May 28, 2025 • 43 mins
Ever wondered how a local mom brand is born? In our debut episode of Maryland Mom Talk, host Claire Duarte pulls back the curtain on her journey from psychology graduate to founder of The Columbia Mom.
Claire takes us through her Maryland roots (born in DC, raised in Olney) before sharing the winding path that led to creating a community-focused platform. From her early days as a Beachbody coach to navigating motherhood during COVID, Claire reveals how personal challenges and career pivots unexpectedly prepared her for building a local mom community.
The conversation delves into why Howard County needed its own spotlight. Sandwiched between Baltimore and DC, Columbia often gets overlooked despite its vibrant businesses and strong community spirit. Claire explains how she transformed her personal social media presence into The Columbia Mom in 2022, focusing on "food, family, and fun" to showcase local gems while keeping it real about motherhood struggles.
TCM team member and podcast guest, Jill Burke, adds her perspective on why expanding to a podcast format makes perfect sense for their mission. The pair share hilarious behind-the-scenes stories of creating their podcast studio, including Claire's Facebook Marketplace adventures (complete with a snake encounter!) and last-minute equipment scrambles. Their chemistry and authenticity shine through as they discuss their vision for Maryland Mom Talk as a space for "community, connection, and conversation."
The episode wraps with a fun Maryland-themed "This or That" game revealing Claire's preferences (Ocean City over Deep Creek, picking crabs over crab cakes) and setting the tone for future episodes that will feature interviews with local business owners, event spotlights, and real talk about motherhood.
Subscribe now to join this community celebration of all things Maryland mom! Have topic suggestions? Reach out to us on Instagram @thecolumbiamom or via email – we'd love to hear what conversations you want us to bring to the show.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Claire Duarte (00:00):
Hey friends and welcome to MomTalk, maryland.
I'm your host, claire Duarte,founder of the Columbia Mom, and
this is your spot for realconversations, local love and a
whole lot of community, whetheryou're folding laundry, running
errands or hiding in your carfor some peace and quiet, let's
dive in.
Jill Burke (00:18):
Let's do it.
Let's do it, let's roll with it.
We're child-free and having ababy moment, having lots of
moments.
Claire Duarte (00:27):
Really well, I just have to say, ever since I
hired you actually it's so funnythat you were always talking
about we gotta do a podcast andI was like, yeah, I know it
sounds great, but I honestlyI've been pushing it off because
I was like it sounds cool, butjust another thing, right?
and it's like how can I fit in?
You know another platform, butI mean it's here and honestly,
(00:51):
I'm so excited.
It's been on my vision board,probably more on your vision
board.
Um, I've been on the team'svision board, yeah, and so, like
we've been talking about acouple different ideas and I
literally looked at you.
I was like, should we justfreaking do this?
And you're like, yeah, yeah, soall last weekend I made it like
(01:15):
my freaking personality I waslike getting all the furniture,
the lights, the equipment,everything.
And you should have seen us thismorning.
Like I literally had like eightpeople not eight, but I was
like I had my friend grace here.
She literally like I boughtequipment, everything.
And you should have seen usthis morning.
Like I literally had like eightpeople not eight, but I was
like I had my friend Grace here.
She literally like I boughtthis up and I was like Grace, I
don't know how to design.
Jill Burke (01:32):
I never know how to do this.
No, I cannot, and I always lookat Pinterest and then I save
the pictures because I want toaspire to be a Pinterest mom and
I'm never going to be no noaspirations are great.
Claire Duarte (01:47):
That's why Pinterest exists to keep her
love to do it.
I know so.
And Grace, like she was sittinghere, she was like, hmm, she's
like no, she would do somethingelse.
Jill Burke (01:57):
She's like no and I was like this is why I don't do
that anyway, she helped set allthis up.
Claire Duarte (02:04):
But look all that to say Welcome to Marilyn mom
talk.
Jill Burke (02:09):
Yeah, and like why last weekend were you like we
need to do it?
What made you just finally saylet's go, let's roll with it, we
are busy.
You're a mom of two.
I'm a mom of three.
Other people on our team aremothers whether it's a pet
mother or a real mother.
It's still a mother, we all aremoms right.
(02:30):
What really made you say let'sdo it, let's pull the trigger,
let's go for it and make ithappen.
Claire Duarte (02:38):
Well, I think for one.
So, and giving a littlebackstory for those that don't
know, um, jill came on board inaugust of 24 and um, uh, you're
one of your first big ideas waslike oh my god, you should do
pockets, that'd be so fun.
I was like yeah, but I, I waslike I'm doing instagram and you
(03:00):
know our website and our emailnewsletters and trying to film
and edit and write blogs andcaptions, and you know and all
and frankly, this past fall, ourteam and the business grew a
ton right, and so the idea ofadding on something else was
just like.
My brain was like, oh, I can't.
And but because you've beenkind of planting the idea and
(03:21):
the team had been talking aboutit, I also have some friends
that are and business partnersthat are professional
photographers, professionalvideographers, so I kind of
slowly started teasing theirbrains about it and they're like
, yeah, you should do it, andblah, blah, blah.
But I still was very halfserious about it.
But then, once 2025 rolledaround, um, I was like I think I
(03:42):
think this is the year Rightand I was like think I think
this is the year right and I waslike I think we could make it
happen sometime in 2025.
I don't, I don't know when, butI was like I think 2025 could
be it and, uh, I so I started.
So we started talking moreabout different series, ideas
like we you know, we have noshortage of like content, ideas,
(04:03):
whether it's on social media,um, but we, you know, once we
talked about, oh, these aredifferent things that we could
do on the podcast, that could bereally fun, really fun way to
diversify.
So we came up with one seriesidea for the podcast mind you I
had no equipment, I had no mics,I had no camera, no, like
nothing no chairs no chairs noprops nothing right, which are
all the important things thatyou need for a podcast right.
(04:25):
And but, like you know, that'swhere it starts, right, All
these ideas for different series.
And so I started trying toschedule some interviews because
I was like, okay, well, I gotto, you know, schedule some
interviews, because that atleast kind of forced me to get
going.
And my friend, another localbusiness owner, she got sick and
(04:47):
so we kept having to reschedule, and I got sick and COVID round
two, that's different story.
Um, and so then last week youand I were on site we were
filming um for another clientand the client left and I was
looking at you because we'regoing over our calendar and I
was like, should we just do thisbecause I've been rescheduling
this other interview?
And I was like, maybe we shouldjust start, maybe I should just
(05:09):
start, not make it dependent onstarting because I had all the
interviews lined up or the rightperson.
I was like, maybe I should justdo it and, ironically, last
Friday I still had nothing.
Jill Burke (05:22):
Yeah, and I'm a big believer in just doing it.
Like it might fail, it mightnot work out, but you're going
to learn from it, grow from itand, who knows, two people might
listen.
The two people here, yeah,exactly, plus our husbands,
because they're going to have tolisten to it.
(05:43):
But I think part of why Ireally was pushing you to do it
is to have a space for moms totalk about what's happening in
the world, what's happeninglocally, but to also have true
moments of mom discussions.
Claire Duarte (06:09):
You know, today we look good.
Jill Burke (06:14):
I mean, I look good every day.
We got dressed, we got makeupon, yeah.
But you know, there might be aday where we come and do this
podcast and we are looking likeour normal disheveled day.
Three washed hair yeah.
Claire Duarte (06:21):
Don't think that this is going to be like.
This is a great baseline, butdon't think that this is always
going to be, and I think that'swhy I kept being like we just
got to rip the bandaid off.
Jill Burke (06:31):
We got to just do it because if we keep pushing it
off, we might lose anopportunity, we might miss a
really great moment to have aninterview with someone.
Um, especially right now, withreally great businesses, women,
own businesses popping up, weneed to take advantage of it and
showcase that.
So that was my purpose ofalways being like let's just do
(06:52):
it, let's do it, let's go.
And here we are.
Claire Duarte (06:55):
I know, I know, so, okay, funny story.
This was literally last Fridaywhen we were filming Um and okay
, okay, I had bought one mic,maybe, maybe I had ordered the
second one, I can't rememberbecause I was like, oh, I need a
mic for a podcast.
Because I, like I said, becauseI had been trying to schedule
another interview and we hitmarketplace hard, oh, oh and all
(07:19):
.
I literally said to my husband Iwas like I didn't even ask.
I was like, by the way, I'msetting up our loft area for a
podcast, I think actuallyFacebook marketplace.
Jill Burke (07:31):
Shopping could be its own episode.
Am I right?
Claire Duarte (07:35):
I mean, after this experience, yes, I'm
addicted, because I wasliterally, I mean between I know
, I didn't know Saturday andMonday of this past weekend.
I was hitting it hard.
I found like so I got this rug,these chairs, the table, the
shelves, the mics Okay, the micstands.
(07:55):
I got on Amazon, the lightsmarketplace Like, and then the
decor was like I don't know fromrandom things all over my house
or whatever.
But yeah, it's really addictingit is.
Jill Burke (08:09):
Yeah, you could also risk your life, sometimes
shopping for marketplace I'llnever forget the time I made
brendan drive somewhere for amirror that I wanted in my
dining room and and I was eightmonths pregnant with Emily.
Claire Duarte (08:26):
Eight yeah, oh, but he went.
Jill Burke (08:28):
Oh no, we went together and he literally the
whole time was just questioningmy mental capabilities.
He's like I can't believe we'redoing this for a $20 mirror,
but I was like I have to have it.
I have to have it right now,like I wasn't craving food when
I was pregnant with Emily.
I just wanted the decor, I justwanted the decor so.
Claire Duarte (08:51):
I love that off.
We went, oh my god.
Well, here's the best part.
I didn't tell my husband like Ithink, well, maybe I said that
I was like going to pickups.
Yeah, I said I was going topick up, but I didn't say it was
through Vapous Marketplace,because I think if he knew he'd
be like where the heck are yougoing?
Who are you getting it from?
Blah, blah, blah.
So half the time I'm just likeI'm just gonna go and, um, I
(09:12):
like shared my location with afew of my friends and like our
team, right, it was like, by theway, it's like I'm going to
this spot to pick it up, blah,blah, blah.
Luckily everyone was super niceand it was all local stuff and
yeah, um, but yeah it is.
Oh, you know what's reallyfunny?
the tripod that my camera is onliterally right now right in
clarksville, literally rightaround the corner, was so, and
(09:34):
that's funny.
A lot of these places were arelike moving or people moving or
something like that.
So they're getting rid of stuffand I'm driving and I pull into
the driveway, it's a long andthere's a freaking black snake.
Jill Burke (09:45):
Oh no, and I was like is this an omen?
No, no, no, no.
Claire Duarte (09:50):
But so I stand Well and the way he was like he
was like literally crossing theroad, and it's not like a deer
or a squirrel where I could likehonk and like make him go away,
because he's a snake.
He's a snake, um, and he's asnake in my brain.
I wanted to like pick up astick and just like, like launch
you, but I didn't see anythingbig.
(10:12):
I did get out of my car and Ifound a stick that was like this
, like I was, like I'm not doingthis, like I need, like you
know, to try to nudge him.
I know it's a black rat snake.
Right, like you, you want the,the black rats or that snakes
because they'll eat your littlecritters, whatever.
Sure, I have no idea whatyou're talking about.
Jill Burke (10:31):
I don't do snakes.
I don't do much outdoors either, yeah, so unless it's sun, pool
, beach, yeah.
Claire Duarte (10:39):
Right and um, so I try to like nudge him around.
And then he, um, so I try tolike nudge him around.
And then he, like the snake,like turns and like looks at me
and like starts getting in hislittle position.
And I was like nope, nope, nope, nope.
So I get back in the car.
And I was like I'm just goingto have to wait here.
I was like I don't, I don'tknow what I'm going to do.
But then he kind of like,because he kind of curled up a
little bit to like, look at me,he was a little bit more to this
(11:01):
side, so I was like, all right,I'm gonna like kind of scoot
he's like you're good, you'regood, I was like.
Jill Burke (11:06):
I was like I could drive over him.
Claire Duarte (11:08):
But I was like I feel kind of bad, I don't know.
I was like I also don't know ifthis person's an
environmentalist.
Are they gonna like, yeah, no,good point, good point.
Jill Burke (11:17):
I wouldn't know what to do I probably would have
backed out of the driveway,called the person like sorry, um
, I can't.
Actually something happened.
I'll come back another day,yeah so.
Claire Duarte (11:26):
But then, what was funny, I go up.
I mean he was really nice andand he said to me, was there a
sneak out there?
Because it is a long driveway,so I didn't know if he could
like see from, but I think hesaw a car pull in.
He was like, why aren't they,yeah, up here yet?
um, so I think he figured outwhat I was trying to do um and I
was like, yeah, I was trying toget him to move over and then
(11:47):
he looked at me and I was like,oh no, I'm sorry, I got back in
the car but anyways.
Um, so I did kind of risk mylife a little bit.
I guess they're not poisonous,I know, but well, some people
have serious fears about things.
Jill Burke (12:01):
Yeah, so you know.
But okay, so getting back incase someone is listening to us
and watching that you know maynot know you and your brand.
So you first started out with aColumbia mom.
I don't know if you want tojust kind of quickly talk about
like why you started that aspectof your life.
(12:24):
You are from Maryland, born andraised.
I guess why did you decide acouple years ago that you were
going to kind of pivot yourcareer, what you set out to do
in life back in college to dothe Columbia?
Mom and I know influencers area big thing.
(12:45):
Everyone knows this is the timeof the influencer, but you know
you have to have a why behindit because it's a lot of work
for people that don't know.
Claire Duarte (12:56):
I know and I'm like, oh, we're taking it back,
but I, yeah, I think it'll bereally kind of cool for me to
like take it back.
To kind of explain that alittle bit, and before I kind of
go into more details on myColumbia mom story too, I want
to also kind of formally takethe time to truly define what
Maryland mom talk is too.
(13:17):
Sorry, we were talking aboutsnakes and stuff and we got you
know, that's just going tohappen here, that's just what's
going to happen.
So, but when we, when Marylandmom talk kind of came to life, I
was like, you know, I again, wehave, we all, we had so many
ideas for it.
I was like, well, what's goingto cause?
That's the other thing too.
I think I got overwhelmed withthinking like, well, what's the
(13:45):
podcast going to do?
And I was like it is anextension of the Columbia Mom,
right, but our goal with this isto keep obviously talking about
motherhood, parenting, reallife chats, real life world
things that are happening to usboth in our community locally
and into Maryland and beyond Fun, food spots, new businesses.
(14:09):
I mean the business aspect isobviously what goes back to my
core with the Columbia Mom, butthat's my goal with Maryland.
Mom Talk is to kind of keepdoing what we're doing while
also sprinkling in kind of justthe real, honest, real life
community connections.
(14:31):
Kind of my tagline for it, thatI love, was community connection
and conversation.
You know, and that's again alot of these are the same core
elements of what we do with theColumbia Mom, but that's my goal
here and what I'm excited tokind of keep doing.
Yeah, and you know, so we'llhave.
I expect to have so manydifferent types of topics and
episodes and definitely goal isto do lots of interviews, lots
of business features, spotlights, um events, nonprofits,
(14:54):
charities, you know, holidays ofseasonal stuff, you know, I
mean who knows?
I mean like we're I'm reallyexcited for it.
Um, we have probably too manyideas, no such thing, no such
thing.
But yeah, so that's kind oflike the main premise of
Maryland Mom Talk.
So then, to take it back withColumbia Mom, right, and so what
(15:19):
people might not know about meis I?
Well, like I said, I'm fromMaryland, I'm actually born in
DC, born in a DC hospital.
My mom had all of us and myparents are both from DC so like
a lot of like my stompinggrounds kind of growing up was
going to DC a lot because bothof them were from there, like
the Tenleytown area, and but Iam from Alney, alney, which is I
(15:47):
kind of call, like alney, likecolumbia's like little cousin
because she's right down theroad, like, and it's funny, I'm
literally, um, uh, you know,grew up in alney when it was
like one lane road and becauseit's also kind of like a farm
town and like a lot of columbiaand live off of one, lived off
of 108.
My parents still live there andwhen we moved to Columbia, um,
(16:07):
my husband and I were also nowoff of 108, just 20 minutes up
the road.
My parents still work full time, but they're.
It's nice that, like you know,we're only like, yeah, 20
minutes down.
My in-laws are like, um, likefive, ten minutes around the
corner, which is awesome, um,but anyway, so I'm like, I'm,
you know, I grew up inMontgomery County, um, and I
didn't go to Howard County a lot, maybe.
(16:28):
Columbia mall definitely lovedme, some Columbia mall, um, but
I was more of a DC girl, dc brat.
Bethesda, that's kind of likewhere are we hung out a lot more
in high school like downtownsilver spring, um Bethesda,
downtown Bethesda, againda againdc and um.
And I went to university,maryland college park um that's
(16:48):
where I met my husband.
Jill Burke (16:49):
That's right.
Big game today, yes we'refilming this on um march,
madness day two, that's right.
Claire Duarte (16:56):
Yeah, um, I say that as the non-marylander
that's right, you bleed, youbleed some good maryland colors.
Jill Burke (17:04):
Yeah, I have to, you have to get when you get
married into a maryland family.
It's like you have no choice.
Claire Duarte (17:09):
Brendan is pretty hardcore yeah yeah, um well,
you know what's funny actually,sorry, we're really off topic.
My birthday, I think it waswhen I was 16, I'm forgetting
the exact year, but they won.
Maryland won the tournament.
Was it 2002?
It was when.
No I wouldn't know 2000, because16 I would have a sophomore.
(17:32):
I think it was middle school,so maybe I was 13, it was around
two.
No, wasn't too.
I think I want to say it was2002.
I gotta look, I gotta freshenup on my maryland stats.
But my birthday is april 1st.
Um, but they won on the.
The final was on my birthdayand my dad was like april fool's
(17:55):
, like your birthday was goodluck and I'm like I don't know I
was like, I think I'm prettysure it was in eighth grade, but
I remember thinking that'spretty darn cool I didn't know
that Iwas gonna go to university of
maryland at the time.
But anyways, uh, yeah, I'm aterp, I have.
My bachelor's degree is inpsychology.
I had a whole host of randomjobs after graduate, as you do
most people do.
Yeah, as you do.
Um, I was kind of like findingmy way.
(18:16):
I didn't like.
I love psychology, that was my,my big thing.
Um, my mom is an accountant.
So for all of high school I waslike I'm gonna be an accountant
just like my mom, um, becausemy mom's a badass.
And um, I'm one of five kidsand she's worked full-time her
whole life and so I was like I'mgonna be an accountant.
Then, senior year high school,it took, uh like AP psychology,
(18:38):
fell in love with it and soderailed the accounting stuff.
Jill Burke (18:41):
Kind of glad, because me and numbers don't
really get along.
Claire Duarte (18:45):
I leave the money to the other people.
I mean, I guess maybe thatcould have helped me, but
regardless.
So I have a bachelor's degreein psychology.
It's where I met my husband.
I was in a sorority Some of mybest friends to this day and
yeah, so I had a whole host ofrandom jobs after graduation.
Um, uh, my, yeah, I met and myhusband there followed him to
(19:11):
Baltimore and what's funny isthat I I mean again being from
DC, we didn't have a baseballteam back then, so I was an
Orioles fan so I liked thataspect of Baltimore, but
otherwise I kind of like hatedbaltimore.
I was like, well, the city isscary.
And I also was not a ravens fan.
I was a dc fan born and raisedagain, hardcore dc fan growing
(19:34):
up, um, and, frankly, anyonethat was raven fans um, I was
like y'all are crazy.
Jill Burke (19:41):
First, of all we might not be making friends by
saying this yeah, we're gonnaget hold on, just just just give
me a minute I.
Claire Duarte (19:48):
This is this is you know, this might be an eight
episode part, just to answerthis question, but I'll get
there, um, and yeah, I was justlike, oh my god.
But he moved up there for schooland so, naturally, at 22 I
followed him and, um, I lived inlike Towson for two years again
, the random job thing.
Then I eventually moved to thecity.
We lived in the city for about10 years and, um, what was I
(20:13):
gonna say?
During that time I was like Ikind of again figuring out what
I wanted to do like job wise,career wise, because my husband
was in dental school and I waslike he's getting his life
together, what the heck am Idoing?
You know what I mean?
Um, uh, so I, you know, I waslike, okay, I think I'm going to
get my master's degree, that'swhat I'm going to do.
I'm going to become a therapistand get my master's degree in
(20:34):
counseling psychology and I'llbecome a therapist.
And so I, um, I got a part-timejob that was more in the field
and I was doing, um, communitycase management, essentially for
a nonprofit, literally like lowincome, inner city, baltimore,
population and rental Countycrisis case management work,
(20:55):
very intense, very hard.
Um, and I got my master'sdegree in counseling psychology
from university of Baltimore andum, uh, yeah, I worked that job
for like five years or sodegree in counseling psychology
from University of Baltimore andyeah, I worked that job for
like five years or so to speedthat part up.
I essentially I ended.
I did complete my master's, Ihave my complete degree.
(21:16):
I didn't end up getting mylicense to become a therapist
because toward the end of myprogram my best friend from high
school had started a businessand I was like what is this
coaching thing you're doing?
Tell me about this.
And she had started anexecutive function coaching
business and I thought it wasreally neat, like I'm not a
teacher, it's not the executivefunction coaching you might
think like executive, likecoaching businesses or something
(21:38):
like that.
It was more executive functionskills, like the life skills,
like planning, time management,things like that.
And I was like that's reallyinteresting.
And Bubba was like tell me moreabout it.
And then, long story short, Iwas like that sounds really cool
.
So I basically kind of pivotedOkay, so I finished my degree
and went and worked for her andI did that for another five or
(22:01):
six years and I loved it and itwas kind of like a nice
transition from again the veryintense work that was kind of on
the clinical counselingcommunity side and also,
obviously, a very differentdemographic.
Yeah Right, completelydifferent populations.
But so, from the time that I gotthe executive, the coaching job
um, you know I had just gottenmarried.
(22:22):
Um, we had know I had justgotten married.
We had my first baby in 2018.
We were still living in thecity.
We moved to Columbia in 2019.
And all of the while, I hadbeen a social media user like
all of us.
I mean, I'm a full-blownmillennial, right, you know so
(22:42):
was hardcore on Facebook.
And then when Instagram cameout on the scene, you know, as a
user, you know so was hardcoreon facebook.
And then, when instagram cameon scene, you know, as a user,
you know there, um, how I would,if you want to like, really
kind of go down to brass bones,how I got my social media start
was not an influencing, but ifyou're familiar with, uh, mlms,
yes, yeah, the pyramid scheme,no, no, here's the thing mlms
(23:06):
are not a pyramid scheme.
Jill Burke (23:08):
They're multi-level marketing right, right, right,
because pyramid schemes areillegal, totally that's right.
Claire Duarte (23:14):
Mlms are not.
Um.
Here's my formal apology to sayI apologize for the things that
I said when I was a Beachbodycoach and I just Beachbody is
like not a thing anymore, rightit is it also pivoted?
They also had to pivot.
This is not in any way a um uh,a blow at Beachbody or El.
Jill Burke (23:39):
Malone, no, I actually love the Beachbody uh
classes.
I did those during COVID.
Yeah, oh, I did too.
Claire Duarte (23:46):
I've done, frankly, all the programs up
until like 2020.
I mean hardcore.
I was, you know, full blownBeachbody coach.
I loved it, drank the Beachbody, literally drank all the
Beachbody Gatorades, but thatkind of gave you that like cause
.
Jill Burke (24:00):
I followed a bunch of Beachbody coaches too and got
.
That's how I found out aboutthe bar classes and got inspired
.
But you kind of have to putyourself out there.
You have to be talking to youraudience.
Yes, you have to be makingthese videos.
You have to be getting peopleto join you.
Claire Duarte (24:15):
Yes, so that's probably how it rolled into yeah
, so that's, and I think youkind of said it perfectly,
because, again, when I startedBeachbody, it was like 2015 or
2016, something like that, andso back then Instagram, I think,
was on the scene, but also thiswas like the earlier stages of
Instagram looked very differentback then.
(24:36):
So I was heavily on Facebook andthat's the majority of where
MLMs were too right.
We all.
We also had less platforms sobut eventually during that time
Instagram was becoming morepopular, instagram was shifting
and so I eventually kind of madethe shift over into um
Instagram and, but yeah, so thesame thing I do kind of get
(24:58):
really comfortable quickly ofmaking posts regularly, being
really vulnerable, sharing aboutmyself, um, you know, talking
to other people, talking tostrangers, kind of following the
beach body sales model andthings like that.
Again, apologies everywhere forhey girl messages, um, but, and
(25:19):
then um reels didn't come ontothe scene until later, but it
was that definitely that idea of, like you know, having to get
yourself out there.
So when I say that I was onsocial media, it wasn't just for
my own use.
You know it was a lot of doingthat, right, but when I had my
daughter and I got pregnant withher, like life just evolved and
I kind of slowly startedfalling out of love with the MLM
(25:41):
model and I was like, okay,clearly I'm not going to make
money over here and this is justnot going to work for me, um,
even though I did believe in mybrain that I was going to be a
millionaire through that anotherepisode, um, but I was still
doing that stuff on the sidewith the coaching job, um.
But then when I had my daughter,I was like you know, I was like
I don't know, um, so I kind ofslowly got away from that.
(26:01):
And then when I had my son in2020, when COVID kind of hit, I
was like I was like, okay, I'mofficially stopping the
Beachbody stuff.
I did the workouts then, but Ikind of I stopped all the
coaching aspect of it.
And then that's where, at leaston Instagram, I started to see
more of the mommy influencersthis again 20, 2020, a little
(26:21):
bit prior to that Cause you know, it's the just kind of everyday
people posting like differentproducts and products.
And I was like, how are theygetting all this stuff?
I was like everyday people notjust and they weren't like
massive accounts and I was like,well, that's really cool.
And you know, I didn't evenknow that they were getting paid
or if they were.
I was like it just lookedreally pretty and looked really
neat and I was again very muchinfluenced by products and
(26:49):
things that I was seeing.
I was like that's kind of cool.
So I don't know how it happened, but I just started meeting oh
you know what it was this girl Iknow from Beachbody.
She stopped doing Beachbody aswell, but she I saw her posting
more just general mommyinfluences thing, like the
products and different things.
So I started asking her, likehow did you get into that?
Because, like, her photos werebeautiful and it kind of just
like was a natural transition.
And she told me about sheworked with some, but she, I
guess, met some more moms andpeople in her community,
(27:11):
introduced me to this girl thatshe worked with as like a social
media coach.
So I I hooked up with her andshe basically just I did some
coaching sessions with her oflike learning all of Instagram's
basics right, everything fromhow to grow your account,
engagement, doing giveaways, andit was literally at this same
time as the 2020, when Reelscame on to the scene.
(27:34):
And so because I was literallykind of learning, like all of
this influencing stuff, I veryquickly just forced myself to
learn how to create Reels.
Right around the same time thatthis was all happening, tiktok
had also come on the scene.
I think it had sort of been onthe scene, but now people were
like millennials, were likeactually people were starting to
really use it.
(27:56):
It was definitely a COVID thing.
Yeah, tiktok.
Well, it was like there's aside of like people were just
watching it being consumers,versus also like those of us
that were heavy instagramcreators were also, who may have
been tiktok consumers were alsobecoming tiktok creators.
You're kind of seeing thatmigration really start to happen
, and so I started doing alittle bit like the tiktok too,
so kind of throwing myself intoit, because I was already doing
(28:17):
all that created a uh, my firstblog, claire duartecom.
Um, and she doesn't existanymore, so don't look her up Um
started writing blogs again,learning about all these kinds
of elements you know, verybaseline stuff about, like
Pinterest too.
Um, I didn't get heavy into it.
But I will say what was goodabout this timing?
(28:38):
In a time when I had aone-year-old and I was pregnant,
the world was shut down.
Um, my husband was literallyout of a job for eight weeks,
like they shut down his office.
It was terrifying.
It was for me.
It was a great transition tokind of just I mean, I was still
working full time, but I wasmentally like that side bit was
a great focus for me, greattransition.
(28:58):
So I'm painting all thisbecause you know I started the.
I did the mom influencing thingfor like two years and then
fast forward to 2022, I shouldsay around a year later.
I never quit my coaching job butCOVID basically mentally killed
me and having my son in theheight of that, I had really bad
PPD.
We'll talk about that anothertime.
(29:19):
Um, I pulled back from my jobbecause I was like I'm trying to
work a full-time job whilehaving two babies.
My friend it wasn't like likewe were both so sad like I
didn't want to step back, but,yeah, I just had to and she knew
, like I, that that was rightand it was the right time.
Um, so I kind of was likefloating being a stay-at-home
mom for a while and but I wasstill doing this mommy
(29:40):
influencing thing.
But I was trying to figure outwhat I want to do in that space,
cause it just the reality ismotherhood niche as a whole is
so big and so broad and I waslike how do I kind of make make
this more specific and morerelevant and relatable to me and
what I want to do?
Um, so in summer of 2022, againstill kind of a full-time mom at
(30:01):
this point, you know, I stillwas seeing very like doing a few
hours of coaching for my friendand um, I was talking to
another friend I knew locallywho's also in marketing and I
was like I'm thinking ofshifting my, my platform and um,
because during that time I hadbeen we've been living in
(30:21):
Columbia for a few years and Iwas a COVID mom and, as someone
that's very extroverted, I hatedbeing at home, which was, I
think, also contributed to mymental health that literally
imploded, and we would kind ofdo the same thing when the
spring and summer would comearound.
We would be able to thaw outand felt like you could safely
move around your community.
(30:48):
And I could get around a littlebit and do some stuff with the
kids, but I felt like, you know,we couldn't do a lot, right, I
mean, none of us could, right.
Yeah so, but 22 is when westarted to feel safer, right,
when a lot more of just thewhole kind of restrictions were
really being pulled back, likefrom the summer and then kind of
into the fall, right.
That was when we really feltlike, okay, we can enter fall
without having to feel likewe're shutting down.
You know, um, so I it was likeI said it coincided with the
(31:11):
same time of like I think I wantto shift my content I, during
those two years 2020 to 2022, Istarted to, you know, meet a few
more business owners, havinglived in Columbia for two or
three years at that point, and,um, I, there was some, you know,
local business, some local momsthat I really loved and I fell
in love with during that time,and I was like, man, columbia is
(31:34):
like really awesome, and I waslike there's not really any
Howard County accounts onInstagram and well, frankly,
other platforms that I sawexisted.
I mean, during that time again,doing the Mommy Influence thing,
I'd been sort of connecting andfollowing more local things,
but I didn't really see many.
I saw, you know, you see a lotof foodie accounts in Baltimore
and DC, yeah, but I didn't evensee really many foodie accounts
(31:57):
here in Columbia and HowardCounty and I was like just
surprised there's a lot Pairingoff different ideas and that's
how, basically, the Columbia momwas born and I didn't.
I went back and forth.
Do I create a brand newInstagram account or do I just
(32:18):
kind of transition the accountthat I had?
Because I had already like grownmy following from like I think
I got up to 2,000 something whenI was doing the Beachbody stuff
and then when I was doing themommy influencing stuff, I had
grown it to like 5,000 orsomething and I had a little bit
of a local base.
So I was like you know what?
I think I'm just going to do arebrand, see how it goes.
(32:39):
Yeah, and this was in July of2022.
And what's really funny is I'dbeen thinking about it for a few
months.
I didn't have the full premiseof the name or what it was going
to be, but I like the idea ofshifting, morphing into
something a little bit morecommunity, specific as opposed
to just general motherhood, andI remember I was literally sick
with covid and our ac had blown.
(33:01):
I'm literally laying in my bedyeah, it was the first time we
got covid in 2022.
We'd never gotten it up untilthen.
And I'm like literally textingmy friend and I was like what do
you think of these names?
And I was like coming up withdifferent names and I literally
that same week I changed thename and I posted on my stories.
I was like what do you think?
Jill Burke (33:21):
and people vote and that's how the Columbia mom was
born and I think it's like youknow you mentioned, a lot of
influencers around here arefoodie influencers and like
drink influencers, like thegoing out, like where to go for
good food and eats, and thenalso you have the awesome
(33:42):
influencers of showing you thebest playgrounds and the best
like family spots.
But I think the cool thing thatbrought me to you even is that
it was you right, like, oh,you're actually a mom like
you're showing us that otherside, not just the yes, we make
(34:02):
some great reels that are alledited and you know what I mean
and we can fluff it up and makeit pretty, but then you're also
showing the scenes of you in thecar after a bad morning of
drop-off and you're showing theother side of it and I think
that, like for me as a mom too,that was important as well,
(34:24):
especially like the local hyperinfluencer that you're not just.
You know we are all aroundMaryland and we want to spread
throughout Maryland, but wereally focus on Howard County.
There's a reason you guysdecided to live here.
There's a reason my husbandtold me two weeks literally two
weeks after we met, that if wewere doing this he was never
(34:47):
leaving Maryland and we wereeventually moving back to Howard
County because we met inMontgomery County.
But there's something aboutthis area that people really
connect and love and I thinkthat's a cool part of the
Columbia mom.
Claire Duarte (35:01):
Yeah.
Jill Burke (35:02):
Is it's really focused on the love of this
community?
Claire Duarte (35:05):
Yes, and exactly, and I was like I wanted to, I
shouldn't say put Columbia onthe map, but like, really
showcase her.
Yeah, I'm calling her, her, Idon't know, I just for this, for
this she's, she's her.
I wanted to really highlight.
I was like there's so, becauseHoward County is sandwiched in
between Baltimore and DC and, um, I was like there's so much
(35:26):
awesome stuff that happens hereand you know.
One other thing that I'll kindof say is that you know, when I
was going through, when I firstwas working with that Instagram
coach, he was like you got toniche down, you got to be
specific.
Those were, and that's whateveryone still says, that's
still important yeah.
And a big thing was pillars.
We sort of gotten away from thepillar approach a thing, um.
(35:47):
But I remember thinking I waslike well, I don't want to be
foodie because I was like.
I love food.
Jill Burke (35:52):
We will be talking.
Claire Duarte (35:54):
We love to eat, that's a main thing.
But I was like I knew that youneeded very high level kind of
equipment to make stuff lookgood and I was like I have my
phone but like you need lightsand you really need good
equipment regularly and videoskills for that and I didn't
want that to be just my focusand I didn't want to be just
(36:14):
mommy, because I don't know forme.
I'm like, well, yeah, mommy'sgreat and mommy is who I am and
a part of my day, but it's notmy only identity.
I like to go out and have funand, you know, be silly and
weird.
So when I first pillared it, Idid food, family and fun.
You know, um, fun kind ofcatches a whole lot of things
(36:34):
everything from actual fun youknow, events, concerts to that
was my angle in of.
Like this is how we can kind oflook at and meet and spotlight
more business.
Jill Burke (36:41):
Yeah, definitely.
Claire Duarte (36:43):
That's still.
I've kind of gotten away fromthe exact pillared approach but
leaning.
But that's still the reallycore of who we are and what we
do and the premise of the clubbymom awesome.
Jill Burke (36:54):
Well, I think now I have some this or that for you
are you ready?
Claire Duarte (36:58):
I'm ready, let me uh, open my phone.
Jill Burke (37:01):
You know you gotta have the 8 000 number code when
you have kids so they can't getinto your phone right no one
tells you about that in thebooks.
Claire Duarte (37:09):
No, like what to do technology keep changing what
to do?
Jill Burke (37:12):
when your kids realize, when they can start
reading.
Also, there should be a bookabout that, like when your kids
can start reading andunderstanding what you're
spelling out to your husband tokeep a secret from your child I
know again another anotherepisode all right, so we covered
the purpose of this, the, theorigin of the Columbia mom.
(37:33):
And because you are born andraised Marylander, do you see
her?
Claire Duarte (37:38):
Yep.
Jill Burke (37:39):
I'm going to do a little this or that, or would
you rather, maryland edition,let's do it All right.
Ocean City or Deep Creek, oceanCity, okay.
Crabcake or pick crabs, oh oh,pick your crabs, okay yeah, I'm
a crab cake girly.
Claire Duarte (37:59):
They're both great.
I just something.
I mean, this is the realmaryland in me.
Jill Burke (38:02):
There's something about, you know, just sitting
there and picking crabs yeah, Ilike to sit there and do it, but
I like someone else to pick.
Claire Duarte (38:08):
I don't hate that either.
Jill Burke (38:09):
Trust me that I'll eat it I yeah, my
father-in-law's a machine, so ohgod yeah, I think I just
haven't like gotten it down yetyeah, um, all right, explore
inner harbor or take a scenicwalk around annapolis, historic
annapolis I really like both ofthose, but the Baltimore girl in
(38:32):
me will lean more towards that.
Claire Duarte (38:35):
But I almost a tie alright, how about this one
navigate DC traffic or wait dealwith the Bay Bridge on a
holiday weekend wait the traumathat I'm trauma-ing right now
with the Bay Bridge on a holidayweekend, all right, wait, the
trauma that I'm trauma-ing rightnow Bay Bridge, because there's
(38:59):
at least.
I'm going to be excited once Iget over that bridge.
Jill Burke (39:04):
Good point, good point, yeah, all right, old Bay
Fries or Crab dip as your gameday snack.
Crab dip, crab dip.
Wine tasting at Marylandvineyards or beer tasting at
local breweries.
Beer tasting, oh yeah, thatsurprises me.
Claire Duarte (39:25):
Okay, another episode.
I love our Maryland wineries.
I think when you talk aboutlike maryland soil, if you know
like a lot about wine stuff likethat, I think there are other
regions of the world that havebetter yeah wines in general, um
, I do love our wineries here um, but I also love our breweries
(39:46):
and we also have manor hillslike five minutes minutes from
us.
Jill Burke (39:49):
Yeah, good point.
And we have so many breweriesin our county, which is awesome.
Yeah, all right, marylandwinter, don't focus on the 2024,
2025 winter, because that wasbrutal to all of us.
Yeah, but Maryland winter orMaryland summer.
Claire Duarte (40:05):
I mean summer Always.
I'm a summer girly.
I mean I don't, yeah, but we,you know, we have the pool and
all the fun.
Yeah, summer Always.
Jill Burke (40:17):
Always, always, always Burger cookies or Smith
Island cake Burger cookies forsure, those are so good.
Okay, my last one, that I haveRenaissance or, sorry, renfest.
Let me speak correctly like atrue marylander.
Claire Duarte (40:34):
yes, that I'm not uh ren fest or preakness ren
fest well, and I, we, we justtook our kids for the first time
this past fall and I didn'trealize, like tickets, I mean I
think it's gotten even, I meanit was always big when I was a
kid but like they sell out sofast.
I had no idea, Um, but we tookour kids for the first time and
(40:55):
I don't I think they liked it.
Jill Burke (40:56):
It was also a hot day yeah.
Claire Duarte (40:57):
But I was like, oh my God, this is so cool, you
could eat everything there.
But no it.
Uh I, I love it.
That was.
That was a really fun time.
I've never done the Preakness.
I'm trying to remember if Ihave.
I I feel like I.
I've been to Laurel racetrackso often.
I know I haven't been toPimlico.
Jill Burke (41:15):
Yeah, I've driven by Pimlico which is funny because
where I went to college there'sa lot of Long Islanders in my
college and then a lot of LongIslanders go to Towson.
So right, my roommates incollege and friends in college
actually took a trip down toMaryland for Preakness.
So I knew like about Preaknessbefore I even knew about living
in Maryland.
So now when I hear the storiesI'm like oh yeah, I knew about
(41:38):
that, that's one thing I knew.
Claire Duarte (41:39):
Well, I mean, it's a thing Like when, cause I
lived in Towson for two yearsafter college and even at
University of Maryland they'dhold buses that would take you
out to Towson, but it was alwaysfor us, because Maryland goes
so late into May, it was alwaysright around finals.
So it was like, okay, drinkthis weekend or study.
Surprise, I did both, butanyways, well, on that note,
(42:03):
thank you so much for co-hostingwith me today, jill, and we
have so many more fun episodesto come.
So if you're following along,watching or listening, please be
sure to you know.
Like.
Subscribe, follow our content,whether it's on Instagram, um,
whether it's on YouTube, um.
Subscribe to our emailnewsletter to kind of stay in
(42:23):
the know of upcoming events,awesome business features and,
um, definitely feel free toshoot us an email to email to uh
, if there's any episodes orthings you'd like to hear from
us.
Jill Burke (42:34):
like what do you?
What do you want to know?
What do you want to?
Talk about real mom truth.
Yeah, anything, nothing's offthe table.
Claire Duarte (42:43):
Bravo, tv yeah, that's ideally um, that would be
my wheelhouse, but but anything.
Jill Burke (42:51):
All right Well thanks guys, let's do it.
Claire Duarte (42:52):
Yeah, cheers, we did it.
Thanks for tuning in to thisepisode of Mom Talk, Maryland.
If you loved it, leave a review, share it with a friend or tag
me at thecolumbiamom onInstagram.
I'd love to hear what you thinkand don't forget to follow the
show so you never miss anepisode.
Until next time, keep showingup, keep supporting local and
(43:14):
keep being the incredible mom,woman, human that you are.
Hey friends and welcome to MomTalk, maryland.
I'm your host, claire Duarte,founder of the Columbia Mom, and
this is your spot for realconversations, local love and a
whole lot of community, whetheryou're folding laundry, running
errands or hiding in your carfor some peace and quiet, let's
dive in.
Jill Burke (00:18):
Let's do it.
Let's do it, let's roll with it.
We're child-free and having ababy moment, having lots of
moments.
Claire Duarte (00:27):
Really well, I just have to say, ever since I
hired you actually it's so funnythat you were always talking
about we gotta do a podcast andI was like, yeah, I know it
sounds great, but I honestlyI've been pushing it off because
I was like it sounds cool, butjust another thing, right?
and it's like how can I fit in?
You know another platform, butI mean it's here and honestly,
(00:51):
I'm so excited.
It's been on my vision board,probably more on your vision
board.
Um, I've been on the team'svision board, yeah, and so, like
we've been talking about acouple different ideas and I
literally looked at you.
I was like, should we justfreaking do this?
And you're like, yeah, yeah, soall last weekend I made it like
(01:15):
my freaking personality I waslike getting all the furniture,
the lights, the equipment,everything.
And you should have seen us thismorning.
Like I literally had like eightpeople not eight, but I was
like I had my friend grace here.
She literally like I boughtequipment, everything.
And you should have seen usthis morning.
Like I literally had like eightpeople not eight, but I was
like I had my friend Grace here.
She literally like I boughtthis up and I was like Grace, I
don't know how to design.
Jill Burke (01:32):
I never know how to do this.
No, I cannot, and I always lookat Pinterest and then I save
the pictures because I want toaspire to be a Pinterest mom and
I'm never going to be no noaspirations are great.
Claire Duarte (01:47):
That's why Pinterest exists to keep her
love to do it.
I know so.
And Grace, like she was sittinghere, she was like, hmm, she's
like no, she would do somethingelse.
Jill Burke (01:57):
She's like no and I was like this is why I don't do
that anyway, she helped set allthis up.
Claire Duarte (02:04):
But look all that to say Welcome to Marilyn mom
talk.
Jill Burke (02:09):
Yeah, and like why last weekend were you like we
need to do it?
What made you just finally saylet's go, let's roll with it, we
are busy.
You're a mom of two.
I'm a mom of three.
Other people on our team aremothers whether it's a pet
mother or a real mother.
It's still a mother, we all aremoms right.
(02:30):
What really made you say let'sdo it, let's pull the trigger,
let's go for it and make ithappen.
Claire Duarte (02:38):
Well, I think for one.
So, and giving a littlebackstory for those that don't
know, um, jill came on board inaugust of 24 and um, uh, you're
one of your first big ideas waslike oh my god, you should do
pockets, that'd be so fun.
I was like yeah, but I, I waslike I'm doing instagram and you
(03:00):
know our website and our emailnewsletters and trying to film
and edit and write blogs andcaptions, and you know and all
and frankly, this past fall, ourteam and the business grew a
ton right, and so the idea ofadding on something else was
just like.
My brain was like, oh, I can't.
And but because you've beenkind of planting the idea and
(03:21):
the team had been talking aboutit, I also have some friends
that are and business partnersthat are professional
photographers, professionalvideographers, so I kind of
slowly started teasing theirbrains about it and they're like
, yeah, you should do it, andblah, blah, blah.
But I still was very halfserious about it.
But then, once 2025 rolledaround, um, I was like I think I
(03:42):
think this is the year Rightand I was like think I think
this is the year right and I waslike I think we could make it
happen sometime in 2025.
I don't, I don't know when, butI was like I think 2025 could
be it and, uh, I so I started.
So we started talking moreabout different series, ideas
like we you know, we have noshortage of like content, ideas,
(04:03):
whether it's on social media,um, but we, you know, once we
talked about, oh, these aredifferent things that we could
do on the podcast, that could bereally fun, really fun way to
diversify.
So we came up with one seriesidea for the podcast mind you I
had no equipment, I had no mics,I had no camera, no, like
nothing no chairs no chairs noprops nothing right, which are
all the important things thatyou need for a podcast right.
(04:25):
And but, like you know, that'swhere it starts, right, All
these ideas for different series.
And so I started trying toschedule some interviews because
I was like, okay, well, I gotto, you know, schedule some
interviews, because that atleast kind of forced me to get
going.
And my friend, another localbusiness owner, she got sick and
(04:47):
so we kept having to reschedule, and I got sick and COVID round
two, that's different story.
Um, and so then last week youand I were on site we were
filming um for another clientand the client left and I was
looking at you because we'regoing over our calendar and I
was like, should we just do thisbecause I've been rescheduling
this other interview?
And I was like, maybe we shouldjust start, maybe I should just
(05:09):
start, not make it dependent onstarting because I had all the
interviews lined up or the rightperson.
I was like, maybe I should justdo it and, ironically, last
Friday I still had nothing.
Jill Burke (05:22):
Yeah, and I'm a big believer in just doing it.
Like it might fail, it mightnot work out, but you're going
to learn from it, grow from itand, who knows, two people might
listen.
The two people here, yeah,exactly, plus our husbands,
because they're going to have tolisten to it.
(05:43):
But I think part of why Ireally was pushing you to do it
is to have a space for moms totalk about what's happening in
the world, what's happeninglocally, but to also have true
moments of mom discussions.
Claire Duarte (06:09):
You know, today we look good.
Jill Burke (06:14):
I mean, I look good every day.
We got dressed, we got makeupon, yeah.
But you know, there might be aday where we come and do this
podcast and we are looking likeour normal disheveled day.
Three washed hair yeah.
Claire Duarte (06:21):
Don't think that this is going to be like.
This is a great baseline, butdon't think that this is always
going to be, and I think that'swhy I kept being like we just
got to rip the bandaid off.
Jill Burke (06:31):
We got to just do it because if we keep pushing it
off, we might lose anopportunity, we might miss a
really great moment to have aninterview with someone.
Um, especially right now, withreally great businesses, women,
own businesses popping up, weneed to take advantage of it and
showcase that.
So that was my purpose ofalways being like let's just do
(06:52):
it, let's do it, let's go.
And here we are.
Claire Duarte (06:55):
I know, I know, so, okay, funny story.
This was literally last Fridaywhen we were filming Um and okay
, okay, I had bought one mic,maybe, maybe I had ordered the
second one, I can't rememberbecause I was like, oh, I need a
mic for a podcast.
Because I, like I said, becauseI had been trying to schedule
another interview and we hitmarketplace hard, oh, oh and all
(07:19):
.
I literally said to my husband Iwas like I didn't even ask.
I was like, by the way, I'msetting up our loft area for a
podcast, I think actuallyFacebook marketplace.
Jill Burke (07:31):
Shopping could be its own episode.
Am I right?
Claire Duarte (07:35):
I mean, after this experience, yes, I'm
addicted, because I wasliterally, I mean between I know
, I didn't know Saturday andMonday of this past weekend.
I was hitting it hard.
I found like so I got this rug,these chairs, the table, the
shelves, the mics Okay, the micstands.
(07:55):
I got on Amazon, the lightsmarketplace Like, and then the
decor was like I don't know fromrandom things all over my house
or whatever.
But yeah, it's really addictingit is.
Jill Burke (08:09):
Yeah, you could also risk your life, sometimes
shopping for marketplace I'llnever forget the time I made
brendan drive somewhere for amirror that I wanted in my
dining room and and I was eightmonths pregnant with Emily.
Claire Duarte (08:26):
Eight yeah, oh, but he went.
Jill Burke (08:28):
Oh no, we went together and he literally the
whole time was just questioningmy mental capabilities.
He's like I can't believe we'redoing this for a $20 mirror,
but I was like I have to have it.
I have to have it right now,like I wasn't craving food when
I was pregnant with Emily.
I just wanted the decor, I justwanted the decor so.
Claire Duarte (08:51):
I love that off.
We went, oh my god.
Well, here's the best part.
I didn't tell my husband like Ithink, well, maybe I said that
I was like going to pickups.
Yeah, I said I was going topick up, but I didn't say it was
through Vapous Marketplace,because I think if he knew he'd
be like where the heck are yougoing?
Who are you getting it from?
Blah, blah, blah.
So half the time I'm just likeI'm just gonna go and, um, I
(09:12):
like shared my location with afew of my friends and like our
team, right, it was like, by theway, it's like I'm going to
this spot to pick it up, blah,blah, blah.
Luckily everyone was super niceand it was all local stuff and
yeah, um, but yeah it is.
Oh, you know what's reallyfunny?
the tripod that my camera is onliterally right now right in
clarksville, literally rightaround the corner, was so, and
(09:34):
that's funny.
A lot of these places were arelike moving or people moving or
something like that.
So they're getting rid of stuffand I'm driving and I pull into
the driveway, it's a long andthere's a freaking black snake.
Jill Burke (09:45):
Oh no, and I was like is this an omen?
No, no, no, no.
Claire Duarte (09:50):
But so I stand Well and the way he was like he
was like literally crossing theroad, and it's not like a deer
or a squirrel where I could likehonk and like make him go away,
because he's a snake.
He's a snake, um, and he's asnake in my brain.
I wanted to like pick up astick and just like, like launch
you, but I didn't see anythingbig.
(10:12):
I did get out of my car and Ifound a stick that was like this
, like I was, like I'm not doingthis, like I need, like you
know, to try to nudge him.
I know it's a black rat snake.
Right, like you, you want the,the black rats or that snakes
because they'll eat your littlecritters, whatever.
Sure, I have no idea whatyou're talking about.
Jill Burke (10:31):
I don't do snakes.
I don't do much outdoors either, yeah, so unless it's sun, pool
, beach, yeah.
Claire Duarte (10:39):
Right and um, so I try to like nudge him around.
And then he, um, so I try tolike nudge him around.
And then he, like the snake,like turns and like looks at me
and like starts getting in hislittle position.
And I was like nope, nope, nope, nope.
So I get back in the car.
And I was like I'm just goingto have to wait here.
I was like I don't, I don'tknow what I'm going to do.
But then he kind of like,because he kind of curled up a
little bit to like, look at me,he was a little bit more to this
(11:01):
side, so I was like, all right,I'm gonna like kind of scoot
he's like you're good, you'regood, I was like.
Jill Burke (11:06):
I was like I could drive over him.
Claire Duarte (11:08):
But I was like I feel kind of bad, I don't know.
I was like I also don't know ifthis person's an
environmentalist.
Are they gonna like, yeah, no,good point, good point.
Jill Burke (11:17):
I wouldn't know what to do I probably would have
backed out of the driveway,called the person like sorry, um
, I can't.
Actually something happened.
I'll come back another day,yeah so.
Claire Duarte (11:26):
But then, what was funny, I go up.
I mean he was really nice andand he said to me, was there a
sneak out there?
Because it is a long driveway,so I didn't know if he could
like see from, but I think hesaw a car pull in.
He was like, why aren't they,yeah, up here yet?
um, so I think he figured outwhat I was trying to do um and I
was like, yeah, I was trying toget him to move over and then
(11:47):
he looked at me and I was like,oh no, I'm sorry, I got back in
the car but anyways.
Um, so I did kind of risk mylife a little bit.
I guess they're not poisonous,I know, but well, some people
have serious fears about things.
Jill Burke (12:01):
Yeah, so you know.
But okay, so getting back incase someone is listening to us
and watching that you know maynot know you and your brand.
So you first started out with aColumbia mom.
I don't know if you want tojust kind of quickly talk about
like why you started that aspectof your life.
(12:24):
You are from Maryland, born andraised.
I guess why did you decide acouple years ago that you were
going to kind of pivot yourcareer, what you set out to do
in life back in college to dothe Columbia?
Mom and I know influencers area big thing.
(12:45):
Everyone knows this is the timeof the influencer, but you know
you have to have a why behindit because it's a lot of work
for people that don't know.
Claire Duarte (12:56):
I know and I'm like, oh, we're taking it back,
but I, yeah, I think it'll bereally kind of cool for me to
like take it back.
To kind of explain that alittle bit, and before I kind of
go into more details on myColumbia mom story too, I want
to also kind of formally takethe time to truly define what
Maryland mom talk is too.
(13:17):
Sorry, we were talking aboutsnakes and stuff and we got you
know, that's just going tohappen here, that's just what's
going to happen.
So, but when we, when Marylandmom talk kind of came to life, I
was like, you know, I again, wehave, we all, we had so many
ideas for it.
I was like, well, what's goingto cause?
That's the other thing too.
I think I got overwhelmed withthinking like, well, what's the
(13:45):
podcast going to do?
And I was like it is anextension of the Columbia Mom,
right, but our goal with this isto keep obviously talking about
motherhood, parenting, reallife chats, real life world
things that are happening to usboth in our community locally
and into Maryland and beyond Fun, food spots, new businesses.
(14:09):
I mean the business aspect isobviously what goes back to my
core with the Columbia Mom, butthat's my goal with Maryland.
Mom Talk is to kind of keepdoing what we're doing while
also sprinkling in kind of justthe real, honest, real life
community connections.
(14:31):
Kind of my tagline for it, thatI love, was community connection
and conversation.
You know, and that's again alot of these are the same core
elements of what we do with theColumbia Mom, but that's my goal
here and what I'm excited tokind of keep doing.
Yeah, and you know, so we'llhave.
I expect to have so manydifferent types of topics and
episodes and definitely goal isto do lots of interviews, lots
of business features, spotlights, um events, nonprofits,
(14:54):
charities, you know, holidays ofseasonal stuff, you know, I
mean who knows?
I mean like we're I'm reallyexcited for it.
Um, we have probably too manyideas, no such thing, no such
thing.
But yeah, so that's kind oflike the main premise of
Maryland Mom Talk.
So then, to take it back withColumbia Mom, right, and so what
(15:19):
people might not know about meis I?
Well, like I said, I'm fromMaryland, I'm actually born in
DC, born in a DC hospital.
My mom had all of us and myparents are both from DC so like
a lot of like my stompinggrounds kind of growing up was
going to DC a lot because bothof them were from there, like
the Tenleytown area, and but Iam from Alney, alney, which is I
(15:47):
kind of call, like alney, likecolumbia's like little cousin
because she's right down theroad, like, and it's funny, I'm
literally, um, uh, you know,grew up in alney when it was
like one lane road and becauseit's also kind of like a farm
town and like a lot of columbiaand live off of one, lived off
of 108.
My parents still live there andwhen we moved to Columbia, um,
(16:07):
my husband and I were also nowoff of 108, just 20 minutes up
the road.
My parents still work full time, but they're.
It's nice that, like you know,we're only like, yeah, 20
minutes down.
My in-laws are like, um, likefive, ten minutes around the
corner, which is awesome, um,but anyway, so I'm like, I'm,
you know, I grew up inMontgomery County, um, and I
didn't go to Howard County a lot, maybe.
(16:28):
Columbia mall definitely lovedme, some Columbia mall, um, but
I was more of a DC girl, dc brat.
Bethesda, that's kind of likewhere are we hung out a lot more
in high school like downtownsilver spring, um Bethesda,
downtown Bethesda, againda againdc and um.
And I went to university,maryland college park um that's
(16:48):
where I met my husband.
Jill Burke (16:49):
That's right.
Big game today, yes we'refilming this on um march,
madness day two, that's right.
Claire Duarte (16:56):
Yeah, um, I say that as the non-marylander
that's right, you bleed, youbleed some good maryland colors.
Jill Burke (17:04):
Yeah, I have to, you have to get when you get
married into a maryland family.
It's like you have no choice.
Claire Duarte (17:09):
Brendan is pretty hardcore yeah yeah, um well,
you know what's funny actually,sorry, we're really off topic.
My birthday, I think it waswhen I was 16, I'm forgetting
the exact year, but they won.
Maryland won the tournament.
Was it 2002?
It was when.
No I wouldn't know 2000, because16 I would have a sophomore.
(17:32):
I think it was middle school,so maybe I was 13, it was around
two.
No, wasn't too.
I think I want to say it was2002.
I gotta look, I gotta freshenup on my maryland stats.
But my birthday is april 1st.
Um, but they won on the.
The final was on my birthdayand my dad was like april fool's
(17:55):
, like your birthday was goodluck and I'm like I don't know I
was like, I think I'm prettysure it was in eighth grade, but
I remember thinking that'spretty darn cool I didn't know
that Iwas gonna go to university of
maryland at the time.
But anyways, uh, yeah, I'm aterp, I have.
My bachelor's degree is inpsychology.
I had a whole host of randomjobs after graduate, as you do
most people do.
Yeah, as you do.
Um, I was kind of like findingmy way.
(18:16):
I didn't like.
I love psychology, that was my,my big thing.
Um, my mom is an accountant.
So for all of high school I waslike I'm gonna be an accountant
just like my mom, um, becausemy mom's a badass.
And um, I'm one of five kidsand she's worked full-time her
whole life and so I was like I'mgonna be an accountant.
Then, senior year high school,it took, uh like AP psychology,
(18:38):
fell in love with it and soderailed the accounting stuff.
Jill Burke (18:41):
Kind of glad, because me and numbers don't
really get along.
Claire Duarte (18:45):
I leave the money to the other people.
I mean, I guess maybe thatcould have helped me, but
regardless.
So I have a bachelor's degreein psychology.
It's where I met my husband.
I was in a sorority Some of mybest friends to this day and
yeah, so I had a whole host ofrandom jobs after graduation.
Um, uh, my, yeah, I met and myhusband there followed him to
(19:11):
Baltimore and what's funny isthat I I mean again being from
DC, we didn't have a baseballteam back then, so I was an
Orioles fan so I liked thataspect of Baltimore, but
otherwise I kind of like hatedbaltimore.
I was like, well, the city isscary.
And I also was not a ravens fan.
I was a dc fan born and raisedagain, hardcore dc fan growing
(19:34):
up, um, and, frankly, anyonethat was raven fans um, I was
like y'all are crazy.
Jill Burke (19:41):
First, of all we might not be making friends by
saying this yeah, we're gonnaget hold on, just just just give
me a minute I.
Claire Duarte (19:48):
This is this is you know, this might be an eight
episode part, just to answerthis question, but I'll get
there, um, and yeah, I was justlike, oh my god.
But he moved up there for schooland so, naturally, at 22 I
followed him and, um, I lived inlike Towson for two years again
, the random job thing.
Then I eventually moved to thecity.
We lived in the city for about10 years and, um, what was I
(20:13):
gonna say?
During that time I was like Ikind of again figuring out what
I wanted to do like job wise,career wise, because my husband
was in dental school and I waslike he's getting his life
together, what the heck am Idoing?
You know what I mean?
Um, uh, so I, you know, I waslike, okay, I think I'm going to
get my master's degree, that'swhat I'm going to do.
I'm going to become a therapistand get my master's degree in
(20:34):
counseling psychology and I'llbecome a therapist.
And so I, um, I got a part-timejob that was more in the field
and I was doing, um, communitycase management, essentially for
a nonprofit, literally like lowincome, inner city, baltimore,
population and rental Countycrisis case management work,
(20:55):
very intense, very hard.
Um, and I got my master'sdegree in counseling psychology
from university of Baltimore andum, uh, yeah, I worked that job
for like five years or sodegree in counseling psychology
from University of Baltimore andyeah, I worked that job for
like five years or so to speedthat part up.
I essentially I ended.
I did complete my master's, Ihave my complete degree.
(21:16):
I didn't end up getting mylicense to become a therapist
because toward the end of myprogram my best friend from high
school had started a businessand I was like what is this
coaching thing you're doing?
Tell me about this.
And she had started anexecutive function coaching
business and I thought it wasreally neat, like I'm not a
teacher, it's not the executivefunction coaching you might
think like executive, likecoaching businesses or something
(21:38):
like that.
It was more executive functionskills, like the life skills,
like planning, time management,things like that.
And I was like that's reallyinteresting.
And Bubba was like tell me moreabout it.
And then, long story short, Iwas like that sounds really cool
.
So I basically kind of pivotedOkay, so I finished my degree
and went and worked for her andI did that for another five or
(22:01):
six years and I loved it and itwas kind of like a nice
transition from again the veryintense work that was kind of on
the clinical counselingcommunity side and also,
obviously, a very differentdemographic.
Yeah Right, completelydifferent populations.
But so, from the time that I gotthe executive, the coaching job
um, you know I had just gottenmarried.
(22:22):
Um, we had know I had justgotten married.
We had my first baby in 2018.
We were still living in thecity.
We moved to Columbia in 2019.
And all of the while, I hadbeen a social media user like
all of us.
I mean, I'm a full-blownmillennial, right, you know so
(22:42):
was hardcore on Facebook.
And then when Instagram cameout on the scene, you know, as a
user, you know so was hardcoreon facebook.
And then, when instagram cameon scene, you know, as a user,
you know there, um, how I would,if you want to like, really
kind of go down to brass bones,how I got my social media start
was not an influencing, but ifyou're familiar with, uh, mlms,
yes, yeah, the pyramid scheme,no, no, here's the thing mlms
(23:06):
are not a pyramid scheme.
Jill Burke (23:08):
They're multi-level marketing right, right, right,
because pyramid schemes areillegal, totally that's right.
Claire Duarte (23:14):
Mlms are not.
Um.
Here's my formal apology to sayI apologize for the things that
I said when I was a Beachbodycoach and I just Beachbody is
like not a thing anymore, rightit is it also pivoted?
They also had to pivot.
This is not in any way a um uh,a blow at Beachbody or El.
Jill Burke (23:39):
Malone, no, I actually love the Beachbody uh
classes.
I did those during COVID.
Yeah, oh, I did too.
Claire Duarte (23:46):
I've done, frankly, all the programs up
until like 2020.
I mean hardcore.
I was, you know, full blownBeachbody coach.
I loved it, drank the Beachbody, literally drank all the
Beachbody Gatorades, but thatkind of gave you that like cause
.
Jill Burke (24:00):
I followed a bunch of Beachbody coaches too and got
.
That's how I found out aboutthe bar classes and got inspired
.
But you kind of have to putyourself out there.
You have to be talking to youraudience.
Yes, you have to be makingthese videos.
You have to be getting peopleto join you.
Claire Duarte (24:15):
Yes, so that's probably how it rolled into yeah
, so that's, and I think youkind of said it perfectly,
because, again, when I startedBeachbody, it was like 2015 or
2016, something like that, andso back then Instagram, I think,
was on the scene, but also thiswas like the earlier stages of
Instagram looked very differentback then.
(24:36):
So I was heavily on Facebook andthat's the majority of where
MLMs were too right.
We all.
We also had less platforms sobut eventually during that time
Instagram was becoming morepopular, instagram was shifting
and so I eventually kind of madethe shift over into um
Instagram and, but yeah, so thesame thing I do kind of get
(24:58):
really comfortable quickly ofmaking posts regularly, being
really vulnerable, sharing aboutmyself, um, you know, talking
to other people, talking tostrangers, kind of following the
beach body sales model andthings like that.
Again, apologies everywhere forhey girl messages, um, but, and
(25:19):
then um reels didn't come ontothe scene until later, but it
was that definitely that idea of, like you know, having to get
yourself out there.
So when I say that I was onsocial media, it wasn't just for
my own use.
You know it was a lot of doingthat, right, but when I had my
daughter and I got pregnant withher, like life just evolved and
I kind of slowly startedfalling out of love with the MLM
(25:41):
model and I was like, okay,clearly I'm not going to make
money over here and this is justnot going to work for me, um,
even though I did believe in mybrain that I was going to be a
millionaire through that anotherepisode, um, but I was still
doing that stuff on the sidewith the coaching job, um.
But then when I had my daughter,I was like you know, I was like
I don't know, um, so I kind ofslowly got away from that.
(26:01):
And then when I had my son in2020, when COVID kind of hit, I
was like I was like, okay, I'mofficially stopping the
Beachbody stuff.
I did the workouts then, but Ikind of I stopped all the
coaching aspect of it.
And then that's where, at leaston Instagram, I started to see
more of the mommy influencersthis again 20, 2020, a little
(26:21):
bit prior to that Cause you know, it's the just kind of everyday
people posting like differentproducts and products.
And I was like, how are theygetting all this stuff?
I was like everyday people notjust and they weren't like
massive accounts and I was like,well, that's really cool.
And you know, I didn't evenknow that they were getting paid
or if they were.
I was like it just lookedreally pretty and looked really
neat and I was again very muchinfluenced by products and
(26:49):
things that I was seeing.
I was like that's kind of cool.
So I don't know how it happened, but I just started meeting oh
you know what it was this girl Iknow from Beachbody.
She stopped doing Beachbody aswell, but she I saw her posting
more just general mommyinfluences thing, like the
products and different things.
So I started asking her, likehow did you get into that?
Because, like, her photos werebeautiful and it kind of just
like was a natural transition.
And she told me about sheworked with some, but she, I
guess, met some more moms andpeople in her community,
(27:11):
introduced me to this girl thatshe worked with as like a social
media coach.
So I I hooked up with her andshe basically just I did some
coaching sessions with her oflike learning all of Instagram's
basics right, everything fromhow to grow your account,
engagement, doing giveaways, andit was literally at this same
time as the 2020, when Reelscame on to the scene.
(27:34):
And so because I was literallykind of learning, like all of
this influencing stuff, I veryquickly just forced myself to
learn how to create Reels.
Right around the same time thatthis was all happening, tiktok
had also come on the scene.
I think it had sort of been onthe scene, but now people were
like millennials, were likeactually people were starting to
really use it.
(27:56):
It was definitely a COVID thing.
Yeah, tiktok.
Well, it was like there's aside of like people were just
watching it being consumers,versus also like those of us
that were heavy instagramcreators were also, who may have
been tiktok consumers were alsobecoming tiktok creators.
You're kind of seeing thatmigration really start to happen
, and so I started doing alittle bit like the tiktok too,
so kind of throwing myself intoit, because I was already doing
(28:17):
all that created a uh, my firstblog, claire duartecom.
Um, and she doesn't existanymore, so don't look her up Um
started writing blogs again,learning about all these kinds
of elements you know, verybaseline stuff about, like
Pinterest too.
Um, I didn't get heavy into it.
But I will say what was goodabout this timing?
(28:38):
In a time when I had aone-year-old and I was pregnant,
the world was shut down.
Um, my husband was literallyout of a job for eight weeks,
like they shut down his office.
It was terrifying.
It was for me.
It was a great transition tokind of just I mean, I was still
working full time, but I wasmentally like that side bit was
a great focus for me, greattransition.
(28:58):
So I'm painting all thisbecause you know I started the.
I did the mom influencing thingfor like two years and then
fast forward to 2022, I shouldsay around a year later.
I never quit my coaching job butCOVID basically mentally killed
me and having my son in theheight of that, I had really bad
PPD.
We'll talk about that anothertime.
(29:19):
Um, I pulled back from my jobbecause I was like I'm trying to
work a full-time job whilehaving two babies.
My friend it wasn't like likewe were both so sad like I
didn't want to step back, but,yeah, I just had to and she knew
, like I, that that was rightand it was the right time.
Um, so I kind of was likefloating being a stay-at-home
mom for a while and but I wasstill doing this mommy
(29:40):
influencing thing.
But I was trying to figure outwhat I want to do in that space,
cause it just the reality ismotherhood niche as a whole is
so big and so broad and I waslike how do I kind of make make
this more specific and morerelevant and relatable to me and
what I want to do?
Um, so in summer of 2022, againstill kind of a full-time mom at
(30:01):
this point, you know, I stillwas seeing very like doing a few
hours of coaching for my friendand um, I was talking to
another friend I knew locallywho's also in marketing and I
was like I'm thinking ofshifting my, my platform and um,
because during that time I hadbeen we've been living in
(30:21):
Columbia for a few years and Iwas a COVID mom and, as someone
that's very extroverted, I hatedbeing at home, which was, I
think, also contributed to mymental health that literally
imploded, and we would kind ofdo the same thing when the
spring and summer would comearound.
We would be able to thaw outand felt like you could safely
move around your community.
(30:48):
And I could get around a littlebit and do some stuff with the
kids, but I felt like, you know,we couldn't do a lot, right, I
mean, none of us could, right.
Yeah so, but 22 is when westarted to feel safer, right,
when a lot more of just thewhole kind of restrictions were
really being pulled back, likefrom the summer and then kind of
into the fall, right.
That was when we really feltlike, okay, we can enter fall
without having to feel likewe're shutting down.
You know, um, so I it was likeI said it coincided with the
(31:11):
same time of like I think I wantto shift my content I, during
those two years 2020 to 2022, Istarted to, you know, meet a few
more business owners, havinglived in Columbia for two or
three years at that point, and,um, I, there was some, you know,
local business, some local momsthat I really loved and I fell
in love with during that time,and I was like, man, columbia is
(31:34):
like really awesome, and I waslike there's not really any
Howard County accounts onInstagram and well, frankly,
other platforms that I sawexisted.
I mean, during that time again,doing the Mommy Influence thing,
I'd been sort of connecting andfollowing more local things,
but I didn't really see many.
I saw, you know, you see a lotof foodie accounts in Baltimore
and DC, yeah, but I didn't evensee really many foodie accounts
(31:57):
here in Columbia and HowardCounty and I was like just
surprised there's a lot Pairingoff different ideas and that's
how, basically, the Columbia momwas born and I didn't.
I went back and forth.
Do I create a brand newInstagram account or do I just
(32:18):
kind of transition the accountthat I had?
Because I had already like grownmy following from like I think
I got up to 2,000 something whenI was doing the Beachbody stuff
and then when I was doing themommy influencing stuff, I had
grown it to like 5,000 orsomething and I had a little bit
of a local base.
So I was like you know what?
I think I'm just going to do arebrand, see how it goes.
(32:39):
Yeah, and this was in July of2022.
And what's really funny is I'dbeen thinking about it for a few
months.
I didn't have the full premiseof the name or what it was going
to be, but I like the idea ofshifting, morphing into
something a little bit morecommunity, specific as opposed
to just general motherhood, andI remember I was literally sick
with covid and our ac had blown.
(33:01):
I'm literally laying in my bedyeah, it was the first time we
got covid in 2022.
We'd never gotten it up untilthen.
And I'm like literally textingmy friend and I was like what do
you think of these names?
And I was like coming up withdifferent names and I literally
that same week I changed thename and I posted on my stories.
I was like what do you think?
Jill Burke (33:21):
and people vote and that's how the Columbia mom was
born and I think it's like youknow you mentioned, a lot of
influencers around here arefoodie influencers and like
drink influencers, like thegoing out, like where to go for
good food and eats, and thenalso you have the awesome
(33:42):
influencers of showing you thebest playgrounds and the best
like family spots.
But I think the cool thing thatbrought me to you even is that
it was you right, like, oh,you're actually a mom like
you're showing us that otherside, not just the yes, we make
(34:02):
some great reels that are alledited and you know what I mean
and we can fluff it up and makeit pretty, but then you're also
showing the scenes of you in thecar after a bad morning of
drop-off and you're showing theother side of it and I think
that, like for me as a mom too,that was important as well,
(34:24):
especially like the local hyperinfluencer that you're not just.
You know we are all aroundMaryland and we want to spread
throughout Maryland, but wereally focus on Howard County.
There's a reason you guysdecided to live here.
There's a reason my husbandtold me two weeks literally two
weeks after we met, that if wewere doing this he was never
(34:47):
leaving Maryland and we wereeventually moving back to Howard
County because we met inMontgomery County.
But there's something aboutthis area that people really
connect and love and I thinkthat's a cool part of the
Columbia mom.
Claire Duarte (35:01):
Yeah.
Jill Burke (35:02):
Is it's really focused on the love of this
community?
Claire Duarte (35:05):
Yes, and exactly, and I was like I wanted to, I
shouldn't say put Columbia onthe map, but like, really
showcase her.
Yeah, I'm calling her, her, Idon't know, I just for this, for
this she's, she's her.
I wanted to really highlight.
I was like there's so, becauseHoward County is sandwiched in
between Baltimore and DC and, um, I was like there's so much
(35:26):
awesome stuff that happens hereand you know.
One other thing that I'll kindof say is that you know, when I
was going through, when I firstwas working with that Instagram
coach, he was like you got toniche down, you got to be
specific.
Those were, and that's whateveryone still says, that's
still important yeah.
And a big thing was pillars.
We sort of gotten away from thepillar approach a thing, um.
(35:47):
But I remember thinking I waslike well, I don't want to be
foodie because I was like.
I love food.
Jill Burke (35:52):
We will be talking.
Claire Duarte (35:54):
We love to eat, that's a main thing.
But I was like I knew that youneeded very high level kind of
equipment to make stuff lookgood and I was like I have my
phone but like you need lightsand you really need good
equipment regularly and videoskills for that and I didn't
want that to be just my focusand I didn't want to be just
(36:14):
mommy, because I don't know forme.
I'm like, well, yeah, mommy'sgreat and mommy is who I am and
a part of my day, but it's notmy only identity.
I like to go out and have funand, you know, be silly and
weird.
So when I first pillared it, Idid food, family and fun.
You know, um, fun kind ofcatches a whole lot of things
(36:34):
everything from actual fun youknow, events, concerts to that
was my angle in of.
Like this is how we can kind oflook at and meet and spotlight
more business.
Jill Burke (36:41):
Yeah, definitely.
Claire Duarte (36:43):
That's still.
I've kind of gotten away fromthe exact pillared approach but
leaning.
But that's still the reallycore of who we are and what we
do and the premise of the clubbymom awesome.
Jill Burke (36:54):
Well, I think now I have some this or that for you
are you ready?
Claire Duarte (36:58):
I'm ready, let me uh, open my phone.
Jill Burke (37:01):
You know you gotta have the 8 000 number code when
you have kids so they can't getinto your phone right no one
tells you about that in thebooks.
Claire Duarte (37:09):
No, like what to do technology keep changing what
to do?
Jill Burke (37:12):
when your kids realize, when they can start
reading.
Also, there should be a bookabout that, like when your kids
can start reading andunderstanding what you're
spelling out to your husband tokeep a secret from your child I
know again another anotherepisode all right, so we covered
the purpose of this, the, theorigin of the Columbia mom.
(37:33):
And because you are born andraised Marylander, do you see
her?
Claire Duarte (37:38):
Yep.
Jill Burke (37:39):
I'm going to do a little this or that, or would
you rather, maryland edition,let's do it All right.
Ocean City or Deep Creek, oceanCity, okay.
Crabcake or pick crabs, oh oh,pick your crabs, okay yeah, I'm
a crab cake girly.
Claire Duarte (37:59):
They're both great.
I just something.
I mean, this is the realmaryland in me.
Jill Burke (38:02):
There's something about, you know, just sitting
there and picking crabs yeah, Ilike to sit there and do it, but
I like someone else to pick.
Claire Duarte (38:08):
I don't hate that either.
Jill Burke (38:09):
Trust me that I'll eat it I yeah, my
father-in-law's a machine, so ohgod yeah, I think I just
haven't like gotten it down yetyeah, um, all right, explore
inner harbor or take a scenicwalk around annapolis, historic
annapolis I really like both ofthose, but the Baltimore girl in
(38:32):
me will lean more towards that.
Claire Duarte (38:35):
But I almost a tie alright, how about this one
navigate DC traffic or wait dealwith the Bay Bridge on a
holiday weekend wait the traumathat I'm trauma-ing right now
with the Bay Bridge on a holidayweekend, all right, wait, the
trauma that I'm trauma-ing rightnow Bay Bridge, because there's
(38:59):
at least.
I'm going to be excited once Iget over that bridge.
Jill Burke (39:04):
Good point, good point, yeah, all right, old Bay
Fries or Crab dip as your gameday snack.
Crab dip, crab dip.
Wine tasting at Marylandvineyards or beer tasting at
local breweries.
Beer tasting, oh yeah, thatsurprises me.
Claire Duarte (39:25):
Okay, another episode.
I love our Maryland wineries.
I think when you talk aboutlike maryland soil, if you know
like a lot about wine stuff likethat, I think there are other
regions of the world that havebetter yeah wines in general, um
, I do love our wineries here um, but I also love our breweries
(39:46):
and we also have manor hillslike five minutes minutes from
us.
Jill Burke (39:49):
Yeah, good point.
And we have so many breweriesin our county, which is awesome.
Yeah, all right, marylandwinter, don't focus on the 2024,
2025 winter, because that wasbrutal to all of us.
Yeah, but Maryland winter orMaryland summer.
Claire Duarte (40:05):
I mean summer Always.
I'm a summer girly.
I mean I don't, yeah, but we,you know, we have the pool and
all the fun.
Yeah, summer Always.
Jill Burke (40:17):
Always, always, always Burger cookies or Smith
Island cake Burger cookies forsure, those are so good.
Okay, my last one, that I haveRenaissance or, sorry, renfest.
Let me speak correctly like atrue marylander.
Claire Duarte (40:34):
yes, that I'm not uh ren fest or preakness ren
fest well, and I, we, we justtook our kids for the first time
this past fall and I didn'trealize, like tickets, I mean I
think it's gotten even, I meanit was always big when I was a
kid but like they sell out sofast.
I had no idea, Um, but we tookour kids for the first time and
(40:55):
I don't I think they liked it.
Jill Burke (40:56):
It was also a hot day yeah.
Claire Duarte (40:57):
But I was like, oh my God, this is so cool, you
could eat everything there.
But no it.
Uh I, I love it.
That was.
That was a really fun time.
I've never done the Preakness.
I'm trying to remember if Ihave.
I I feel like I.
I've been to Laurel racetrackso often.
I know I haven't been toPimlico.
Jill Burke (41:15):
Yeah, I've driven by Pimlico which is funny because
where I went to college there'sa lot of Long Islanders in my
college and then a lot of LongIslanders go to Towson.
So right, my roommates incollege and friends in college
actually took a trip down toMaryland for Preakness.
So I knew like about Preaknessbefore I even knew about living
in Maryland.
So now when I hear the storiesI'm like oh yeah, I knew about
(41:38):
that, that's one thing I knew.
Claire Duarte (41:39):
Well, I mean, it's a thing Like when, cause I
lived in Towson for two yearsafter college and even at
University of Maryland they'dhold buses that would take you
out to Towson, but it was alwaysfor us, because Maryland goes
so late into May, it was alwaysright around finals.
So it was like, okay, drinkthis weekend or study.
Surprise, I did both, butanyways, well, on that note,
(42:03):
thank you so much for co-hostingwith me today, jill, and we
have so many more fun episodesto come.
So if you're following along,watching or listening, please be
sure to you know.
Like.
Subscribe, follow our content,whether it's on Instagram, um,
whether it's on YouTube, um.
Subscribe to our emailnewsletter to kind of stay in
(42:23):
the know of upcoming events,awesome business features and,
um, definitely feel free toshoot us an email to email to uh
, if there's any episodes orthings you'd like to hear from
us.
Jill Burke (42:34):
like what do you?
What do you want to know?
What do you want to?
Talk about real mom truth.
Yeah, anything, nothing's offthe table.
Claire Duarte (42:43):
Bravo, tv yeah, that's ideally um, that would be
my wheelhouse, but but anything.
Jill Burke (42:51):
All right Well thanks guys, let's do it.
Claire Duarte (42:52):
Yeah, cheers, we did it.
Thanks for tuning in to thisepisode of Mom Talk, Maryland.
If you loved it, leave a review, share it with a friend or tag
me at thecolumbiamom onInstagram.
I'd love to hear what you thinkand don't forget to follow the
show so you never miss anepisode.
Until next time, keep showingup, keep supporting local and
(43:14):
keep being the incredible mom,woman, human that you are.
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