Conversations with Shatrice Harris

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shatrice Harris.

Hi Shatrice, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Ever since I was 13, I knew that I wanted to make a change in the world and give back to my community, I just never knew how I would do it. I would always tell my parents growing up that I wanted to create an organization to provide services and resources for people. Growing up I started babysitting at an early age since I had a big family. When my cousins were younger, I would help my late Aunt Tracy take care of my little cousins, while in high school I volunteered at a daycare for 4 years, I also mentored teen girls, wrote letters to women incarcerated, and worked as a Nanny for several different families before I had my own family. Now at 29 as a mother of three beautiful kids, two bonus boys, one girl and two Shih Tzus. I found my purpose and decided to start my very own Mommy group after being denied for other mommy groups. I was really upset about not having a bigger support system, even though I have my Fiancé and my family, I wanted to have more mom friends and be able to have a safe space to talk about the ins and outs of motherhood. January 2021, I created Dozens of Moms, a mommy group created by a mom for mothers to be able to communicate and build with other moms in our group chats and come together at different events to be able to create a sisterhood bond to have a shoulder to lean on. Dozens of Moms have so many exciting innovative ideas and events planned for the future, and we plan to incorporate not only moms but the whole family. Dozens of Moms had their first Mommy & me meetup in March 2022 and there is another one coming up in April 2022, the mothers that have joined Dozens have expressed how happy they are to have found this group and they are eager and excited to meet other moms. I am a mother first but also a travel agent and the owner of Skincare brand, Sweet Organics.

Alright, 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?
Nothing in life worth having is easy, I have come across many struggles along the way, I was very anxious at first when I started doing this, I wasn’t sure if it was going to work especially because there are already so many different things out there for moms but I knew what I wanted to do was different. I sat and thought about this idea for years and I was so afraid to start it because I did not know what to expect. Trying to plan events according to where people live, has been one of my biggest struggles because of course I would love to be able to please everyone but that is just not possible. I am sure as my brand grows I will continue to come across bigger obstacles, struggles and achievements but no matter what I remain thankful for my brand, my support team and for the day that I decided to start Dozens of Moms and I always remember to be Peaceful, Positive and Productive and I also motivate the people around me to have the same outlook on life.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Dozens of Moms is a Mommy support group located in Maryland, which provides safe and open group chats for moms to be able to communicate with one another, build relationships, and provide events for Moms to hang out with their kids but also events without their kids. The goal for Dozens of Moms is to be able to provide families with the resources they need to be successful mothers and to make sure we are doing the best we can to help the community in any way possible. Dozens of Moms is like no other because not only do we support first time moms, but we also support pregnant women, foster moms, adopted moms, stepmoms, and all moms. I am most proud of the brand that I have built for myself, I am a mother, a travel agent and the Owner of a Skincare brand which are all goals that I had for myself 2/3 years ago. In the future Dozens of Moms hopes to be able to provide resources not just for moms but for the whole family including dads and kids and provide mental health services for our community. Dozens of Moms has so many goals set for the future and there are endless possibilities for us.

What does success mean to you?
Success to me equals happiness and joy in what I do. I take pride in my brand, and I appreciate the journey that comes with it. I have had several small businesses and involved in many different ventures, but nothing has brought me joy the way this has. I created Dozens of Moms to be able to give back to my community and provide resources to moms and families of all sizes. When I reach that goal, I will be successful. Success for everyone may be different depending on what motivates you, but for me, my motivation is being able to provide for my children and family and showing them a good example of what it looks like to be happy and love what you do. I believe that everyone should do what they love, and they will become successful in it. Success comes with challenging work and dedication, so for all the people reading this, do not give up on your goals, keep pushing if it is something that your heart desires.

Contact Info:

• Email: dozensofmoms@gmail.com
• Website: dozensofmoms.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/dozensofmoms
• Facebook: facebook.com/ShatriceHarris
• Other: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScBRX-wo99UU9umrAhWst8BAtVy2RuzvO8LN8JgjSLuJvPqUg/viewform

Image Credits
Joshua G. Hilliard