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MADGE AND MERCER MODERN APOTHECARY is excited to introduce a new series: MADGE MUSE. In this series, we celebrate a variety of women for their successes, failures, differences, shared experiences, and inspiration. Featured here, The Rebel Mama.

MADGE AND MERCER asked The Rebel Mama(s), AKA Nikita Stanley, and Aleksandra Jassem, about all things wellness, life advice, and their booming business.

The Rebel Mama(s) are two fabulous women committed to breaking stigmas, alleviating pressure, and rewriting rules associated with motherhood. Nikita and Aleks have gained a cult-like, cool mom following, from all over the world. Their edgy, smart, and judgment-free publication and platforms have created a safe space for every type of mom. The two are known for their individuality, authenticity, and transparency.

“Bold enough to be confident, fearless enough to be honest, and they’re brazen enough to set out to change the world.” – The Rebel Mama

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What does self-care mean to you?

Self-care means setting boundaries that allow us adequate time to rest. In a world that demands such unreasonable levels of productivity – especially from working moms – resting is an act of resistance and we take it seriously. 

Best advice for learning resilience?

If you want to be resilient, you’ll have to learn to say yes to things that scare you and take on challenges that you don’t necessarily feel 100% ready for. No matter how you slice it, resilience requires some level of discomfort, so get comfortable with that. 

Best advice for mothers/parents?

Deep breaths. Deep breaths for you. Deep breaths for the kids. This too shall pass.

Give us a taste of your wellness routine

We’re no experts, but we like to think that low-impact exercise (stretching, walking, biking), indulging in life’s simple pleasures, being in the sun, laughing with our friends & families, and eating tons of veggies (and our fair share of flakey pastries and rich desserts) keeps us as well as we want to be. 

What is your motto?

If it’s not a “hell yes” it’s a “no”.

On what occasion do you lie?

Unfortunately, the downside of having no filter is that you also cannot lie. A blessing and a curse!

Do you use CBD or cannabis as part of your wellness routine? Why or why not?

All of the above! We use cannabis to help us gear down and be present. For us, it’s curbed our alcohol consumption (a big bonus because that stuff is terrible for you.) It helps a ton with the discomfort we deal with when we’re on our periods (which have gotten so much worse since having kids). It’s also helped us maintain healthy sleep patterns which we consider a huge wellness win.

What inspired you to write The Rebel Mama’s Handbook for (Cool) Moms? And what did you learn (if anything) along the way?

We were inspired by our friendship, really. Having a like-minded person in our corner as we walked the path of early motherhood was a major blessing so we wanted to pay it forward to any rebels out there who didn’t necessarily have an equally rebellious friend walking that path with them. 

Writing our books and building our brand has taught us that it’s absolutely fine to not appeal to everyone. Niche audiences are the best kind.

Advice for anyone thinking about writing a book?

If you want to, you might as well start. That’s the hardest part. Our advice is to break it into reasonable tasks… we like to start with ones we know we can get through quickly. Then by the time the hard work starts, you keep at it because the precedent you’ve set is that you start tasks and you finish them. It doesn’t always feel like progress, but it is!

What’s one thing you wished you had known before starting your business?

Literally anything about accounting.

THE REBEL MAMA EVENT

The Rebel Mama Event: Hosted by Miss Jones. Shauna Levy, Founder and CEO of MADGE AND MERCER, and The Rebel Mama(s) shared their personal experiences with cannabis. The educational private shopping experience consisted of female-focused cannabis brands and the opportunity for attendees to ask questions about cannabis, and learn about the power of CBD. 

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