Whether you’ve been a mom, had a mom, or lived on planet Earth, motherhood is a ubiquitous condition that touches, teaches, and torments us all. Three particular experts joined forces to better educate us on the topic—often hilariously. “My Name is Not Mom” is a comedic journey through motherhood, a live stand-up, and storytelling event by champion moms of the internet Tiffany Jenkins, Meredith Masony and Dena Blizzard. The three comedians joined “City Lights” Senior Producer Kim Drobes via Zoom to talk about their journeys from motherhood to comedy, and how sharing their stories has helped them and countless other moms in their audiences.
How the moms found their way to comedy:
“I had just had my second baby, and I was turning 30 … I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to die soon, I’m 30 now, so I should do everything I’ve ever wanted,” Blizzard said. “And I said to my husband, ‘I’ve always wanted to try stand-up,’ and so he bought me a comedy class. It was really therapeutic … I’d be with my kids all week long, and then I’d do stand-up on the weekends and talk about how annoying it was, and how tired I was. And so I think for me, that was my first way of dealing with motherhood … and then the internet happened.”
“I was a teacher before … but then I started working from home, teaching homeschool and medically compromised students,” Masony said. “That’s when I actually started writing, because I was lonely. So I started a blog first, to just kind of complain and commiserate about life.”
Tiffany Jenkins’ inspiring story of healing from addiction through storytelling:
“I started popping babies out when I lived at a halfway house, and it was a very wild time … because I was still trying to figure out how to live life without the use of drugs and alcohol,” Jenkins said. “And so I felt like I was failing, and when I would look towards the internet, it would reiterate that I was failing, because everyone looked so perfect. Then I decided there was a need for something real and something authentic to be on the internet.”
“I started writing about my addiction, and my postpartum depression and mental health,” Jenkins recounted. “I was amazed at the amount of people in my inbox, thanking me for being so real. There’s this group of people out there who need someplace on the internet to go and just be who they are, and that’s where Juggling the Jenkins was formed.”
“I thought I was gonna be an actress or a teacher, and it’s crazy because now, I get to dress up like weird characters and act out these skits, and teach people that it’s ok to be weird and unique. So in a strange way, I have fulfilled my ultimate dream,” Jenkins said.
The “Not Mom” experience:
“I wanted to find a way to bring us together because I realized we all had a kid in a different age, and stage, and phase. So Tiffany’s got the ‘littles,’ and I’ve got the ‘middles,’ and Dena’s got the ‘grown and flown,’” Masony said. Blizzard added, “It is three different brands, three different personalities, but all under this umbrella of being real about motherhood.”
“We’re getting Tiffany’s perspective of raising kids at those younger years, and Meredith struggling with all things puberty, and middle school, and elementary and high school, and I’m at the other end of the spectrum in high school and college,” Blizzard said. “So … no matter where you are on that motherhood journey, this will resonate with you,” said Blizzard.
“My Name is Not Mom” comes to Atlanta’s Center Stage Theater on Friday, August 13th at 8 p.m. Tickets and more information are available at www.mynameisnotmom.com.
