Samantha Ettus, Author, TV Personality, Shares Her Journey in Balancing Communications and Children
as told by Butterfly Co-Founder Bradi Nathan
Samantha Ettus, mother, author and TV correspondent, is an expert and has been surrounded by experts for much of her career (perhaps Sam and my dad should chat over some dessert?). Her most recent book, The Experts’ Guide to Doing Things Faster is a must for any multi-tasking Butterfly mom. Sam also wrote a column about balancing work and family for Modern Mom and has skillfully written a mom-to-be manual called The Experts’ Guide to Baby Years: 100 Things Every Parent Should Know.” In between Samantha’s appearances on The Today Show, The Early Show, The O’Reilly Factor and Inside Edition, to name a few, she sits for an exclusive interview with Butterfly. Here Samantha shares her journey in balancing communications and children:
BN: At what point in your career did you have children?
SE: I was in the middle of creating and publishing books when I had my daughters and in many ways the subjects of my books mirrored my life. I was putting together the baby book when I was pregnant with my first daughter and it certainly became a resource my husband and I depended on within those first two years. My second daughter, Ruby, was born 20 months after Ella.
BN: How did your schedule change after your daughters were born?
SE: It just necessitated more structure. There was no longer even a minute to waste so I tried to make sure I separated my day into work time, mommy time, and then my husband and I almost always try to squeeze in at least a tiny bit of us time before the day is done.
BN: Do you ever involve your children in your work?
SE: They are so young that it is hard but I do dream of bringing Ella to the set of my new show in a couple of years. Ella and Ruby love watching me on TV so if they see me leaving the house for a TV appearance they get excited about watching it on the DVR when I get home or if it is a live appearance on the weekend or early morning they watch with Dad.
BN: What type of role model do you hope to be to your children?
SE: I hope that they see me as a mother who has always pursued her dreams while prioritizing my family, and that they see me as someone who is always ethical, loyal, and determined.
BN: Are your daughters “experts” in their own right? And, what do they want to be when they grow up?
SE: Well they are ages 1 and 3 so the baby hasn’t conquered the word “dream” yet. My older daughter told me she wants to be a ballerina. I am hoping this is something she picked up at school and that it will be replaced with something a bit less appearance-based fast!
BN: How has your husband, Mitch, been a part of your own personal journey in balancing work and family?
SE: Well he sees me struggling with the balancing act every day, sometimes with a smile, sometimes with frustration and sometimes just struggling. He founded and runs a 30 person company so even when he wants to fill in for me, it is really hard given his schedule. He gives me so much positive encouragement about my role as a mom and that is so meaningful. On the days when I have mommy guilt he reassures me that it is wonderful for our two daughters to have a happy working mom as a role model.
BN: Please share your secrets in trying to “do it all.”
SE: I guess prioritizing is the secret. I don’t agree with the common phrase that you can’t do it all. I just think doing it all will take a lot of time. So if pre-motherhood I was able to see my friends three times a week maybe now I see them once every two weeks. Or if I could tackle three projects at once, now I might do them sequentially.
BN: Who has mentored you both personally and professionally?
SE: There have been people who have served as mentors at different points in my life but no one mentor who has mentored me throughout various personal and professional changes. This is probably because I am not someone who stayed in one company or even one industry my whole career, so there isn’t that one person I can look to that can help me. My dad was certainly my first mentor and I still value his advice. But now the person I look to for advice more than anyone is my husband.
BN: What was your inspiration for writing “The Experts’ Guide to Doing Thing Faster?”
SE: As a working mom I am always desperate for that extra hour in the day so I set out to find it by enlisting 100 experts to give their most valuable advice on leading a more efficient life.
BN: What do you hope that readers take away from this book?
SE: I hope they glean things large and small. I love the chapter on how to find lost objects (hint: most objects are found within 18 inches of their original location) yet I love the big picture advice too like how to discuss a difficult issue with your spouse (hint: playing back what your partner says plays a big role).
BN: What advice might you have for aspiring writers?
SE: Make sure you have a back up plan! And of course, with the web, there are so many outlets for your writing so don’t think that traditional publishing is the only route. There are plenty of websites that might also want to publish your work.
BN: If you were to describe the essence of Butterfly to someone, what might you say?
SE: A community for strong women who believe that working enhances rather than impedes your success as a mother.
BN: If women ruled the world… what would it look like to you?
SE: It would be a lot more efficient and warmer too, every work place would have childcare, the work week would be far shorter but not less productive, because everyone would work a little harder when they were there. And of course, there would be no such thing as a man expecting his woman to serve him dinner, clean his home, care for kids and do his laundry. Women would no longer obsess over their looks and their weight and instead would spend that time thinking, creating, doing and enjoying.
BN: What’s on tap for Samantha Ettus?
SE: My next big project is a web TV show that I co-created with internet celebrity Gary Vaynerchuk. I am the host, and an Executive Producer. Obsessed TV (www.obsessedtv.com) is a first-of-its-kind talk show on the web, along the lines of a younger, hipper Barbara Walters.
BN: Do you have any additional thoughts that you would like to share with the Butterfly community?
SE: Happy and fulfilled moms lead to happy kids.
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|
My dad just recently built, with his own two hands, a fireplace. He has 30+ years of experience in restaurant supply and design and owns Café Bacio, a delectable dessert locale on Long Beach Island. He is not an expert carpenter, electrician, tile layer or painter, for that matter. However, he built and installed the most magnificent working fireplace that you have ever seen. What are his secrets in obtaining “expert” skills? He will never tell. |
BN: At what point in your career did you have children?
SE: I was in the middle of creating and publishing books when I had my daughters and in many ways the subjects of my books mirrored my life. I was putting together the baby book when I was pregnant with my first daughter and it certainly became a resource my husband and I depended on within those first two years. My second daughter, Ruby, was born 20 months after Ella.
BN: How did your schedule change after your daughters were born?
SE: It just necessitated more structure. There was no longer even a minute to waste so I tried to make sure I separated my day into work time, mommy time, and then my husband and I almost always try to squeeze in at least a tiny bit of us time before the day is done.
BN: Do you ever involve your children in your work?
SE: They are so young that it is hard but I do dream of bringing Ella to the set of my new show in a couple of years. Ella and Ruby love watching me on TV so if they see me leaving the house for a TV appearance they get excited about watching it on the DVR when I get home or if it is a live appearance on the weekend or early morning they watch with Dad.
BN: What type of role model do you hope to be to your children?
SE: I hope that they see me as a mother who has always pursued her dreams while prioritizing my family, and that they see me as someone who is always ethical, loyal, and determined.
BN: Are your daughters “experts” in their own right? And, what do they want to be when they grow up?
SE: Well they are ages 1 and 3 so the baby hasn’t conquered the word “dream” yet. My older daughter told me she wants to be a ballerina. I am hoping this is something she picked up at school and that it will be replaced with something a bit less appearance-based fast!
BN: How has your husband, Mitch, been a part of your own personal journey in balancing work and family?
SE: Well he sees me struggling with the balancing act every day, sometimes with a smile, sometimes with frustration and sometimes just struggling. He founded and runs a 30 person company so even when he wants to fill in for me, it is really hard given his schedule. He gives me so much positive encouragement about my role as a mom and that is so meaningful. On the days when I have mommy guilt he reassures me that it is wonderful for our two daughters to have a happy working mom as a role model.
BN: Please share your secrets in trying to “do it all.”
SE: I guess prioritizing is the secret. I don’t agree with the common phrase that you can’t do it all. I just think doing it all will take a lot of time. So if pre-motherhood I was able to see my friends three times a week maybe now I see them once every two weeks. Or if I could tackle three projects at once, now I might do them sequentially.
BN: Who has mentored you both personally and professionally?
SE: There have been people who have served as mentors at different points in my life but no one mentor who has mentored me throughout various personal and professional changes. This is probably because I am not someone who stayed in one company or even one industry my whole career, so there isn’t that one person I can look to that can help me. My dad was certainly my first mentor and I still value his advice. But now the person I look to for advice more than anyone is my husband.
BN: What was your inspiration for writing “The Experts’ Guide to Doing Thing Faster?”
SE: As a working mom I am always desperate for that extra hour in the day so I set out to find it by enlisting 100 experts to give their most valuable advice on leading a more efficient life.
BN: What do you hope that readers take away from this book?
SE: I hope they glean things large and small. I love the chapter on how to find lost objects (hint: most objects are found within 18 inches of their original location) yet I love the big picture advice too like how to discuss a difficult issue with your spouse (hint: playing back what your partner says plays a big role).
BN: What advice might you have for aspiring writers?
SE: Make sure you have a back up plan! And of course, with the web, there are so many outlets for your writing so don’t think that traditional publishing is the only route. There are plenty of websites that might also want to publish your work.
BN: If you were to describe the essence of Butterfly to someone, what might you say?
SE: A community for strong women who believe that working enhances rather than impedes your success as a mother.
BN: If women ruled the world… what would it look like to you?
SE: It would be a lot more efficient and warmer too, every work place would have childcare, the work week would be far shorter but not less productive, because everyone would work a little harder when they were there. And of course, there would be no such thing as a man expecting his woman to serve him dinner, clean his home, care for kids and do his laundry. Women would no longer obsess over their looks and their weight and instead would spend that time thinking, creating, doing and enjoying.
BN: What’s on tap for Samantha Ettus?
SE: My next big project is a web TV show that I co-created with internet celebrity Gary Vaynerchuk. I am the host, and an Executive Producer. Obsessed TV (www.obsessedtv.com) is a first-of-its-kind talk show on the web, along the lines of a younger, hipper Barbara Walters.
BN: Do you have any additional thoughts that you would like to share with the Butterfly community?
SE: Happy and fulfilled moms lead to happy kids.
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Tags: Balancing, Business, Children, Communications, Ettus, Mother, Motherhood, Samantha, celebrity, mom
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