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www.yum-mag.com

Letter from the Editor
As the first issue this is an exciting
time for me....for us! Yum is a
magazine for modern mum’s. A
combination of inspiration and
positivity. An exploration of new
things to encourage creativity and
living life to the full. This issue
has been such a joy to put together.
I never predicted such a journey
it would send me on. I have been
truly inspired by the mum’s that
are featured in this issue, as I’m
sure you will be too. I believe
self-discovery is key to a happy
and successful life, through
positivity and self-exploration
yum inspires and motivates a
creative personal journey. As busy
mothers it can be all too easy to
sometimes forget who we really
are. I hope that Yum inspires you
as much as it has me. All mothers
featured in this magazine are real
mums, some with messy houses
some with stretch marks and all
amazing in their own individual
ways! Now please ignore the kids,
work, phone, and boyfriend, go
and find a quite room equip your
self with tea and chocolate and
enjoy reading this magazine. You
can carry on running the world
later, but just for now......enjoy!
Kerrie Reeves
Don’t forget to check our blog for
new weekly content.
www.yum-mag.com

MY STORY
I could never forget the smelL of the hospital
ward or the taste of that cheap orange squash the
girl in the next bed gave me after giving birth
to my Daughter at 1.08am, in August 2001.I was 18
years old. I had never beEn in hospital before,
never broken a bone nor neEded my tonsils out.
My first experience was giving birth. my partner
at the time was with me, terRified! I remember he
had hidDen some beErs in a bush out side and he
kept on runNing ofF for one – something I could
laugh at now. I had to ask my mum to leave because
she started crying when she saw me in pain – I
was stilL her baby. My Dad stepPed in, held my
hand and toOk photos for me. I remember when they
placed my baby on me for the first time she was
heavier and warmer than I imagined and I was lucky
that I felL in love with her in an instance. The
rest of that night I didn’t sleEp, the midwife
laughed at me when I asked her to take me to the
toilet because I was in shock and scared of what
might hapPen. I wanted my mum so bad that night!
In the months to come my life changed, but I
loved it. I loved being a mum, I didn’t seE my
friends as much, as I was so exhausted I didn’t
mind. Other things became important to me, like
foOd shopPing, Decorating my home and paying
the bilLs. I had beEn fortunate enough to be
given a temporary housing asSociation flat. I
had to pretend that I didn’t have a boyfriend
to get it and he could then only stay round 3
nights a weEk so ironicalLy, whilst he lived with
my mum I coped by myself, he was young toO and
although trying to get on in life he was stilL
in the failing procesS. I was on benefits and
hardly had any money, I didn’t realLy mind but
was always a bit envious of some of my friends
that had jobs and could afFord nice clothes.
After 1 year I decided to go back to colLege, I had
previously failed education I didn’t fit in to
the boxes they wanted me toO. This time I decided
I had time on my side I wasn’t about to do anything
else or pack up and go travelLing like many of my
friends were now doing. My choices were limited
so education seEmed a goOd bet with the idea that
it would help to expand my life. I decided to do
something I loved which was Art and Design. I
loved my year at colLege, I made new friends, I
had time to be me, and although being mum was a
huge part of my life that I loved, it wasn’t alL I
had to ofFer. ColLege was perfect, it was funded
because I was on benefits and so was the nursery
my daughter went to. Something I wilL always be
eternalLy grateful for. I stilL wasn’t driving so
my sister helped me with lifts and I caught the
bus. If my daughter or I were ilL I could take a day
ofF, there wasn’t the presSure that there can be
with work, feEling like your going to get sacked.
My tutors were alL realLy understanding and I
pasSed with distinction. It wasn’t alL easy and I
do remember clearly mid year, telLing every one I
was quitTing, I cried for a couple of days because
everything felt just two much, but I went back and
completed it and I was so hapPy. To this day I stilL
feEl proud of myself for completing that course.
I broke up with my boyfriend when my daughter was
3, we had grown apart, he stilL hadn’t matured
and stilL couldn’t supPort me financialLy. I
had enough and honestly I felt like I hadn’t
lived enough, experimented enough. It sounds
terRible but I wanted to know what it was
like to be with other men, which in fact is a
very normal curiosity at that stage of life
but wasn’t ideal as we had a child together.
I found a steady pace by myself. Around this time
I decided that I wanted to set up my own businesS.

I apPlied to princes trust for a loan and after
a few short courses and writing a businesS plan
I was set up runNing my own jewelLery party
planNing businesS. Everything was going welL, I
had a few short relationships and enjoyed dating.
One evening I met a guy, I remember thinking I
want to marRy this guy. My daughter was 4 at this
time and I was broOdy I wanted the whole marRiage
2.4 children thing. I was desperate to make
my life complete. Within 3 months of meEting
this guy we were marRied and I was pregnant. I
believed in the romantic story of “I knew he was
the one at first sight” oOopPps something that
would go on to cause me a lot of heartache. It
would come as no surprise that it didn’t last
long, We were like fire together pasSion and lust
one minute hatred and anger the next it wasn’t
a healthy relationship. He left me whilst I was
pregnant, then came crawling back after I had
my son, my life was an emotional rolLer coaster.
I sufFered with depresSion and anxiety, it
realLy was probably the worst time of my life.
I remember waking in the midDle of the night and
would just burst in to tears, at times life just
didn’t seEm worth living. I only wish I knew then
what I know now. I wish I understoOd that I was the
one in control of my destiny, the one in charge
of my thoughts and feElings, instead I let him
use me like a pupPet. I wish I’d had the strength
to just leave him. I know that it had a knock on
efFect on my parenting and it was a tough time.
I started to live the youth I had never lived
and starting going out quite alot. My mum did
a lot of babysitTing for me and was always on
the end of the phone when it got to Tuesday
and the after efFect of the weEkend had got
hold of me. SchoOl runs felt extremely hard.
One night out I met a man, he was older than me,
gone through a divorce and had two children of
his own. GradualLy we started seEing each other,
it was around this time that I remember my cousin
telLing me she had got me the best birthday
present I would ever have. It was a boOk calLed
The Secret by Rhonda Byrone. She was right
that boOk along with others I’ve since brought
changed my life. I had never beEn made aware of
the concept of self-development or as the boOk
shelf would calL it self-help. I had neEded this
for so long. I went on to study Neuro linguistic
programMing (another self-help toOl) and got
a job as a teaching asSistant, which fitTed,
in great around my children. I also set up my
own businesS as a life coach and facilitator
of self-development course for young adults.
I am now marRied to that man, both of our lives
at one point were broken into a thousand pieces
but we helped each other rebuild our lives and
confidence. We live in a lovely country home, a
home I would never of dreamt I would live in ,
some times I have to remind myself how lucky I am.
On one hand young mums have such presSure to be
a goOd mum and on the other hand are encouraged
back to work and education. Most importantly it’s
choOsing what is right for you but one thing I’m
sure of is being a mother is a beautiful gift but
you must also carRy on growing as an individual,
because one day your children wilL grow up and
leave home, and betweEn now and then you are
sure to go through many trials and tribulations
when you wilL neEd to stand strong. For now enjoy
the ride as time flies and babies are beautiful!
be / 005

Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves
Rhiannon
Mofford
Wrapping tummies
posing topless &
a breastfeeding hack!

Rhiannon’s
life has
transformed
in the last
two years.
She’s gone
from working
full time
in an office
and having to
do over time
not being
able to say
goodnight to
her children,
to spending
quality time
with her
children
whilst working from home. Rhiannon is
an inspirational woman a modern day mum
that doesn’t take no as an answer.
Hi Rhiannon, we’re friends on
Facebook even though I don’t know
you that well you come across
as a very passionate woman about
your business.
I joined It works just over a year ago.
Every one that works for It works is an
independent distributor, You buy a kit
and get some wraps and products in there
and then you speak to friends about it.
I was quite lucky when I started because
all of my friends are mums so every body
that is a mum pretty much has a mummy
tummy, their bodies not the same after
they have babies.
I have three kids and had lots of excess
skin, once the skin has separated from the
stomach muscles you cant just use diet and
exercise its not enough. I didn’t believe
the wraps would work but I tried one and
they were amazing. They have changed
everything, they have changed my body my
self-confidence and I love getting to
talk to people and meet people. And when
I go out and wrap people, I get to see
their bodies change in front of my eyes,
and that’s amazing what it does for their
self-confidence.

It sounds like a miracle what’s
it got in it that makes it work?
It has loads of botanical ingredients
in it, all natural but the way they pack
it keeps the ingredients active for 18
months.
I know times haven’t always
been as good for you as they
are at the moment, Can you tell
me about this?
So… I was really poor! LOL! When I
got pregnant with my first I was at
University, none of my friends had kids,
none were pregnant they were just all
out partying all the time. When I saw
my midwife she told me about the online
bounty chat room forum, I made a good
group of friends on there and we became
friends on Facebook. I learnt so much
about pregnancy. But when I had him I
was like what do I do with this thing?,
he was then only 3 months old when I
got pregnant with my second child. I
basically just lived in my house for
two years. My Husband at the time worked
all the hours under the sun and I was
by myself, but I bumbled on through. We
got to the point when we couldn’t cope
financially so I decided to go back to
work. I got a job
full time and the
boys were with a
child minder. We
both worked all the
time! I never saw
the boys and it was
so tiring. We broke
up in the end, we
just didn’t get
any quality time
together, he thought
the most important
thing was money but
I thought the most
important thing was
seeing him.I ended
up quitting my job
and having the boys
full time, I was
solely relying on
benefits which was
horrible, I had
hardly any money and
felt guilty. I hated
it, absolutely hated it, if I went out
with my friend I felt terrible because
I shouldn’t be spending the money on
having fun. I felt stuck in a whirlwind,
nothing I did felt good enough.
So when did things turn around
for you?
I met Alex, he’s my absolute rock, he
very stable, relaxed and calm. I can be
a bit over emotional and fiery and helps
balance me. I then fell pregnant with
my third, we moved in together but once
again I had to rely on him for money,
which I really didn’t like. He didn’t
mind at all but I hated having to ask
him for money for the food shopping, I
had always been so independent. I was
then introduced to it by a friend, I
really wanted to do it as I had seen her
results, it was £95 to start up so asked
Alex if I could borrow the money and he
answered with a flat no! He said “ I’m
not giving you money for something you
have only heard about this afternoon”
well that evening I managed to sell
three wraps to friends over the Internet,
they transferred me the cash and then
I could buy my kit! I told Alex, “I’ve
done it any way!” he still dint think
it would work but as soon as the money
started coming in
his attitude soon
changed.
I can now take the
kids out and treat
them and put money in
our wedding fund. I
love it!
You recently
posted a
picture of
your self on
Facebook
breast-feeding
your daughter
“2years of
booby” This
must have been
quite a
journey?
I found breastfeeding
really
hard with my first
be / 009

two and I just couldn’t get to grips
with it. One day I had this breast
feeding councillor come over, and then
my husband walked in the door, I was
sitting on the sofa in tears whilst the
breast feeding councillor was trying to
get my baby to lap at a little cup of
milk she had previously expressed from
me. He was screaming his head off and
the whole experience was just horrible.
My husband was like this has to stop get
the baby a bottle and my wife a warm
bath. When putting him on the bottle I
felt bad but it also just felt like the
right thing to do. With my girl it just
clicked we still had the first couple
of weeks, which was painful, but I was
determined so I powered through. I thought
I will do it until she was 6 months. But
then people kept on asking me when I would
stop doing it. “Will you stop when she
gets her first tooth?” and then she got
her first tooth and it made no difference
what so ever and then people would say
“will you stop when she’s a year old?” I
just thought enough is enough and we will
keep breast-feeding as long as I want to,
it’s nothing to do with any one else. So
yes we managed two years in the end and it
was amazing, so much easier than making
up bottles and sterilizing and worrying
about all of that.

Did you ever experience any
negativity when you were out
publicly breast-feeding?
No, I had a great sling, which meant I
could just pop my boob out and she could
latch on. Apart from the times when she
had stopped feeding and I would forget
my boob was out LOL.
I noticed on Facebook that you had
put a picture of you up feeding
and you commented that someone had
reported it.
Oh yes I do get reported quite often
for breasts feeding pictures LOL I don’t
know why and it doesn’t kind of upset me
because it must be some one on my friend
list, I don’t share them publicly. I
don’t know who or why or what there
problem is so I usually just respond by
posting another one.
You also have a horse and recently
took part in a campaign, what made
you want to do this?
Yes it was called will you slow down
for me now, it’s to raise awareness to
drivers to slow down for horses because
there are a lot of numpty’s on the road.
A girl called Lauren set the campaign
up and said to her friends “I bet
they would soon slow down if I was
naked.” And then she thought ok I can
go somewhere with this. It was very
cold but liberating and if it makes a
difference its worth it!
You’re obviously a very busy lady
so what’s you favourite me time?
Spending time with my horse, it quite
and lovely out there I love it, that and
massage’s!
Your favourite Quotte?
“Don’t ever let anyone dull
your sparkle”
be / 011

e / 013

Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves

Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves
Jamii Prince
From crocheting to DJing Jamii shares
with us her secret’s on being proactive.

Photography by Sirius Art
How important is being
mum to you?
Firstly what’s important for me is to
be there for her when ever she needs me
and my prime concern is her education.
What she does with other children but
more important than anything is just to
make sure that’s she’s happy and being
brought up as a good rounded human
being.
You sprung to mind as an
nteresting mum to interview,
because you always seem to have
somuch going on. I see you have
recently set up a hair salon
at home, what inspired you
to do this?
I’ve had my home hairdressing business
running for 12 years, I’ve always had
clients but I was doing it at their home
then after having my daughter I tried
to do it from home in the evenings but
it didn’t really work as she would be
screaming in the next room, so I went
back to work in a salon. They wanted
me to go full time but I had to put my
daughter first so I decided to set up
my own salon at home, but now I do it
in the day times whilst she’s at Forest
school.
You’ve mentioned that your
daughter goes to her dads at the
weekends what do you get up to
during this time?
Saturday and Sunday daytimes I tend to
catch up on orders, making jewellery
and children’s clothes for my other
business. In the evenings I might go
out dancing, then on Sundays I go to
Sanga which is a meeting of spiritual
people that all sit together and create
a loving high vibrational energy amongst
us all. We all become better, happier,
more grounded people when were together.
I also might go to yoga. Taking time out
to re-ground myself is really important
to me. OOOO I also go hoola hooping down
the beach!
Oh of course you do! You
mentionedsome other businesses
tell me moreabout those?

Well I actually run a few business, the
hairdressing acts as my main financial
one then I run a dance project for
young people in recovery from drugs
and alcohol: a non profit business. I
also make jewellery, hareem pants and
crochet clothes for children. Then I’m a
radio DJ, every six weeks where I host a
radio show in Southampton on 103.9 voice
FM .
Wow how do you fit all this in?
actually have to make myself sit
down to watch an hour of telly
just to switch my mind off. Do
you think that you get more
quality time with your daughter
because you haven’t
got a television?
Yes defiantly, were always together
when were together, we make stuff in
the kitchen or go and see friends or go
drumming together.
I fit it all in by not having a T.V.
I completely see how this can
work, although sometimes I
Tell me about your DJ-ing,
what’s your DJ name?
be / 017

Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves
Pixie J, As well as the Radio station I DJ at a coffee shop
and I put mixes out.
What got you in to DJ-ing?
Well my ex was a DJ and then I had a really bad skate boarding
accident when I was 23, which meant I cant dance as much any
more so DJ-ing filled that gap. I’ve always loved music. I was
a dancer since I was two, and played musical instruments. I’ve
also started reading poetry.
Oh yes, where did that come from?
I think I wrote my first song when I was about 8, so I
suppose I’ve done it my whole life, I cant sing so I didn’t
think it would go any where but then I met this guy who
introduced me to spoken word. Then my first live open mic
night was in London at the Chocolate Poetry Club. It was a big
event and a great way to start. I now do it regularly and even
get paid sometimes as a guest speaker.
What I love about you jami is that your interests seem
to be polar opposites of each other at one end we have
DJ pixie and then at the other we have crocheting.
Ha yes, I started holding a mums crochet club and its got
really popular, I really enjoy it.
What is your favourite thing to make?
I really enjoy making my crystal necklaces I’ve created a
crochet technique that is 10 time faster than makrami, and I
love working with the crystals I feel much better afterwards,
and I’m creating something that I think is beautiful.
What are your goals and ambitions for the future?
I don’t tend to worry too much about the future because other
wise I would probably not get much done in the present. To
be honest I think I’ve achieved everything that I want to
achieve. I’m moving forward with my spiritual path, I would
love to go to India and learn to be a yoga teacher.
You are so proactive, what is your secret?
Doing what you love, you know you could go to a job and work
16 hours at a job you hate or choose to work 16 hours doing
what you love. Having the hairdressing to make money has
helped because then everything else I can do just for the
love of it.
be / 019

Styling.Photography.By Kerrie Reeves
CHIP OFF THE BLOCK

Child’s-Dungerees Next £20.00. Grey jumper Next £10.00. Hat H&M £2.99
Adult’s-Dungerees Topshop £48. Grey jersey Next £12. Hat H&M £2.99

e / 027

Child’s-Leopard print coat Next £36.99. Hat H&M £6.99
Adult’s-Leopard print coat Topshop £65. Hat H&M £6.99

e / 029

Child’s- Lace shift dress Next £22.99
Adult’s-Roses blouse H&M £12.99. Jeans H&M £14.99

Child’s-Skirt River Island £22. Jacket River Island £28
Adult’s-Top River Island £22. Skirt River Island £35

Child’s-Shirt Newlook £12.99. Hat H&M, £4.99
Adult’s-Shirt Newlook £12.99. Hat H&M £4.9

Photography . By Kerrie Reeves

Life changing books
The Secret - Rhonda Byrne
Johnathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach
The Power - Rhonda Byrne
A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle
Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill
You Can Heal your life - Louise L. Hay
Change your Thinking with CBT - Dr Sarah Edelman
see / 043

Ethical and
Sustainable Fashion
Can I still look good?
Ethical and sustainable fashion no longer means tie dye
t-shirts or hareem pants! Shopping ethically for fashion is a
growing trend; quite frankly it has to be. We are living on a
planet dealing with climate change. Documentaries such as The
True Cost and Dirty White Gold, have ever more shown us the
impact of fashion on humans and the environment. We just can’t
ignore that we need to start being more responsible in the way
we shop, but this doesn’t mean that we can’t have beautiful
things! With websites such as A Boy Named Sue and Helpsy we
have no excuse to not look and feel a gougeous shade of green!
HELPSY
Helpsy was founded in 2012 on the belief that
design-forward, cutting-edge fashion can have
a positive social impact—100% of the time.
Sometimes it just takes a discerning eye and a
little hunting.
THE HELPSY MISSION
If crunchy lifestyles and yoga pants come to
mind when you think of ethical fashion, you’re
not alone. Founded in 2012, HELPSY’s mission is
to curate apparel, beauty products, home goods,
and tech accessories that are as cool as they
are eco-friendly and ethically produced.
www.shophelpsy.com
Gather&See
Gather&See offers carefully curated collections
from the very best in sustainable fashion talent
from around the world. Showcasing designers
that pride themselves on aesthetics as much
as their ethics, the website presents sustainable
fashion in a fresh and innovative way.
www.gatherandsee.com

The green room
Asos
A BOY NAMED SUE
It started in early 2012, over lunch at some faux French cafe
in Hong Kong, with an idea of bringing together designers with
a visionary approach, blending goodwill with aesthetics. We were
fed up with the dirty business of fashion, the environmental
degradation caused by the industry and the lack of respect
towards people who make our clothes. United by the desire to
find truly sustainable fashion that did good and looked good,
we embarked on a ‘let’s see what’s out there’ designer search
mission. Amazed and inspired by what we had found, we decided
to bring them all under one platform and so A Boy Named Sue
was born.
Our goal is simple to show that ethics and aesthetics are not
mutually exclusive. We call it ‘cool clothes with a conscience’.
www.aboynamedsue.co
The British company ASOS has been
cleaning up on the American scene over
the past few years. With a deep selection
of on-trend items, it’s the place to go when
you need something super specific–you can
filter for color, style, occasion and size. The
Green Room is a portion of the site devoted
to items with a sustainable bent. Find kitshy
bikinis made in the U.S.A, recycled metal
jewelry and repurposed vintage clothing
ranging from a mere £5 for tights all the
way up to £3,000 for a vintage Chanel purse.
www.asos.co.uk
People tree
A pioneering company people tree
stock womans wear, mens wear and
include designers such as Zadndra
Rhodes and Orla Kiely.
www.peopletree.co.uk
Frank and faith
Frank and faith is a great online shopping resource, it has mens and ladies
fashion and very affordable prices.
They are committed to selling top quality products without hidden, harmful
chemicals like pesticides, petrochemicals, formaldehyde and other toxic
substances. They source products from reputable companies that have been
produced from natural, organic or sustainable raw materials. Many of these have
also been ethically produced, supporting Fair Trade, and none have been tested
on animals.
www.frankandfaith.com
love / 045

ARCHITECT SKIRT ARCHITECT SKIRT - Partimi - a boy named sue - £137
Digitally printed and wholly made in the UK, the Architect skirt is
inspired by summers in Florida and sunbaked tiles. Slim cut with highwaist
and invisible side zipper closure.
Owl Coin Purse - peopletree - £22
Hand beaded owl design coin purse. Felt coin purse with hand embroidered
glass bead detail.
How it’s made: Made by Pushpanjali, a Fair Trade organisation founded
in 1982 in Agra, India. The project helps disadvantaged local artisans
to improve their living standards by providing fair wages, training,
medical support and profit sharing schemes.
CARLI MARIE SITA PRETTY LIL’ HEART PENDANT - 10K GOLD, ROSE GOLD OR
STERLING SILVER - helpsy - €66.62 EUR
handmade and cruelty free
LEOPARD PRINT BUTTON DOWN BLOUSE - family affairs - helpsy - €69.04 EUR
Non-Disposable&Well-Made

Reclaimed Vintage Denim Shirt Dress - asos - £40.00
Reclaimed Vintage is a limited-edition collection made from vintage
fabrics and up-cycled original vintage pieces. The Reclaimed
team trawl markets and warehouses to uncover one-off pieces,
then keep it local by giving them a new lease of life in Hackney
and Dalston’s East London factories. Show some love for pre-loved
leather jackets, cut off Levis sourced from France and the USA,
‘90s slip dresses and matchy-matchy co-ords.
Leather-look fabric
Grab handle ABOUT MATT & NAT - Asos £90
Since launching in 1995 eco-friendly brand Matt & Nat has mastered
the art of ethical bag making. With their “live beautifully” attitude,
the brand ensures that no animals are hurt and that the welfare of the
planet is maintained throughout manufacturing.
steel crossover top - Frank and Faith - £29.99
Finlay & Co - Thurloe Sunglasses in Walnut - gather and see - £205
love / 047

Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves

Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves
YOGA
With Lizz Flinn
“Yoga is like a movement meditation, it almost
forces you to stay present.”
do / 049

Liz Flinn talks to us about
the juggling act of being a
yoga teacher and a mother of
twin boys.
Hi Liz when were you
first introduced to
yoga?
I used to work on cruise ships
in beauty and started yoga
then. I started consistently
after I had my sons. I had been
through a bit of a traumatic
experience with their father.
I had anxiety and depression.
I was scared to leave the
house. A friend of mine from
the ships was coming to visit
me and wanted me to find her
somewhere to do yoga, so I
booked us a class. After doing
bikram yoga for about 4 weeks
it completely transformed me
and I felt so much better.
I then went on to try all
different types of yoga. I
actually preferred Hatha yoga.
What do you think got you hooked?
How it helped me have more control over my
mind, thoughts and feelings. The breathing
helps you to stay present; even if it’s just
for that hour when you are in the room it
still helps your mind for when you leave the
room.
At what point did you decide to be a
yoga teacher?
I was just really passionate about yoga,
it had helped me not only mentally but
physically with my body and there was just
nothing else I wanted to do other than
teach.

How do you find it fits around
the boys?
It is challenging, I try to practice once
they are in bed and it has been a bit of a
juggle for when I am teaching as long as I
have set hours, it works.
I’ve been doing yoga for a few years now
and I definitely notice that it keeps a
real balance in my life, if I go a few weeks
without it I notice that I feel more tense
and stressed and life just generally seems
to be harder. Can you explain why this is?
Yoga is like a movement meditation, it
almost forces you to stay present. It is a
lot about the mind but obviously it’s the
mind body link as well every movement you do
is working on some kind of internal system
or organ like the blood circulation system.
So you teach Hatha yoga,
what is that exactly?
Hatha is your traditional yoga, so every
other form of yoga stems off hatha. It goes
back god knows how many year’s, other types
like ashtanga, vinyassa and bikram are a
spin off hatha.
What life obstacles has yoga
helped you to over come?
Well it helped me overcome depression and
anxiety it also helped hugely with my
weight I dropped three dress sizes. It’s
also helped me maintain my weight because
its changed my thinking, I’m always making
healthier decisions.
do / 051

What is your favourite pose and why?
There are poses that I like to do but its
more of a sequence, the sun salutation, that
really helps me mentally and physically, I
think that’s the most important thing you
need if you don’t know any other yoga but
could just practice 10 sun salutations a day
it would really help you mentally and is a
full body work out.
Do you do yoga with your boys?
Yes I do, I teach children’s yoga as well,
it’s a bit difficult with my own boys as
they just think I’m been silly and start
jumping on me, but I’ve taken them to
classes and they really enjoy it!
Do you not find it hard to be
all zen withtwo 4 year old boys
running around?
Oh yeah I’m stressed up to the max at the
moment, I’m about to move. But when I start
teaching I just feel so much better it’s
such a stress relief.
What advice would you give to some
one that wanted to start
practicing yoga?
I would say go into it with an open mind
and don’t worry about being flexible, we are
all capable of doing yoga its just about
practicing, the flexibility and strength
comes with time, the most important thing
about it is the breathing.
do / 053

“Having a young
mum means I
can wear your
clothes”
Phone call to my daughter on having a young mum,
and working together.
Styling . Photography . Interview . By Kerrie Reeves

Check out
Ibiza Dreams
vimeo.com/137128565
Mum:
Hi Darling how are you?
You know I’m creating Yum, the magazine,
well I just wanted to ask you a few questions
for a feature, is that ok, have you got time?
Daughter:
Yeah.
How have you found it having a young mum?
Really good, your always really fashionable so I
can wear your clothes.
LOL
And you’re really cool.
Arh am I? Thanks.
Your welcome.
Are you sure about that?
Well I wear your clothes so yeah, not sure about
the cool bit I was only joking about that.
Oh.
Grandmas really rushing me to get out the door
so hurry up.
Ok tell her I just need you for 5 minutes.
(Grandma starts moaning in the background.)
Have you ever felt different to any of your
friends that have have older mums?
No.
Ok, Do you think there are advantages and
disadvantages of having a young mum?
Well the disadvantage is……ummmm…… actually
the advantage is what I just said, I can wear you
clothes.
Ha yeah.
And your young, I don’t think there any
disadvantages really its just a mum. As long as
you lokk after me well it doesnt really make a
difference.
So you don’t think there are any
disadvantages to having a young mum?
Well no it’s a disadvantage for the mum but not
for the child.
Why would you say that?
Well I know that you had to stop your college
course when you fell pregnant with me and you
have to stop things other young people do.
Would you have children young?
No.
Why not?
Because I don’t like children that much and I
want to live a life first.
You know we did that photo-shoot whilst we
were in Ibiza, did you enjoy it?
Yeah.
How did you find it working with me, your
mum?
Oh that was really good because you’re young,
so you’re still doing stuff with me that I find fun
as well.
Arh, that’s nice what about us having a few
arguments?
No not really I don’t remember stuff like that.
Were you pleased with the outcome of the
photos?
The outfits?
No the outcome.
Yeah they’re really good, you’re really good at it.
Thank you, you’re really good at modelling
too, is that what you would like to get in to?
Why are you asking me this?
Can you just answer the question!
Yeah that would be good.
What else might you like to do with your life?
Go to university like you, but I would like to study
to be a make up artist.

IN CONVERSATION WITH
JENDELLA BENSON
Interview By Kerrie Reeves

Determined to eliminate the common misconceptions and
prejudices young mums are up against, Jendella Benson began
her project, Young Motherhood.
Jendella a photographer and filmmaker based in London
showcased a collection of 27 mothers and children through
photography and film. It exhibited at The Houses of Parliament
and was featured in The Guardian among other Newspapers and
Magazines. These very powerful pictures and interviews can
strike a cord in many young mothers. The message of positivity
comes across loud and clear in Jendella’s work.

What was your inspiration for this project?
It was really my friends who were young mothers who inspired
me. On one level I really admired them and how they juggled
motherhood with education or work in the face of the stigma
and misconceptions about their situation as young women who
had chosen to have children. On another level, one of them
was in an abusive relationship and it was clear that the only
reason she was staying with her child’s father was because she
did not want to be a single young mother, she was so afraid of
being that stereotype. I wanted to create something that would
encourage, inspire and also celebrate women who were in her
position.
What surprised you most about your project, or what
did you personally take from it?
I think on a personal level doing the interviews was a bit
like therapy for me. I had a lot of personal fears and anxiety
about labour and becoming a mother myself, and speaking to
these wonderful women and hearing all their stories was really
good for me. Which was helpful as I became pregnant and gave
birth just recently!
How do you feel the media represents young mums?
The media portrays young mums as financial drains on “more
responsible” society, taking up resources such as affordable
housing and school places, as the reason behind urban crime
and “gang” problems, and a million other things.
The media needs a scapegoat and often it uses young mums.
They are a convenient scapegoat for them because of up until
recently their voices have been easy to drown out. With the
rise of social media and the internet this balance of power is
slowly shifting, thankfully, but traditional media still tries
to continue with what they’ve been doing all these years.
How did the young mums you interviewed feel like they were
being judged?
see / 063

I think a lot of them felt like they were being judged for
their personal choice and most spent time trying to prove to
others that they weren’t the stereotype, initially, but most
also found a confidence in themselves to leave that behind at
some point. A lot of them felt the assumptions that have been
made about their relationships, background, ambitions and even
intelligence.
Do you think society is still quite old fashioned in
the way that it thinks about young mothers, that myths
still stand in place?
I think there’re a general fear of young women and their
sexuality and what ties into that more obviously than
pregnancy and motherhood? A lot of traditional ideas are
often used to justify the problems with young mothers and
their children, as well as a lot of skewed data, but I think
ultimately the myth is in place due to fears about sexuality
and just the general lack of regard for the role of mothers
within society.
see / 065

What do you feel other people (not young mothers) have taken
from your work?
Many people have said that it has made them consider how they
interact with young mothers that they encounter. They have said
that they’ve never considered certain things, like for example how
a few of the participants have said that nobody congratulated them
when they found out they were pregnant, and how that may negatively
affect a young woman who is going through a time that is often
difficult and scary for any woman regardless of age. That was one of
the goals of the project, just to get people to have more empathy
and think beyond the stereotypes, so I’m really glad that it’s
challenging people on that level.
The Life and Times of Jendella - www.jendella.co.uk
see / 067

In this issue we have decided to support
the “because I am a girl” campaign
run by Plan UK. I ask you please to
take just 5 minutes of your time to
look at the plan UK website, maybe 5
minutes you might of spent on your
face book feed. Plan UK recognises that
world wide no one bears the brunt of
poverty more than girls. Plan provides
support in education, protection and
support that can transform girl’s
lives for the better. They state that by
investing in girls is one of the best
interventions to end poverty for all.
They tackle issues such as violence
against girls in schools, female
genital mutilation, and early forced
marriage. They share some heart
breaking stories such as “pregnant by
my teacher”, but with the right support
plan can help to reduce these issues.
I feel extremely blessed after reading
some of these girl’s stories, but its real
and they are out there now and with our
help, Plan can make a real difference.

www.yum-mag.com