We need to stop comparing our internal lives to people’s external lives. We put up the cute pics on social media. We don’t put up the pics of us disciplining our children. But it happens for everyone.
  • Being a mother and a business owner is organized chaos. Some days are good. Some days are bad. But she loves what she does – both as a mom and as an entrepreneur – so it makes it easier to push through.
  • It’s imperfect. And she’s ok with that. She doesn’t have it all down to a science.
  • Cassandra deals with mom guilt, as all moms do. But when she feels it coming on, she recognizes it and makes a game plan to deal with it so she doesn’t live in and make decisions from that space. It’s an ongoing process.
  • Especially now working from home, Cassandra tries to deal with separating work and family life with good communication. If she has to take a call, she’ll go into the other room but first explain to her family that she’s going to do some work, and that when she comes back, she’ll play. And when she’s with her family, she keeps her phone down and stays as present as she can with her family.
  • Boundaries and communication are key to work family balance.
  • Being present is your secret weapon. Be present when you’re in mom mode. And be present when you’re in business mode. Be present to the work at hand. Show up for what the moment asks you to show up for.
  • Being a business owner lends itself well to being a mom because you’re kind of already used to dealing with so many ups and downs. And being a mom lends itself to being a business owner it that way as well. Being a mom also make you so much more efficient with your time!
  • Starting a business and being an owner comes with so much stress and so many unpredictable moments. You have to learn how to manage it if you want to enjoy the process. And when a challenge presents itself be able to think quickly and manage it and not hold onto it.
  • If you have kids and you want to start a business, the 3 most important things to keep in mind are:
    • 1. Find something you are truly passionate about and that are truly in alignment with you, your values and your goals.
    • 2. Surround yourself with other mompreneurs and ask for help and advice.
    • 3. Just do it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You don’t need a business plan. Just do it.
  • In terms of being efficient, it’s all about prep, especially in the kitchen. Make sure there are always fresh cut fruits and veggies in the fridge.
  • Another tip? Make lunch for the next day for the kids AND yourself while you are making dinner.
  • Cassandra also makes sure the house is tidy before going to bed so that when she wakes up in the morning, she doesn’t have all that visual noise assaulting her senses. She always plays classical music to set the tone for the day.
  • Cassandra is a huge advocate for CBD products, and she rubbed CBD oil over her C section scars and feels like that may have helped with healing.
  • She’s big on meditation to reset and recharge, but admittedly doesn’t get to do it as often as she would like.

About Cassandra

Native to Montreal, Cassandra moved to Los Angeles in 2006. Her passion has always been sharing nourishing and great tasting food with her community, with an emphasis on finding balance through health and wellness. In 2013 Cassandra and her husband Andrew founded Clover Juice, which in 2018 ultimately rebranded to become Little West, named after their son, West. What started as a 200 square foot juice shop in LA quickly became California’s staple juice co, partnering with hotel groups, tech companies, and some of the best coffee brands in the country. Little West is known for having the highest quality and best tasting juice on the market, and respected for having unparalleled partnerships with customers and distributors alike.

Since becoming Mama to her son West, Cassandra has realized the importance of teaching kids about real food, and focuses a lot of her energy on inspiring kids to be adventurous with new fruits and veggies, and adults to have more fun in the kitchen. Her belief is that food that’s good for you should always be fun and taste great!

CONTACT INFO:

Instagram: @casstroywalker

Little West Instagram: @LittleWest

Website: https://littlewest.com/ (be sure to listen to the episode for your special discount code!)

Resources in this episode

Wellness Mama – skincare line (also a fellow podcaster – check her out for awesome content!)

Jordan Page – block schedule

Estela De Wulf – Estela De Wulf

Prenatal chiropractor, Elliot Berlin

Julie Wiebe, physical therapist with a focus on pelvic health (also featured in episode #3

Mowellens CBD products 

Meditation App called NuCalm 

Tata Harper 

Big Green Learning Gardens

Eco Drive 

Heal the Bay

Sophie Jaffe

Daina Trout (founder of Health-Ade Kombucha)

Kelly LeVeque of Be Well By Kelly (also a fellow podcaster – check her out! She’s awesome!)

Jessie De Lowe

Thank you so much for listening!

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And remember, mama you’re doing GREAT!