Hot Mom Summer

It’s hard to call myself an “Influencer”.

I do not consider myself one and I am not sure what even qualifies someone to be considered one. I do not go to fancy events or parties(though I’d love to); I film videos of my messy house and the raw moments of motherhood. Its just happens though those videos are seen by over a million people.

When my friend Shawna invited me to the Hot Mom Summer event in Austin, I was honored, and shocked. Me? At a TikTok event?

My husband and I thought “YES!” – kid free weekend in Austin? We are in! And so I agreed!

Then my husband had to work, and I, the thirty year old stay at home mom, who has never traveled alone ever- had to face some anxiety and go all alone. That’s another story for another day.

When you imagine a meet or greet or an influencer event- you probably have images of long lines and people spending a few moments with their favorite creator, smiling for a photo, maybe getting an autograph, and moving on. A fleeting moment.

Hot Mom Summer was something different. We had mothers from all walk of life sitting in front of us. The event started with a panel. When I think of panels, I think of … well, boredom. Even if you are someone sitting on the panel. We had 8 people to get through and can I tell you something? I was never bored once. I was captivated. Every woman who spoke, some new to me, some whom I have admired for years, left me speechless. They captivated the room and left us laughing and left us crying. There were things said that I will replay even now because they were so powerful.

We immediately dove into the meet and greet. It was casual. We all just chatted. People came up and said hi and we got to chat. We made TikTok’s together. We ate lunch together. There were no barriers or lines or fleeting moments. It was true connection.

There was a brief dance party but what really was magical to me was the last couple hours of the event.

We all gathered in a circle, and the music turned down, and we just talked. We talked about motherhood; our successes and fails. I saw women who were timid and anxious open up and share their stories. There was no judgment, just sisterhood. When they talk about the village it takes to raise a child- this is what they are referring to. Support for the mother.

Here I was – a mother- totally on her own, getting a glimpse of life where I only had to worry about herself (a freeing feeling I would love to have more often) surrounded by women who were all going through this with me. It was so powerful. It was so needed.

I cannot wait until next year