Working Mom Wednesday // APR 2024

Working Mom Wednesdays – A Celebration of Supermoms! Every month, I’ll feature an inspiring working mom you’ll love getting to know!

This month, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Kristen Hallinan! Kristen is a sought-after writer and speaker, passionate about helping women redeem the pain of their past and move towards a healthier and more hopeful future. On mission to equip women and support families, Kristen enjoys working with teen moms, crisis pregnancy centers, and serving as a pre-marital mentor with her husband Shawn in Dallas, TX. Legacy Changer is Kristen’s debut book, and you can tune in every Tuesday to hear an episode of her new Podcast, Up Until Now. She is a mom of four, ages 6, 10, 14, and 16. You can find Kristen online here and on Instagram.

What’s keeping your plate full personally and professionally?

I just launched my debut book, Legacy Changer, on February 20th, and launched the first episode of my Podcast, Up Until Now, today (March 5th), and I'm speaking to women's ministry groups. I'm passionate about seeing women heal from hurts in their past in order to live a more free and hopeful life today. My husband, Shawn, and I are also pre-marital mentors at our church, The Village Church, in Flower Mound, TX, and absolutely LOVE helping couples grow together and avoid some of the mistakes we made early on!

Do you work primarily out of passion (because you want to), out of need for provision, or a combination of both?

I work primarily out of passion. I feel called to be in each space I am in currently, although I will always consider my most important work my marriage and my mothering.

What does a typical day look like for you? How do you juggle it all?

After seeing the kids off to school, I work full-time on my ministry, with the exception of attending women's bible study once per week and occasionally stepping in for mom duty as field trips, sick days, doctor appointments, etc. dictate. I leave house chores/errands/etc. for evenings and weekends to keep my "work time" a priority during the day.

How does being a working mom impact your kids?

My kids have become great champions of my work. We keep them in the know about what we each do at work (as is age appropriate) and let them ask questions/learn about each of our industries. My kids are learning about what hard work looks like, how to use their voice, and how perseverance is often needed! My ministry work means my kids have to be a bit more independent because my time is more limited—and overall I think this is beneficial to them! They are learning the time management/ self-management skills that will greatly benefit them later in life!

What holds the biggest tension for you in trying to manage everything right now? (i.e. childcare, meal prep, mom guilt, friendship, being a single mom, your marriage, etc.)

Mom guilt currently holds the biggest tension for me. This shows up when something falls through the cracks—a forgotten project at home, a missed event, or I forgot crazy sock day. If my attention weren't divided, I know more of these would get handled with ease, but like I mentioned above, I know my kids benefit in the end from not having every need met for them, without any of their involvement. And I get lots of chances to model apologies!

What's one resource, tip, or trick that makes your working mom life easier?

I find my heart feeling lighter when I divide my days as concretely as possible: when I'm working, I'm not trying to parent, and when I'm parenting, I'm not trying to work. I can feel "all in" to whatever has my attention at the moment and then shift gears when the time comes.

What advice or encouragement would you share with a working momma who is feeling overwhelmed right now?

I would advise any mom feeling overwhelmed to get clear on "the main things": what matters to you most? After that, everything else has to be secondary and held loosely. We have human limitations—and God made us this way on purpose so we wouldn't forget to depend on him!

How are you fueling your spiritual life right now? Anything you would share or recommend to others on this front?

The routine of attending Bible Study helps me stay consistently in the Word, and then listening to Biblically-sound podcasts while I'm in the car fuels my thoughts toward right thinking, prayer, and worship.

Being a working mom can feel like work all on its own, and nobody understands better than other working moms! Afterall, we are better together! After hearing feedback from countless other working mommas over the last several years, we are creating a community (via Facebook Group) where you can connect with each other, ask questions, celebrate wins, process challenges, crowd source ideas, and share meaningful faith convos. And at the end of the day, we are all-in to cheer each other on!

Click here to join the Working Mom Recharge Facebook Group! I hope you will visit often to connect, encourage, and find helpful insights for all things working-mom-life! I hope every time you visit, your soul will feel recharged!