Angela Brown
Angela Brown is an executive leadership coach and serial entrepreneur, working with Duke University’s Executive MBA students and owning two Blow Dry Bar hair salon franchises (Scottsdale and San Diego), respectively.
Mom to: Kirsten, 31; Jared, 29; Peyton, 25. My daughter Kirsten gave us our first grandchild, Penelope (6 months), this past October. My daughter Kirsten is married and my son Jared is married so I have gained two more children, David and Bailee.
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri, is where I raised my kids, but I was raised in St. Louis.
Favorite ways to spend family time in AZ: Vacationing together, visiting wineries, attending sporting events, hiking and playing board games into the wee hours of the morning. We’re a slightly competitive group.
Your most rewarding motherhood moment: Seeing my daughter become a mother and how wonderful she is as a mom. The biggest reward for me as a mom is the fact that all three of our adult children still want to hang out with us. We get invited to football game road trips, extended stays at their home with lovely dinners, movie night invitations and just being together. There’s no better compliment.
Biggest challenge as a mom: Resisting the temptation to want to rescue or remove inevitable obstacles for my kids when they struggle. Life sometimes is hard, and as a mom I hate to see my kids struggle and experience pain. Instead of removing obstacles, I’ve learned to coach them through the challenge pain and together celebrate with them on the other side. It teaches real life navigation skills, and I’m extremely proud of all of my children for learning how to deal with the hard stuff early on. Most importantly, without our strong family values of faith in Jesus Christ, we would not know how to navigate the challenges. My confidence in raising three amazing children comes from the foundation of my faith. When I don’t have the answer, I go to the Lord.
A mother who inspires you and why: A mother who inspires me is my own mother. My mama, Jackie, worked extremely hard as a young single mom who had to leave a physically abusive marriage. She worked two jobs to afford her children the opportunity to attend the best private schools so that we would have a great education and expanded opportunities. The life I live now is directly attributed to her sacrifice and tenacity to achieve against all odds. I’m extremely proud of my mother, and I’m blessed that my children inherited her amazing work ethic and love of family.
Best piece of advice for a new mom: Don’t be so hard on yourself. There is no such thing as a perfect mom or kid for that matter. Just love on your child and let your maternal instincts be your guide. Everyone will have their opinions on what’s best for your child, but know that you are the mom and you have a very special instinct, so trust it.
Your biggest hope for your children: The biggest hope for my children has already been accomplished. Our biggest hope and prayer was that we would raise children with unshakable character [who are] independent, kind and valuable contributors to society. Everything we did was with that in mind. All three of our children are successful in their chosen professions, independent and truly love to help others in need. There is no doubt this legacy will continue on with my children’s children because the unshakable character in deeply rooted in their faith.
How are you celebrating Mother’s Day? I am a very blessed mama this year because all three of my children and their spouses will be with me and my husband this Mother’s Day weekend. We are hosting a huge 35th wedding anniversary celebration in our hometown of Kanas City. I’m thrilled to be able to share this moment with 100 of our closest friends and especially our children who are the representation of the love the share as family and my badge of honor as a mom.