I am a momma-bear of two, and working on my podcast while being there for them can be demanding. There are days I just want to lay down and take a nap with the kids instead of recording another episode or editing sound bites for an interview. But even though there are some challenging moments on this journey to motherhood and podcasting combined, it's worth every minute. Here are seven tips to keep in mind if you're a podcaster and a mother.

1. Plan Ahead

Just like any other business, or extra-curricular activity, you can't just dive into it without a plan. Create a schedule or at least a guide and use one day to plan content, another for recording, another for creating content, and another for launching episodes. This schedule or guide is called a content strategy, and it makes life so much easier.

2. Make the Most of Your Time

The best feeling in the world is when you finally get your little one to take a nap. That hour or two can help you put a lot in perspective. You can use this time to brainstorm content ideas, record an episode, make the necessary edits, or do anything else that you usually wouldn't be able to do with the kiddies running around.

3. It's Ok to be Flexible

You always hear that you should pick a time to record and stick to it. Ideally, that would be great, but it isn't always reality when you have little munchkins to tend to. During my last pregnancy, I had to take whatever time I could get to record an episode of my podcast, on the floor, in my closet. It was the only place where I could find quiet, and it was not always at the same time. Sometimes it was in the morning, other times, late afternoon. Giving up on your podcast because you cannot maintain consistency with the kids is not the answer. Keep working on it. Eventually, you'll find a schedule that works for you. My editor lives in Nigeria -- that's a whole 5 hours difference. So as you can imagine, he's not always available for me to ask quick questions or to make impromptu edits. I had to learn to work with the flow. Sometimes kids get sick or need a little extra attention, and let's be honest, as much as we want to get our work done, or kids' needs come first. Don't beat yourself up. Just take it one step at a time. Everything will happen when it's supposed to.

4. Know Your Limits

In the beginning, I tried to do everything at once, and my mindset was, the sooner I get it done, the sooner I can rest or focus on something else. Well, that was a load of bull. I over-extended myself, didn't do half the things I wanted, and felt like an utter failure because I couldn't meet my expectations. I know on paper it doesn't seem like a lot, but recording multiple episodes in a day, editing, and scheduling for a release, with children, and no assistance, is damn-near

impossible. Don't overextend yourself. It will make the thing you love to do, feel like a chore, and eventually, you'll throw in the towel and give up on it completely.

5. Ask For Help

This was the hardest for me because I thought that no one would capture my vision the way I wanted, and I learned within the first few weeks of podcasting and being a mom that I was not superwoman and could not do it all-- by myself. I learned to outsource things that I couldn't do, things that were too timely, and things that I didn't want to do. I hired someone to edit and mix my episodes, I bought/licensed a song that I used for my intro, outro, and segment changes, and I had a virtual assistant post content on social media and send emails to my listeners. With all the time I saved, I came up with more content and recorded and scheduled the first season (over 20 episodes) of my show in the space of 2 months.

6. Make Time for Yourself

I know you have a goal that you're trying to reach, but the truth is you'll never make it if you don't take time for yourself. That foolish saying that you'll sleep when you're dead is straight-up ridiculous. Remember, your listeners can pick up when something is off with you. They can hear the stress in your voice. They can feel your energy shift. Taking time for yourself not only benefits you and your listeners, it also helps your kids. A stressed-out mama makes her babies unhappy.

7. Stop Comparing Yourself

You see other podcasters doing their thing, and they're killing it! Their episodes seem flawless, and they look like they could be the mother of the year. Here are a couple of reasons why you should stop doing this. Social media has led many of us to believe everything that we see online as truth. But you don't know what that mama had to do to get her show to where it is. Firstly, she's probably been doing this way longer than you and has figured out a strategy that works for her. She may have a team to assist her or a nanny to help with the kids. She may not work a 9-5 or can afford a studio to go to focus and record. You get my gist. Remember, nothing is wrong with admiring a fellow podcasting-momma bear, but remember, even though you both may have kids, your lives aren't the same.

We all know that life can be hectic. Between managing your kids' schedules, taking care of the house, and running a podcast, you might feel like there just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done. But it's important not to let yourself get too frazzled by trying too hard to do it all at once--that never works out well! By making time for yourself, planning ahead as much as possible, and being flexible with how you use your time, you'll find that balance comes more effortlessly than ever before. Plus, if things start getting hectic again, remember, it's cool to ask for help.

What are some things that you do to balance being a mom and a podcaster?

Balancing Motherhood and Podcasting