“Tonight was one of those nights that was heavy duty,” admits Randi Zinn as our interview begins. “My 6-year-old son fell asleep in my bed right now, and you know what? Fine. You just have to compromise.”
It’s no surprise that Zinn, who also has a 2-year-old daughter, would refuse to get mired in a maternal power struggle: The 38-year-old is the author of the new book Going Beyond Mom: How to Activate Your Mind, Body & Business After Baby (Skyhorse Publishing). Part self-help tome, part manifesto, it shows mothers how to find a community beyond their home, embrace self-care, and even bring a business idea to life.
“There’s a whole lot out there about being a mom and what it means in relation to your kids, but I feel like there’s a lack of attention to the woman herself,” observes Zinn, who lives in Manhattan and Kingston. “I view this as a movement where we change the cultural mindset.”
To further fuel the movement, Zinn also founded and operates Beyond Mom and www.beyondmom.com, a multi-faceted platform offering podcasts, mixers, and retreats to moms. Her guiding principle? “It shouldn’t be guilt- or fear-inducing to step away to do something for yourself,” she asserts.
It’s a lesson she’s learned for herself over the years, aided by yoga, which she practices and teaches (she’s also an Athleta ambassador). “Yoga gave me a balance — I’ve learned to watch and take moments and dissect them,” she says. Now she helps other women find a healthy balance as well, through the support and validation they find via Beyond Mom’s many offerings.
It’s an initiative that helps Zinn, too. “I’m a mom and I love being a mom, but I am me and myself and I am a woman,” she says. “I continue to develop her and fuel her without apology.”
