398 Day in the Life of a Mama Entrepreneur: Time Blocking, Content Strategy & Staying Sane
How to Build a Real Business in the Pockets of Your Day (Even With a Toddler at Home)
Episode 398: Rain or Shine Podcast
Host: Kelsey Reidl, Rain or Shine Podcast
Day in the Life of a Mama Entrepreneur: Time Blocking, Content Strategy & Staying Sane
Episode 398: Rain or Shine Podcast
Host: Kelsey Reidl, Rain or Shine Podcast
Quick Summary:
In this candid solo episode, Kelsey pulls back the curtain on what building a business as a stay-at-home mama actually looks like — not the highlight reel, but the real thing. Over three days, she shares her scheduling systems, productivity hacks, business priorities, and the inevitable curveballs that come with parenting, entrepreneurship, and doing it all with intention.
In This Episode:
The "4 Days in a Day" framework Kelsey uses (inspired by Ed Mylett) to structure her time as a mama and business owner
Why she increased Freddy's daycare days from 2 to 3 and what that decision felt like
How she uses "time confetti" (small pockets of time) in the 72 hours before a presentation
Her morning routine, workout habits, and why she refuses to feel guilty about prioritizing movement
A real-time look at her client roster and daily coaching work
Her content strategy anchor: why the podcast is her #1 priority and what she's NOT doing in 2026
The Three M's framework: Mission, Mindset, Main Ingredients
Her VA system, Asana workflow, and how she delegates podcast production
Her experience leading a training in the High Vibe Women community on ranking on ChatGPT
The power of masterminds — both running one and being a member of one
Wednesday's curveball: daycare closes early, support squad to the rescue
The visibility conversation she keeps having with clients: long-form + short-form + in-person
Key Takeaways:
Structure your day in chunks, not one long stretch. Kelsey's "4 Days in a Day" model helps her show up for her business and her family without burning out.
If it's not in the calendar, it's not happening. Time-blocking is non-negotiable when you're running a business with young children at home.
Start with Mission before choosing your strategies. Don't ask "should I be on Instagram?" until you know what your actual business goal is this year.
Your body is your vessel. Prioritizing physical health isn't selfish — it's the foundation of sustainable entrepreneurship.
Delegation is a growth strategy. A great VA + clear SOPs + Loom videos = time and mental space to do your highest-level work.
Memorable Quotes:
"Movement is medicine. If I'm not diligent about scheduling my workouts, they simply don't happen."
"We can only come up with the right main ingredients — the ones that will make your first $100K or $500K year — if we know what you're trying to do here."
"People don't know what you do unless you tell them what you do, over and over and over again."
Resources Mentioned:
Instagram: @KelseyReidl
Website: KelseyReidl.com
Wave Mastermind: KelseyReidl.com/mastermind
Ed Mylett — "4 Days in a Day" time structuring concept
Laura Sinclair, This Mother Means Business podcast — "time confetti" concept
Peloton App / Jess Sims — Treadmill Bootcamp workout
High Vibe Women Community — Workshop: How to Rank on ChatGPT
Asana — Client project management and communication
Loom — Recording SOPs and training videos for VA
The Mentor Collective Mastermind — Mastermind Kelsey is a member of
Trail Hub, Uxbridge Ontario — Upcoming podcast episode guest
Dr. Shannon Home — Vocal performance coach; speaker at upcoming April event
Wave Mastermind — kelseyreddle.com/mastermind
Grumpy Monkey — Freddy's current favourite book
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CLEANED & EDITED TRANSCRIPT
Kelsey: Hey Visionaries, welcome back to a solo episode — and this one's a fun one. This is a rain-or-shine day in the life. Over the next 24 or so hours, I'm going to record what's been on my mind and what I've actually been up to. This is less of a "here's how to do everything right as a busy mama-entrepreneur" episode, and more of a behind-the-scenes look at what it actually looks like to build something meaningful while staying home with my two-year-old, prioritizing my health and fitness, nurturing my hobbies and social circles, and supporting my husband through a busy season of his own.
I always love watching day-in-the-life vlogs on YouTube, so I figured — what the heck? Let me record one.
It is a Monday in late February, and it's 2:58 PM. I'm about 75 minutes into what I'd call "Day Number Three." This is a concept I first heard from Ed Mylett — the idea of breaking your day into distinct chunks rather than seeing it as one long stretch. In a perfect world, my Day One starts around 5 or 5:30 AM, giving me a couple of hours just for me: to work, read, sleep, or catch up on emails. That's Day One.
Day Two, especially on Mondays, is full mom mode. It starts whenever Freddy wakes up and runs until about 1:15 PM. We do activities, get outside, and just roll with the beautiful chaos of toddler life. Day Three is his nap — and that's when I get this second wind of work time. I ask myself: what do I absolutely need to get done right now? Day Four runs from when he wakes up until bedtime, and since I go to bed when he does, that's essentially it.
Today, though, Freddy is with his daycare provider. I recently made the decision to move him from two days a week to three, because stretching my workload into two days was simply no longer working — especially as Freddy gets older, stays up later, and naps less. I didn't want to be working late into evenings or crawling out of bed at 5 AM every morning through a Canadian winter. Three days feels right for this season.
So this morning, I woke up about a half hour before Freddy and used that time confetti — a phrase I first heard on Laura Sinclair's "This Mother Means Business" podcast — to work on slides for a workshop I'm teaching tomorrow in the High Vibe Women community. The topic? How to rank on ChatGPT. I love using these small pockets of 10 or 20 minutes in the 72 hours before a presentation to pull up my slides, make improvements, and stay immersed in the material.
When Freddy woke up, we got right into playing — blocks, a glow-in-the-dark fishing game his cousin introduced him to, books (he's obsessed with Grumpy Monkey right now). I made breakfast, blended my husband a smoothie, packed up lunches, fed the dog. Then I decided to head to our local gym. They offer a family-friendly early-on centre, so I dropped Freddy off, and he was happily playing with a little porcupine toy and drawing on the chalkboard. That gave me a full hour to do a Peloton treadmill bootcamp with Jess Sims — 10 minutes treadmill, 10 minutes weights, repeated for 60 minutes. One of the bigger workouts I've done in a while, and I felt amazing.
I want to speak to the parent guilt for a moment. It's real. But I've had to put it aside, because for me, movement is medicine. If I'm not diligent about scheduling my workouts — knowing exactly what I'm doing, when, and who has the kid — they just don't happen. I truly believe that for entrepreneurs, our body is our vessel. If we are strong in body and mind, we can do anything.
After the workout, I picked Freddy up and we headed to Stick and Puck — a drop-in skating session for young kids. Freddy is still learning, so we basically had the ice to ourselves for an hour. We watched the Zamboni, had lunch together, and then headed home. By about 1:30 PM he was napping, and Day Three was officially underway.
I started with lunch — poached eggs on sourdough with bacon and avocado — and got down to business. My first priority is always my one-on-one coaching clients. I open Asana, where I manage all client communication and project work, and check in with everyone. Today we had so many celebrations: a new lead source finally working for one of my health coaching clients, a personal assistant who successfully renegotiated outdated contracts (and all she had to do was ask!), and a client hiring for a community manager role that I'm helping to write the job description for. The variety is incredible, and watching these businesses grow never gets old.
I'm also in full event and speaking prep mode. I have a workshop tomorrow, a big speaking event in April in Toronto, another event in March, and there are all the little things that go with it — outfits, earrings, hair appointments, prep. When you run a personal brand business, the mental load is real.
This podcast, though? This is a priority. That's why I've shown up every week for eight years. This single piece of long-form content — where you and I can go deep — gets repurposed into blog posts, newsletters, clips, and so much more. It's the anchor of my content strategy, and I'm crystal clear on that. I'm not trying to play the Instagram Reels game right now, because it doesn't align with my 2026 strategy or my bottom line. And that clarity is everything.
This is exactly where I start with every client: the first M of my Three M's framework — Mission. We set the goal, then we identify your Main Ingredients. You can't choose the right strategies until you know what you're actually trying to achieve. Are you building an audience? Landing one high-ticket client? Going viral? Know your mission, then build from there.
It is 3:12 PM. I have not showered. I am in sweats. My hair is slicked back from that treadmill workout. And I have about 20 minutes before I need to wake Freddy up. So it's time for this mama to take care of herself. Kudos to every parent, entrepreneur, and business owner juggling multiple roles — and doing it because they love it. This is the way.
[CHECK-IN TWO — TUESDAY]
Kelsey: I'm back for check-in number two. I fully intended to record last night and this morning, but motherhood had other plans — I was tired, Freddy woke up earlier than expected, and that's just the reality. Rolling with the punches is one of the most important skills in entrepreneurship, whether you're a parent or not. Things come up. Pivot, reschedule, and keep going.
It is now Tuesday, and Freddy is with his daycare crew. On paper I have a 9 AM to 4:30 PM work window, but realistically — once you factor in drop-off, getting settled, and leaving early enough for pick-up — it's closer to a 9:30 to 4 day. And that's okay. I make it count.
On workdays I live by my calendar. Today I had client website edits, a Google Ads platform review, and final prep for the High Vibe Women training — all scheduled in 30-minute and 60-minute blocks. If it's not in the calendar, it doesn't get done. That's just my reality right now.
I had a rare two-and-a-half-hour window without calls this morning, so I made a beeline for Starbucks. Getting out of the house is genuinely one of my top productivity hacks. At home there's laundry, there's my dog, there's dinner to prep — a hundred competing priorities. At Starbucks, all I have is a coffee and a to-do list. I hammered through everything on my calendar and was home within two hours feeling accomplished.
Back home, I had time to get a chicken tortilla soup going in the crockpot (using chicken I'd prepped the day before) and check on my sourdough — which, I'll be honest, was looking a little floppy. But sourdough has surprised me before.
On Tuesdays I also check in with my virtual assistant. I hired an incredible VA from the Philippines, and he manages a significant portion of my content operations — the podcast, admin work, graphics, blog posts, clips. I record detailed Loom videos and build SOPs so that everything is systematized. Today I reviewed the podcast assets he'd posted, approved some clips, and then sat down to write the weekly newsletter myself. I send out a once-weekly "All Things Visionary" newsletter, and while my VA handles a lot, I always write this myself. It needs to come from my heart — real stories, genuine voice, nothing AI-generated.
Then came the High Vibe Women training on ranking on ChatGPT. I got some incredible feedback, compliments on my presentation skills, and people tagging me on Instagram. One tip I always share with speakers: at the end of your talk, literally tell your audience, "If you're going to tag anything from today, make sure you tag me — here's my handle." A simple prompt goes a long way.
From there I jumped onto my own mastermind — the Mentor Collective — which I pay to be part of. I talk a lot about the Wave Mastermind that I co-facilitate (kelseyreddle.com/mastermind), but I also invest in being a member of masterminds myself. Because you need to be in rooms where people are thinking big, challenging you, and asking hard questions. Masterminds have been the catalyst behind every major connection and leap in my business.
It is 2:50 PM, and I still have a client call coming up. I know I won't get everything done today — there's still a podcast ad to record, social content to create, and this solo episode you're listening to right now. But I know my priorities, I know what to delegate, and I do what I can in a day.
[CHECK-IN THREE — WEDNESDAY]
Kelsey: Welcome to what has officially become a three-days-in-the-life episode. It is now 4:33 PM on Wednesday, and I have about 10 minutes before I need to head upstairs.
Today had a classic curveball: I got a message from Freddy's daycare saying she was closing early today — and I did not have that in my calendar. I pride myself on being someone who writes everything down, but this one slipped. Luckily, I have a great support system, and one of my aunts was able to step in and pick him up. They're upstairs right now, but she has a hard stop, so I need to wrap up.
This is the behind-the-scenes reality of building a business as a parent. You're always managing logistics in the background while showing up fully professional on the outside.
Last night I went to a community meeting for the bike club and trail building system I'm part of here in my town. I didn't get my usual 20-minute planning session in before bed, but honestly? I needed that social time. It's easy to hibernate through winter, but getting into rooms with your people — people who share your passions — is energizing in a way that no laptop ever can be. There's so much more to life than pouring into our screens.
Today I recorded a podcast episode with the business growth and development leader from Trail Hub in Uxbridge, Ontario — that's coming out in late March or early April. I had a wrap-up call with Dr. Shannon Home, a vocal performance coach who'll also be speaking at our April event. I led our Wave Mastermind call, and then jumped into two back-to-back one-on-one strategy calls.
The word of the day? Visibility. I probably said it 20 times. People don't know what you do unless you tell them — over and over and over again. The strategy I keep coming back to with clients is this: have one strong long-form content platform (a podcast, newsletter, Substack, or YouTube channel), then crop it into short-form content. And pair that online strategy with in-person visibility — networking, speaking, getting into rooms where your dream clients are already gathered. Instead of pulling people to you one by one, find the room where a hundred or a thousand of them are already waiting. That's leverage.
Dinner is sorted — pulled chicken from the crockpot, fresh sourdough I baked this morning, and a simple salad. That's what a full Wednesday looks like.
That glimmer of spring is starting to peek through. The days are getting longer, people are feeling more energized, and this is the perfect time to plant seeds. Use that momentum. Come out of the winter shell and start building toward something.
If any part of this resonated with you, send me a DM on Instagram. I love knowing who's listening and going deeper with this community. Next week I'll be back with an interview episode — but for now, that's a wrap on this very real, very full, three-days-in-the-life.
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