Marcia Leone is a mother of two living in Sydney who found her true purpose and passion in motherhood and took the brave leap in trading her comfortable 9-5 for her own little passion project Not So Mumsy. On this platform, she shares not just the highlights of her life but reaches into the hard-to-speak-about moments of motherhood. Shall we meet her?

By Bárbara Perino

Photography courtesy of Marcia Leone

[LEMON Magazine [LEMON]: Hi Marcia, how are you? How’s life been?

Marcia Leone [M.L.]: Hi! Life is good! Busy and hectic, of course, being a working single mum, but so grateful for all the moments in this season.

[LEMON]: You are an absolute inspiration. It’s easy for us to see ourselves in you: a mum that doesn’t forget who she is and what she loved pre-kids! What inspired you to start Not so Mumsy?

[M.L.]: This was precisely what inspired me to start: after living a very full life before kids, I felt quite isolated as a new mum – it was a completely new world being thrust from fashion and travel and a career into one focused on sleep times and poo colour!  I wanted to connect with like-minded mums and start a community for those who loved their new role as a mum, but who also wanted to retain a sense of self and talk about things they loved outside motherhood too.

[LEMON]: What’s the message you want to get across to your followers?

[M.L.]: That yes you are a mum, but you are still you; that motherhood is hard, but it’s also beautiful and can be both at the same time. Also, the message of mothers supporting mothers in every phase, without judgement.

[LEMON]: How would you describe the term “modern motherhood”?

[M.L.]: Modern motherhood is finding the confidence to be who you want to be, not despite being a mother, but because you are one; it is respecting each other’s choices, it’s recognising we all do it differently, and that’s OK. It’s adoring your baby but admitting it’s hard. It’s putting everything into taking care of your kids while keeping a bit for your soul. It’s saying you were someone before being a mum, and that person still matters. It’s being powerful, vulnerable, honest, and strong. Modern motherhood is the journey of losing yourself, and then blossoming into a new version of yourself.

[LEMON]: In a few words, describe your kids.

[M.L.]: Archie is soccer-obsessed, a deep thinker, tough on the outside, and soft in the middle. Poppy is sassy, cuddly, funny and wild.

[LEMON]: Do they tell you what they want to be when they grow up?

[M.L.]: Archie wants to be a soccer player and is soccer-obsessed – he plays 5-6 times a week and is very talented. Poppy, quote, “wants to be a mermaid that has a necklace with a diamond button when you press it the mermaid tail turns into feet.”

[LEMON]: What are your current professional projects?

[M.L.]: I’ve just started renovating and designing my new studio space. It is so much bigger and will be perfect for creating content, as an HQ for my label, and as a beautiful space to host events and workshops with other women. It will also be a shop on the weekends. This year for me is all about community and connection – taking it from online to real life. I’m currently working on designing the summer range for NOT SO MUMSY The Label, expanding from PJs into day wear. I also have an incredible candle collaboration coming up.

[*** READ THE FULL INTERVIEW AT LEMON #15***]