As a busy mum, it can seem easier to put on a brave face than admit that you feel exhausted, perhaps unsupported and sometimes lonely. You may find yourself snapping at your kids, being grumpy towards your partner and, amidst all the juggling of day-to-day life, start to feel like you’re failing as a mum. Mum of 3 Tenika Reihana is a Life Coach and Mindfulness Teacher, helping mums to rediscover themselves and create the life they love and deserve. At Uncover Inspiration she empowers women to feel confident in their parenting, and capable of responding to life and its challenges.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
No matter how much or little I worked, my pressures of running the household remained the same. And when things got too much and I started to lose the plot, it felt like the whole household came down with me. If I was OK, I could handle anything thrown my way – tantrums, meltdowns, lost socks. But the minute I was off balance, my partner and children weren’t far behind.
After I noticed this time and time again with myself, I started noticing it in my clients at work as well. As a drug and alcohol counsellor, I worked with countless mothers, fathers and children. What I noticed every time was that if the mum was OK, everything was working well. But the minute the mum’s wheels started to fall off, everyone crashed with her.
The last program I worked in just before moving to New Zealand was a ‘Mindful Parenting’ Program combined with Drug & Alcohol Counselling. This program was in collaboration with family and children services and was designed to support parents with drug and alcohol issues, who had children 5 years and younger in their care. What became so clear to me was that same thing I had noticed in myself and with my other clients – if the mum was OK, everyone was OK.
Seeing this so clearly over and over again has now given me a mission and purpose in life – to empower mums aka CEOs of the household to be the best versions of themselves! Because if the mum is looking after herself and at the top of her game, she has the ability to unlock her super powers, allowing her to parent with purpose, intent and LOVE! She can create a loving, calm household, she can create loving connections with her partner and children and she can create a life she LOVES and DESERVES!
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
When we moved to New Zealand 4 years ago for my husband’s work, I didn’t have a job to go straight into. I had always wanted to start my coaching business but I always had the same barrier: “I’m too busy”.
So when we got here, I thought if I don’t start now, I never will! That’s when I threw myself right into it – I got myself a coach for some clarity, direction and motivation and here I am!
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Witnessing the growth, the increased self-awareness and the incredible self-love (sometimes for the first time in their lives) that all the women I work show at the end of our time together.
