Monique, a local Durban woman, is an award-winning journalist, a photographer, and a digital marketing specialist. Married to Brett and mom to Maddie, she is expecting their second daughter in October. She is wonderfully passionate about sharing the things she loves on her incredibly popular Instagram page – Being Maddie’s Mom. We are so excited to welcome her to the Pure Beginnings family and look forward to journeying with her and Brett as they anticipate the arrival of Maddie’s baby sister.
Follow her blog www.beingmaddiesmom.com and @being_maddies_mom on Instagram and Facebook. Monique will inspire you to make memories, grab opportunities and celebrate the special moments both big and small.
Here is the inside scoop on our newest Ambassador:
Monique, tell us more about yourself and your family:
I am a 30-year-old Durban girl, and the youngest of three siblings. I studied journalism, and soon after graduating I started my career as a journalist at a Durban-based Caxton community magazine. I spent eight and a half years there, feature writing and taking photographs. I also ventured into online content, website, and social media management.
Last year I decided to follow my new-found passion for digital marketing and began my career as a digital marketing specialist for a large retail space based on the North Coast of Durban.
I have been married to my husband Brett for six years, but we have been together for 12. We are each other’s first love. Brett has a PHD in Space Physics and currently trades as a software developer. Together we have a beautiful, curly haired four-year-old named Maddison and I am 21 weeks pregnant with our second daughter. We could not be more excited!
When I am not being a wife and mom or working my day job, I run and manage my blog – Being Maddie’s Mom. I started blogging and social influencing nearly six years ago. At the time, my page Monrobe, was a platform that I used to share my body positivity journey as a plus size woman passionate about fashion. My aim was to inspire women of all shapes and sizes to love and feel comfortable in the skin they are in. When I became a mom, my blog and social media platforms naturally evolved into parenting, and today it’s essentially a lifestyle, parenting and travel blog that focuses on our lives as a family, products and things we love, and places we enjoy.
What are you most passionate about?
Capturing life! I lost my mom at the tender age of 18 and have only three or four photos of us after the age of seven. Having vivid memories of our short time together has really inspired my love for photography and videography. Capturing our lives on camera is something that comes naturally to me and sharing them with an audience is just a plus. There are very few days I don’t photograph either Brett, Maddie or our two dogs. I have hard drives filled with memories that we can all look back on.
What is your best time of day?
Waking up to an excited Maddie whispering ‘mom, mom, mommy’ next to my bed every day! Being with this precious girl who is always SO excited to see me and excited about the day and all that it will bring to us, makes my heart incredibly happy and I am filled with gratitude!
What makes you burst with joy?
Being able to do what I love every single day and finding that sweet balance of ‘having it all’. I am so fortunate to be in a career that sets my soul on fire – one that excites me every single day. Pursuing a career and being the “boss” of my own business and brand, being a hands-on-mom and finding time for myself, my friends and our family is something I find massive joy in! I am super fortunate to have an incredibly supportive husband, who is an amazingly attentive dad to Maddie and truly parents 50/50 with me – there are very few things that I can do that he can’t. I owe a lot of my success to him.
How long have you been a Pure Beginnings customer? Any favourite products?
Sadly I only discovered Pure Beginnings when Maddie was about 18 months old and began using the baby products on her when she was about two. Shortly thereafter Brett and I began using some of the adult range. Now that I am having a second child, I am excited to give the entire baby and toddler range a try from the moment the baby is born. I can’t wait to use the incredible wet wipes, bum cream, baby body wash & shampoo and teething gel. I absolutely love the Balancing Shampoo and Conditioner for myself – my hair has honestly never felt better, and I also love the Revitalising Body Wash and the deodorants. There are too many favourites to just name a few!
How do you embrace the Pure Beginnings lifestyle at home?
As parents, it’s massively important to us to teach our children to be conscious of looking after not only the skin they are in, but also to be aware of their impact on the environment. Being mindful of what we purchase – what the packaging is made of and what is in the products – as well as living life as cleanly and as naturally as possible, are small things we try to do to live more consciously – for our health and well-being as well as that of the environment.
If you weren’t blogging, hands-on parenting or in digital marketing, what would you be doing?
I’d probably be writing my book. I have a lot to share about what I’ve learnt about life and the hurdles I have had to overcome to get to where I am today.
Name three things you cannot live without:
God, my husband, and our children.
What excites you most about this ambassadorship?
Using my platform to further inspire others to be conscious of the products they are buying and the impact they have on the environment. I’d like to spark some conversations about living life more naturally and I’m excited at the prospect of learning new things – both through Pure Beginnings and through my audience.
Welcome Monique!