Finding Your Village on the World Wide Web

Hello Mama,

I have a love / hate relationship with the internet. It provides me with an immense amount of convenience and capability but at the same time, I find myself crippled by the need to be connected to it a lot. You feel me Mama?

Running a business which is powered by the internet results in a lot of screen time and the need to be on top of social media, marketing, client engagement and connection with our beautiful FYC Doula Team. As I said, sometimes I feel like a slave to the world wide web, but then I remind myself there are definitely some pros to it.

One of my favourite things about the internet is the flexibility to free up time and headspace by doing things like grocery shopping online. It takes a fraction of the time and BONUS I don’t have to navigate a busy carpark and shopping centre with a small child (can I get a hell yeah!) This is one of my number #1 tips for our FYC mamas: get a Woolies or Coles online account, let you fingers do the tapping and have groceries delivered to your door! You can thank me later!

Another wonderful thing about the internet is the ability to connect with people outside your immediate community. If you’ve been here a while, you will know how passionate I am about creating a Village for yourself. But I am acutely aware that you may live in a rural area or not have the capability or resources around to connect with likeminded people. So what’s the alternative? Connection and community via the Net.

I have found an amazingly beautiful community of women via the Net, particularly social media. Those which I connect with on a personal and/or business level. I love these women, we share the highs, lows and ugly parts of motherhood, Lady Life and running a small business.

As women we are wired to thrive through community. Through connection. Through learning from other women of all ages. This is where we come into our own. We share thoughts and lessons, recipes, feelings, troughs and triumphs.

I don’t think the Net could every really replicate or replace the true connection and feeling of face to face relationships, but for introverts or those who find it difficult to leave the house at the same time due to nap schedules or international datelines - technology can be a wondering thing.

Some of my favourite things I engage in through the help of the internet include:

• Sending a gift voucher for meals when a friend is unwell, solo parenting or just having a shitty week. Highly recommend Mama Goodness (Melbourne), Meals 4 Mummas (Sydney) and Our Mothership (Tasmania).
• Getting flowers delivered for times when you cannot be there to celebrate or give a big hug. My favs are Lisa Kingston (Tasmania) and Fig & Bloom (Melbourne)
• Virtual coffees ~ send your friend a coffee and sweetie via UberEats before the call or if it’s in the evening try sending a cheeseboard and a cocktail.

I also learnt about another beautiful way to connect from our business coach Fiona Killackey, who has a very dear friend that lives in New Zealand. They coordinate a time each week where they both go for an hour walk and send voice messages via WhatsApp while they are walking. Collectively being out in nature and sharing stories and connection. LOVE THIS!

I’d love to hear what you do to stay connected with those who aren’t nearby? Do you use the app PEANUT? Do you have a collective of girlfriends on Instagram who you’ve never met in real life?

Big Love

Renee x

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