Elizabeth Rago is a mama, wife, and the creator of The Modern Domestic Woman (MDW). Starting with silly beginnings writing about home decor and DIY projects, Elizabeth found MDW to be a happy distraction from her stressful life.

 

After a series of unfortunate events including job loss, a car accident, bankruptcy, and a physical and emotional breakdown, Elizabeth felt compelled to shift the primary focus of MDW from pretty pictures and goofy memes to a space of honest support for the modern woman.

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Here is her story…

 

From 2010 - 2013, my family went through a series of events that left us broken, not only mentally, but physically and financially. This rough season had me embarrassed and feeling almost like an outcast as I looked for resources from mental health practitioners and lawyers to bankruptcy support and access to free food.

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Broken, I didn’t want to look for support using a Google search. My condition and circumstance needed a referral from someone I trusted rather than blindly picking a professional from a list my insurance carrier provided.

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When you fear daily how you are going to feed your kids, buy diapers, and put gas in your car, life becomes daunting.

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Our family and a few friends were overwhelmingly kind and helped us in any way they could. But with their own families to provide for, guilt quickly set in that these wonderful people were scraping the bottom of their own barrels to help us.

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By day, I worked as a writer encouraging people to buy luxury handbags and remodel their kitchens with upscale appliances. At night, I faced my own mess of life battling hourly calls from credit agencies, an increasingly taxed relationship with my husband, chronic illness, and mounds of anxiety.

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I looked to self-help books to lift me out of my “funk." I listened to inspirational speakers that told me to “hustle” more and frankly, I was sick of hustling. I had no more hustle to give - the hustle was KILLING ME.

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I was looking for an element of support that nobody was really talking about in typical lifestyle publications. 

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Real-life support.

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I was desperate to find out if anyone else was feeling the way I was - drowning and weary. I reasoned if I was going through this hell in my seemingly delightful middle-class life, there had to be other women out there just like me, pretending to have it all together, yet drowning behind closed doors.

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At the time, The Modern Domestic Woman was a lifestyle platform that focused on DIYs, gardening hacks, beauty tips, and fashion trends. 

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As I came out of my rough season, I didn’t want anyone else to feel the way I felt, lost and full of fear and guilt. From then on I was on a mission to help women from all walks of life - no matter what they’ve been through. 

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Why? Because The Modern Domestic Woman is an extension of me. 

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I spent those years gathering positive referrals and discovered women who didn’t show up in the first few pages of an internet search. I reasoned other women needed to know about all the amazing local people who were also on a mission to help others.

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Supporting women from all walks of life, the Modern Domestic Woman (MDW) thrives on providing a local directory of practical resources for women in any capacity needed. From legal help and social services like temporary housing and food to positive female support groups and communities, mental health, and well-being organizations, MDW is on a mission to round up a list of services and support to get you started on a path to peaceful living.

MDW focuses on 3 pillars of living:
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Mental Health - MDW is a support community of women rooted in making mental health a priority instead of an afterthought. Because nobody can pour from an empty cup. 

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Lifestyle - MDW focuses on creating safe spaces; at home and in the body you call home. We encourage a healthy lifestyle that meets you where you're at. Not where someone else wants you to be.

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​Advocacy - At MDW, we go out into our communities and support women in crisis. Helping them create safe spaces to live and thrive. We actively partner with organizations that support the rights, recovery, and well-being of women.

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Of course, life continues to throw stress at me, but what’s changed is my response to the mania. And while I can’t make the insanity of life go away, I can encourage other women who are going through hell and give them a glimpse of hope through a launch pad of positive professional resources.

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In love,

Elizabeth Rago

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