Mothers are multi-taskers by necessity, also making them natural entrepreneurs. And so, it made perfect sense for Becky Malinsky to leave her job as a fashion editor at the Wall Street Journal a year ago to strike out on her own when her son, Thomas, was only two years old. In short order, she launched a must-shop Substack newsletter, a personal styling business and took on several editorial and brand strategy projects. How does she get it all done? Here, Becky shares her organizational tools, favorite sources for parenting advice and her dream of one day getting to the end of a 1,336-page biography.
My strategy for staying organized…is mostly the Google Sheets page that is forever open on my desktop with “work in progress” tabs for each line of work: newsletter, styling clients, editorial, brand creative. But it’s also the voice in my head – which I’m pretty sure is a combination of my mom and grandma – telling me to keep going.
My style after becoming a mom…hasn’t changed much, but I’m definitely more comfortable with my body post-baby. I always wore fairly oversized clothing, but pregnancy has this funny way of making you want to show your curves. Post-baby, I didn’t have the same neuroses about my body. Now, I feel pretty at home in my skin and wear everything a bit more fitted. Another change: I love wearing white. It must be some subconscious rebellion against knowing that everything I put on is going to get dirty.
The Mother’s Day gift I’d like to receive…anything vintage Bulgari or a Sherman Field chain would be on my dream wish list. In reality, I usually ask for the silly things that I never get around to buying myself. I want a new pair of OOFOS sandals for around the house which I jokingly told my husband last week. I would not be surprised if that’s what I get.
The most valuable parenting lesson I’ve learned so far…is that you just don’t know. The thing your child will need you for the most is never what you had planned or imagined. What I’ve learned as a Type A planner is that it’s about being prepared and informed but then being flexible.
If I had 24 hours without work or childcare, I would…finish The Power Broker! Between multiple businesses and a young child, by the time I get around to opening a book I can’t keep my eyes open. I can’t remember the last time I could read for pleasure while the sun is up, and my brain is still turned on.
My favorite source for parenting advice is…Janet Lansbury. I’m a groupie. And I couldn’t have made the transition from crib to bed without Dr. Becky. Having a baby right before Covid, it took a long time to make mom friends. But I finally made some great friends in the past year, and we help each other out when things get tough, or we just need reassurance that the occasional hour of TV is fine.
What I now appreciate about my own mother…priorities, perseverance, problem solving. I could go on and on. When I get overwhelmed, I think about how my mom keeps going. She’s not waiting for an invitation to figure out the next step, within the day, the week, the season or big life stages. You don’t think about what it takes to keep a family going until you are doing the tiny things every day that add up to the main event. I worship her!
The best advice about motherhood I’ve gotten…is to be in the moment. A friend shared this before I had a child, but it’s always stuck with me. Your kids always know when your head is elsewhere, or when you are trying to multitask. It also ties into the mantra my husband and I try to remember, which is that before you know it your kid will be in kindergarten, and you only get one shot at being present for this stage.