The Mother Nature (Nov 07)

THE MOTHER NATURE
THE FAMILY GROOVE'S PROFILE OF A MOM WHO'S MAKING IT HAPPEN

The days of the traditional coffee clutch may be over, but at THE FAMILY GROOVE we're doing it new school,
bringing people together to laugh, learn, share and commiserate in the global village called the Internet.

This month, we want you meet Renae Plant, a mom who's giving new dimension to the word “juggler.”
This Aussie transplant came to the United States with $600 and a dream and has managed to parlay her
passion and razor-sharp instincts into two—yes, two—careers: a designer and a talent manager. This
work-at-home power mom struggles with balance—just like all of us—but still manages to keep a healthy
perspective that enables her to stay in the moment.

Here, our mom of the month talks about her careers, the value of good communication, working smart verses working hard and why patience is so important. Her keys to success on both the home and work front? Spontaneity and a nightly glass of wine.

Renae Plant

1.Who are you?
Renae Plant

2. How old are you?
36

3. Where do you live?
Los Angeles, CA

4. How many children do you have? How old?
Two kids: Ilan Lotus, three-and-a-half years old, and Mateo, two years old

5. What time do you get up?
6:30 to 7 am, depending on when the kids climb into bed with us.

6. What daily rituals must you do to feel normal?
Wake up and have a cuppa (Australian for coffee). I also check all my emails first thing in the morning before the kids get up, which give me time to process things and plan the day. Then I make hubby and Ilan lunch, drop Ilan off at Camelot Kids, work all day and wind down with a glass of wine with dinner.

7. What do you wish you'd do everyday, but haven't been able to incorporate into your routine?
Practice more yoga. I used to do it every day before the kids were born, but now I just don’t find the time. I wish I could relax and find “me” time. My day is focused on helping others and I would like more time to pamper myself—getting a massage, facial, pedicure and manicure more often would be great.

8. Do you work?
Yes, I have two jobs, both of which I own and operate from home. [bump] babies inc. (www.bumpbabies.com), which is a maternity clothing line that I design and sell to over 100 plus stores in the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, Mexico and Jamaica. I'm also a talent manager and own Nebula Management (www.nebulamanagement.com) where I represent 10 actors and submit/pitch them on castings. My clients have worked on shows like Las Vegas, Brothers & Sisters, Monk and The OC and movies like Norbit, Rent and Pirates of Caribbean CSI and Arrested Development just to name a few

9. What do you do?
Every morning, I go through a list called “breakdowns” which details all of the characters that casting directors are seeking for their features (films), television and commercials. I send the appropriate ones to my clients. Then I move onto processing all the online orders that I receive for [bump] that come in from retailers, online stores. Processing includes boxing the orders and preparing them for shipping—this is all done before 10 am each day. After that, my normal day begins: phone calls, pitching both actors and [bump] and dealing with stuff as it comes in. I love to tick my to-do list tasks off as soon as possible. I don’t like having my list get too long— although it often seems never ending. In between everything, there are the requisite nappy changes, snacks and lunch for Mateo.

Around one in the afternoon, I pick Ilan up from daycare and bring her home for an afternoon of play. I enjoy watching as the kids play around in the kiddie pool in the backyard as I work from my office. At the moment, I am working on some new styles of pants and a tank top with Swarovski crystals on it, so I spend a lot of my day designing with fabric and colors. I'm also revamping my retail catalog—I’m now a master of Photoshop.

On top of all that, I also just had a client book two feature films, so I have been reviewing contracts and shooting schedule conflicts, etc. By three, it gets busy again with phone calls from casting directors calling to schedule auditions for the next day, so I spend the rest of the day co-ordinating everything—this is all with a two-year-old in the background. Needless to say, the interruptions are constant.

10. Tell us about it.
If I stop to think about it, I could have a breakdown! That’s why a glass of wine at night after my hubby has cooked us all dinner is my bliss for the day. I stop, relax and we sit at the table and talk about the day and share stories.

11. What's the best thing your mother ever told you?
My mum was the best communicator. She would sit and talk with us at night and tell us life stories when tucking us into bed. Something that I always remember from my childhood is feeling like I could tell my mum anything and it would be okay. She also told me that laughter is the best medicine. She has this wonderful, infectious laugh—it's just pure bliss to hear her laugh. She now teaches laughter therapy—it's her true gift to others.

12. What does being a good mother mean?
Renae and her family

For me, it means loving your kids unconditionally, just being there to listen and giving them quality time, without judging how they should or shouldn’t do things. Patience is a skill that I'm still trying to master, as I sometimes let my work load and other things from my day cross over into the time I spend with my children. I am learning to stop this habit, let go of my day and be in the moment with them. I think all kids are born pure and we, as parents, start to condition them and mold them into how we think they should be. I love getting back into that raw, pure potential that you see in your kids' eyes of unlimited possibilities and bewilderment.

13. What's your mantra/personal philosophy?
When I was growing up, my dad used to say, “You have to work hard if you want to make it in this world” and “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” He was old school, so it took me a while to realize that you don’t have to work hard but you do have to work smart—and that money does in fact grow on trees (and we have cut down too many of them). You just need to believe that you have the ability to do anything your heart desires and know that the possibilities are endless. As long as you are passionate about what you do and do something each day towards that goal, the path unfolds right before your very eyes. Letting go of my limiting beliefs is always a challenge. But, I've learned to never take “no” for an answer—I just find a more creative way to get a “yes.”

14. What do you tell other mothers?
I have this scenario that I tell all the pregnant mothers I know who are about to give birth. I tell them to cherish the time when the baby is first born and you are trying to get a grip on things, adjust to feedings and lack of sleep and household chores and you don't really have any free time on your hands. I tell them that it’s the best time of their lives (the baby eats, sleeps, poops and looks at the walls for three hours at a time). You actually have so much time on your hands but don’t realize it. Just wait till they are learning to crawl and then walk and are into everything. Once they're constantly on-the-go, you have to watch them like a hawk so they don't choke on a lid or fall down the stairs, etc. If they think it’s hard now, my scenario helps to give them a bit of perspective.

15. Finish this sentence: I want my children to know...
...that are loved unconditionally, they have the ability and power to do anything their hearts' desire and that I will support them in wherever that leads them.

16. Who inspires you?
Princess Diana was my idol. I just loved her and admired how she turned a bad situation into a good one—for herself and for the world. She reached people on a global scale and was the first celebrity to use her status to help others (now all the celebs do it, but it was thanks to her that awareness of AIDS and the like is so prevalent today). She inspired generations of people from all walks of life to follow her lead by using their powers to create awareness for causes in an attempt to heal the world.

17. What are you passionate about?
Helping others. I really have that survival instinct and have used it to get to where I am today. I arrived in the USA with $600 and a suitcase. I didn't know a single person, so I had to do whatever I could to survive. I learned to trust my instincts because they are always right. I now like to use the knowledge that I have gained from my experiences to help others. I am always open to sharing—I mean, what’s the point of taking all I have learned to the grave?

18. How do you balance your life as a woman, a mother, a friend?
It’s tough—I'm not going to lie. I find it really hard to balance my work load with my kids and still find time to enjoy friends and social things. I must admit that I put myself last. I can work all day in sweats and a t-shirt—I feel like it's an accomplishment if I can find the time to shave one armpit or a leg in the shower. I find that being spontaneous is the key. When someone suggests a get-together, I try to just say “yes,” instead of thinking about all the things I should be doing. Spontaneity helps me to live in the now.

19. What do you wish you knew then that you know now?
I wish I knew how long our lives really are. When I was growing up, I was so impatient; I wanted to do it all now. I still want to do it all now to some extent, but hitting 36 and having two kids and a great hubby, I realize that I still have a long life ahead of me and I need to slow down to enjoy it more. I'm only in a race with myself—and kids grow up way too fast.

20. How do you get your groove on?
That’s a funny one. It takes a little persuading but once I'm in it, it doesn’t take much for it to flow.

For more on Renae, go to www.bumpbabies.com and www.nebulamanagement.com.

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