431. Confessions of a Boss-Mom

Dana Malstaff

At 10-years-old Dana was constantly frustrated when her stepdad wouldn’t give her the meaning of words in her homework assignment. He always sent her to the dictionary to look it up and then wanted to talk about the meaning of the word. Who needs all this, she wondered. She just wanted to be an actor and sing in the choir.

Now Dana is “The Boss Mom.” Dana Malstaff is a mother, author, business and content strategist, coach, podcaster, and a “blind spot” reducer. She is the author of “Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro” and, releasing Valentine’s Day 2017, “Confessions of a Boss Mom: A Guide to Knowing You Are Not Alone.” She serves the women she calls “Boss Moms” who yearn for more time and less guilt when it comes to building their business and raising their family, by providing the tools they need to get more out of their content and business, without sacrificing their family goals.

How Did You Start Using Your Talents?

Dana’s focus on helping moms springs from three parents: her mother, father and step-father. She credits her step-father and mother with her creativity and love of words. Although she didn’t live with her father growing up, she spent summers with him, helping him run his business restoring classic cars. From all three she learned skills she now uses in her own business in “the mom space.” “I can’t be good in my business if I’m not happy at home. I think a lot of people run into those same challenges.”

The Most Impactful Turning Point?

“I’ve always been a very extroverted person who wanted to be on stage. I got a broadcast journalism degree at Indiana University. When I was young, I was an actor and a choir geek.” Although she creates written content today, she recalls, “I was never much of a writer, and would much rather speak with people. I get my energy from people. But I started to see how I could utilize writing in ways to help me engage with other people. Writing could help me talk with somebody and then formulate my thoughts and structure them.”

The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?

Largely through a dynamic, 80-year old college professor, Dr. Katz, learning came alive for Dana. “I got the idea that when you go to school the stuff you learn is just stuff, but the people you meet and the connections you have, that’s what makes it vibrant and beautiful. A lot of people don’t tap into that resource when they go to school. I’ve carried that idea forward in my business. I’ve spent much more time building a movement and a brand through the connections I have with people. I think that has gotten me a lot farther than just riding on the skills I have or the content I create.”

Steps to Success from Dana Malstaff

1.Use tools to help you see how you’re dividing your time among the important tasks, the urgent ones and the ones you really love.

2. Identify which tasks you do well and you love, and which tasks you should delegate to others.

3. Ask yourself, “Do I need to go a completely different direction? Or do I just need to switch or tweak my role, or who I’m working with, or how I’m doing it?

4. Find your own work-life balance and actively work to maintain it.