'Mum boss' from Leeds with 100k Instagram followers shares secret to balancing motherhood with blogging career

The content creator, from Alwoodley, is no stranger to the spotlight.

Since launching her online parenting blog HonestMum in 2010, she’s written an influential book, spoken in Parliament, and has regularly appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

And that’s on top of raising kids Oliver, Alexander and Florence.

But fans of the 42-year-old’s brand might be surprised to discover that her multifaceted career actually started behind the camera, rather than in front of it.

She took time out of her busy schedule to talk to the Yorkshire Evening Post about what it was like to launch a blog when few others were riding the internet wave.

“It was a bit of an accidental career,” she said. “I was a TV director and a screenwriter before I was a blogger.”

Vicki worked her way up through the media industry in her twenties at a time when women were very much in the minority. But when she gave birth at 27, everything changed.

“It rocked my world,” she said. “I went from being on set and going to film festivals, to suddenly being with this baby. It was a stark contrast and it was quite scary.”

A friend encouraged her to write about the experience. Although blogging and social media were picking up pace, it was still a concept that few in the UK had navigated as a full-time career.

But that was not Vicki’s original intention. She simply started sharing her life online, partly to help others in her position.

Her daily routine was uploaded onto the internet, where hundreds of mums could read about her experiences, recognising themselves in Vicki’s tales of parenthood.

Then, advertisers became interested. They were small at first, but the big businesses quickly followed.

Within two years, Vicki realised that she could earn more money blogging than she could as a director – and she wouldn’t have to compromise on spending time with the kids.

“It was amazing because I could work flexibly and earn decent money. There was this wave of mums who were blogging, and we all thought it was insane. We were so used to drawing the short straw in the workplace.

“Suddenly we were able to be creative without missing our kids’ milestones. We were asking ourselves: what’s the catch? Of course, the catch is that being online isn’t always unicorns and rainbows.”

Despite the difficult parts of the internet, the opportunities continued to flood in – and so did the followers, with 95,500 on Instagram and counting.

Vicki was offered a place at the discussion panel on breakfast show Good Morning Britain in its early days. Then came the book deal.

‘Mumboss’, published in 2018, was conceived as a guide to surviving motherhood, but also as a how-to manual for building digital businesses.

“There are lots of inequalities in the workplace,” she said. “But digital careers can offer much more flexibility. This was a guide for mums who wanted to do that.”

The blogger and TV personality told the YEP that she already has plans for a second book, which comes as she finds a distinct audience in America.

Naturally, Vicki has some strong opinions on parenthood. It’s what got her a seat at the table on some of the hottest talk shows and radio programmes.

But for the Leeds native, it’s the concept of honesty that’s the most important in raising children.

“I am of Greek heritage and we tend to be very honest,” she said. “My big thing is no-shame-parenting. You should do what works for you. Everybody is individual.

“If you need help, that’s fine. If you want your kid to go to nursery, that’s fine. If you breastfeed, great. If you bottle feed, great.

“Let’s just survive and support each other – I am anti-judgmental.”

Her one piece of advice for new mums?

“If you’re trying your best, you’re already doing your best.

“You never stop learning. I had my third baby two years ago and I feel like I’ve started all over again. But that’s just life. You’re always evolving and learning.”