Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Kirwan.
Hi Heather, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I never struggled to have enough energy to do all that I wanted to do – until I became a mother.
It took a great deal of energy and discipline to be a Division I athlete at Stanford University. That energy propelled me forward where I earned my Master’s Degree in Health Sciences at Duke University and then went on to become a board certified physician assistant. Practicing medicine in the emergency department required a constant stream of mental AND physical energy. I never imagined exhaustion would be a problem I would face given my track record.
When the blessing of our first son was born, I realized motherhood was an entirely new endeavor. But the true crisis came after the birth of our second son. My husband was in the process of transferring from Active Duty military to a career as a commercial pilot. We had moved across the country and I decided to take a step back from medicine to focus on our family.
As I began to prioritize my children, my husband, my household and everything else above myself – my exhaustion became unbearable. My energy was drained beyond belief and I knew I needed to change or my physical and mental health would deteriorate further.
I took a cue from my education in Health Sciences and started taking care of myself with a single habit change. I started drinking more water. This simple habit in itself wasn’t life-changing. But it was the single stepping stone to help me build momentum. I started to move my body more, nourish myself with energizing foods, and most importantly improve my mindset.
My energy levels came flooding back once I decided to prioritize my own physical and mental health. With this energy and passion, I created a community for mothers seeking energy and confidence by caring for themselves. I provide simple self-care plans with the support busy moms need for an energized life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No journey is ever linear. Mine most certainly is not.
When I decided to use my personal transformation from exhausted to energized using habit formation to care for myself – I had no knowledge about starting a business.
But I approached it like a fun challenge, in a similar fashion to how I improved my health.
My initial business endeavor involved a self-care subscription box which to be quite transparent did not perform well! I realized I was missing the community component. I pivoted to create a virtual community to guide other moms on forming self-care habits to prioritize their own physical and mental health.
We’ve been impressed with Habit Maker Mama, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am trained formally with a Master’s Degree in Health Sciences and a board certification as a physician assistant. Most importantly, I’ve struggled to prioritize my own health as a busy mom of 2 (soon to be 3) so I know exactly where moms are coming from!
Using my knowledge in behavior change combined with my personal experience in motherhood, I have taken this to create a community providing simple self-care plans with the support busy moms need for an energized life!
Habit Maker Mama is on a mission to help busy moms feel confident in their own skin, increase their energy levels and prioritize their own health.
Any big plans?
In our personal world, we are thrilled to be anticipating the arrival of baby #3 in August 2022. I know this will be an exciting time and also a reason to continue to champion my mission to prioritize my own health in the small moments of the day. (Aka taking rest with a newborn!)
I will continue to grow this community of mothers seeking energy and confidence by caring for ourselves and hope that you will join us too.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.habitmakermama.com
- Instagram: @habitmakermama
