Self-care Series: Clementine founder, Kim Palmer
At &Breathe, we're extremely passionate about our parental self-care mission. It's so important to make time for yourself in your parenting journey - self-care isn't selfish! After all if you're not at your best, how can you be at your best for those around you?
Kim Palmer is the founder of Clementine - an app to help women to sleep better, worry less and basically to be their best selves via accessible hypnotherapy. It's out now on iPhone and coming soon on Android.
Credit: Kim Palmer
Work/Life Balance
&B: How do you manage to balance work and life? Is it possible?!
KP: I find that term work/life balance a bit of a myth. I don’t think everything works harmoniously all the time. For us it’s more about juggling and surviving week by week but having a bigger vision as a family so that we know that it’s all worth it.
We try not to sweat the small stuff. It’s taken a good few years of tweaking how we operate as a family with both of us working and having our son – but by re-framing our mindset that we focus on the ‘important’ stuff and don’t worry about the small stuff – we have found our happy place as a family.!
Career vs Kids
&B: How have you found that your professional life has changed since having kids, and is this the motivation behind Clementine?
KP: After having our son, I went through a tough period of experiencing zero confidence and crippling anxiety and panic attacks. My son wasn’t the reason for this but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back as I had spent years with lots of negative chatter, perfectionism and self-doubt. Going back to work was tough
but I’ve spent a good few years rebuilding my confidence back up again and I can honestly say that this experience has allowed me to grow my career professionally even further. In my day job as a Strategy Director I have more focus, more perspective (than pre-kids) and a lot more empathy.
I had always wanted to start a business, but yes, having a family gave me the extra motivation to just do it and start building the life that we want to live together.
life lessons
&B: What have you found the hardest thing in terms of keeping yourself happy and sane since having a child?
KP: Some people might not agree with this but I really believe that if I am happy that our son will be happy. This means that I do spend the time to do things that make me happy without any of the guilt. Whether that is going out for a walk on my own, having a babysitter on a Saturday night so that my husband and I can enjoy time as a couple or making sure that we stick to a strict bed-time routine so that we can enjoy our evenings. I suppose the biggest change has been fitting in exercise. I was a total gym bunny before having our son. I now squeeze in exercise around life so making decisions about walking to the station vs taking the car, doing squats during bathtime!
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Credit: Kim Palmer
“I really believe that if I am happy that our son will be happy”
Fit
on keeping fit
&B: How do you like to keep fit and active?
KP: I love to walk. We have a lovely park only 5 minutes from our house so we are up there in the weekends walking and looking at the Deer. I will walk to and from the station each day (steep incline) which is about 20 minutes each way. If we watch half an hour of TV then I will usually be doing weights. None of this (except the walking!) whilst I'm pregnant, of course...
Food
on eating healthily
&B: What's your best foodhack secret to eating healthily?
KP: I’m all about moderation and no crazy fad diets. So, for us we eat healthy during the week – Monday to Friday no treats. And then in the weekend we give ourselves permission to have treats to balance it out. Whilst I'm pregnant, I’ve just allowed myself whatever my body is telling me it want…more treats!
Feel
on relaxing
&B: What's your favourite thing to do to relax?
KP: I love to read before bed. It’s a ritual I stick to every night regardless of how late I hop in. Walking too, as you can probably tell. And then going to the coffee shop – ON MY OWN!
“Having a family gave me the extra motivation to just do it and start building the life that we want to live together”
#1
#1 Selfcare Tip
&B: What's your number one self-care tip for mums or dads?
KP: Book-end your days with something that brings you joy. This means you start the day and end the day in the right frame of mind. So, for me I have two rituals that I protect like gold dust – having a nice coffee and having breakfast at the table with my family. Then at the end of the day it’s reading a paperback book in bed.
Kim Palmer is the Founder of Clementine - an app to help women to sleep better, worry less and basically to be their best selves via accessible hypnotherapy. Recently listed as one of The Guardian's Seven Apps Every Woman Should Own. It's out now on iPhone and coming soon on Android.
&Breathe Postnatal is a family wellbeing company focusing on self-care for new parents. Join one of our postnatal and family fitness retreats in France, Morocco, the USA or the UK.