Advocating for Mothers with Raena Boston [episode 7]

Listen to Advocating for Mothers with Raena Boston on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Your preferred listening platform 

I’m joined by another phenomenal guest, Raena Boston, on the podcast today!

Raena Boston is a mother of three, co-founder of Chamber of Mothers, writer, and a seasoned HR professional. After dealing with unexpected mental health issues in 2020, Raena experienced some life-changing realizations. A pivotal moment for her was understanding that you don’t need to be sensational in order to be loved - your constant need to prove your worthiness is absolutely unnecessary. From stepping back and taking a demotion at work, to re-defining how her marriage should look to better support her and her husband, Raena is on a mission to bring awareness to the scams surrounding motherhood, careers, childcare, and more.

In this episode, Raena and I talk about advocating for mothers, and how this admirable (but also very challenging) work is ongoing. We discuss the scam surrounding the ‘working mom’ and ‘mom guilt’ terms, the constant head-down, survival mode feeling that plagues so many moms, how Raena is on a mission to better support the people she works with, the incredible work she is doing with the Chamber of Mothers and the Working Momtras, and more.

Motherhood feels harder than it ever has in our society today; the messaging around working harder and doing more so you can ‘have it all’ is a huge scam, because mothers are NOT the ones reaping the benefits here. It’s important to know that you’re not broken - the systems are broken, and we must continue bringing awareness to and fighting for these paramount issues. Raena loves helping people ‘connect the dots’, so they know they have options when it comes to motherhood and childcare today, and for the future. I’m beyond grateful to Raena for the work she is doing for mothers everywhere, and was honored to have this powerful conversation with her!

Raena Boston is a mother of three, co-founder of Chamber of Mothers, writer, and seasoned HR professional. In 2020, Raena established The Working Momtras, an online community aimed at empowering mothers to break free from the pressures of motherhood and let go of the expectation to do it all. Within this community, she leads discussions on vital topics such as parental leave, childcare, and the challenges of working parenthood. Motivated by the removal of paid leave from the Build Back Better legislation, Raena and seven other mothers co-founded the Chamber of Mothers. The Chamber of Mothers is a national nonprofit organization, committed to uniting mothers as advocates to mobilize for federal paid family leave, access to quality and affordable childcare, and improved maternal health outcomes. Raena is a prominent thought leader in the realm of working motherhood, paid leave, and childcare. Her insights have been featured on Good Morning America, PBS Newshour, and Yahoo Life.

In this episode, Advocating for Mothers with Raena Boston, we cover: 

• How Raena carves out space for mothers and women in her current career role + the catalyst that really started her on this journey

• The scam surrounding ‘working mom’ and ‘mom guilt’, and how they’re connected to the larger, systemic problem women face

• The breakdown in Raena’s marriage that led to her and her husband re-defining their marriage in ways that better supported them both

• The idea of women stepping into a supporting character role after marriage vs. the main character role they had before marriage

• Staying head-down and stuck in survival mode as moms 

• How Raena pushes back where she can in her HR role to better understand and support the people she works with

• Raena’s increased capacity in her relationship with her kids + showing her kids they can really be themselves (without anyone else’s permission)

• Raena’s decision to shift and dramatically increase awareness about the Working Momtras, as well as co-found the Chamber of Mothers, after having her 3rd baby

• What the Chamber of Mothers is + how its goals and demands are being received by lawmakers

• The insanely expensive entity that is childcare in the U.S. + the lack of investment in childcare in the U.S. compared to other countries

• Raena’s goal for the Working Momtras
  

Connect with Raena:

• Follow on on Instagram @theworkingmomtras and @chamberofmothers

• Check out her websites: http://www.theworkingmomtras.com www.chamberofmothers.com

Connect with Sarah:

• Follow on Instagram @mothercrafting

• Sign up for my newsletter

• Check out my website

More about the Mothercraft podcast: 

Mothercraft - because becoming a mom today can feel crazy! It’s both uniquely challenging and exciting. The templates about how we should ‘mom’ are outdated and we have the opportunity to reconstruct them in a way that works for us. There are women, parents, and resources available who can support us. 

Let's write a new story, where we experience how to be connected, informed and empowered about our paths forward as moms, professionals, and women without overwhelm, judgment, or a one-size fits all mentality. 

Tune in each week for conversations with host Sarah Dunn, along with other moms and special guest experts, as they share their stories, encouragement, advice, and solidarity about this lifelong journey of motherhood.

We’ll cover topics such as pregnancy, postpartum, mental health, motherhood, being a high-achieving woman, mom guilt. We will touch on the good, the bad, the funny, the ugly – the multifaceted reality that is motherhood. 

This podcast will leave you feeling empowered, connected, and confident to hold space for your love of self, family, and ambitions. 

Make sure to hit subscribe/follow so you never miss an episode!