I loved reading interviews of my favorite people in magazines as a young girl. The writers would always paint such a vivid picture of their writing sessions; some quaint coffee house, peering out of the window, listening to smooth jazz and inhaling mocha-almond aromatics. My scenery is a tad bit different as I write this article, sitting in my home office with children deafeningly running around the house, responding to an email, having cozy conversations my toddler, and nodding agreeably at the repair man in the living room fixing something that is apparently on the fritz–a normal occurrence with four children.
It takes a lot to be a mom and have a career. It’s a daily battle to tend to the job or business that pays you and also raise godly, healthy children. Yet, women are doing it every day. Some with an organized plan as their means of mastering, others with helpful hands to offer assistance, and still other moms with both.
I had the pleasure of interviewing a mom that is finding ways to balance work and motherhood with a plan and a village. Jessica McDonald, the only mom on the World Cup winning U.S. women’s national team, shares how she makes both motherhood and soccer a priority.
Her Story: Getting into Soccer
“I was always competitive growing up because I was the only girl in the family until I was about fourteen or fifteen years old,” McDonald shares. She was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, playing multiple sports in high school. “I grew up with my cousins who were all boys. We grew up playing outside together. Whatever got us out of the house, we went and played. My older brother Brandon McDonald has consistently played soccer competitively growing up. I’ve always looked up to him and decided to follow in his footsteps. Just seeing how successful he was in soccer; I wanted the same thing. So, we just sort grew up as this soccer family. It was the traveling and meeting new people all of the time that sparked my joy for the game, and of course the competitiveness.”
Motherhood
Even with all the balance and planning in the world, being a working mom can has its challenges. “It’s very hard to juggle the working life and parenthood,” McDonald explains. “My favorite part of motherhood is being able to experience all of this with my kid. Because I know one day, he will be inspired by everything he has witnessed. I want to show him it takes hard work to be successful or to reach your goal or to just simply be good at what you’re doing.”
McDonald’s son Jeremiah is 7 years old and he was there, front and center as the team went on to win the World Cup. McDonald describes having her son at some games, “He travels with me most of the time, but sometimes it’s difficult to bring him to the longer camps that are weeks at a time because he’s in school full time.”
McDonald also explains how having a village has been essential in the pursuit of her career and being a mom. “Sometimes Jeremiah has to stay home in North Carolina with our second family, the Rockaway’s,” she says. “They’ve been a huge help for me and I’m not sure what I’d do without them if I didn’t have their help.”
Inspiring a Generation
McDonald’s goal is to inspire her son. Amazingly, she has also inspired children across the nation being unapologetically true to herself, rocking dreads and sharing her faith. “I’ve had so many parents DM me on social media thanking me because I simply have dreadlocks, because their daughters wear dreadlocks and play with dreadlocks, and I’m like, ‘Well why not? Let’s do it.’ It’s really cool to be able to inspire the younger generation of kids of color that look like us,” she told ABC News.
The diverse makeup of her team is also inspiring in what has been deemed a divisive time in our nation. “It shows that no matter your color, gender etc., we are all human beings that all want equality,” McDonald said. “It’s been a very difficult road for our nation, but I believe that since our team is the most successful team of the year and seeing how diverse we are, we are here with a voice and showing people that we ALL deserve equal rights and equal pay. There’s one common denominator in all of this and that’s that we are all human.”
Self-Care and Faith
The trendy word for moms today is self-care. It’s a word that appears on just about every mom focused IG page, a topic in the popular mom blogs and even mentioned in some commercials. But some moms find it challenging to make time for what most consider self-care—girl’s trips, massages and staycations. McDonald echoes this sentiment saying, “It’s very hard to incorporate self-care as a parent, especially with what I do for a living. I am always on the go, go, go. Something as simple as going to get my nails done is very satisfying to me. There’s 24-hours in a day and even going to get a coffee can just simply be stress relieving.”
Sometimes self-care is just spending time with God, basking in His presence or reading His word. “My faith gets me through every day of my life,” McDonald explains. “I would not be as mentally strong without God in my life. He put me on this life path, this is what he wants and that’s what I love about Him. Through the good and the bad.”
After a winning season, Jessica McDonald is back in the states, enjoying time with her son Jeremiah and preparing for next season. Her story, my story, your story–moms walking by faith, meeting deadlines, setting goals and most importantly, raising the next generation.
We would love to hear how Jessica’s story has inspired you. Share your comments, work life balance hacks and feedback below.
*Cover Photo by Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
