Makers of Maine Podcast

 

My name is Kristan Vermeulen and I am a Mom, Full-Time Publicist, and Podcast Host of Makers of Maine. Back in June of 2020, I started a podcast called Makers of Maine which now has over 10K downloads and over 6K social media followers. I was on Good Morning America to talk about my side gig and this storytelling project has continued to grow which is certainly a great accomplishment.

Before starting the podcast, I had my second child. It was a very scary time as a week later everything started to shut down due to the pandemic. Not only were my hormones acting up and causing me to feel down but the pandemic wasn't helping much either. I never had any issue with depression in the past as I always thought it was an excuse and not a disease per se but I guess I learned the hard way and I continue to still do. I also have a second child that is attending pre-school. Dealing with two kids (infant and preschooler) is so tough during the pandemic!

Tending to two businesses has certainly been challenging with the long hours, working in the evenings, and working around the kid's schedules. Also, dealing with postpartum depression while tending to all of this is not fun either. It's been an emotional roller coaster. Also, when you're in work meetings and having a crying kid on a call can be quite embarrassing. But it's the new norm.

 How I’ve learned to stay positive and cope with these challenges are to,

• Work with your partner in taking turns watching the kids. Communication is key when it comes to a relationship and if you both have full-time jobs voice what’s going on in terms of projects, meetings, etc. you have to tend to. Also, time management is key in this so outline your project, meeting schedule and share this with your partner.
• Find time for self-care. Both my husband and I are into hobbies that allow us to shut off from the day-to-day and take time for ourselves. Also, with having postpartum depression I need the time to take a bath, read a book, and even record a podcast (which is a huge passion of mine). I’m thankful I have a partner who understands the importance of self-care. He gets it.
• Find a shared passion between you and your partner. While tending to your personal needs and care is important, the only person I am able to spend time with (besides my kids) and have a real conversation with my husband. We’ve tried our hardest to be careful with being around others so we kept our family away from others for the most part. My husband and I discovered a shared passion for starting a business we love. He is my audio engineer and photographer for my podcast and really has been the biggest cheerleader on the side of my work.

 

My goal is to grow my podcast to Makers of the USA and to really put forth stories about makers all over the nation. I can't wait to travel and explore these great makers' studios and to have my family experience this with me. But it will certainly be tough to grow with two little ones by my side. It will certainly be a good story to tell.