Mum of three and fashion blogger, Gretta Peters spoke to Hi Style about her career and family life.
With Mother’s Day fast approaching, we were really keen to celebrate the extraordinary power of mothers and everything they do. From instilling words of wisdom to the level of care they give to their children and the truly magical power of unconditional love, these women are perhaps the closest thing to a superhero there is. With this in mind, we decided to create a mini-series and for our first Mum’s Moment, we spoke to Gretta Peters, mother to three beautiful girls and creator of the hugely successful blog, Get Glam With Gret.
What job did you do prior to starting your own blog?
For the last 16 years, I’ve worked in law firms and having changed to a new practice two years ago that dealt with medical negligence I found it gave me the confidence to be myself whilst working in a great environment! I’ve always loved working in an office – I knew nothing else that was until I found my passion for fashion!
Your blog and social media are such a powerful voice for mothers seeking to be the best version of themselves. Can you tell us a bit about your journey leading up to the creation of the blog?
For years I’ve always had a grà for style I loved shopping and browsing online creating outfits and putting them together! Friends would ask for suggestions for events and they would be amazed at how I could find some items online so fast! One of my sisters always encouraged me to set up a blog but I was afraid of what people would think of me, then my older sister who is waiting on a kidney transplant gave me the push I needed after she completed her first 5k whilst on dialysis. I thought you know what if she’s not afraid then why should I – I’ve nothing to lose!
What do you love to do in your ‘me time’?
I love spending my ‘me time’ with my three girls, Aoibh, Esme and Cara and my husband Michael (we’ve been together since school!) We are a very close family who love chatting and spending time with each other whether it’s going for lunch or watching The Greatest Showman together – it’s the simple things we love! Other than that, you’ll find me at the races with my friends for Ladies Day!
What is your favourite thing about being a mother?
My favourite thing about being a mother is how proud I am of my girls! All three have completely different personalities and watching them grow up and spend time with each other and laugh is the best! They laugh with each other every day, they sing, they dance, they enjoy each other’s company and I think that comes from me as a mother and their great dad who’s a huge influence! Dad is the best, Mammy is the cross one and Daddy is their escape! Also, knowing that you’ll always have their back and they’ll have yours is a great feeling.
What advice would you give to other mums for helping maximise the time and productivity of their days?
Oh Jasus now this is a tough question (I may not even be allowed to say Jasus but here goes!) Maximising your time is often so hard I would say don’t get inundated but try plan plan and plan (sometimes I need to do this more!)
Organisation of time and a healthy balance is key to it all to be honest. Life is hard don’t make it harder by over doing it or you’ll hit a wall, just try to prioritise.
Who influences your fashion sense?
I don’t have a particular influencer in fashion, I love all styles and take different inspirations from everywhere.
When I was younger my granny Gret was the most glamorous person I knew. She was always immaculate in her beautiful coats, always had lipstick on and was a beauty inside and out. I love classic styles but I also love edgy looks! You could see me in anything, to be honest, but the one thing I’ll always be is me no matter what I choose to wear.
How does your work life typically fit in with your family commitments and child care?
I’ve been very blessed since I had my first daughter 11 years ago as my parents were always there for childcare. It is such a blessing both financially and for family life. I’ve worked both full time and part time but only recently decided to bite the bullet and pursue my love for my blog and finished my office job! I really want to focus on that and grow it as much as possible. So here goes!
How do you avoid the stress and burnout that might otherwise be typical of this lifestyle?
I’ve always been a busy person constantly on the go. When you’re a busy person it’s very hard not to be but I also suffer from anxiety and panic attacks for the last number of years and this is often not a great combination! Balance is the key and remembering you can’t do it all!
When you have anxiety, well for me anyway, I can always feel when I’m about to have a bout of it but sometimes it can creep up on you and you hit a wall. Remember to take time out and breath!
What do you enjoy most about what you do? Are there any perks/downsides?
I love what I’m doing now. I can finally say I’m actually great at something apart from being a mother and sometimes like everyone we wonder if we are any good at anything! When I do styling sessions or chat about style I automatically feel brighter and happier, there’s something about doing what you love! The one thing that has grown in me since I started my blog is confidence, the confidence to trust in myself to make myself better and the confidence to go after what I love.
Downsides of social media and running a page is often the time you spend doing it! Your time is totally consumed by it so again organising timing of your posts etc does help. Thankfully, I haven’t met any keyboard warriors yet and hopefully, they stay away! If you don’t like what I post just move on – remember you don’t have the right to abuse anyone in any shape or form.
What would be your one piece of advice to any budding mum bloggers?
My one piece of advice for anyone thinking of starting up is go for it but most importantly stay true to you! Be yourself and say no to things that you physically wouldn’t buy yourself as you can only promote a product that you believe in yourself. If it doesn’t feel right say no!