Agatha Achindu is a mom and entrepreneur taking the grocery industry by storm with her approach to healthy, prepackaged baby food.
Born and raised on a farm in Cameroon, West Africa, she grew up eating only organically grown foods. These values followed her as she immigrated to the United States and started her family. Instead of adopting a typical American diet filled with a variety of processed foods, Agatha prepared fresh organic meals for her son weekly. Her passion for creating fresh, homemade, organic food continued as she shared her recipes with other moms. Achindu left her corporate IT career to start Yummy Spoonfuls in 2006. The company expanded when she teamed up with Camila Alves, a model and the wife of actor Matthew McConaughey, in 2014. Today, Yummy Spoonfuls is a leading manufacturer of organic children’s food and can be found at major retailers, including Target and Amazon.
How do you balance work and motherhood?
As a working mother, I believe that mothers are our worst critics. We are constantly taking care of everyone and feeling guilty when we are not. We need to find a balance that includes us. I am saved by my calendar. I schedule everything including date night, play dates, etcetera. My sanity, considering my extremely busy schedule, is really centered on planning. My biggest advice to all moms is simple: don’t let mom guilt make you forget your purpose. It is very possible to be a wonderful parent and a wonderful career woman and be happy doing it.
What has being a mother taught you about yourself?
That I am magic. I carried another human in me for nine months. The biggest lesson is my level of tolerance for all things, I am very patient, which I wasn’t before. I have learned to see the world through the eyes of my boys.
What is the best advice your mother, grandmother or aunt gave you?
The best advice came from my mother. She told me to be authentic in all you do, be truthful to you, never say yes when you mean no, trust in God, and treat others like you want to be treated. I continue to live my life around these principles.
How do you measure success as a mother?
Being a mother is hard work. But every step forward for my children gives me joy. I love my boys more than anything and feel so honored that God trusted me with their upbringing. Weaving the principles of God [and] a deep sense of love and respect for others [and] seeing them grow and thrive in health [and] happiness in their lives is my heart’s greatest joy and success as a mother. It is important to me that I raise not only successful, all-around smart humans but [also] amazing, loving world citizens.
What has been the biggest challenge for you raising your children?
Trying to balance work and family. This past year has been especially trying for my family. I was away from my family every week for six months while setting up a kitchen in California. On the weekends, when I came home, all of our memories were in the kitchen as I spent time cooking meals for the week to come. I remember once my 13-year-old burst out crying on the dining table. “Mama, you are going again!” That was hard, but mama got work to do.
What do you do for yourself to relax and gain clarity?
The older I get, the more intentional I am about my self-care and the more selfish I am with my “me time.” I purposefully make time to do what makes me happy and healthy. Some days I love cooking. Some days it is going to the spa. Some days it is going out with friends, and on others, it might be a simple cup of tea. The key is me doing what makes me feel good and brings me a deep sense of joy.
