Meet the Mom – Brodi
Name: Brodi Jackson
Where did you grow up: I grew up in rural Missouri in a small town named Kirksville. We lived 1.5 hours from the nearest shopping mall and 3 hours from the airport. We had a small family farm but lived “in town”.
Town you live in now: Palm Beach
Why you love living there: After leaving Missouri, I lived in New York City for 15 years. I loved New York but living in Palm Beach allows my family to have an amazing quality of life. My boys are outside swimming in the pool, biking on the lake trail, jumping on the trampoline or climbing on the roof all before school every morning. The ability to be outside and active all year round is important to us. Even though we are not in the city, we have access to quality cultural events, good restaurants, top notch schools, and a great community of friends.
Tell me about your kids: I have two boys, Charlie 8 and Hunter 6. We are also fortunate to have my nanny’s daughter Sadie with us most days. The kids are full of life.
Favorite things to do with the kids locally: We are fortunate to have easy access to so many great activities in PB county. We love to be outside most of the time enjoying the back yard, the lake trail, new Palm Beach Rec Center and the beach. We are regulars at the local Green Markets. Our new favorite activity is Shark Wake Park which is a wake boarding and aquatic obstacle course.
What’s your ‘day job’? How did you get started with it? I am the creator and head baker of Brodi’s Kitchen, a gluten free and wholesome minded food brand. I started the business as a side project with my oldest son 1.5 years ago to teach him about hard work, dedication and business. We decided to start a stand at our local green market, selling baked goods. The experience was tremendous on so many fronts. First, the response to our food was overwhelmingly positive and fueled us to make our little stand into a real business. Second, and even more important, what both of my boys learned from the market was astonishing to me. Both were so driven to work hard and do tasks on their own. They would learn sales strategies, discuss what worked and what didn’t each week, and do the not so fun set up and take down. Since then, we have launched commercial distribution and continue to think about where we are going to take the business in 2020.
What is your best parenting advise. Lay it on us. I have two main rules I follow. First, trust yourself. No one will know or care about your child as much as you (and your co-parent). Every child is unique and there is no set playbook to follow. There are many experts, doctors, teachers, etc. that will be in your child’s life. Take in all the advice but make the decision you feel is right for your child. Two, let them take risks. I believe that children need to take small risks when they are young, so they can take bigger risks when they are older. Children need to learn to think independently and gain comfort making decisions. It is a great way to build self esteem. If children are allowed to take risks, things will go wrong. Which is actually a good thing because that is when they get the opportunity to think about how to fix the situation…all while the problems are small and easy to fix. Finally, give them what they need and want most: your time, attention and love.
What do you do for self care? Working out and eating well are major priorities for me. I grew up playing team sports every season and never transitioned out of the habit of a near daily commitment to my sport. Today that is running, yoga, core evolution, boxing, weights, and tag with the kids. I try to keep it interesting. Food is the second big piece. I enjoy food and I am not afraid of fat, salt or sugar. Pretty much anything you make at home will have less of all three than restaurant food. I love making delicious homemade food for friends, family or even just myself.
