Wonderful Women Interview with Blogger Mim Jenkinson

Photo by Stephen-Dupont

For the latest Wonderful Women I’m speaking to one of the most inspirational people I know whom I’m also honoured to call a friend too.

Mim Jenkinson of LoveFromMim is a blogger, freelance writer and social media manager for children’s companies.

She is also Social Media Influencer for Cancer Council NSW, Australia’s biggest cancer charity – a charity that is extremely close to Mim’s heart.

Mim is a Breast Cancer survivor. In 2015, she was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer but had a successful lumpectomy, chemo and radiation therapy and is now living post-cancer life to the full with tattoos and brand new bucket lists which include date nights, holidays and partying (sounds like my kind of bucket list 😉 )

Mim is 37 and a married mother to a 3-year-old old girl and 1-year-old boy.  An honorary Northerner having lived most of her life in Manchester and Leeds, Mim now lives in NSW, Australia.

Describe a typical day for you.

I’ll take the kids for breakfast, often with my parents. After poached eggs and babyccinos (kids are so fancy these days!) we’ll pop to the shops and run errands.

On the way home one or both kids will fall asleep and that gives me a couple of hours when we get back to check and reply to emails, schedule blog posts and catch up on social media. And ASOS.

We’ll eat lunch after the kids wake up and then in the afternoon it’s a trip to the local park, a playdate with friends or if we’re staying in, we’ll attempt to bake something, do some drawing and likely watch Frozen. For the millionth time. In costume. Not me.

Mr M arrives home at around 4.30pm and the kids pounce on him! This gives me a bit of time to make dinner with one hand and check emails with the other without having to chase around after my mischievous 1-year-old!

We always eat dinner together – um, except on takeaway nights. After dinner, it’s a variety of CBeebies’ best and bath time. I love bath time – both kids in together is so much fun! After bath time it’s bed for the baby at 6.30pm and my 3 year old goes at 7.00pm.

Then it’s back on the laptop in front of the telly (rock and roll), wine glass in hand, catching up writing blog posts. As well as being my job, blogging is my favourite personal hobby and one that there will never be enough time in the week to get as much done as I want. I love it!

 

What do you feel are your biggest achievements?

I’m pretty proud of the way my husband and I have raised our kids so far. They’re loving, polite and bundles of fun. Becoming a mother was an absolute privilege and I’m so grateful be one. My kids are my world.

After my Breast Cancer diagnosis in November 2015, I’ll be honest, I thought I might die of shock on the spot. I kept it together and have gotten through it so far – I’m stronger than I ever imagined I would be or would need to be. That said, I think I’d like to avoid these kinds of challenges in the future, thank you very much.

 

What’s in your handbag?

My iPhone, Mimco wallet and a pouch from my nappy bag that stores my makeup, Burts Bees lip balm, mirror, paracetamol, Nurofen (for doubling up occasions!), a nail file and a mini perfume. Seriously, that pouch is brilliant for transferring between handbags. You’re welcome. Because no-one has ever thought of that before me…!

 

What are your ambitions in life?

I have many – some attainable and some perhaps not. I want to be the best mum possible, for my children to look up to me and be proud of me. I want to be around for as long as possible, living a happy, healthy and positive life and raising my babies in the same way.

My goal is to be able to work for myself 100% one day and be confident that I’m providing a happy, nurturing and secure environment for my babies to grow up in.

I also want to re-learn to play the piano, the guitar and to be a pop star. Ahem.

 

What advice would you give your pre-baby self, that you now know?

Firstly, enjoy the peace while you can because after the baby arrives, true peace and quiet is hard to come by. Even when the babies are asleep, my mind is still so active although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I relive their funny moments from the day and daydream about their futures.

Secondly, for the love of cake, get fit!

Thirdly, trust your gut because as a mother, you know best. Listen to others’ advice but be confident in your own intuition and decisions.

 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

I’ll be celebrating my 5 year ‘all clear’ from the annoyance that was Breast Cancer. Oh wow and I’ll be 42 then – what do 42-year-olds do? Well, I imagine, much the same as I do now.

It will probably take 5 years for my hair to grow back into a bob, so I’ll have one of those I hope.

I’d love for ‘Love from Mim’ to have progressed from being just my happy place on the internet to one that other women visit for ideas and inspiration on living a happy, healthy and joyful life.

 

What advice would you give an up and coming entrepreneur?

You will only be happily successful at anything in life if you absolutely love it, you’re passionate about it and you can’t get enough of it.

Think hard about what you love to do. What business, or job, would you be excited to get out of bed to do in the morning?

Finally, not all entrepreneurs need to make millions to be successful. Work out what you need to earn to keep your family comfortable in the future and work out a plan to get to that point. Any profit beyond that is a bonus. If you’re doing a job you adore and providing for your family, that’s more than enough success for me.

 

Finally, happiness is…

A harmonious, cancer-free world

With zero-calorie chocolate.

 

You can follow Mim on Twitter, Instagram, You Tube and Facebook.