Mighty Mamma- Danielle Formaro

My Story

Hi Mighty Mamma! Welcome to my page! My name is Danielle Formaro, Founder of Mighty Mamma! I am so excited to welcome you into my community and tell you more about who we are, but before I do, let me tell you a little story. We all have a story right? Ok....so here is mine ❤️ I am a boy mom of two (hardest and most important job in the world) an international best selling author, a certified fitness & wellness professional, and a business starter. The first business I opened was in 2010 called Central Bistro Boston located in Downtown, Boston. Before my son, I was a bit of power suit chick, a city girl you could say. Dressed to the nines each day, managed events all over the city of Boston for 12 years, including my own restaurant, and then some. I negotiated contracts all day, and hosted high-profile events by night. I was barley home to say the least. When I was home I was taking on exciting hobbies like competitive ballroom dancing or getting certified in something new. At the time I thought I had it all….that was until…. I had my first son. At the time I was also married, he too had a very busy schedule, in fact our hours were very similar. I never thought I would be the type to want to leave my exciting job (which at the time was my dream job) to become a stay at home mom, but I soon learned my ways would change. After hiring a nanny for the first 3 months of my son’s life, I realized it was not for me. I barley took a maternity leave (less than 30 days) due to my demanding career. Each car ride to work I would start to fear in the future I may miss his first smile, laugh, or even his first few steps. I would leave in the morning just tuck him into bed at night. No beuno in my books! My days started to become a struggle. I would cry at work while watching the nanny on my web cam rock my son to sleep instead of me. I went from feeling like a power house each day, to feeling powerless as a mother. It consumed me. That was the day I decided to change the way I would manage my life as a career woman and as a mom. Before I got pregnant, along with the million other things on my plate I also took the initiative to get certified fitness professional through AFAA. As a dancer in my youth, health and fitness was always played an important role in my life. It was something I was passionate about at a young age. Many years ago when I started online fitness coaching I found it incredible how I could help people from virtually anywhere in the world. At the time it was more of a side job, until a light bulb went off one day while at work away from my son. I thought to myself, starting a business has never been a struggle for me, why not start another which would allow me to be at home and be the best version of the new me, or the person I wanted to be, a Mighty Mamma. This is when 'Mighty Mamma Fitness' was born.

I had a strong gut feeling this was my new calling as I started seeing other moms with the same struggle as I was going through, not to mention the pressure of getting their pre-baby body back! So much on our plates! The following week, I hired new management to cover my role at the restaurant, took a temporary BIG pay cut, and took a big risk. From that day on I decided to start my new online fitness business with my mission to help other moms succeed in living a healthy balanced lifestyle. I new there must be so many other struggling mammas out there that needed my help in how to balance it all. Unfortunately my marriage took a different turn and a year later we ended up sadly in a divorce. With my son just only a year old, I was forced to have to start all over again. I went from feeling like I had it all, to feeling like I had lost everything. I was bewildered. I was depressed. I was scared out of my skin. It felt like the ground was swept from beneath me…JUST…LIKE….THAT. I then had to move out of my ultimate dream home, to renting an empty lonely one bedroom apartment with my baby. It was heartbreaking not only for me, but more so for my son. Although he took it ok, I felt horrible, I never thought this would happen to me. I never thought I would "the divorced chick" I guess I nailed that one wrong! The first week was the hardest. I started having anxiety attacks again, which had not been a problem for 15 years before the divorce. I was then diagnosed with a small heart condition which started to accelerate due to the stress. As if things could not get any worse, I was diagnosed with a hereditary ear disease that was causing gradual conductive hearing loss in both my ears. I could not believe what was happening to me! Then after separating from my ex-husband I was hit with debts I never expected. Divorce is no fun to your bank account...that I can tell you. You know the phrase “God Giveth, God Taketh Away?” Well, my friends, if you looked up this phrase on Wikipedia, you may see a picture of my face. Seriously. I was in a rough spot. Not a place I wish for anyone....an all time low. I didn't coward down and let this consume me, which it easily could have, instead I let it fuel me to work harder, to be stronger, and prove to myself and others who were or had been in my shoes that we have control over our destiny and our life. The word “victim” is not part of a mighty mamma’s vocabulary. I had no choice but to succeed. I focused on the good, which was having my son with me, and worked harder. Was it easy? No. Was it hard to adjust to this new life? Hell yes! Did I give up on my dreams? No! What did I do instead? I kicked some major ass that year. Almost two years later I continued to grow my online fitness business, which by the way saved me financially, mentally, and physically. Having a job where I had to be held accountable to stay fit and healthy was a blessing. It kept my mind and body strong. I also had created such a strong community of friends with my “mighty mammas.” The support I received was incredible. I can’t thank them enough. I had gotten myself out of all unexpected financial debt, and built myself a new beautiful dream home on a lake. During all of this I wrote an award winning children’s book called “Niko & His Magical Earmuffs and an international best selling book for moms called “Add This to Your Plate”, which helps new and seasoned moms master the essentials in cooking, nutrition and fitness. I then developed my highly talked about nutrition, weight-loss and wellness program “From Scratch” and “Postpartum Recovery Mommy”, which helps moms heal and restore their bodies fast after giving birth. I mean I was on fire during that divorce! Why? Because I spent a lot of time alone and had a LOT to think about.

​Years after that divorce the stars must have been aligned because I re-united with my college sweetheart and two years later we got married. I mean, like...who knew!? We even had beautiful baby boy. Boy moms rock by the way! I am still in shock how things sometimes do come full circle when the smoke finally clears. The moral of this story is that life is never going to be predictable. Every time you take a step forward, there will be some force of nature that wants to push you on step back. You have to be ready for that set back and have a "can do" attitude. Know that you have the power to control your circumstances even when you feel there is no hope. You always have a choice, even if it’s not the one you want most. Being a Mighty Mamma is about diving deep within yourself to bring out the POWER IN YOU. When you find your MIGHTY, you can do ANYTHING. I always tell people you need to CHOOSE YOUR HARD. It may be HARD to stay committed to a goal, but it is even HARDER to be unhappy with yourself and your life, so choose your HARD wisely. It is my mission to help others going through similar struggles in life get back on track.

A MIGHTY MAMMA MISSION

 ...