Episode 154
Jennifer Cook wakes up at five every morning — not because she has to, but because she's wired that way. A fashion buyer for a multi-brand store in Soho, a hot yoga teacher, and the writer behind the Mom Friend Substack, she's built a life in Brooklyn that holds a two-and-a-half-year-old, three jobs, a musician husband, and a self-imposed 8:45pm bedtime. The key, she'll tell you, is knowing which balls you're allowed to let drop.
In this week’s conversation, Jennifer talks about the two hours of quiet she guards every morning before her daughter wakes up, how yoga teacher training was the reset she didn't know she needed, and why she started Mom Friend when she couldn't find anything on the internet that actually resonated.
What We Cover:
The 5–7am window Jennifer protects every single morning — what she's actually doing in those two hours before her daughter wakes up, and why having time before the rest of the house stirs is non-negotiable
What prompted her to sign up for yoga teacher training in 2016, and how a twelve-weekend commitment rewired her relationship with herself, her body, and her social life
What 14 years in fashion wholesale actually taught her, and why a new baby, a move back to the city, and a career pivot to buying all happened at the same time
The Monday rituals she never skips: reviewing every dollar she spent the week before, cleaning the bathroom after yoga, and why front-loading everything she can makes the rest of her week work
How she started Mom Friend when she couldn't find content that resonated with her as a working mom — and the unexpected way the Substack has become her primary vehicle for making real adult friends in New York
What it actually costs to have a night out in Brooklyn (the concert math, the $30-an-hour babysitter, the Uber home) and how that shapes when they choose to leave the house
The balls she's consciously letting drop right now — and why she's made peace with the laundry pile on the couch, the unanswered texts, and the creative play she'll never quite be good at (same, Jennifer)
Connect with Jennifer:
Instagram: @jennifersandra
Substack: Mom Friend
Website: jennifersandra.com
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