A LUSCIOUS LEAGUE OF OUR OWN

We're not going to lie; sometimes there is crying in Luscious baseball.

(See last week's newsletter for details...)

Hello, Wednesday!

Team captain Sarah here. When I made the decision to take Luscious Mother to the next level, I knew it wasn’t going to happen with just yours truly. A top-notch team would be necessary to make this dream a reality. My Luscious Mother insider crew was easy: I picked the smartest, most capable, driven, reliable, innovative, loving mothers I knew and asked them to join me in my Luscious vision. 

But, as those of you who follow baseball know, having an enviable starting lineup is only the beginning of a championship team. You also have to load your bench with some solid utility players, a mighty pinch hitter or two, and a bullpen that inspires quaking in the knees of opposing sluggers and envy in the hearts of other managers. We’re not just swinging for the fences, we want to play some real Moneyball over here at Luscious Mother HQ.

Anyway, that’s really all I know about baseball. (I hope I really scored some baskets with those of you missing our nation’s pastime this summer!) Mostly, I wanted to take a beat this week to share a quick shout out for the talent and brilliance of a few of the Luscious partners who keep our ops ticking. Ladies first!

Kaitlin Lacey, owner of Books and Strategy LLC is the Mistress of Moolah, the Keeper of Coin. I have known Kaitlin for years; she managed a yoga studio I frequented here in Charlotte and we were always friendly but not exactly friends. I ran into Kaitlin late 2019 at Creative Mornings here in Charlotte with her adorable little girl, and she shared that she had started her own gig bookkeeping and consulting. I already had someone who counted my beans just fine, but she wasn’t hot and bothered about my business, and that's a Luscious requirement for me. Kaitlin immediately understood who we are, what we do, and why we do it, so the switch was a no-brainer. Feeling connected is at the top of my list for being happy in all relationships, personal and professional, and my dream is that someday Kaitlin will be the CFO of Luscious Mother. (Shh! Don’t tell her! It’s a secret!)

Ariana Hardiman, has been helping us create Luscious Mother insta-magic on our social media feeds off and on for the last few years. A North Carolina girl with style for days, Ari is also a mom to her two sweet little boys, a gifted photographer and curator of a *hot*hot*hot* instagram style blog @TrishandAri which has almost 80,000 followers and continues to be my scroll departure fantasy of choice. She is grace, beauty and an influencer of note who we feel lucky to be running with. She guides us with her open heart and expert insight to craft our own gorgeously Luscious social media feed. (Are you following us yet?? WHY NOT?? @LusciousMother on Instagram and facebook.)

Sydney Fletcher is our website sister from another mister and our go-to graphics girl. She is one of our two favorite Canadians, a banging coach @dotheheartwork, a yogi of deep love and understanding, and an early subscriber and supporter of Luscious Mother philosophies. Syd designed our logo and website, and she has been helping me design the visuals and vibes of Luscious Mother since its inception. Because of this relationship, she is a built-in compass for our heads and hearts when we’re creating copy and offerings for our clients. She knows who we are and is always ready to remind us.

Deb Bolton, our other favorite neighbor from the north, is new on the Luscious bus. This mama of one is a goddess of marketing, a divine interpreter of the mysteries of web analytics, a femme fatale of the sales funnel, and a mastermind at snapping all the “pie in the sky” pieces together into a plan that puts a fire under our heinies. She’s only been with us for a few weeks but our hearts have grown three sizes since she came on scene. With joy and humor she is guiding our mission to reach the maximum number of mamas we can, and that’s about as Luscious as a girl can hope for. 

And lest we forget, there are a couple of men on the bench:

Robert Lack and Simon O’Brien at Bray and Long, are our Luscious attorneys and the dudes helping us remain legally “too legit to quit.” Or at least too legit to be liable! Robert and Simon rolled into our lives through Elena Arecco Bridgmon, one of the founding members of Luscious Mother. Her husband Charlie, a partner at the firm, offered a hook-up to get the business all legal-like, and in waltzed Robert and Simon. (Legal disclaimer: Robert and Simon are not required to dance with clients.) Apparently, Bray and Long specializes in helping legally illiterate visionaries understand the details of LENGTHY operating agreements, independent contractor agreements, and other mind-bendingly intricate paperwork. Robert and Simon spent hours with us in the Zoom room explaining the legalese with regal ease, and if they’ve learned anything from us it’s that this new business niche is out there for them to sieze. Nolo contendere, these guys are as Luscious as lawyers come.  

And lastly, there's Michael Conathan, who's one of the top two best editors, grammar snobs, and content writing pinch-hitters around (hi, Matt Olin!). It's NOT easy to speak Luscious and, though he be a dude, as a former children’s book editor, television screenwriter, and now a Lorax who speaks for the seas with the Aspen Institute, Mike has an innate ability to capture the lingo. It probably helps that he's been shacking up with LM's Chief Creative Officer, Anna, for almost two decades. Not only is he a handsome, hilarious and loving husband and dad, he is a dedicated supporter of Luscious Mother’s mission and manages the final edit and blast of our newsletter every week, gratis. (Well, I hear there’s a work-trade situation going on at the Conathan house, but I try not to ask too many questions.)

All of this is to say, the people on your team MATTER. Know what is most important to you, know how your supporting players can help you get there, and then find the people who can deliver. When I look at what all these players have in common, I see this: they’re excellent communicators. They’re responsive and reliable. They’re genuinely interested in and excited about Luscious Mother. They believe in our team, and they believe in the cause. They are also the BEST at what they do. These are the things that are most important to me.

Yet one thing they lack--through no fault of their own--and the one thing that we are working hardest on as we fire up our engines, is placing a priority on diversity and inclusion in all we do. We are in process with this conversation and organizing ourselves to take action on this vital component of our work so we can continue to grow and become better equipped to serve all the Luscious Mothers out there. We will have more details to share on our efforts very soon so stay tuned!

What about you? Who are the MVPs on your team? How do you know a good teammate when you find one?

Until next week, keep that Luscious heart and remember, there’s always room for one more on the bench.

Always on your team,
Sarah + Anna