C-Suite Moms: Misti Morgenstern of Elevate Event Staff On How To Successfully Juggle Motherhood and Work
An Interview With Vanessa Morcom
Let your phone wait. We have become too hooked on technology. While it’s great to have it, it does interfere with social skills. Put it down and take time to be in the moment!
In today’s fast-paced business world, women in executive roles face the unique challenge of balancing high-powered careers with the demands of motherhood. Despite progress in workplace equality, female executives often carry a disproportionate share of domestic responsibilities. How do these successful women manage both spheres of their lives so effectively? In this interview series, we would like to explore this intricate balance and we are talking to women executives from various industries who are also mothers, to share their insights and strategies for successfully juggling their professional and personal lives. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Misti Morgenstern.
Misti Morgenstern is an entrepreneur known for her 30 year career in the event space. Misti founded Elevate Event Staff in 1990, and to date has managed thousands of events for Fortune 500 companies like Nike, Porsche, and Netflix.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us the “backstory” behind what brought you to this point in your career?
I’m Misti Morgenstern and I started out being a waitress when I was in my 20’s. I worked with my boyfriend at the time who owned a popular bar in the town I lived in. Eventually I became a bartender and I really enjoyed it, creating new drink ideas and making good money. As I got older I wanted to do my own thing with my experience in the service hospitality world, so I joined forces with photographers, caterers, wedding planners and event venues. It eventually spawned into the need for additional people to help out during these events. First what I did was establish a physical location and focused on marketing. Marketing was mainly magazine based in the 1990s when it came to events. Secondly, I contacted my friends and asked them if they knew of anyone. Eventually I had to put out notices to gain others to help and it just grew. Being such a detail oriented person, I only accepted those who were diligent in doing a great job. Laziness is something I don’t understand, especially when it comes to the service industry. So I am very picky when it comes to trusting who we hire. We’ve made a lot of great connections with the clients we have worked with and they trust us to give them the best service for their event needs.
Can you share with us how many children you have?
I have one son. He is 26 years old now.
Where were you in your career when your child was born/became part of your family?
I had my business running in full swing when I had my son. I took my computers home and worked from home for a month during this time. Before he was old enough to go to daycare, I kept him in a crib next to my desk. At times I would even have meetings with clients with my infant in the room.
Did you always want to be a mother? Can you explain?
Yes, I always wanted to be a Mother and I always wanted to have a son because I never had a brother. It’s an honor to be a Mother and teach your child skills to be all they can be.
Did motherhood happen when you thought it would or did it take longer? If it took longer, what advice would you have for another woman in your shoes? It did take me longer to become a Mother because I had my son when I was 36 years old. But I feel that it was meant to be because I was more mature and more advanced in my career and therefore made better decisions. I think ultimately women should have children when they want to and not based on what others think is acceptable.
Can you tell us a bit about what your day-to-day schedule looks like?
My day to day schedule goes like this, I wake up, check emails, post on LinkedIn, write a blog, have meetings with operations team, and head to events to make sure staff are performing and clients are happy.
I started out being in charge but now that I’m older I believe it’s important for my son to learn the ropes and take over. He’s been doing a fabulous job for years now! He’s ambitious like me and understands the road to success.
Has being a parent changed your career path? Can you explain?
I think being a parent has definitely changed my career path for the better. I would have never worked as hard if I wasn’t a single mother. I used the rising cost of raising a child to motivate me to grow my event staffing agency. I used to work really long hours into the early morning, sacrificing sleep, because I also had to spend more time at home and time teaching him. I remember the books we used to read and he knew what the pictures were before he could talk. It was important for me to teach my child. I used different methods such as Baby Einstein, playing music through the womb before he was born and then I took him to work with me until he was 14 months old. I just adjusted my routine with him at work and perhaps that subconsciously helped him to absorb the surroundings.
Has being a mother made you better at your job? How so?
I think being a Mother makes you better at everything. You suddenly are more aware of the caring mother instincts inside of yourself. I’m naturally a caring individual but being a Mother helps you be able to cater to other people’s needs and relate to them from the Mother’s perspective. I’ve often helped a client by giving my Motherly advice or assistance when it was needed or asked for.
What are the biggest challenges you face being a working mom?
The biggest challenges for me were initially taking time for myself. I wanted to feel good so I could be everything I could be and have energy. So I created a home gym and I took my infant son into the gym with me and worked out. It became quite fun and he enjoyed it. The second biggest challenge was then becoming a single mom raising a small child. But as scary as it was, I decided to believe it was all going to work out and it did. Of course I went through some trying times in relationships, but I eventually learned that I only needed to trust myself and not what another person brought to the table.
Are there any stories you remember from the early days of parenthood that you want to share?
I have lots of fond memories but I guess the most memorable story was… one day while watching TV, my son asked how the people got into the TV? I told him they were not really on TV but they were actors from somewhere else. He said he wanted to be on TV like them! As he got older he excelled at theater and I supported his creative side.
Are there any meaningful activities or traditions you’ve made up or implemented that have enhanced your time with your family? Can you share a story or example?
We like to spend time thrifting, and working on business ideas. I think something that’s stuck is that since I’ve been involved in business so long, It’s like second nature to see the world through the lens of business, and my son is like that too.
We all live in a world with many deadlines and incessant demands for our time and attention. That inevitably makes us feel rushed and we may feel that we can’t spare the time to be “fully present” with our children. Can you share with our readers 5 strategies about how we can create more space in our lives in order to give our children more quality attention?
1 . Let your phone wait. We have become too hooked on technology. While it’s great to have it, it does interfere with social skills. Put it down and take time to be in the moment!
2 . Do activities together. My son and I work out together and take walks and talk. And we enjoy painting together. Figure out what you enjoy doing together and take the time to do it.
3 . Expand on the possibilities of what you want to achieve together. We support each other on what we want to achieve, individually and together, and we help each other get there.
4 . Get up earlier. I found that when I get up earlier, I have more time to get things done and have more time for myself and therefore have more time for my loved ones.
5 . Leave work at the workplace. Sometimes if you work for yourself it’s hard to not talk about work. But you have to force yourself to talk about other things when not at work in order to have more quality time.
How do you inspire your child to “dream big”? Can you give an example or story?
I have always been a firm believer in becoming what you want no matter what others may think. So when my son said he wanted to be an actor, I supported that and gave him the opportunities to grow in that industry. If you believe in your child and support their dreams, then that is one of the best things you can give them!
How do you define success in both your career and your family life, and how has this definition evolved over time?
Success equates to different things for everyone. For me, success means health, wealth, love, and happiness. When I was younger I thought happiness was the only thing, balancing those 4 is the best way towards fulfillment. Knowing I can give the best life for my family by doing what I’m passionate about.
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a better parent? Can you explain why you like them? I like The Power of the Imagination by Neville Goddard, the 48 Laws of Power. I also quite enjoy Andy Elliott on Instagram, he’s intense but has good intentions with family, and business.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote” that you share or plan to share with your kids?
You are what you think about all day long. You have limited words and thoughts in a day; have intention with the way you think and speak.
If you could sit down with every new parent and offer life hacks, must-have products or simple advice, what would be on your list? One important thing I learned not to do was from a girlfriend of mine. She told me her son was troublesome and had major issues. I asked her about it and she told me that her and her husband constantly told him him was no good and he was going to amount to nothing. I thought about and asked her why they were telling him this? She said, because it was true. I then told her that her and her husband were essentially making their son become ‘good for nothing’ because they were telling him that. So he was living up to their expectations. I then told her how I was with my son. I told him he could be everything he wanted to be and I supported those dreams. If he wanted to play soccer, we were at the games rooting for him. If he wanted to be in theater, we were there helping him with his lines, and encouraging him to be the best! Children need to hear they can do it! And children need their parents to believe in WHAT THEY WANT TO BE, not what parents want of their children.
Thank you so much for these insights! We really appreciate your time.
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Morcom is a millennial mom of three and founder of Morcom Media, a performance PR shop for thought leaders. She earned her degree in journalism and worked for Canada’s largest social enterprise. She can be reached at vanessa@morcom.media
