Designing Her Next Chapter: Motherhood in Motion with Amanda Parton

In this episode of Mom to MORE™, host Sharon Macey is joined by Amanda Parton who took a career pause to "mother her brood", entered the world of competitive ballroom dance and followed a lifelong passion of home design to start her own business.

Amanda Parton grew up in a mining town in West Yorkshire, England.

Her career trajectory took her to London at Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, to Singapore to be Creative Director of Ogilvy 1 and finally to the United States where she took a career pause to “mother her brood”.

As her kids got older, Amanda, like so many SAHM’s who are looking to redefine their next chapter in life, started her introspection about her next steps. And step she did…or rather brilliantly danced into the world of competitive Standard Ballroom and as co-owner of The Dance Collective in Westport CT.

More recently, following a lifelong passion of home design, she started Homebird Interiors.

Join Sharon and Amanda as they discuss transitioning from a successful career to motherhood, reinventing yourself through your passions, and leveraging your many mom skills to launch new ventures.

Amanda Parton is a shining example of reinvention and her story is a testament to the power of embracing new passions and the courage it takes to step away from a traditional career path to explore the unknown. Amanda's transition into the dance world and later into interior design reflects her belief in personal growth and the importance of pursuing what truly fulfills you.

Amanda’s journey underscores the importance of maintaining a sense of self, even while nurturing others. She advocates for personal challenges as a means of growth, emphasizing that pushing beyond comfort zones can lead to unexpected and fulfilling opportunities. Her story inspires others to embrace change, seek new challenges, and recognize that it's never too late to pursue new dreams.

[00:00] Introduction
[02:50] Importance of a career pause for Amanda
[05:32] Decision to transition to a stay-at-home mom 
[08:02] Moving to Singapore and social life as a new parent
[09:01] Transition to the United States and making friends as a mom
[11:13] Involvement in children's school life and becoming a personal trainer
[13:14] Discovering Latin dance and facing new challenges
[15:53] Balancing dance with family life
[19:05] Embracing new challenges and personal growth
[22:55] Starting Homebird Interiors and returning to school in midlife
[25:10] Launching a business and overcoming fear
[31:36] Amanda's future plans
[34:08] Where to find Amanda online

Learn more about Amanda:

Website: https://www.homebirdinteriors.com/
Instagram: @homebirdinteriors1 and @partonia

Looking for MORE? Follow @momtomore on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.  @Sharon Macey on LinkedIn.

Keep an eye out for episode #22 of the Mom to MORE™ podcast where Sharon is joined by Melissa Dean, homeschooling mom, midwife and founder of Casa Natal Birth and Wellness Center in Los Gatos, CA. Coming soon - you won’t want to miss it ♥

• Episode Transcription

  Sharon:
  Welcome to the podcast where motherhood meets reinvention. I'm your host, Sharon Macy, and this is Mom2More. I'll be speaking with remarkable moms who have embraced the art of transformation. crafting their more by leveraging the skills they hone as stay-at-home moms. They'll share their experiences, struggles, and successes as they return to a former career, pursued a passion or hobby, or charted an entirely new path, giving you the clarity, motivation, and inspiration to help you answer the question, what do you want to do when your kids grow up? Welcome back. Well, my next guest is a multi-talented mom. Amanda Parton grew up in a mining town in West Yorkshire, England. Her career trajectory took her to London at Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, to Singapore to be creative director of Ogilvy One, and finally to the United States where she took a career pause to Mother Her Brood. As her kids got older, Amanda, like so many stay-at-home moms who are looking to redefine their next chapter in life, started her introspection about her next steps. And steps she did, or rather brilliantly danced into the dance world of competitive standard ballroom and as co-owner of the Dance Collective in Westport, Connecticut. More recently, following a lifelong passion of home design, she started Homebird Interiors. Needless to say, Amanda has had many inspiring reinventions and we're going to learn all about them. Well, welcome Amanda. I'm so thrilled you're here with me today.

  Amanda: Thank you. Thank you. Nice to be here.

  Sharon: Thank you. So I start all my interviews with what I call my essential mom question. And that is how many kids you have and where did you raise them?

  Amanda: We have four children. We had two of them in London. We then moved to Asia and we had two in Singapore.

  Sharon: So let's talk about why was it important for you to have that career pause and to have that time as a stay at home mom? and refocus your energy on all things family. And then how you actually made it happen because with four kids, that's not easy.

  Amanda: You know, it's an interesting question and it's not easy. I feel like I loved my job. I absolutely loved it. I worked so hard to get out of my tiny town and advertising was an amazing way to do that. And it took me to London, which is where I really wanted to go when I was a kid. So having children, I never thought I would have them. I thought if I had children, I'd have one and that would be it. My sister was the one that was like, I want kids, I want four, I want five. I was not that person. Surprise, surprise. That was the shocker. And I think when I got to London, We ended up having our two children in London and it was only, then I was struggling. Then I was struggling with it because at that point, I mean, we're talking 30 some years ago, you know, the maternity was not great. You know, you got, I think it was like 12 weeks. And, you know, so I remember saying goodbye to my first one and leaving him with a nanny. And my job was not a nine to five job. I mean, sometimes I could be, you know, working all nighters. So, you know, I had to have somebody that was there and available. I found it very difficult, but at the same time, I'd worked so hard to get to that point. I felt like, you know, I've got to try it. I've got to try and be a mother and have a career. And people do it. It's possible. I can do this. So I tried. We had another one. And eventually I got offered this amazing job in Singapore. It was such an amazing opportunity. And my kids at the time were three and 18 months. And I just thought, It's now or never. I got to do this. I knew going that that job was very demanding. And it was, it was very stressful. I had an amazing time. We had a live-in help. So that was a real bonus and helped. We were supposed to be there for two years, and we were loving it so much. We'd made so many great friends that we decided to stay another three. So we were there five years in total. And in that time, we had two more children. And I felt when we decided it was time to leave, I said to Paul, I'm happy to leave and to pursue your career, because he had also been given an amazing opportunity at that point, which took us back to the UK initially. And I said, I'm OK with that. But I need to spend some time with these kids, because I felt like I was missing so much. At that point, our oldest was almost eight years old. And I don't know. I just felt like I was leaving them with this woman who I loved and trusted. but she was having more fun with them and getting, she knew them better than I did. That's really hard, yeah. It really is. It's heartbreaking. And I just felt like, I can't do this. I, you know, I chose to have four children. I need to start looking after them. I need to be there for them when they need me. And, you know, I also had friends who, because we were in an expat situation and it was unusual for the woman to be in that position, So all of our friends, all the mothers were mothering their kids. It was their husbands that were on the expat train, as it were. And I think it was difficult watching them because they were spending all day with their kids, you know, doing things with them, traveling with them, doing all these things. And I was just not able to do that. Neither one of us was, we were both working at that point.

  Sharon: In some ways, you're almost jealous of the caregiver who's with your kids, and you're like, wait a minute, she's experiencing these things that I should be experiencing. But I'll say, Amanda, that that trajectory is not as uncommon as you think it is, because there are women, and I've interviewed women, who have gone right back to work, and then something happened, whether it was 9-11 or some seminal moment in their life, When they're like, wait a minute, these are my children. I love them. I want to be with them. I need to experience this.

  Amanda: I think it's probably less uncommon than it was. I feel like at the time, like we were the first of our group to have kids, like quite a long way, actually. I mean, it was only 25 when I had my first one. So, you know, a lot of my friends didn't have kids until they were in their 30s. And so it was weird. I felt like I was almost on an island. It was like, I just, you know, we didn't have friends that had kids, but we enjoyed, we've always enjoyed a good social life. So that was tough. So it was like dinner parties every weekend so that people could come and we could socialize, but still at the same time, look after our kids. It was just, it was different to what everybody else was doing. All of our circle was doing at the time. But, you know, we did make it work. But I do think when you make that decision to stop, it was a huge decision for me because I really, I did love what I did so much. And it was just like, I was, I've got to do this. I've got to do it, you know, for them. Like I've got to sacrifice what I love to be with the people I love. And that was, it was a hard decision, but it was at the time the best thing I ever did. I was really, really happy that I ended up doing it.

  Sharon: The way you just phrased it was really wonderful. Sacrificing what you love to be with the people that you loved. And in this universe of stay-at-home moms, everyone's been there. It is a conscious decision to whatever you want to call it, take a career pause. It's a fraught, and it's an important decision, I think, for any couple and young family. You stopped working in advertising. Actually, we have that in common. That's my background as well. How did that work? Or were you freelancing at all? Or was it just cold turkey, I'm with the kids, and then you moved to the States, I think?

  Amanda: Yeah, so we were in the UK for a little while, and then we decided to, Paul got another opportunity, and it was an amazing opportunity, so to come here. And we love to travel, so we were like, why not? Let's try it, it'll be fun. So we did. And so we came, we had four kids, my oldest was eight, my youngest was… like five months. And we found a great house, we found a great community, we clicked with people immediately. That was the strangest thing for me actually, because coming from the UK, people tend to be a little more guarded. It takes a long time to break into a circle. We were there, we were actually only in the UK for like five months or something. But it took me five months to break in to this group of women that I discovered that I liked. And then, of course, we were back on the road. So I thought, I've got to do this all again. But the weirdest thing was, people here are just very open. I mean, sometimes a little too open, but generally speaking, people were super welcoming. I met a lot of people very quickly, which was good. It made the transition easier. I felt like I had people I could ask for advice. People were telling me where to go. This is here. That's there. You should do this. The transition here was super easy, actually.

  Sharon: And that's nice to know that, that it is easier in this country to make friends than in your home country of England. That's a really interesting observation. I was unaware of that.

  Amanda: Yeah. Well, I mean, maybe it's me. But the culture is a little bit different. Once you make friends there, they're great. But it's just here, it's a lot the opportunity to meet people. And the people being so open and welcoming makes it a little easier. What I wanted to do when I first was free to do other things other than work was to be involved in their kind of school life a little more, like get to know. Like I've said, I will be a class mom for all my kids at least once. Like that was my goal, because I had never done it. And I was like, it horrified me. I was like, I don't really want to do this. But I did. I did it for all of them. And they loved it. They loved that I was there, that I was coming in. which just made me so happy. It was like, you know what, this is great.

  Sharon: Having done that for all three of my kids, they do love that. And I think it's so precious. They know that when you come into the class, you're doing things for the class. They're like, that's my mom. And that's so sweet.

  Amanda: It really was. I didn't think it would mean that much, but it did mean a lot to me and them, which was nice. But other than that, I mean, I trained to become a personal trainer with any free time I had because I love to work out. So that was that. And so I was in gyms continually. And then I came across this lady who she had like a little independent art school in Fairfield. And she was basically, it was a glorified babysitter for very young children with paint. But I enjoyed it. It was fun. It was small groups of young children, and we would just paint and talk about color and read books. And so I did that for a little while, enjoyed it. And then one day, I walked into Fitness Edge and saw this class going on with this guy. There were 40 people in this class. It was so popular. And I was like, what is going on? What is this? And that was how I stumbled into the world of Latin dance and met my, who is now my best friend, Enrique. And, you know, everything changed from that point. It set me on a slightly different path. And how old were your kids when that happened? I would say probably I'd been here maybe four years. So my oldest would have been about 12. My youngest was, you know, four or five years old.

  Sharon: So you're still doing the stay-at-home mom thing? But now you've met Enrique and I wanted our listeners to know that that's how I met you. I guess, what has it been like seven years or so? I don't even remember that I've been going there as well and we met. And so I'm always curious to find out, clearly this is a passion of yours. And then you also had the ability to turn this passion into a business. So what was it that led you to Competitive Standard Ballroom? and talk about what that fulfilled inside of you, and had you ever done that before?

  Amanda: Right. Yeah, I danced from a young age. My mother put me in ballet classes when I was four. Didn't they all? Yeah. Absolutely hated it. I was like, oh, this is awful. And I was a little, I mean, growing up, definitely a tomboy. I was a track star. I was that person. I played softball. I was netball. But dancing and certainly ballet was just like, oh, this is terrible. I don't want to do this. She forced me to do it. She forced me to at least finish the semester, which I did. But then when I went to school, they had dance classes within the school and I got introduced to modern contemporary and loved it. And so I did that all the way through my entire schooling. And then once I got to the age of 18, I just felt like I just didn't have time. So I stopped and it was completely stopped. And I've done it my whole life and I really loved it. But there was no time. I was studying. I was trying to find jobs. There was just no time. And of course, I had a social life. But I think seeing that class and seeing those ladies and hearing that music was just like, Oh my God, this looks like so much fun. And you could just tell by all these ladies' faces that they were just in heaven. So I was like, you know what? I'm going to try this. After the class was done and I walked out, I just stayed just to say that was incredible. I had such an amazing time too, Enrique. And I said, you will be seeing me again. And at that point, he was going from gym to gym. So I literally became a movie. I was following him everywhere. Oh, OK. And we became super, super close very quickly.

  Sharon: For our listeners, Enrique and you started the Dance Collective, which is the studio that I go to in Connecticut. And I appreciate that because I remember walking into the Dance Collective my first time and taking a class. And I'm thinking, oh, my God. This is, and it's all grownups. Cause I was always trying to find classes in our area and it was always for kids and maybe I could find a one-off jazz class, but you know, to find a place that focused on adult women, adults, men, men are there too. I was like, okay, I'm home. This is great.

  Amanda: Yeah, it was. It was great. And, you know, we in the end, we decided to start our own studio just because it was hard going from, you know, gym to gym and space to space and trying to find something that worked for everybody. It was tough. So we decided we need somewhere central. And so we started it. We started it in 2008.

  Sharon: That still allowed you to do that when the kids were in school. Absolutely.

  Amanda: So that worked out really well. I could just work everything around. When they were in school, I could dance. I could help him, you know, with administration. It was easy. and a fun thing to do. And it was about maybe, you know, what would it be? Almost 10 years ago, actually, that I decided I'd been doing Latin, Latin, Latin, and loved it. But I thought, you know, I need a new challenge. I loved standard ballrooms. So, you know, walls, tango, Vinnies, Fox, and quick. I loved it. And I thought, you know what? I'm going to try that. It looks so elegant. And it's probably, you know, as I'm getting older, maybe it'll be a more elegant, more,

  Sharon: My God. I will say that you are an extraordinary dancer. I see you in Latin classes and you're amazing. And I've seen you on the dance floor and you're just gorgeous and stunning and you're so good. And you compete at a very high amateur level. So that is really amazing. But you said something, Amanda, that I want to dive into a little. what you just said about, I needed a new challenge. And you and I are very similar in that regard. But I think that's also a really great lesson for moms who are trying to think, okay, what am I going to do when my kids grow up? From your experience, why should a woman wrap herself around a challenge? Why is that good?

  Amanda: I mean, I think personal growth. When my time is done, I don't want to be thinking to myself, I wish I'd done that. I should have pushed myself to do that. It's interesting because as a kid, I was really shy and, you know, it was awful. It was so painful. Like I hated meeting new people. I was so shy and it was terrible. I found over the years and the older I get, the less I care about what people think of me. I feel like, you know, I am who I am. you like it or you don't like it. I don't care. It's like, you can't like everybody.

  Sharon: I think as we get older, I 100% agree with you. I think as we get older, there's that, you know what, I am who I am. And if you don't like it, you're lost.

  Amanda: Yeah, exactly. And like, and you're free to be who you are. And I don't, it's fine. Good for you. Like, so I don't, I just find that personal growth and evolving as a person and learning new things. expanding your brain width. I just feel like I just, there's so many things I still want to learn. And it's funny, Paul and I talk all the time about what's next as a couple and where we're going and what do we want to do together. And as a family, which is, you know, I'm lucky, my family are pretty much here. Even though they're all going up and out of the house, they're very, very close. So we can spend Sunday dinner together. And I grew up doing that with my grandparents and I love that. For me, that is, it's, you know, it probably, people say to me, it's amazing that your kids like want to spend so much time with you guys. Like they don't, you know, it's amazing.

  Sharon: Yeah, it's, it's amazing, but yes, it says a lot about how you and Paul raised the kids. And so, you know, kudos to you for that, that the kids are like, wow, our parents are pretty cool. We just want to spend time, you know, we like spending time with them. And, and I think that's important. I mean, knock wood, our kids are, are like that too. And even though they don't all live in the same area, but I think that that really just goes to who you are and your husband and how you raise your kids.

  Amanda: Yeah. I mean, I do. I feel like I'm so proud of them. I think they're doing amazing things. They've all gone in different directions. Right. But at the end of the day, they know where home is and they love spending time with us. And I couldn't honestly ask for any more. It's amazing.

  Sharon: I love it. I think that's wonderful. During the time that you have spent with these kids, you have grown. in some really wonderful ways. And so briefly, let's talk about maybe a couple of skills that you believe you honed while you were home with the kids and how that transferred into the dance collective or into your interior design business, which we're gonna talk about in a moment.

  Amanda: I would say chiefly organization. I'm a good organizer, so I can make things happen. And I've always been able to do it. Having four kids and having to be in four different places at once all the time, it just makes you, I mean, just definitely hones that skill. So I feel like organization-wise, and that's definitely carried into the dance. It carried into the business I started recently. It's been great.

  Sharon: Organization is huge. And a lot of, a lot of moms say that, and, but you have to be, even with one child, you have to be hyper-organized to make your life work. Mom2More podcast is sponsored by Ally Shoes. Created by a trio of trailblazing women, these shoes are engineered to alleviate pain. That's because every pair of Ally Shoes is handcrafted with premium lambskin leather and an ergonomic, cushy insole design. I mean, from the moment you slip them on, you can tell these shoes are wildly different. They cradle your foot with very strategic support and come in every chic, classic, and live out loud color you can imagine. Many of you probably know how obsessed I am with shoes and boots. I love the 3-inch classic heel, high enough to make your legs look gorgeous, and you can literally wear these all day. And the chunky heel ankle boots, timeless, modern, and every time I wear them, people ask who makes them. Plus, they come in so many sizes and widths that every shoe feels custom to your foot. And I'm sharing the love with all of you. head on over to ally.nyc where new customers and listeners of the podcast will get $40 off your first pair of heels with special code MOM2MORE40 and get 10% off your first pair of boots and flats with special code MOM2MORE10. Moms, meet your ally in fashion who are reimagining how comfort and function support women every day. Check them out, ally.nyc. I want to jump into homebird interiors. clearly a lifelong passion for you. And I love when moms turn a passion into a business and it is possible. So you chose to get certified. So back to school, what was that like for you in middle age? Cause I did that.

  Amanda: So weird. And I really did worry about it because I thought, God, like having to study again and having to go through all of that again, I just was like, I'm not sure I'm going to be up for this. And actually, I found that so long as I had created a schedule for myself, that I could stick with it. I was so disciplined and just like, I've got to do this. I've got to study. I've got to do this. I've got to do that. And I just did it. And I enjoyed it so much, the experience of it. In fact, to the point when it was over, I just, and the exams were done and I just thought, Oh my God, what am I going to do now? Now I want to learn something else. I thought to myself, should I intern somewhere? And, you know, really to understand the finer points of interior design, because there's so many things connected to it. So many different skills and so many different things you have to be able to do. And my husband was like, you know, it might not be a bad idea because you're going to get the ins and outs, make connections. And then one day I woke up and said, no, I'm not going to do that. I am going to start my own business. I'm just going to do it because I have a schedule. I love to dance. I dance every single day. I'm also training for the next competition. And so I have to be able to give time to that. These are things that are super important for my headspace, but also, you know, fitness and health. I mean, it's just important to me. So I won't give that up. So I thought whatever I do has to work around that schedule. And so I decided, you know what, I don't want to answer to anybody. I'm 58 years old. I want to be able to do things when I want to do them and we'll see. If it works, it works. And if it doesn't, it doesn't. It's not going to be the end of the world. I'll have fun learning and doing it and picking things up as I go. And that's exactly what I did. And I have to say, again, the best decision I made. I'm so glad I did it.

  Sharon: And you know what, you said something else, which is, I think, another really important point. You said, if it works, it works. And if it doesn't, it doesn't. And I think sometimes women are afraid to fail. And failure, at least like in my opinion, is just, okay, I've learned something that I didn't do really well. Let me go figure out what else I can do better. And so I think that mentality that you have is really important. It's like a growth mentality. Don't be afraid. Go try something. Try something that you love, that really resonates with you, like the dance and the fitness. I'm right behind you on that one. And yes, I schedule that into my calendar, so I make sure that that happens.

  Amanda: Thank you. Yeah, I definitely. feel that way. And it is true that personally evolving, becoming a different person, everything you do, you learn something from, like everything you do. So if you win, and it's great, wonderful. It's like the dance thing, actually, you know, I went through a period of time where I felt like it was going great. And the women I was dancing with, It was just perfect. It was great. I was just there at the right time. And so, you know, I was doing this. It was great. Now, all these new ladies have come in, they're super good. And so now I feel like I've gone… Now I have to like… You start climbing up that hill again. But you know what? It's good. It's good for me. It's made me stronger. And I don't think there is a failure. I don't think there is failure, actually. I think you just learn. It's just another learning experience.

  Sharon: A hundred percent. I think that's brilliantly said. And you know what? That should be like a t-shirt. There is no failure. You're just learning. I think the failure is perceived. Especially, and in dance, it's interesting, dance really highlights that. Because you're competing against other people, you have no idea how you're going to end up with the judges, who the judges are, you know, at the end of the day. But just to have been there and just to have competed and just to say, I feel good about what I did, that is a huge success.

  Amanda: It's so exhilarating. But I feel like that about even doing this business. I just, there are days I just haven't, you know, I have a whole schedule of meetings and talking to different people and I'm over here and I'm doing this and I'm doing that. And I feel so great at the end of the day. I just feel good. Like I have fun and I'm meeting all these different people and I'm be forcing myself to do things in situations that I don't necessarily always feel comfortable in. But I think, you know what, it's part of the job, just get it done. And, you know, it's been good for me. It's just made me, again, like not, not scared to ask for something or be, you know, if I'm not sure about something, not scared to ask that a person for help. So it's been, it's been an amazing experience so far and I've really enjoyed it and I'm really glad I did it.

  Sharon: Yeah, it's a wonderful opportunity for growth and learning and introspection as well. So I wanted to ask you, what have been the easiest and the most difficult parts of your mom reinvention journey?

  Amanda: I think difficult, I would say was initially, I almost, I, you know, I felt less than because I wasn't you know, going to work every day and getting paid for a job. And, you know, I had a, it was a good position. I had a lot of responsibility and I felt like when I gave that up somehow, I was almost apologizing for giving it up and just becoming a mother. But at the time I felt like I'd almost given up a part of myself, like something I really loved to do. I'd just given it up, I'd given it away. It took me a while to come to terms with that, I would say. Easy, I don't know if any of it's ever easy. It's interesting because my kids, as I said before, they're so different in personality and their journeys have been very different. You know, we've had our ups and downs and there have been definitely been some bumps in the road. Oh, that's family. Yeah. But you know, when you're going through it, it just feels like, I mean, there were moments where I was just like, oh my God, like, I don't know if I can do this. really tough moments, but at the same time, seeing what they have become and where they are now in all aspects of their lives. And that's down to myself and my husband. You know, we did that. We created these incredible human beings. I think that I'm so incredibly proud of them. They're just so amazing in so many different ways. So seeing them overcome things and grow as people and still want to be around us is just, you know, that's been the joy and everything I wanted it to be. When I set out on this particular journey, You know, all I wanted was well-rounded kids, well-rounded, fun, successful. But you know what? That was the other thing. I didn't, I never felt like I wanted to push them too hard. I wasn't pushed. My parents were always, look, you want to do it, do it. If my grades weren't great, they were like, it's okay, you know? Isn't that nice? Isn't that nice to hear?

  Sharon: Because sometimes today parents get so crazy over so many things. Yeah. But that also leads me into, What do your kids think of everything that you've done? The dance studio and now Homebird Interiors.

  Amanda: I think they love it. I think, I think they love it. I mean, my husband is also very accomplished when it comes to sports. And so we both compete and, you know, I think my kids are just like, they're awed by it because they're just, I mean, it's amazing. We're still doing things. We're still pushing ourselves. We're still trying to get somewhere.

  Sharon: But what a wonderful example for them. You're showing them how this can be a lifelong pursuit, lifelong learners. lifelong doers. And I think just that is so, it's just invaluable.

  Amanda: Yeah, I agree. I do. They learn so much from you, even if you're not intentionally teaching them, they do. They watch, you know, Paul's always, Paul interestingly has been asked now by two of our kids, are married. You said you just became a grandma.

  Sharon: I did. Congratulations.

  Amanda: Yes, he's only nine weeks, but he's a George. But Paul's been asked twice now by the kids to be best man at their weddings, which I think is a total testament. Oh my gosh, that's extraordinary. It filled him with absolute horror. He was like, oh my god, no. But the speeches he gave were unbelievable. And I think it just feels as if, We are so bound together as a family.

  Sharon: I love that, Amanda. That's an extraordinary postscript to your story. So congratulations about that. So as our time is drawing to a close, I have a question for you that I ask all of my moms. And that is, since this is the Mom to More podcast, Amanda Parton, what is your more?

  Amanda: I would say having everyone close and being able to do things as a family, is probably right at the top of my list. But travel, because we traveled so much in our younger lives, we have plans to travel once Paul is retired, for us to really travel, to see parts of the world that we have not seen and actually live places and learn languages. I feel like we want to immerse ourselves in different parts of the world. That will be our next chapter. I don't know when that will be, maybe five years from now, maybe 10, who knows? Because now, of course, there's a grandchild in the mix and I'm like, So that's a bit of a problem right now. I've got to get over that hump. But I think we'll do it because I want to learn to tango in Argentina. He wants to spend time in France because he cycles and he wants to do the Tour de France. Not do it, obviously. But there are so many places in the world that we would love to go back to Asia and spend some real time there again. I just, I don't know. I think travel is definitely right up there. And I think that will be our next.

  Sharon: I love that. I think that's a fabulous answer and it sounds so exciting. So Amanda, please tell my listeners where they can find you online.

  Amanda: Yeah. If you go to homebirdinteriors.com, you can find me there. I am also on Instagram.

  Sharon: Homebird interiors one. And also I'll just also mention that all of this information will be in the show notes. So everyone will be able to find you and check you out. Great. This has been so lovely and I'm so appreciative of your time and how fun to be able to get to know you outside of the dance studio. So I'm really grateful for that. Thank you for your time. And I realized we are very similar in so many ways and I really love that.

  Amanda: Right. Well, I will see you on the dance floor.

  1. Sharon: I'll see you on the dance floor. I'd like to read another five-star review, and this is from S. Kimshi. And she wrote, Sharon has brought an array of amazing and inspirational women to her podcast. She's a wonderful host and brings a lot of color to the question so many moms are facing. What's next? Thank you for those kind words. And if you keep writing the reviews, I'll keep reading them. Before I sign off, a quick favor. I would love it if you would take a few moments to follow or subscribe to the pod. Following us means you'll never miss an episode, and it really does help the show to grow. Just go to the Mom2More Show page on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen in, tap the plus sign in the upper right corner, or click on Follow. While you're there, if you'd be willing to leave a five-star rating and review and share an episode with another mom, I'd be so grateful and appreciate your support. Thanks for listening in and see you next time.