How to Hustle Like a Mom from a Mompreneur

Pamela Pekerman, on-air expert and creator of Hustle Like a Mom, shares the best parenting advice she's ever received.

By Pamela Pekerman March 12, 2020

Meet Pamela Pekerman, the Westchester mom of 2 behind Hustle Like a Mom. She is a mompreneur, on-air lifestyle expert, and an Influencer We Love.

You might recognize Pekerman from morning shows, where she appeared for a decade talking about style trends. And then she had kids and decided she didn’t want to travel as much. “So, I began to write about the real-life moments I was experiencing as a mom of two under two!” she says. Soon Pekerman was blogging about time-saving tips for busy moms, creating videos for Parents.com, and hosting events for moms. Her focus evolved into content and networking events that appeal to hustling mompreneurs. (Find out when the next Hustle Like a Mom mompreneur mingle and panel is going to be.) While she still does school pickup and drop-off every day, she says, “I’ve never felt more fulfilled by my work than I am now, as I grow a community of women that are redefining what it means to be a working mom.”

Why follow Pamela Pekerman? This fierce and friendly mama tells it like it is—and is on a mission to get moms to feel good about themselves and the work that they do.

Instagram | @pamelapekerman
Website | pamelapekerman.com
YouTube | Pamela Pekerman

What is typical day for you?

No two days are alike, and that’s common for most mompreneurs. But, typically, I aim to be up around 6 or 6:30am so I can have some tea in silence—power of the pause is key, and I believe my best ideas for mom life and entrepreneur life come when I’m in stillness. Around 7am, I’ll do my makeup and get dressed. Sometimes my daughter wakes up and I’ll get in bed for a bit of cuddles. By 7:20am it’s time to get her and her brother up and dressed. We eat breakfast, read, and then it’s time for drop-off. From 8:45am-3pm, I switch into mompreneur mode, and it is a mix of content creating; meeting with sponsors for upcoming Hustle Like a Mom mompreneur mingles; Instagram engagement, which is my main social platform; virtual meetings with my all-female team; and pitching TV producers and/or prepping for upcoming segments. By 3pm it’s time for pickup. Some days I pick the kids up, some days I ask a sitter to do it, so I have an extra 30 minutes to work. Then it’s eating, activities with kids, and once a week I give them date night with mom. By 8pm it’s bedtime and books. I rarely have energy to work at 8:30pm, plus I prefer to spend time with my hubs. But, sometimes, I am back at the computer until 9:30pm to wrap up loose ends, make sure I engage with my hustling mom tribe, and prep for the next day. This year, I’m really making a point to be in bed by 10pm, sleeping by 10:30pm.

pamela pekerman hustle like a mom

What’s the best parenting advice you ever received?

Listen to the crowd but go with your gut. Don’t silence your inner mama bear, as she truly knows what is best for her cubs. It’s great to breast-feed, but that’s not happy making for every mama. Sure, it’s nice to be a PTA mom, but that might not be on your priority list. The only advice I would ever offer is to dig into your gut, listen to your deepest desires, and do whatever you can to align your personal and professional aspirations. Parenting is hard, and you need to ensure you are coming at it from a place of inner contentment and confidence in your choices—because so many moments will challenge your sanity, and your sense of self.

What famous parent would you like to have dinner with and why?

Busy Philipps is my celeb mom crush. I’ve interviewed her a few times, and she’s such a fun gal. I’m sure we would laugh our butts off about the highs, lows, and sanity-sucking, moments-of-madness that is mom life. She also gets entrepreneur life and hustle as a mom life, so I’d imagine we would dish on our professional dreams, as well, all while enjoying cotton candy and champagne.

What do you think is a parent’s hardest job?

Being present. It’s a gift to the person you are speaking with, in this case your children, to be present, to not have your mind wander into what you need to do once they go to bed, or what you could be doing if you didn’t have to practice piano with them. Being present is a constant practice of focusing on the person you are with, and on your breath (if you need to ground yourself back in the moment). In 2019, I found that replacing the phrase “I have to” with “I get to” gives you a boost into the present, as well as a dose of gratitude for that which is before you. Wow, I get to practice piano with my kids. What a privilege. Wow, I get to pick up my kids from school, my healthy kids. When kids know you are there, really there, they will return the love with their focus and heart. And, if we as parents are present and in the moment, we will teach our kids to be calmer, better listeners, and more mindful human beings.