Still Growing Strong
Single mom & non-profit founder Sally Mundell is grateful for the gifts of giving and receiving.
Sally’s story is one of resilience and evolution. She is the Sr. Director of Business Digital Marketing & Sales at Cox Business and the Founder of The Packaged Good, a non-profit she launched in 2016 to honor her late husband Grover and inspire the next generation of philanthropists.
Her list of accolades is long: she’s an author, Wexner Heritage scholar, award-winner, super hero widow and single mom to two amazing girls Ruby (13) and Matilda (10).
Basically, she’s a do-gooder bad ass, but it’s her commitment to living and growing with authenticity, humility and grit, along with her red head of curls and dry sense of humor, that I admire most.
Since its launch, Sally and The Packaged Good team have educated and empowered countless kids to give back delivering hand-decorated care packages to thousands in need. The pandemic forced a pivot from the communal packing parties to virtual activities, and as a single, working mom eager to maximize finite resources in uncertain times, Sally and the TPG Board of Directors sought help from a fellow Atlanta non-profit, Solidarity Sandy Springs, to continue their mission. Through The Packaged Good program under Solidarity Sandy Springs, families will continue to have the opportunity to make care packages for those in need, either in person or at home.
Working around the pandemic, the nonprofit shifted to Packaged Good @ Home for children and their families to remain involved in helping others in need. Photo courtesy of The Packaged Good as seen in the AJC.
Back Story
Sally was my work wife at Spanx, and I have had the good fortune of continuing to partner with her helping bring her many good ideas to life, including the launch of her non-profit The Packaged Good.
She is the get-it-done yin to my over-analyzing yang, and our different approach paired with our simpatico mission to find and share meaning, make us a pretty good team. While the pandemic may have put a temporary pause on our frequent, long lunches, her immense strength and commitment to herself and her girls continue to inspire me.
Check out my interview with my dear friend for sage advice on parenting, accepting help and spiritual growth.
Q&A
IN LOSS, YOU FOUND THE GIFT OF GIVING, HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE THE HEALING BENEFITS OF HELPING OTHERS?
I started The Packaged Good to share the gift I’d found in giving to others. I have found that getting outside of yourself and being a part of something to be extremely helpful in times of grief or sadness. I remember speaking on a panel right after picking out my late husband’s head stone, looking out into the audience who was laughing at my jokes and feeling completely alone. By connecting with people who were also going through hard times, I felt understood, less alone and was able to sit with my grief and give it the space I needed to heal.
Sally, shown here with her girls and a friend at the former TPG storefront in September ‘16, is excited to do more good, together, with Solidarity Sandy Springs. Photo via TPG IG.
YOU STARTED A NEW JOB LAST YEAR THAT HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A GREAT FIT FOR YOU, AND I REMEMBER POINTING OUT POTENTIAL CONS DURING THE INTERVIEW PROCESS, WHICH WERE REALLY A REFLECTION OF MY HEAD SPACE IN THAT MOMENT AND NOT YOURS.
HOW DO YOU MAKE BIG DECISIONS BASED ON YOUR GUT INSTEAD OF OTHERS’ OPINIONS?
Growing up I didn’t do it well. I learned early on that by performing well, I got positive attention and began my plight as a people pleaser for better or worse. When my husband Grover died, I realized I’d been on a path of performing and needed to rethink who I wanted to be. The loss was a tough reminder that death is imminent, and you can’t wait to find happiness around the corner, you have to find it now. I spent a lot of time connecting with myself, learning to listen to my inner voice and have been practicing it ever sense.
I’VE RECENTLY REALIZED THAT MY OWN FEELINGS OF UNWORTHINESS OFTEN SILENCE MY INNER WISDOM. WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR FOLKS WHO ARE TRYING TO TAP IN BUT CAN’T HEAR THEIR HEART OVER THE NEGATIVE NOISE IN THEIR MIND?
Hearing our small inner voice is hard and requires us to slow down and practice. It’s like exercise for our bodies, it takes discipline and the more you do it, the more muscle you build and the easier it gets.
I’m constantly asking questions like am I being kind to myself and how do I see myself. I think as you develop and better understand yourself, knowing the questions to ask gets easier. When certain emotions arise like anger or fear, I try to figure out the trigger. By asking myself why something or someone upset me, I’m able to dig deeper and often I uncover feelings of unworthiness.
I think we all have to find tools that help us turn inward and release those negative thoughts, and for me, that’s the support of a spiritual coach, deepening my Jewish faith and personal rituals like lighting candles, long walks alone, prayer and salt baths. These are things that help me reconnect with myself and re-center. I also don’t believe in coincidences, so I’m always looking for deeper meaning in the signs to continue connecting with my highest self and what I want.
YOU ARE A RESULTS-DRIVEN PERSON, AS YOU GROW SPIRITUALLY, HOW DO YOU CONTINUE TO RECOGNIZE AND RECONCILE THE WANTS OF YOUR EGO VS YOUR SOUL?
I just did a workshop on vision with my spiritual coach Vanda Teixeira, and when she asked me to listen to my heart and share my vision, it was having my children be happy. You know I like to quantify, and that didn’t feel like an easily measurable goal. But it’s what I want, and it helps me filter out actions that don’t line up to that goal so that I can see it through.
It’s an ongoing struggle to keep my achieving desire in check because I’m a workaholic whose ego thrives on performance. To become better at letting things flow, I’m having to undo what I’ve created over a lifetime or at least, keep the good parts and let go of the ones that no longer serve me.
HOW DO YOU HELP YOUR GIRLS FIND THE BALANCE BETWEEN ACHIEVEMENT AND ACCEPTANCE?
What I’m learning more and more is that we’re all unique and have our own paths. I think the first step is being aware of who they are. My older daughter Ruby wants to do things for joy, and I wasn’t brought up that way. I often have to let her lead me. My younger daughter Matilda is more similar to how I approach things, but she is still her own person.
As a parent, I think we have to resist the urge for our kids to be better than we are and instead just let them be.
I try to let my girls guide me with my support by being there when they make mistakes, and it’s hard because I’m controlling. But ultimately, I know they won’t be happy if I try to force them down a path that I think is right.
I don’t want to parent from fear and instead try to set them up with the tools to know who they are, what brings them joy and support and teach them how to find their flow and get it back if they lose it.
AS A GIRL MOM WHO LIKE ME AND SO MANY OTHERS, IS TRYING TO GET BACK TO WHO WE WERE BEFORE THE WORLD TOLD US WHO TO BE, I’M CURIOUS TO KNOW WHEN WE START TO LOSE OURSELVES.
I think it’s around 5th grade when kids start to get more competitive and start pointing out flaws we never knew we had.
Sally & Matilda at the beach June ‘20 via IG
I LOST MY DAD AT 14 AND HAVE BEEN SO IMPRESSED AND INSPIRED BY HOW YOU HAVE HONORED GROVER AND SUPPORTED THE GIRLS THROUGH THEIR GRIEF. AS A SINGLE MOM, HOW ARE YOU CONTINUING IN THAT SPIRIT?
This month marks the 8th anniversary of his passing. I’ve recently noticed that I am interacting with Ruby as if she were me and I feel bad that I am having to learn via her unfortunate suffering largely because her Dad isn’t here to balance me out. So, when I start to worry too much, I try to remember his voice in my parenting and chill out. I will even light a candle and ask him what he would do. We talk about him and I’m open about the fact that I’m not perfect. I try to keep the lines of communication open and lead by example. I give them the space to call me out if I’m not practicing what I preach.
At the end of the day, it’s hard. Ruby made me 365 fortune cookie inspired sayings, and I often pull one of those when I need to an encouraging reminder that I’m doing ok at motherhood. She wrote things like, “you’re raising kids by yourself and are amazing,” and it’ s been such a gift.
Sally’s daughter Ruby with her award-winning art via IG
YOU RECENTLY DECIDED TO MOVE THE PACKAGED GOOD PROGRAMMING AS PART OF ANOTHER NON-PROFIT, SOLIDARITY SANDY SPRINGS. I KNOW THE PATH TO DECIDE TO PARTNER AND FIND THE RIGHT ONE WASN’T EASY, WHAT INSPIRED YOUR DECISION.
It wasn’t easy, but I don’t see it as giving anything up, rather joining forces and a natural evolution. I started The Packaged Good in the earlier stages of grief to honor Grover, and it was a cathartic experience for me and our girls who were five and seven at the time. Then the activities were age appropriate for them, but as they grew, they began to have their own activities and interests. And the communal events we hosted for people to gather and create care packages, became unsafe due to the pandemic.
And while my girls grew, I did, too. I had always seen asking for help as a sign of weakness, but my journey has taught me that asking for and accepting help takes courage and strength. I am a single, full-time working mom, and I knew it was time to ask the community to step in, and thankfully, they did.
My relationship with Grover has changed as well, from one of loss and grief to one of gratitude and the awareness that he never really left.
FAVORITE SONG TO DANCE TO AND FAVORITE TO CRY TO?
Dance: This Girl is on Fire and Cry: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.
WHO IS A MOONLIT MAMA YOU ADMIRE AND WHY?
I look up to my friend and rabbi’s wife Marita Anderson for the way she teaches her children Jewish tools to help them know themselves and connect to something bigger. By creating rituals of Shabbat, daily mediation and an appreciation of nature, she practices a balance of spirituality and earthliness I admire.
Sally’s healing tools for mind, body and soul!
