Brian: 0:11

Welcome back to the Vero Beach podcast Today. We're excited to have Calah with us today from the Vero Beach Moms nonprofit organization. So thanks for joining us today, and can you take about 30 seconds and tell us a little bit about yourself?

Calah: 0:25

Sure, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. So a little bit about myself. I moved here in the year 2000 from Stewart Florida and I really really fell in love with Vero Beach. It really became home for me to raise my daughter. So how did Vero Beach Moms come to be? I love this question.

Calah: 0:42

So I ended up creating Vero Beach Moms eight years ago and I just really felt like there needed to be a safer outlet for moms. I really found that going on social media and on Facebook can get a little scary at times and I didn't feel safe on other pages, you know, just talking about motherhood in general. So it was kind of selfishly at the time I created the page going. You know what I'm going to show them? I mean really honestly and I hate to admit it, but it really is the truth.

Calah: 1:08

I created the page and as the years went on I saw that there was a really big need in the community for more growth with mothers and relationships and building more of a community for a safe haven for mothers. So early last year February actually of 2024, I had a calling in my heart it's time to lead and it's time to make a difference. So I switched it over to a nonprofit, knowing exactly what I was not doing. I had no idea what it entailed and a lot of people don't know that, but I really went into it pretty quickly and then went oh wait, yeah, I got to get my stuff together here, so we turned it into a 501c3.

Calah: 1:43

So we're tax exempt and the main focus of the nonprofit is for every mom to find their place in the community. It just holds so much of heart and truth in what women are looking for, and especially in motherhood. It can be the most amazing thing you will ever experience, but it's one of the hardest jobs. That's where Vero Beach Moms nonprofit came into play.

Brian: 2:04

So I'm sure Shauna's gonna have a lot of more questions in regards to the mom side. I'm gonna have more questions in regards to like stepping into this because I'm not a mom. I think, I know everything that she's going through, but I always realize that I'm always way off, so I'm not a member of the Facebook group.

Calah: 2:20

You're not allowed.

Brian: 2:22

There's probably, there's probably rules there. What were some of the unexpected challenges that maybe you ran into launching, cause you've never launched a nonprofit before.

Shawna: 2:30

Was it scary.

Brian: 2:31

I mean I know it was exciting, but I'm sure I even excitement. There was some some things that maybe you're like I don't know what I'm doing, what was that like?

Calah: 2:37

Oh yeah, that's a really good question. I was so excited to start it and then I'm like, ok, now what do I do? Of course, we had the mission statement, where there was a lot of needs that I saw that weren't being fulfilled in the community. But there are a lot that are being going to. You know, give back to the kids, and we're going to rely on sponsors and it's going to come pouring in. It was like scheduling one event after another, and I'll be honest with you.

Calah: 3:03

And then you know, fall hit and I'm like what am I doing? I need to slow down and I need to make sure that I'm producing programs and resources for women that need it and not just putting a bunch of stuff out there. That's kind of not planned properly and the way it's supposed to. And my business side kind of took over and went no, we need to create a successful business where people can feel that they have a safe place and they know these programs are well prepared and planned out. And so I had to slow down and go okay, let's plan this accordingly and bring in the right people. I have Mary and Tracy, who are amazing board members. They have been so amazing and so instructional and really patient with me through this process, because I really thought I knew what I was doing and I didn't. Nonprofit world is way different.

Shawna: 3:47

I think that's great that you realized so quickly that you needed to slow down.

Brian: 3:51

I was reading on your site and you had this phrase on there that says I can't be the only one who needs this. What were some of the moments for you that made you come up with that thought?

Calah: 4:01

Okay, so I promise I'm not going to cry on this podcast. If anybody knows me personally, they know Calah cries, oh hey.

Shawna: 4:07

Calah cries you and I are like soul sisters. Honestly. Oh thank you, and we probably are going to cry, it's fine.

Brian: 4:14

We have no tissues here, we have cookies.

Calah: 4:17

Okay, we might need a cookie and a roll of toilet paper, okay, so motherhood can be a very lonely place, even having the platform I did, and I had just hundreds of moms that are on that page. That connection was missing. Those relationships were missing for me, and I'm like I can't be the only one that feels this way. That's why part of our mission is we want to be a light in this dark world and for me. I turned this nonprofit into my mission field and I know that God called me to do this. Thousands of families move here every year the women in our community. We have about 51.9% of women that are in our community, 14.7% of women that are 18 years old or younger, so we are the higher percentage of our population in Vero Beach. To be able to form connectivity and relationship is number one for me. Blessings that come from that great, if not, as long as I'm being a blessing to other people and I can help one person. That's what it's about.

Shawna: 5:12

That's so beautiful because that's something that we've learned too through years of ministry that sometimes you have a vision for something. It's not exactly growing the way you thought it would, but if you can just be a blessing to one person, that's all that we're asked to do. Whoever comes our way, be a blessing to them.

Shawna: 5:29

So, that's so beautiful for you to say that For me. My story with motherhood was at a certain point. When Ashton was in second grade, we moved to Florida from Ohio. Through a lot of different events, I ended up homeschooling. At first I didn't like it, he didn't like it, it was not good, we weren't going to continue. But then that summer God changed my heart about it and I came upon. I don't know if you've ever heard of Charlotte Mason, but she was a teacher in England. It was a philosophy that really moved me and it was how we kind of ended up walking out his education. So when he graduated, all of a sudden I felt like who am I? What is my purpose? What is my identity? Everything just kind of was in the air and I was just lost. I know what it feels like when you don't know what your purpose is and you think do I have a purpose? Do I have one at all? And that's such a scary place to be. It is.

Brian: 6:14

For anybody that's listening, that's not a mom. There's still things we can take away from this conversation, even as men, because when you said I can't be the only one who needs this, I know for me as an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, even though it's highlighted on social media, can be a very lonely place. You're judging yourself all the time. When I read that on your website, I thought I can relate to that.

Brian: 6:32

I'm not a mother. I can't be the only one that feels like this, and with more conversations I've had with other business people, even through the podcast, I've learned like there's people that's been in business for over 20 years that I've sat down with, and I'm like you, think that too.

Brian: 6:43

So we're not alone in so many different ways, and I think that one of the things that you said right there was, if you get to help one person, that's what it's all about, and I know that's something that Sean and I have talked to people before. They've looked at some of the things that we're doing and they're like you guys are so successful and I'm like well, can you define what you mean by success, like even like with a podcast? Success for us is being able to talk to someone, to get to know their story, so to have that mindset as running the nonprofit, that's a huge, huge thing for you. It's going to help. You continue to keep doing it, even when things get tough or when things are going great. But you need those moments when things are tough, like, why am I doing this? Because you got to help that one person.

Brian: 7:21

So, Calah, I'm good at going through people's websites when people reach out. So it says, motherhood can feel like both a full heart and a full plate. So can you talk a little bit about what that looked like for you?

Calah: 7:31

So I'll tell you a little backstory, and I wasn't sure if I was going to share this, but I feel I feel led to share it. So I got pregnant with my daughter when I was 19 and, um, I had just moved up here from Stewart. You know that that relationship was very abusive with the father, but I don't want to go into too much details. I don't want to be disrespectful to him, but it was. And I found myself divorced at 23 years old, single mom struggling. My plate was full. I sorry it's hard to talk about.

Brian: 9:57

Please take your time.

Calah: 9:59

Yeah, divorced. At 23 years old, I went to school full time to get a career. I was doing dental assisting and management at the time. It was hard. God really protected me through that time. We found ourselves homeless for a period of time.

Calah: 10:18

But I'll tell you what. Through all of that, god was faithful. I know now that he allowed me to go through those things so I could help other women. So what you see on social media isn't always true. I know now that God was creating me for a purpose. It's not because of me, Calah, it's because of Jesus. To answer that question about your plate being full, it's okay, because motherhood is a mission field. God has given us our children so we can raise them and to love them and to guide them the way that he's called us to do. And I know that so many women are struggling, whether it's being in abusive relationships or it's financial problems, whatever it may be. We can't take away from that right, but what we can do is build a community that will support each other, and that's exactly what we're doing.

Brian: 11:08

So I know now. That's why I went through it, because I understand all of it. Yeah, thank you so much for sharing that. I think that it's so important even today. I think, after COVID, community has been something that took even a further step back, and there's so much power in community. So sorry to hear that you went through all that, but it's also a beautiful thing to see, like even something that's bad, that God can turn it and use it for good For the women that feel like I am alone. I hope that as they listen, that they hear that you're not alone. There's a community here through the Vero Beach Moms that they can connect All right.

Brian: 11:37

So, Calah, I have one more question to ask you before we get into part two, where we're going to talk about the behind the scenes. You, before we get into part two, where we're going to talk about the behind the scenes, I get to know more about the events and the services that you do. Again, back to your website. It has a phrase no mom should walk this path alone. So I want to ask you how has that phrase I know you're still pretty new, but has that phrase no mom should walk this path alone evolved in what it means to you today.

Calah: 12:02

Yeah, I mean just going through what I have been through and my personal testimony and sharing that it's imperative for moms not to walk alone and if they can see that there's a local organization like Vero Beach Moms Nonprofit that is there for them, I mean we'll go into that. You know, obviously in the next phase of what we're going to talk about with the programs. But, for example, just one of them, I'll just comment on coffee and testimonies. It's been something that's been very near and dear to my heart. I actually started that before the nonprofit. It's not really a Bible study, but it's coffee and testimonies. So we're talking about our lives. We're talking about not walking these paths alone and how we can support each other and whether we share scripture or testimony, story, trials, tribulations or you know, we're celebrating victories. That's one of the programs we're really trying to push this year, because it's imperative that all women know that they're not alone.

Brian: 12:55

Well, I'm excited to get into part two. If you guys are enjoying this episode, make sure you click that subscribe. Leave us a review. I was just reading the other day. It says give them one call of action, so just choose one of those. That's fine with me, but I guess, most importantly, if you're enjoying this episode and you know a mom, share this with them. That's the most important thing. Share this episode, because I think you're going to find encouragement through this story, through your story.

Shawna: 13:18

Catch you next time, neighbor.