Friday, November 12, 2010

Modern Mamahood: Behind the Mama - Part 2: Marissa Spano


Although many mothers best describe their role and day-to-day as "indescribable", Ladies Lotto Modern Mamahood is seeking to demystify what that means for different moms in an effort to create even more cohesion, compassion and connection within our LL community and beyond.

The Modern Mamahood "Behind the Mama" series will delve into the lives of our LLady moms. We're looking for answers to some of the questions many women without children seem to have and create even more community amongst us fruit-bearers.

In Part 2, I am going to share a great conversation with Ladies Lotto's very own media and branding master, Mayor Marissa Spano who has a sparkling 22-month old daughter, Isabella (both beauties are in the photo above). Listen in!

LLMM: Tell me about your offspring and how everything has been going as a mama?
Marissa: Isabella Skye dominates my world and I couldn't be happier with my chosen role. Watching her spirit grow and observing her as she chooses traits and moods is so inspiring. As a mother, I float in and out of thoughts from my own youth and faded memories of my mom who I lost at 15, so it's been a really spiritual journey...and my hardest job yet!

LLMM: Hardest job yet? I hear ya! What sticks out to you as being challenging about the role?
Marissa: The biggest challenge is balancing. It's creating a harmony between all the "hats" you wear and centering each moment around integrity, whether it's business or personal. The mommy hat is by far the most important to me so naturally, for other items to be of interest, they have to be truly special.

LLMM: And what other interests, professionally, do you spend your time on? Do they work well with the kind of fam-life you are wanting?
Marissa: Most of the work I do now consists of creating Brand Campaigns for companies. We work on interactive and multi-sensory campaigns which heavily rely on my creative input. Being on the computer 15hrs a day working on proposals has a down side. I am re-incorporating daily sun salutations and meditation which will only propel my personal success. I definitely feel like things are organically falling into place. I am literally growing with my daughter.

LLMM: That's amazing! It sounds like you are constantly striving for and achieving balance. How much would you say your lifestyle has changed since you entered motherhood (or pregnancy)?
Marissa: It definitely started at pregnancy! I have had to exist with less sleep and be more mindful of my body than ever before. My lifestyle has definitely taken a 180 degree turn! In my younger years, I was out each night at parties. Now, I am lucky if I get a babysitter for the International Emmy's this year. Even when I do go out now, part of me stays home with Bella! It's a challenge to ever be present when I am not around her...it's like you're always preoccupied with your child's well-being.

Peak-a-boo, Isabella!

LLMM: Do you ever have feelings of guilt turning down various functions, events or meetings?
Marissa: Hmmm, "guilt", no. The time I spend at home if not out is in our media room. It's all about knowing what's going on in the digital and TV worlds, so I invest myself into research when missing out on the fun stuff, well...researching is actually fun for me.

LLMM: Do you have any advice for women without children who are searching for the perfect time to have them?
Marissa: I think it's always the perfect time to have children because most women will never voluntarily say "this is the perfect time". It's the perfect time when they come...when they just kinda show up. Or if you want to get stoic about it...the perfect time is when you've reached a satisfying level in your career where you can pick back up in a couple of years, or maintain both from the get-go. It's also more importantly about finding the right partner to RAISE a child with, not just someone who you love.

LLMM: Okay last question! What are you and Isabella's top three favorite activities?
Marissa: 1.) Down Dog, 2.) Art, specifically drawing Elmo, 3.) Singing, she's mastered "Happy Bday" as of yesterday which was her daddy's bday.

More Marissa:
Marissa's other baby: www.soulspeekermedia.com
Follow and track on Twitter: www.twitter.com/soulmedia
Say 'what's up' on FB: www.facebook.com/soulspeekermedia
Email: getloudwithus@gmail.com

Also, check out Part 1 of "Behind the Mama" where I interview LL'a Melody Gross, mother of 2yr old Kamel and full-time Communications + Marketing Associate!


The Modern Mamahood Column on the Ladies Lotto Blog:
As our Ladies Lotto community grows and evolves, we now have quite a few mamas and mamas-to-be! The LL Modern Mamahood weekly column presents the issues and products related to being a Ladies Lotto Mama. Blogger: Lana Perry

2 comments:

hunt4anarnia said...

Great interview! What a superwoman!

Lana Perry said...

Thank you misslady, and yes she is! :)