Meet a FlipGive Sports Parent: How Amy and her family are keeping things together through COVID-19

At FlipGive, we love reading all kinds of stories about how Sports Parents are experiencing different aspects of their lives such as parenting, work, hobbies, relationships and more. This is the reason why we came up with "Meet a FlipGive Sport Parent", a series that will feature Sports Parents that inspire us. 

Amy H is our Head of Business Development here at FlipGive. Possibly one of the most community-minded people you’ll ever meet, Amy is the bridge between our brand partners and our marketplace, helping make sure your teams can shop - and earn - from the brands you love. But if there's something we all admire about Amy, it’s that it really does seem like there is nothing she can’t do. As all fierce sports moms do, she always makes sure she brings full passion and dedication into all the things she loves including yoga, real estate and interior design. Here's how Amy and her family are making the best of their 'new normal'.

Do you have kids in sports? 

I have 3 kids who are involved in a ton of sports and activities. On any given weeknight I rush home from work to ferry my kids to dance, hockey, running or tennis. Winter weekends all 3 kids (and my husband!!) compete in alpine ski racing. The silver lining of COVID-19 has been having dinner together as a family every night. It’s been nice to not feel so rushed.

Watching my kids dance and play sports brings me pure joy. I have such intense pride when I watch them push their own limits and show such incredible focus and determination. There is nothing quite like sport to teach kids grit and resilience. They will take these life lessons forward in anything they do in life. 

The friendships kids make through sport is beautiful to watch. Nothing I love more than  listening to the jokes and banter back and forth before an important game or performance. These bonds will last forever and are such an important part of childhood.

How do you stay productive and organized while working from home?

Let’s be honest, working from home while trying to home school 3 kids has not been easy. (who’s kidding who!!!). We have had a lot of ‘together’ time and not all of it has been fun! My survival strategy has been sticking to a daily routine and having a ‘room of my own’ to escape to. The kids start ‘home school’ at 9am every day and I go up to our bedroom which I’ve set up as a home office. I’ve been amazed at the kids’ resilience and how well we’ve all adjusted to our ‘new normal’. I’ve found a beauty in the simplicity of our day-to-day life. We’ve had some incredibly special family moments together. 

What are your go-to self-care habits?  

I’ve practiced yoga for over 20 years and it’s incredibly important to me for both physical and mental health. In addition to yoga, I run and do HIIT workouts several times a week. I always do my workouts early in the morning. It’s the best way to kick start the day and manage stress and anxiety. It’s important to me to role model being fit and healthy. Our family time is always about being active and getting outside. Exercise is the best medicine.

I also love to disconnect with podcasts. One of my heroes is CBC journalist, Anna Maria Tremonti, She recently launched a great new podcast, More with Anna Maria Tremonti, which leaves me feeling like I’ve spent an evening with super smart friends who make me think differently about the world

Tell us about something that you love to do with your significant other? 

Our side hustle is real estate. My husband and I buy, renovate and hold rental properties which are stellar long-term investments. We particularly love transforming dated old homes and are constantly on the hunt for more projects to do. Our philosophy is ‘great design for less money’. It takes loads of creativity and, some would say, super-natural powers to make a space look good without breaking the bank. But we’ve figured out the secret formula over the years.

I’m addicted to interior design and can get lost for hours in an Instagram rabbit hole. Some of my faves are @threebirdsrenovations, @amberinteriors, @sarahshermansamuel,  @natasha_habermann, and @studiomcgee.

What do you think makes FlipGive an A-team? 

I’m very proud to work at FlipGive. Great companies begin with great people and I feel so incredibly lucky to work with such an inspiring, hard-working team. What I love most about my job is that I give brands a way to drive sales by giving back to their customers and community.  As a certified B-corporation, balancing purpose and profit is core to our company DNA, and has been my own guiding principle throughout my entire career. 

For the first time in history, youth sports everywhere have been shut down. The FlipGive team has rallied hard in response to this curve ball. We are laser-focused on a smart strategic plan which will get us through stronger than ever. Go team go!

Did you love this story? Stay tuned, we have more stories to come from our Sports Parents at FlipGive.