Mompreneur Series: Interview With Caitlin Lagnese, Blogger, SAHM and Gymnastics Teacher

These days, with working from home being easier than ever, more and more moms are becoming "mompreneurs."

Today's interviewee is Caitlin Lagnese. She is a blogger and gymnastics teacher.

I met Caitlin through a blogging group about a year ago, and we have worked on several collaborations together, since we both write about mental health and family. She does amazing work, and is a very kind person. I have enjoyed getting to know Caitlin, and I bet you will too.

Here is my Q&A with Caitlin:

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your business?

Hi, my name is Caitlin Lagnese and I just recently turned 34! I live in Twinsburg, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. I am married to my college sweetheart and we have two kids together! I love blogging, writing, and I’m super into therapy and self-development. Along with being a Stay At Home Mom, I teach gymnastics to toddlers part-time at Learning Ladder Gymnastics Studio as well as run a women’s mental health and wellness blog called ReelChat. How did you decide to start your business? I have struggled with mental health as far back as I can remember but things got really bad for me my senior year of college when I was sexually assaulted. In 2017 I hit rock bottom and entered into an extensive therapy program. Through this, I was also introduced to my amazing psychiatrist. I was diagnosed with PTSD, Manic Depression, PPD, and OCD. I was put on medication and have been in therapy ever since. After years of working on myself and completely transforming, I decided it was time to give back to others, particularly women. So I started a women’s mental health and wellness blog at the beginning of 2021! My blog provides a safe place to voice your struggles and seek guidance from others who have experienced the same. ReelChat provides commentary from subject matter experts and professionals, giving you an outlet for trusted information. From fitness and organization to anxiety and depression, ReelChat covers a wide variety of topics aimed to help women who are looking for the tools to improve their life. How old are your kids?

I have an 8-year-old daughter who is in third grade and an 6-year-old boy entering kindergarten! I also have a cat named Belle who is basically my third child! Are your kids in childcare or at home full time?

I am a SAHM and am so grateful to have this opportunity. With my youngest one going into full-day kindergarten, I will be picking up more hours at the gymnastics studio as well as devoting more time to my blog! I do have to give credit to all moms though! Rather you work full-time, part-time, or stay home, you are all doing AMAZING! How do you balance your work with your family?

This summer has been a little tricky but luckily for most of my gymnastics shifts, I can bring the kids along. I usually do my blogging in the evenings once the kids are in bed or during their rest time. With my son going to school soon, I am excited to see how much more productive I can be with my blog! I’m ready to dive in deeper and see where blogging can take me! I do have to give a shoutout to my hubby too who is so supportive of me and my dreams! He’s my number 1 fan and is always lending me a helping hand! Any tips for other moms looking to start a business?

Ya know, I have to be honest with you, I’m still very new to this working thing. I’ve been teaching gymnastics and running a blog for about a year so in many ways, I am still figuring this out. But in terms of starting my little blog, I just kinda did it. I finally stopped making excuses and started brainstorming how I wanted to do this. I decided my passion for helping other women was stronger than my fear. I’m still figuring out blogging, especially the social media component but with trial and error comes breakthroughs! Please check out my blog @ reelchat.net! I would absolutely love to have you in my community! As I always say, we are small but we sure are mighty! You can contact me anytime at reelchatnet411@gmail.com! Follow along on Insta and FB @reelchat_blog

I have to also give a quick shoutout to LLG! Any fellow NEO moms, feel free to check out Learning Ladder Gymnastics for your little ones @ learningladdergym.com!

Although Caitlin is new in her mompreneur journey, she has some great tips about getting started. Not making excuses for why you can't do something, and instead finding ways that you can is so important.

It is also great that she has a supportive husband who is her cheerleader and encourages her to excel. My partner does this as well, and I know from experience how important it is to work as a team with your partner, and include them in the conversation about where your business is going.

I hope you can take inspiration from Caitlin, and what an uplifting person she is. Her work to help other women is helpful to so many of us.

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To read more about Mompreneur life, check out these other blog posts:

How do you have a full time job, a family, and start a business at the same time?

Are You a Mom Entrepreneur, or Do You Want to Be?

4 Tips for Balancing Baby and Business

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