Sassy, classy, and gorgeous.
Those are just some of the words used to describe 37-year-old Farrah Casilda Nazareth, the COO of renowned waxing salon, No Strips Waxing Salon.
But not only is she a COO of a successful company and a permanent makeup brow artist — and a damn good one at that — Farrah is also an amazing mother to two kids.
“And two more kids real soon!” she quipped playfully during our interview.
Charming and full of life, being a mother to both a company and her kids does not stop Farrah from doing both roles to the best of her abilities.
From a truly inspiring lady, we learn the ways of navigating through motherhood while never forgetting your passions and dreams.
Would you consider yourself a working power mom? Have you always been one and was this of your own free will or something out of your hands?
Well as they say, “ain’t no hood like motherhood.” You gotta have that power to keep it going, balance work and life at home with your children. Everything is a challenge, especially since I have extended children in the workplace too — my employees. With great power comes great responsibility, and if that’s what it takes to be a working power mom then perhaps I am. 🙂
Why not focus on being a full-time mom? What is it about your job that wants to make you focus on being a mother and an entrepreneur equally?
So, given my career in the business, there are a lot of reasons why I feel challenged in my everyday life. Being a mother is a bonus and a blessing. Parenting keeps me grounded. I’m constantly reminded of my purpose and what really matters in life.
My role as the COO of No Strips and being a permanent makeup brow artist has also been very exciting, liberating while being extremely challenging at the same time. It gives me the motivation and discipline to be the hardest working version of myself. Being a businesswoman, the most fulfilling part is you add value to society, Also, knowing that there are people that depend on us —our employees — for their livelihood, drives us to keep going.
When you started off balancing work and being a mother, what struggles did you encounter?
Truly one of the most challenging things for me is balancing work and life. Making sure I am present for my kids — pre-pandemic moments, dropping them off at school, taking them to their activities, making time for date nights with my husband (yes we do have weekly date nights), and being home in time to have dinner with my family — all while running a company can be challenging. Juggling all of those roles can be stressful, but I think that’s life for any working mom and it fulfills us no matter how hard it may be.
Was there a particular struggle that you encountered or did balancing both come naturally to you?
The struggle is always real with motherhood and running a business. But again, it’s all about time management, giving more than 100% of your effort, and focusing only on the things you can control. It can also be a rollercoaster of ups and downs.
Being a mom has been the greatest asset in helping me grow as an entrepreneur. It has taught me to have grace for myself, how to be compassionate, and to see the beauty in all the lessons life has to offer, especially the hard ones.
As a businesswoman, I want to help our employees create something great and relevant for our customers, and motherhood has definitely prepared me for this immensely.
Was this the life you envisioned for yourself when you were younger?
I always was looking for a purpose in my life and when I had my children, I found it. I love being a mother. I know I am good at it. I am a better person for knowing my children and I am very honored to be their mother. And I wouldn’t trade my best day before kids for my worst day with kids!
How has the pandemic affected your daily life, both your work and in terms of taking care of your family?
Self-isolation, physical distancing, stay-at-home directives — the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our way of life. We’re mid-pandemic, peak work from home, peak remote online school, peak burnout. Yes, it has changed, the pandemic has made visible the day-to-day invisible work of parenthood and us entrepreneurs at the same time.
There is more pressure on us mothers now. We’re expecting mothers to be educators. There is more on the to-do list and we are hearing messages on how to stimulate your child at home, and not to let them fall behind academically, and to use this new time to do something new like learning to play an instrument. The standards are going up when they should be completely relaxed.
It was hard, I had my share of whining at first, but then we have to adapt, rise above the negative situation. Besides, we all know this pandemic will be over soon.
What do you love about being a mom?
There are so many reasons why I love being a mama, but I especially love the look in my kids’ eyes when they discover something new or figure something out that they’ve been trying to understand for a long time. I love seeing little pieces of myself in them.
Being a mother to my two children is my greatest joy in life. Parenthood is the single most important role any human will ever play in the life of another. There is nothing more fulfilling than knowing that by simply living lives that are intentional and authentic, my husband and I are — in many ways — teaching our children valuable lessons in love, empowerment, kindness, compassion, and humanity.
Nothing else can produce the joy that motherhood allows. I couldn’t imagine going through life without feeling that spectrum of emotion. Feeling it all, good or bad, gives my life purpose. It is the most extreme measure of being alive.
What’s one thing about motherhood that you would not trade for anything in the world? For those who are struggling with balancing being a mom and their work, what advice can you give them?
I am a mother and a wife. Everything about it is love for me and I would never trade it for the world. Having kids has made me realize that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, it’s more like dragons and fires. Obstacles are everywhere in both motherhood and entrepreneurship. When kids are little, they need a lot of care and attention, and the same goes for a new business. The thing about motherhood is that I don’t get to give up and quit.
But, I’ve learned in both business and motherhood that I must keep on moving and pivoting until I find what works best. In order to create a business that serves others, we need to serve and take time for ourselves first. We need to fill up our own cups, so we can pour onto others’.
As a mom, I want to give my best to my family, never mediocre. As a business owner, I want to show up as best as I can for our company and employees. I owe it to myself and to everyone around me to do my best and that starts with taking care of myself. The same goes for you and for everyone else.
Motherhood gives me an excuse to stay young forever, simply enjoying life with them especially at the beach, playing with them while enjoying love beyond measure. Motherhood is my life, my joy, my passion, my greatest achievement.
My best advice for entrepreneurial moms are these: Mom guilt is a real emotion, especially when your hands are full but that doesn’t make it true.You gotta keep going.Take that next step to benefit your business and your family. There is always a bigger obstacle ahead, and all of your prior experience has prepared you for this.
Just keep going, mama! Smile and you got this!
Photography: Rae Cabradilla-Padin