Real Mom. Real Talk. Real Hustle

Nicole Pridgen is a ray of sunshine. She’s the person you want to surround yourself with when you need to feel the weight of the world release off your shoulders. She has this way about her that calms you, it’s true magic.

Not only a Mom to 4 kids (ages 8-13), Nicole is also the owner of Barre Nation, a low impact workout studio in Nexton. An average day includes a routine that the family works together to make it all happen. You can expect to see Nicole getting up before the kids to get herself ready before helping them get ready for school. Dad takes their kids to school while Nicole heads into the studio to teach her morning barre workout. Then it’s time to work on her business including everything from choreography, marketing, payroll, staff schedules, planning events, cleaning and more. You’ll find Nicole pouring into every piece of Barre Nation. Once her workday is complete, she’ll make a stop to see her Mom who is in memory care. Afternoons are spent with her kids doing homework, playing, running to piano or sports practices, the works. Weekends are for unplugging from the day to day, truly relaxing and enjoying time with her family. Nicole loves cooking, heading to the beach, going to a sports game, playing around the neighborhood, going to church and watching a movie. Sounds like the perfect weekend schedule if you ask me!

Nicole definitely wears many hats and on the business side of things, she calls it a dream come true running and owning Barre Nation. Nicole reflects on her business ownership as one of the hardest things she has ever done in her life but also one of the most rewarding. After teaching Barre in some capacity for the past 14 years, taking the leap into business ownership was intimidating. The cool part, Nicole tackled it head on, learned everything she needed to know & found a great rhythm.

Guess what tops it all? Being a Mom. Let’s hear from Nicole when I asked her all about motherhood and how she does it all.

What’s the best thing about being a Mom?
The best thing about being a mom…that’s tough. I think it’s the unconditional love shown by your kids. They see you at your best and worst and still make you sweet cards, give you a kiss and forgive you when you mess up. I also love seeing yourself in your kids – their mannerisms, looks, and personalities. It’s a wild experience to see God at work while your children grow.

What’s the hardest part of Motherhood?
Hardest part of being a Mom for me is slowing down to enjoy the present. I’m a planner and a doer and like to be moving. Sometimes I feel like I’m missing the best days planning for the next. I’m trying to be more present and intentional in shutting off work for the day and just being a mom.

What is your proudest moment as a Mom?
This is hard! My kids are still young but I do see wonderful things in them as they mature. My oldest being patient with his younger sister or sticking up for a friend, one of my boys performing at a piano recital, another bringing home a super creative art project. There are small moments that collectively make me happy and proud to be a mom. I love to hear my kids pray and listen to what they ask the Lord for. That makes me especially proud to be a mom. As for myself, I was most proud of my body for carrying twins full term without complications and being able to deliver them without a c-section. That was a really exciting experience that I’ll never forget!

When you get time to yourself, what do you like to do?
I love to read or catch up with an old friend over the phone or lunch. There’s nothing a good friend, food and a book can’t solve!

What advice would you give a new Mom?
Don’t try to do it perfect, give yourself grace along the way, and know that God loves your baby even more than you do and He’s got good plans for him/her!

 Tell us about something funny (and maybe relatable) that happened to you as a Mom.
I took my boys to a College of Charleston basketball game earlier this year (my alma mater). I ran into several of my old classmates and friends, one of which was an old boyfriend. We talked for a few minutes and when we walked away, one of my boys asked “Who was that?” I explained it was an old boyfriend of mine from college but that he had dumped me. “What? He dumped YOU?!” he responded. It made me laugh out loud. It’s funny when your children get to see glimpses of your life as an adult and wrap their minds around you being someone other than their mom. I got a good laugh out of it!

What are your 3 favorite local Instagram accounts to follow?
I love to follow thingstodoincharleston, naptimekitchen and littlesinthelowcountry. It’s not local but I also love goodnewsmovement. So much to be sad about, I really love seeing an uplifting story!

What is your favorite shop to go to or yourself? For the kiddos?
I love to go to Mt. P to hit up Trader Joes, Lululemon (I live in workout clothes), and Mt. Pleasant Mall. Always a treasure to be found! For the kids, I love to run to Tweedle Beedle for something cute and Target for the basics.

What is your favorite restaurant to go to with the whole family? & for date night?
D’Als Pizza is the best pizza in town and their salads are so fresh. We love to go with the whole family, although we now need 2 pizzas to feed everyone! For a date night, we are almost always going to Myles and Jun as a go to but we do venture out to other new restaurants in town. Jackrabbit Filly is an all time favorite too!

What is your favorite family event around Charleston?
We love a fun night at the Joe for a Riverdogs game and fireworks and the local farmers markets on the weekends!

Follow along with Nicole at Barre Nation & show her some love in the comments below!