We are so grateful for our Allomi Tribe! This month's member spotlight is the one-and-only Lisa Woomer. We wanted to honor this amazing woman and let you get to know her a little better!
Where are you originally from? How long have you been in the SouthBay?
I am originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and came to Southern California for college where I met my husband 29 years ago, wow that’s a long time. We moved to the South Bay about 16.5 years ago right before our second child was born. We now have three fabulous children ages 19, 16, and 9 and have been enjoying raising them here. We love everything about the South Bay mainly because it is so family and community oriented. We have taken advantage of all of the year-round youth sports and music classes as well as being able to enjoy the beach and the outdoors. There is so much to choose from. You can never be bored here. :)
What does a day in the life of Lisa Woomer look like?
A day in the life of Lisa Woomer...well, a typical week day starts at 6:30am with wishing my husband and 16 year old son a good day as they rush off to his bus stop. Then an early morning dog walk on the strand, back to the house for my morning coffee/email catch up and then it’s time to pack a lunch for my nine year old son and take him to school. After that it’s usually either a class at Allomi or another longer walk with my friend. Lunch usually happens somewhere after that and then I do household chores in between writing (I’m working on a young adult novel). Then possibly an errand on the way to pick up my nine year old who gets shuttled to practice. After that I usually start making dinner which is my favorite time of day. We make it a priority to all sit down together for dinner and discuss the days events. Homework is supervised, daughter in college is FaceTimed or texted and then bed time for the 9 year old. The husband and I usually think we are going to watch something on tv but as soon as we sit down, we fall asleep. Lol!
What is your business?
So I started teaching right after college, 4th grade and then 2nd grade at Baldwin Hills Elementary school. It was challenging yet rewarding. Many of my students lived in foster care and there was very little parental support. The thing that kept me going was getting to see the light bulb moments in my students, when I could tell they really understood what I was teaching. After my first child was born, I decided to stay home to raise her instead of going back to work. When she started school and I had my second child, the teacher in me started to emerge again and I volunteered for pretty much every single thing I could at her school. I thought I would continue being a stay at home mom until my son’s kindergarten teacher quit unexpectedly. The director of the school asked me to teach the class, so I did. It was fun but a challenge to teach my own son so I went back to being a stay at home mom. Then after my third child was born, the same director was going on maternity leave and asked if I would take over for her. So feeling a little like Forest Gump, I said yes. Having had no experience I wasn’t sure if I could really do this job but it turned out to be an amazing experience. I really enjoyed helping the teachers and keeping everything running smoothly. While there, one of the teachers introduced me to the Nurtured Heart Approach and I was hooked. Eventually I was able to “retire” from my position and focus my energy on becoming a Nurtured Heart Approach Certified Trainer. I have been extremely enjoying this new phase of my life. I really feel like I am helping people.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I love my work so much now that it doesn’t really feel like work but when I am not preparing for or teaching workshops, I really enjoy writing and going on outings with my family.
What is your favorite class at Allomi and why?
Definitely the writing class. Allomi and Carolyn’s writing class has really helped me live a creative life. Although I also really love mat Pilates and restorative stretching. It’s hard to choose just one.
How do you balance being a working Mom, Wife, Friend … what do you do for self-care?
This may sound weird but right now the key to balancing everything is focusing on myself. I make sure that I walk and stretch every day. I go to acupuncture and meditate regularly. There were so many days when I was working full time that I neglected myself, I would go without food or water all day sometimes and not exercise at all because I was making sure everyone else was taken care of. This led to a debilitating back injury. Three surgeries later, I finally figured out that I need to take care of myself first. It’s like what they say on an airplane, put your mask on before assisting others.
Any other info you’d like to share?
The only other thing I would like to share is my philosophy/moto which I borrowed from a Rabbi...think good and it will be good.