How 4 Mom Influencers Are Balancing Life, Well-being, and Being Famous on Social Media

While it might sound pretty glamorous to be an influencer these days, making a living on social media is full of as many joys as challenges, as four women from Utah—the unofficial mom Instagrammer capital of the world—can tell you. In the first episode of People and Parents' Mom Famous, Morgan Pederson, Chanté Sinclair and Alexis Janique Sinclair, and Michelle Money share how they balance mom life and growing their businesses online.

How the Famous Moms Find Balance

Though the four moms are dedicated to growing their followings on Instagram, their family members aren't necessarily as engaged with the platform. Money, who is the co-founder of golf lifestyle brand Fore All and is engaged to PGA Tour Champion Mike Weir, says that her fiancé has never been "into the social media world, and it's not something he's really interested in." But his disinterest has worked in the couple's favor. "He is really good about saying, 'It's time to just be present here with me,' so he's really good for me."

Alexis Janique and Chanté Sinclair are motivational speakers and advocates who run the account @letstalk_sis. Alexis has found that her husband would prefer to keep his home and family life private. Meanwhile, Chanté says her husband is "all about, 'You do you. If this makes you happy, I'm 100% behind it.'"

Morgan Pederson, co-founder of Connectors and Creators, involves her spouse in her ventures, and he proudly claims he could teach a "master class on being an Instagram husband."

But figuring out just how much to involve and feature their kids is an ongoing battle for these moms.

"This version of what we thought was this impeccable, perfect mother, wife, sister, it's not real," says Money, who notes that social media is "setting kids up to be focused on how they look, how many likes they have, how many followers they have, and that is a recipe for disaster."

She has a front row seat to watching her 17-year-old attempt to navigate social media. "Everything about it causes anxiety," says Money.

Chanté agrees that there's a fine line between the benefits and the costs of raising kids and making your mark on social media. "A generation that's being raised by mom influencers—it scares me," she admits. "Are we teaching our kids social connection? Are we giving them enough outside time with real human interaction?"

How They Feel About Authenticity

For a long time, throwing up stories and grid posts that were heavily filtered was de rigueur. Alexis acknowledges, "Early on, it was a lot of perfection. Everyone looked beautiful." But as Chanté points out, "As people on social media, there's that realization that you don't want to paint this perfect picture that everything's flawless all the time. You want to connect."

In their own ways, each of the moms have realized just how important it is to be real. For example, when Pederson went through her first pregnancy loss, she didn't open up about it on social media. Instead, she found herself scrolling through other accounts, feeling as though she was seeing one pregnancy announcement after the next. "I remember that feeling of wanting to throw my phone across the room, because it was so hard," she recalls. Later on, after going through a second miscarriage, she decided to "instantly post about it." She adds, "I don't think I've ever had more conversations or messages sent to me than I did from that post."

The Troubling Side of Instagram

Whether it's the influence the platform has on their own mental and emotional well-being or their kids' self-esteem, the moms are quite conscious of the toxicity of social media.

"I have been gifted for free the option of getting fillers and getting Botox, and I went down that rabbit hole, and then, I'm like, 'Oh gosh, I don't even look like myself anymore,' and I had to dissolve and dissolve," says Money. "I don't know that I would have done that had I not been on Instagram."

Not only does social media often result in feeling pressured to go down a path that you wouldn't otherwise consider, putting yourself out there doesn't always translate to feeling supported. "There is this dark side to influencing that I don't think people really talk about," says Pederson. "They just see pretty pictures, followers, everyone seems so happy. But people can send you a message, they can leave comments, they rip you apart."

While Alexis acknowledges that there are "great things about social media, there are so many hard, challenging things, too."

In the end, it's all about striking a balance, she explains. "We want to practice better boundaries," says the mama and advocate. "We want to take care of our mental health. We want to be present for our children, but we also want to sustain this business that we've created and poured our hearts into."