Meet Sharonda Stewart of Sporty Mommas in Pinecrest

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharonda Stewart.

Sharonda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a native of Miami, FL. After graduating from Florida A&M University in 2001, I returned to Miami and became an elementary school teacher. While teaching, I met my soon to be husband, Shannon Stewart. Shannon at the time was playing for the Toronto Blue Jays. We got married in January 2005 and I began traveling with him. Soon after, I gave birth to our oldest daughter and officially became a stay at home mom. I had no idea what I was in for. It is a huge blessing to be able to travel and be an active hands on mom, but it takes a lot of sacrifice. From the outside looking in everyone thinks that it is easy, but it is not. You slowly start to lose yourself. Everything becomes about the family and household and before you know it you barely recognize yourself when you walk pass the mirror. After baby number two and my husband’s retirement from MLB, I struggled with finding myself again. Life as I knew it had totally changed. I knew I had more to give and I knew that I wasn’t the only mom feeling like this. I made it my mission to help uplift other moms.

In 2009, I created Sporty Mommas, a lifestyle brand for women. Sporty Mommas inspires, empowers and encourages moms of all ages to look and feel their best through inspiration, apparel, events and giving back to the community. I have an online boutique full of cute tees for busy moms. I love doing trunk shows and showcasing my products all over Miami. But, most importantly I love spreading the message that moms can do their thing too. Over the past few years, the Sporty Mommas Bowling Bash has raised close to $15,000 for women and children in need. We have donated to different local charities including Jackson Health Breast Cancer Foundation, Honey Shine and Sandy Mueller.

Social Media provides a great platform for me to reach so many moms. I love hearing people say, hey are you Sporty Mommas, your post encouraged me today! That’s all I want. I strive to be authentic and motivate moms to just be themselves, let them know that it is okay to ask for help and to embrace your uniqueness.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has definitely not been easy. Life has a way of throwing us curve balls. One of the things that I struggle with the most is marketing products and time management. When the kids were younger, I felt so guilty for leaving them to do events. Balancing the time between running the business and running the household got complicated. For years I carried around that guilt. And I felt stuck. The truth is that I didn’t have to. But I didn’t know better. Now that I do know that it is my choice, I want to help other moms realize that too. It is all about mindset.

Please tell us about Sporty Mommas.
Sporty Mommas is a lifestyle. I love to create fun apparel and events for busy moms. We have items for every mom from the sports mom to the mom that wants to rock a little bling. Our products are designed to help moms look and feel good about themselves even when they don’t have a lot of time to get dressed up. However, I think that I am most known for my inspirational blog, positive spirit and giving back to the community.

Is there anyone, in particular, you would like to recognize? Mentors, etc?
I have had several mentors and supporters like Violette De Ayala, Kirsten Schwarz, Collette Richardson and my hubby and three kids. But my number one cheerleader has always been my mom, Sharolyn Turner who always encourages me to keep going when I feel like giving up. “You have something that others need” is what she always tells me.

Pricing:

• Apparel between $20-$50

Contact Info:

• Address: 6619 S. Dixie Hwy, #205
  Miami, FL 33143
• Website: sportymommas.com
• Email: info@sportymommas.com
• Instagram: @sportymommas
• Twitter: @sportymommas

Image Credit:
Omar Shinez, Serendipity Studios

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