Day 291: Lyss Stern
“Slowly but surely, I’m definitely reaching these goals day after day, and I always call myself a little engine that could. I just keep going and going and going until I get there; but I know I’m going to get there, because I believe in what I’m doing, and I know that I’m making a difference in the world, and I know because moms are writing to me from all over the world – from Dubai, from Israel, from London, Paris, Chicago, from New Jersey, Atlanta, Georgia, Miami, LA – you know, “Lyss, I want to be Divalysscious – can you help me be Divalysscious? Can you help me?”
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Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Lyss, for agreeing to be with us today and before we begin, can you please introduce yourself?
Lyss Stern: Thank you so much for having me on the show today.
Toni: You are quite welcome.
Lyss: I’m thrilled to be a part of this. My name is Lyss Stern, and I’m the owner of a company called Divalysscious Moms, and we are the premier luxury lifestyle company in Manhattan, which is www.divamoms.com where we plan the best events for moms and kids all throughout New York City and the Hamptons, and we will be going nationally quite soon.
I’m also the author of a brand new book that came out last year. It’s a bestseller. It’s called If You Give a Mom a Martini: 100 Ways to Take 10 Blissful Minutes to Yourself. Christie Brinkley wrote the forward. I’m also the Editor-In-Chief of a wonderful publication, the quintessential parenting magazine here in New York City; it’s called the Observer Playground, and I look forward to talking with you all about what I do.
Toni: Well, fantastic. Well Lyss, when you think of the word inspiration, who do you think you inspire, and how does that happen?
Lyss: That’s a great question. I think that each day I am constantly inspiring moms all across the country and all across the world to be the best mom that they can be from the inside out. I tell moms that it’s really extremely important for them to take mommy time out. A few minutes a day just for me, just mommy time, whether it’s taking an exercise class, talking with her friends, or enjoying a bubble bath. We all get so caught up with taking care of our families, our children, that we often forget to take care of ourselves and our own well being.
My whole philosophy behind Divalysscious Moms really is that a happy mom equals a happy kid, and a happy mom equals a happy family. So it’s really important for moms everywhere to understand that it’s okay … you know, I’m giving them this permission slip where, you know, it’s okay to take care of yourself and it’s okay to do things for yourself, and moms always write into me and they say, “Lyss, are you sure? Like can I really do that? Can I take an hour away from, you know, my kids to go exercise or can I really go meet a friend for a cup of coffee?”
I always say, of course you can, because again, before you were a mom, you were this amazing, fabulous woman. Now that you’re a mom, you should even be more fabulous and you should still just take care of yourself and do things that you like to do. So I really believe that I’m inspiring moms everywhere across the country, across the world really just to be the best moms that they can be.
Toni: By giving that permission and having that platform and being able to have moms say, yeah, I will take that 5 minutes, how do you think you also might help them to explore their own potential?
Lyss: Well, that’s a really good question. I think that moms all the time will ask me. They’ll say, “Lyss, how do I … what do I do? Where do I start?” I always say that, you know, we’re juggling so many different balls at once, and it’s really key to prioritize and focus on the important issues at hand first.
So like for example, if a mom comes to me and asks me advice about starting their own company, I’ll talk to them. I’ll ask a lot of questions, I’ll make sure that they did research first in what they want to do, and I always say to them, you know, see what you’re doing. Figure it out. And if it’s something that you really believe in, I always say that they must try and they must go for it, because the worst that could happen is that they’ll fail, but the likelihood of them failing is pretty slim, because I believe that if you’re really passionate about what you’re doing, you’re going to succeed.
I always say to people … people will say, “How do you make money?” I always say to people, “It will come. You know, it doesn’t just happen at once. It starts slowly and organically and you grow and you start from the bottom, but you build your way up.” I really believe that if you’re passionate about something, try it, go for it, and I think it’s what I set out to help other moms do, and it’s been amazing to me.
Toni: What inspires you?
Lyss: Oh, so many people inspire me. I think that what inspires me the most is just … I don’t even know where to begin. My children every day inspire me. You know, I wake up every morning and I just look at them, and they inspire me to go out there and just be the best mom that I can be, and you know, help other moms out there.
My husband also really inspires me. He inspires me to, you know, create and to set goals and just to go for it. We call ourselves in our home Team Stern. We work as a team. Both of my young boys really inspire me to be the best mom that I can be, and also an entrepreneur. I want my children to know that their mom is making a difference in the world. When they see me in the morning and they say, “Mommy! You’re going to work!” And I say, “Yes, I’m going to work. I’m going to work to do things that are fun and inspirational and exciting and informative and educational for other moms out there that need this information or that want to have fun and come to these events.”
I think there’s nothing better for young boys and young girls to see that their mother can go to work and she can have a balanced life. So I think just my children and my husband really, truly inspire me to be the best mom that I can be.
Toni: When you are maybe working on these events or doing all the things that you have your hands in and you might be looking for a little inspiration, maybe this particular day you want to be inspired a little bit more, what do you tend to reach for? Are there tools you go to on a consistent basis, or things that you tend to need?
Lyss: You know, again, I think that sometimes … I’m also an avid reader. I read every newspaper, I read every magazine, so I’m constantly being inspired by stories that are out there, by what’s new, what’s fresh, what’s happening before it’s even gotten out there to the public. So I think what inspire me too a lot is just like the race or the thirst for knowledge, you know, to get my hands on, to grasp around like being the first and bringing it directly to the moms before anyone else really knows about it.
So that’s another thing that helps to inspire me, just again the constant reading, constant research that I do all the time, and surrounding myself with really positive people helps a lot as well.
Toni: Did you always know that you were going to, when you had children, that you were going to set that example that it is okay to take a break, that it is okay to be best mom you can be, or was there something that occurred along the way?
Lyss: Again, it’s something … you know, it just really occurred along the way as I started my business, and again, my background is in PR and then I became a teacher and I taught for six years at a private school, kindergarten, so to tell you the truth, I never even knew that I was going to open my own business; but after my first son was born, he really inspired me to … you know, I felt that there was this void in New York City for moms, and I wanted to start my own business, and I found my calling. I think that getting back to your question, as far as, you know, help me …
Toni: What made you think … I guess really the question is, when did you give yourself permission that it was okay to do this? To not only do it for yourself, but to do it for others?
Lyss: I guess … that’s a great question. I think that I found out for myself that it was okay to take time for myself, because it was really important, especially when the baby was so young that I was constantly home. I was breastfeeding, and I decided that if I feel this way, if I feel like alone, and I feel that, you know, I can’t go take an exercise class or I can’t meet a friend for coffee because I’m feeling guilty, then other moms out there must feel the same way.
I started to do my research, and we found out that a lot of moms do feel isolated. A lot of moms do feel alone. A lot of moms feel that they can’t take some time for themselves. So I created this mission where we’re telling moms everywhere that it is okay, and that you have to take time for yourself, because if you don’t, you will not be a happy mom.
Toni: So what do you do now to explore your own potential?
Lyss: I don’t know. I mean, I know that my potential and what I want to do, my goals, are definitely … they’re high. I set my goals very high. You know, people always say to me, you know, you’re going to be the next Martha Stewart of the mommy world, or Rachael Ray, or Oprah Winfrey of the mommy world, but you know, the sky is the limit and I’m doing the best that I can and I love what I do, and I’m so passionate about what I do. I do as much research again in my field that I can.
I’m constantly keeping up with everything that’s going on in the media, social media world, in regards to my business and surrounding businesses. I make lists every day and I just set goals to reach my full potential. Slowly but surely, I’m definitely reaching these goals day after day, and I always call myself a little engine that could. I just keep going and going and going until I get there; but I know I’m going to get there, because I believe in what I’m doing, and I know that I’m making a difference in the world, and I know because moms are writing to me from all over the world – from Dubai, from Israel, from London, Paris, Chicago, from New Jersey, Atlanta, Georgia, Miami, LA – you know, “Lyss, I want to be Divalysscious – can you help me be Divalysscious? Can you help me?” So I’m helping moms everywhere, and it’s just truly remarkable to be doing what I’m doing and to help all these moms out there.
Toni: Well, I really can’t thank you enough for being part of the Get Inspired! Project, not only with what you do for a living with inspiring moms, which is really, like you said, happy moms are happy kids, and so it really does come full circle, doesn’t it, but I also like that I’m hearing that you don’t have a sense of entitlement, that it isn’t just what we’re supposed to do, but it’s working really, really hard and demonstrating by example that it can be done.
Lyss: Absolutely.
Toni: And I think by sharing that message in that way, really helps people to give permission, that it’s not all roses, is it, but you can do it.
Lyss: Absolutely, and it’s a lot of hard work, and it’s a lot of … you know, I always say to people, it’s a lot of sometimes it’s blood, sweat, and tears, but at the end of the day, if you set your mind out and your goals, you can do it, and there’s no reason that you can’t, and so I really tell everybody out there, try it, go for it, and you know, you never know what can happen, and it’s just something that it’s really important if you believe in something, to try it and go for it.
Toni: Well thank you so much, Lyss, for what you’re doing and also for being part of the Get Inspired! Project. It’s been a great interview, and we cannot thank you enough.
Lyss: Thank you for having me.
Toni: Oh, you are quite welcome. Take care.
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For more information about Lyss Stern: www.DivaMoms.com
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