Meet A Mom: Jamie Stippel- The Moxie Mama & OTF Coach

 

Jamie Stippel, website/blog: The Moxie Mama

I’m from Dayton, TX, but I’ve been in Kingwood since 2011. I met my husband, Ryan, that Fall and he is from Kingwood.

Charly Anne (2), Finley “Finn” (5 months)

I raised and showed animals from ages 8-18 and was huge into FFA serving as both my chapter and district President. My undergraduate degree is actually a B.S. in agriculture from Texas Tech University; it wasn’t until I got my Masters degree that I made the switch to education.

Of course for me it is working out. Working out is not just for my physical health (although it definitely helps me keep up with my kids), but is just as vital for my mental health. I need that time to myself each day to not go through a to-do list, worry about everyone’s schedules, or think about what I’m going to make for dinner. Working out is the most fun for me when I can do it with my husband or best friend, Nikole.

We try not to let Charly Anne watch much, if any, TV, but once COVID-19 set in we had to do something to fill a little bit of time each day to give everyone a break once the Houston heat limited our time outside. If Charly Anne started to misbehave her punishment would be (and now still is) that she isn’t allowed to watch a show and instead has to watch The News. You would have thought we were torturing her (which, we probably were in this day and age), but it changed her behavior immediately! 🙂

I was a teacher for nine years and once I had my daughter I knew I wanted to stay home with her. Instead of returning to the classroom, I took my love for fitness and became a certified personal trainer pursuing a job at the gym that I’ve loved the most, Orangetheory Fitness. I’ve worked as a trainer/coach at OTF since April 2019 and I love it so much. It allows me the flexibility to be my children’s primary caregiver as well as the opportunity to do something that I love every time I’m at work – inspire others with my passion for fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Once quarantine officially started, I needed an outlet for something that could be just mine. I’ve always loved writing so I looked into starting a blog/website. I love that I have this outlet, even if no one reads it – I’m okay with that, where I can be authentic and my true self. I can release my thoughts and experiences out into the world, hopefully, to help other moms, and it has helped me through this tough, unprecedented time that we are currently experiencing.

I absolutely love Kingwood and feel lucky that I can call it home. I have met some amazing people who have inspired me to be my best self and to imagine a better life for myself. Through the members, and specifically my current boss, Dara, at Orangetheory, I was able to build enough confidence to turn something that I loved into a job. You never know where little opportunities exist for you to turn your passions into something that can support you and your family.

Dry Shampoo! But seriously, use little pockets and opportunities of time (currently for me it’s when I have to pump) to be productive in other ways. I write most of my blog posts when I’m pumping early in the morning and wouldn’t be able to do much anything else during that time. Also, when people volunteer to help you out, let them! I think we, as mothers, are often so concerned about giving off the right impression or making everyone think we have it all under control that we can easily burn ourselves out. I’ve learned that if a friend invites Charly Anne over for a play date to give me a few hours to get some things done or a family member says they can have us over for dinner on a busy night where I may not be able to cook I let them help out; they wouldn’t offer if they didn’t mean it.

You only THOUGHT you were tired! HAHA

When my daughter finally got to meet her baby brother is by far the most memorable and sweetest moment I’ve ever witnessed. Charly Anne loved her brother at first sight and is still just as obsessed with him today (fingers crossed this continues when she is a teenager). I feel giving my children each other is going to be the best gift I could ever give them.

Those sweet hugs and kisses and the unsolicited “I love you.” Plus, knowing that I’m building a tribe and support system within my own small family unit.

There are a few hacks that make our lives so much easier.

Buy pre-chopped vegetables (when you can) for your meals; it saves on a lot of time and makes dinners less hectic and time-consuming. (Note: I do love to cook, but with two small children every second counts!)

If your kid’s school/daycare/etc. sells lunch, let them buy it and don’t worry about packing the best, healthiest lunch that ever existed. We have found that our daughter tends to eat best when she’s eating what everyone else has.

Sometimes you have to pick, hair or makeup and that’s okay; do your makeup and throw your hair in a topknot or put a hat on, or go for a little CC cream but fixed hair – you are killing it either way!

I hope that through my blog I can offer moms advice and rawness that lets them know that they aren’t in this journey alone; we are all sifting through the sludge together! I also love that my website allows me the opportunity to be creative through writing.

Through training at Orangetheory, I love meeting people from all walks of life and seeing them work hard to achieve their goals. It is an amazing feeling knowing that you have had a small part in someone’s journey towards being their best self. I hope that I can motivate our members to show themselves how strong they can be both mentally and physically! OTF is an amazing community to be a member of.

If I’m with girlfriends, it’s grabbing a drink and appetizers at a local restaurant and losing track of time over laughs and never-ending stories. If I’m with my family, it is most definitely riding our tandem bike throughout the greenbelts and up to local festivals at TownCenter.

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Facebook: Jamie Stippel