Neeleman also gets fulfilment out of inspiring people through her content, and sharing the values she cares about. So, I ask her, what are those values, exactly?
Many of the ones she cites can be described as traditional, sure, depending on your point of view. Neeleman wants to inspire people to know where their food comes from and to be self-reliant. She loves to hear that she’s convinced others to buy their own farm animals or make more of their own food.
“There’s so many people who we run into when we’re traveling or out that are like, I just bought my first milk cow,” she says. “…Many of my followers live in New York City or in Paris, and they’re like, I have a sourdough starter in my apartment now.”
She’s also passionate about portraying a version of motherhood that leads with joy. As a scared new mom, she says she would have felt inspired to see a woman who genuinely got fulfillment out of her kids, and she wants to be that example.
“I think parenthood can get overwhelming and scary very quickly,” she says.. “I was in that position when we were pregnant with our first and being like, how do we navigate it? [So] I hope that the little snippets we share are encouraging to people who are making that journey into parenthood.”
Sure, she says, motherhood can be challenging. But she wants to focus on the good.
“Parenthood is hard, but what is meaningful in life that isn’t hard?” she says. “College is hard. College is hard. Having a career is hard. Running your own business is hard. It’s all hard, but we do it because there’s purpose in it. And so parenthood is hard, but it’s so awesome to see these little humans just grow and figure out things and teach us things and become the leaders of tomorrow.”
Her oldest son is now 12, and that’s also provided perspective.
“I think at the beginning of my motherhood journey, it just felt like it was never going to end,” she says. “I remember having my first and being like, oh my gosh…it felt so huge. And then they become just these responsible humans so quickly that you’re like, Oh, they don’t need me anymore. I want moms to realize how precious and beautiful that short time is with their children, and to just bask in it and enjoy it and learn from those little kiddos.”
Is embracing the joy in motherhood an inherently political message? In our extremely polarized country, maybe. But Neeleman is looking forward. She doesn’t want to dwell on all the things people write about her, or that profile, or the ways her content may or may not have been misconstrued.
Instead, she’s focusing on the things that make her happy, like the followers that share their versions of her recipes or the sourdough bread they made with her kit. Both she and Daniel, she says, are dedicated to growing their business and following their passions and hobbies, like fitness and cheese making. For Neeleman, that’s what it’s all about.
“Pushing ourselves as individuals is key,” she says. “Keep pushing yourself, keep inspiring yourself. You just have to keep going, keep moving, keep going upwards.”
This feature originally appeared on GLAMOUR US.
