We talked to Joy Cho about social media envy + balance in motherhood

She is the most pinned mama on Pinterest, but even Joy Cho feels a little social media envy sometimes.

The author and designer behind
Oh Joy!, Cho turned blogging into a big business, and during the premier episode of The Motherly Podcast, Cho tells Motherly co-founder Liz Tenety that while social media changed her life she’s mindful of how it impacts her, in both positive and negative ways.

“I will certainly look at other people’s Instagram accounts and be like, ‘Oh my gosh they’re traveling all over the world! And they have so many kids and it seems like they’re balancing it all perfectly!'” Cho tells Tenety, adding that as a social media superstar herself, she reminds herself (and everyone) that the glimpses into the lives of others we see on Instagram are just that, glimpses.

“I know that Instagram is like the tiniest slice of your life,” she explains.

Cho’s own Instagram feed is a beautiful ode to her design aesthetic, but she says that as a mom of two, her life is not always as neat as her grid. Like so many working moms, Cho has found her superpower in multitasking, and that means her real life might look more chaotic than curated.

“There are just some moments where I am literally cooking dinner, while helping to do homework, while helping another kid whining about needing a snack, and like I feel like my brain is going to explode, but somehow it all just happens, and it will all be fine and everybody will get their stuff done and everybody will be happy, but yeah you make it work,” says Cho.

Cho’s not hiding how hard “making it work” can be.
In less than a decade she went from launching her brand to seeing that brand on the shelves at Target, and in that same timeframe she became a mother, twice.

She couldn’t possibly do everything at once, so she gave herself permission to prioritize, and let go of some stuff. “I used to feel really guilty for not being able to cook a home-cooked meal every night, or I wasn’t going to the gym five days a week anymore, but you know what? A lot of the times I realize I would rather be spending time with my kids instead of doing those things. I would rather sometimes get delivery, or I would rather sometimes get a semi-homemade meal,” Cho explains.

TIME has called her one of the most influential people on the internet, and Cho is using her influence help fellow mothers embrace good design, and the imperfect parts of motherhood.

Sometimes dinner isn’t Pinterest-worthy, and that’s okay. Even for the most pinned mama in the world.

To hear more from Joy Cho, check out
The Motherly Podcast, sponsored by Prudential, for the full interview.

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