Moms on the Move - Catherine Masraff
Today we have Catherine Masraff on The Mag. Catherine is the founder of Mobo, a peer to peer platform for parents. Read all about her below!
Describe motherhood in one sentence.
I think we should discuss the term Parenthood instead of traditional Motherhood.
Once, you were a normal person without a care in the world. Then one day you have a baby in your arms and you’re a parent! Lots of changes and emotions for both moms and dads, that’s for sure.
Parenthood reminds me of riding a roller-coaster: the thrills of the ups, like a baby’s first word and first steps; the excitement we feel when we’re at the top of the coaster. We are thankful for this unique journey throughout Parenthood. Then comes the fears of the drop when things go down, when we don’t know what to expect and have no control over them. For example, when our children are sick, or when we let them leave on a trip by themselves for the first time.
Tell us your story! We’d love to hear little bit about yourself and your business.
In the spirit of the Roller Coaster metaphor, the ride of parenthood lasts about 20 years. It challenges our bodies and minds, it stirs all of our emotions, even creating emotions that we’ve never felt. Just when we thought we figured out a problem, another challenge arises as our kids grow: From stroller issues to teenager situations. Parenthood just doesn’t come with a manual or Cliff Notes.
So how to navigate this journey and make the best of it?
I used to live in New York City, where I worked for rapidly growing companies. It was a blast and professionally extremely fulfilling. But with two young kids of 17 months apart, my life radically changed, I wasn’t prepared and I fought hard to reconcile all of its different aspects:
Be a mom: pumping breastmilk in the office, read bedtime stories, cook healthy meals, manage the babysitters, the schools’ requirements, the afterschool activities, etc. including the lack of sleep!
Be a professional: perform at work to keep my skills and career progress;
Be a partner with my husband: organize getaway weekends, activities and nights out, etc.;
Be a friend, be social: organize & attend parties, networking events and gatherings, etc.;
Be myself: keep my dance classes, my 5am run and archery practices on schedule, make time for self-care and, again: sleep!
One evening, I was home after work, everyone was asleep. I opened the kids backpacks, started to cook vegetables for healthy lunches and suddenly felt a deep sensation of emptiness… it was too much to handle, I thought I wouldn’t be able to survive motherhood, a very scary feeling. So, I tried all the services and apps I could find to help me: pre-cooked meals delivered to my doorstep, grocery delivery services, etc. All these apps to control ended up being a full time job among my other full time responsibilities.
Because I cannot sleep till I find solutions to problems, I worked nonstop for 2 years to create a solution for parents. One place where parents can find answers to our ever-changing questions, one place that will eliminate hours of Google searching.
That was the inception of MOBO.
A trusted, free and safe platform which connects parents within their neighborhoods, to assist each other with their day to day needs. Whether it’s about selling or buying a bike for your 6 year old, or finding a math tutor, the best Spring camp a few miles away, or the best running stroller. There isn’t any better help and support than parents like us who share information and knowledge we seek. With mobo, parents can ask their questions and receive text messages as soon as their fellow parents respond. They feel supported, comfortable, someone has their back.
And this is just the beginning of my dream. By helping parents, encouraging them to connect and support each other, mobo supports families and children to become the best version of themselves.
How many kids do you have, what ages?
I am blessed with two beautiful children: my daughter Taline 9 years old, and my son Sacha 10 years old. They couldn’t be any different which is both challenging, I always have to find what fits best their own personality. As a reward, they teach me so much with their unique way to navigate through their day to day, it’s a blessing.
What are your top three recommendations for things to do with kids in LA?
L.A. is so rich in all kind of adventures for children!
Among our favorites are:
Friends and family are vital to our happiness so any activity we can share is a must.: The beach, we love Matador Beach in Malibu and lunch at the Malibu Farm Café; a classic Sunday: run, bicycle ride and play at Rancho Park then brunch at FOOD LA on West Pico: our favorite daytime restaurant.
We love museums: the Getty Center (take an audio guide for your children, they’re never too young to enjoy it!), La Bea Tar Pits & the Natural History Museum, the Kidspace Children’s Museum and the Broad & MOCA: we always try to squeeze a glass slide ride at the OUE Skyspace at the time of the sunset and grab something to eat at the Grand Central Market
When it comes to activities, we’re always trying something new. Our principle is that the kids try something I want to do: like Go Karting recently, and I’ll then try something they want to do, like VR. We love the Virtual Room Los Angeles: they created team building games in VR which is a great way to teach the kids how technological innovations can be used in a meaningful way. We have strict rules about screen time, my kids still don’t have a phone, but our children’s future evolves every second towards a hyper-digital world. So, I prefer to teach them the right way to navigate this world, and experience with them (I like video games), rather than over-controlling or leaving them exploring without guarantee their safety. I take them regularly to the gym, they sometimes train with my trainer: never too young to learn to take care of your health! My son who plays ice hockey in the Junior LA Kings league takes us ice skating at the Toyota Sports Center, then my daughter who is a swimmer will take us surfing at the beach. We keep rotating activities and enriching each other!
How do you network as a parent and a business person?
My first network in LA has been my kids’ school community. I spent two years at the PTA and still volunteer weekly at our school. The amount of work teachers, school staff and parents pull out to make our public school such a gem gave me strength and fueled my inspiration.
I also network with the Women Founders Network, Girl Boss, Quilt to name a few. I look up to all local events relevant to entrepreneurship and parents’ life, attend them and meet wonderful entrepreneurs, mompreneurs, investors, female investors and non-profits. I believe in the pay-it-forward philosophy, the good karma, give back, give and you’ll receive back. This is why I partner with Make-A-Wish Los Angeles, and will keep supporting non-profits which work hard to help parents and children.
And all local businesses which I enjoy supporting and collaborating with.
I believe that local communities are our strengths.
Where do you go for inspiration on the web and in real life?
In real life, my inspiration comes from my children and their friends. If we listen and can be humble enough to connect at our kids’ level, we let ourselves surprised by their grit, the amount of information and knowledge they accumulate, their extraordinary imagination and their wisdom. My son asked me to read Charlie Thorne Last Equation from Stuart Gibbs and in exchange I gave him to read Natural Born Heroes from Christopher McDougall. This is a thrill: we’re having the most incredible conversations about Einstein, mathematics, the human anatomy, WW2. And now my daughter offers me her books: White Bird: A Wonder Story - by RJ Palacio, powerful story about WW2 and the importance of memory.
On the web my inspiration varies from personalities like @ashleygraham new mom who paves the way for girls and moms to love themselves, be true and beautiful, or @celestebarber who reminds us that laughing, and being able to laugh at ourselves, makes our parenthood easier and unforgettable!
Mompreneurs I admire:
@noniecreme badass mompreneur in the beauty industry
@reitcatou for bringing us Workin’ Moms Netflix show
Dads I admire:
@parentnormal from Chris Cate
Others:
What is the first website you visit every morning?
itsmobo.com of course!
Checking for new users and posts.
Then I check @mobohood Instagram
What are you three favorite Instagram accounts to follow?
@losangelesbucketlist full of great ideas to discover the city
@Tmagazine for fashion, architecture, photos I cannot live without looking at something beautiful every day!
@_millionrise_ for the funny cat & dog videos, cars, travels, etc. because I’m a big kid :)
What is on your to do list for today? (EDITORS NOTE - this interview was done in early March prior to the “safer at home” policy)
THE Endless To-Do-List!!!
My day starts at 6am.
After waking up the kiddos, we always cuddle for 15 minutes. This is the most important part and start of our day!!
Next, I help them get dressed, do my daughter’s hair, feed them breakfast, prep their lunchboxes and check they brushed their teeth. Go through the door we’ll sing out loud something like: This is going to be a great day! type of mantra, a Coué-like method.
After dropping them off at school (always music and singing in the car!), I’ll work on mobo’s next event: Make a Wish Silent auction March 26th at L’Angolo restaurant in Santa Monica, you should join us! Will run meetings and tackle as much as admin work as possible: taxes, pay bills, etc. While drinking too much coffee at Kiff Kafé or Alana’s or Commissary.
Then back to kids’ stuff again: stop by the pediatrician to collect the immunization records for Middle Schools applications, email the teachers for the upcoming conferences and will help my PTA friends with the yearbook ads, look for ideas for my son’s upcoming birthday party.
Will then go for grocery shopping, follow up with my repair shop to get my car fixed, talk to my best friends who is going through a divorce.
By the end of the day I’ll hit the gym for 1 hour.
Back home I’ll prep dinner, will check on the kiddos homework, talk about their day, go through the bedtime ritual: read a story or extensively talk about our day.
Here my last shift starts: clean up the kitchen, do laundry, etc. take a shower (yeah!), will check more emails, will browse the web for new dance shoes, and if I’m lucky I can read a bit before bed.
Just a regular working parent day!
And finally, where can we find you?
Website: itsmobo.com
Instagram: @mobohood
