Whitney Port on why she’s going back to ‘The Hills’ and what it’s really like to be a working mom
We hopped on the phone with the reality TV star and asked a few questions.
Whitney Port is a mama who understands the hustle. She’s got a lot of jobs right now. The former (and soon-to-be current) reality star reps brands on Instagram , inspires fellow mamas through her YouTube channel , and she’s the Chief Brand Director for Bundle Organics , a line of drinks and snacks for pregnant and nursing moms. The company has been known for its teas, but Port is launching 24 new Bundle Organics products this month, plus working on all her other projects and she just started filming for The Hills reboot. It’s a lot, especially because her number one job is being mom to 1-year-old Sonny.
Port recently spoke with Motherly about what it’s like to be doing so much, and the realization that helped her let go of mom guilt.
“You have to realize that you can’t be everything to everybody at all times. You can’t be a stay-at-home mom and be able to support your family financially, and be cooking every single meal for your child and for your family. You just can’t do it all,” she explains. Port ( like 78% of the moms who took part in Motherly’s 2018 State of Motherhood survey ) has complicated feelings about combining her career goals and motherhood, and managing the tradeoff it takes to fill two roles at once. For her, that means that sometimes she’s not making dinner herself. It means that sometimes she can hear Sonny calling for her when she’s working in her home office and he’s being cared for by someone else. And it means giving herself the space to be okay with that.
Through Bundle, she’s feeding mama’s bodies, but through her YouTube channel she’s been feeding their hearts. Her candid descriptions of her postpartum struggles empowered a lot of women to share their own stories, and offer advice not just to Port, but other moms who can relate to her experience. The conversations in her comments sections have been a gift to moms who previously thought they were the only one having a hard time as a new parent.
“There are so many people that validate it, and so it makes everyone not feel so more alone. Or they have suggestions and solutions, and that is just so helpful,” Port explains, adding that she encourages other moms to be honest about their own experiences in whatever way works for them.
That doesn’t necessarily mean starting up a YouTube channel, but it could mean joining mom groups online or in your community. “They’ll find that even strangers that they don’t know may feel the same way and get something out of it. So I always urge people to share,” Port tells Motherly.
Sharing the reality of her day-to-day #momlife is why Port decided to say yes to the revival of the reality show that launched her career, The Hills: New Beginnings .
“I signed up to do the show because I wanted everybody to see a little bit more of a glimpse into what my life looks like. Because it feels like a lot of moms are striving for advice or just validation that what they’re going through is normal and okay. And so I signed up to do the show just so that I could do that even more. And I hope that that’s what comes out of it. We only just started shooting, so I can’t say exactly how it’s going to go. But I do hope that it’s as authentic as our YouTube channel.”
So do we, Whitney.
The Hills: New Beginnings is set to premiere in 2019, and the new Bundle Organics products rolling into buybuyBaby stores this month.
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