What do these five women of Southlake have in common? Each of them are working mothers with unique family lives, work lives, and perspectives on how they manage it all with style and grace.
As the designer at Manor Home Furnishings located in the Southlake Town Square, Dawn Coday is an expert at accessorizing spaces, but more importantly, at investing in relationships and making dreams come true. She sees her current role as a different way of helping clients express their creativity, something she did for many years for her young students as an elementary school music teacher. "Our goal at Manor is for people to love their home and be happy in it," she says. Dawn is a single mother to three young women, which includes a set of twins. Although single parenthood has entailed a lot of work, she has always treasured her time with each daughter and encourages other mothers to do the same. Her advice to moms struggling to balance everything on their plate is to prioritize the well-being of the family above everything. "The time is fleeting," says Dawn.
Lindsey Han is a mother, step-mom, hair stylist, and owner of Lindsey Han Salon, a niche, mini-boutique salon specializing in balayage, lived-in blondes, and hand-tied extensions. Her salon is currently located in A Suite Salon on Southlake Blvd. but she hopes to open her own storefront sometime this year. Having lived in the Southlake/Colleyville area for nearly 15 years, Lindsey shares that her favorite aspect of running a business here is the strong support system. She has found many customers from moms referring her to other moms, and she loves the women-supporting-women community aspect found in this area. Lifting up ladies and working well alongside them is second nature to Lindsey, who proudly shares that she has a wonderful bond and co-parenting relationship with her stepchild's mother. Although her work and family obligations can be a lot to handle at times, she says she's found a good balance. "Don't worry about the house being perfect," Lindsey says. "Memories are more important."
Meliea Ware is not only the Vice President of Operations at KeyCity Capital, a private equity firm on White Chapel Blvd., she's also a mother to three, soon to be four, boys, all under the age of 7. Having worked in real estate for 10 years before joining KeyCity Capital, Meliea is driven, hardworking, and up for the challenge. Her favorite aspect of working in Southlake is how local businesses uplift one another, which is just one of many reasons that KeyCity Capital's CEO received the "40 Under 40" business award last year from the Dallas Business Journal. Meliea shares that life as a mom with another on the way and VP of Operations can get hectic, but she prioritizes being present with her family. "When I'm there, I'm there," she says. "There is no perfect balance to motherhood; just do the best you can."
Mollie Martin is an expecting mom who works alongside her mother and uncle at Manor Home Furnishings as the Social Media Manager. She shares that her favorite aspect of getting to work in Southlake is that "there are so many exciting happenings going on," says Mollie, "and there's a unique culture here." When asked about what she loves most about working at Manor, she emphasizes the family-business aspect. Not only does she get to work alongside her mom and uncle, but they all prioritize treating clients as well as family by building strong relationships.
Mandy Calvin is the Creative Director and Assistant Publisher of Southlake City Lifestyle, which she helped start from the ground up alongside her husband, Jon, the Publisher. She is also the proud adoptive mother to her 8 year old daughter, Ava. Mandy and Jon have always worked as a team, but their new venture with City Lifestyle allows Mandy to utilize her passion for creativity, as she brings her knack for design to create the magazine cover shoots and more. "I'm enjoying learning all I can about Southlake and getting immersed in the community," says Mandy. "We have been welcomed with open arms and want to return the favor to all of our wonderful partners by treating them like family."
