Meet Saralyn Ward | Author, Entrepreneur, On-Air Talent. Founder of The Mama Sagas.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Saralyn Ward and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Saralyn, what role has risk played in your life or career?
When I first moved to Colorado from New York in 2008, my mom gave me a gift. It was a plaque that read, “It’s risky to go out on a limb, but that is where the fruit is.” I put it in my bathroom so it was the first thing I saw in the morning, and the last thing I saw before going to bed. That phrase has met me every day, through all of the most important moments of my life: from auditions to starting new jobs, from giving birth to speaking my truth. Every moment worth living carries with it some degree of risk – whether physical, emotional, social, or professional. Getting comfortable with risk, while learning to mitigate it, is key. Not much good comes from sitting back in what’s comfortable. To grow, we must take risks. Once you learn to accept discomfort, you set your potential free. And once you move through it, you see what you’re truly capable of. This process builds confidence, so that you can meet the next risk or the next challenge head on. It’s the cycle of growth. Without risk, there is no reward.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a mom, it’s easy to feel like motherhood is a sacrifice. Professionally, we are told motherhood is a liability. Our physical bodies change with pregnancy and birth, and we aren’t given time or resources to heal, much less understand. Emotionally, we go through hell and back. And in the midst of it all, we must learn to navigate a new sense of self, while always needed, always nurturing. It’s a lot. But I believe there’s an opportunity within this paradox to discover the depth of our strength, the breadth of our resilience, and the unlimited capacity of our potential. If given the tools, community, and support we need, motherhood can jumpstart our own development and make us realize our gifts. Motherhood can be a catalyst for recognizing the best in ourselves, and becoming all we were meant to be. The sooner the world awakens to the power of mothers, the sooner our society realizes its true potential. My mission is to help further this mission through my app, Better After Baby, my motherhood directory, and my website, The Mama Sagas.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout is to my husband Tom, who has always believed I was gonna make it… And who’s always been here to cheer me on as the “It” evolved.

Website: themamasagas.com

Instagram: @saralyn_ward

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saralynward/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/saralynward

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saralyn.ward

Image Credits
Brenica Lynn Photography (photo with kids)