Three Things I Wish I Had Known in My 20’s: Elke Govertsen

Photo credit: Holly Andres

When Elke Govertsen was 25, she died. Flat lined in a hospital-the whole nine yards.

But, let’s start from the beginning because Elke’s story isn’t typical. She grew up in poverty in Alaska, and her first job was as a welder. After that, she traveled the world helping at-risk groups, including starving families and prostitutes. During one of her journeys, she contracted typhoid fever, which is how she ended up fighting for her life. Even though the outcome looked bleak, she was able to come back and recharge her life.

After a year of fighting illness, Elke got pregnant with her first son. She and her then boyfriend were young, not married, and still lived with roommates making less than $1,000/month combined. It was only after talking to other mothers that she realized these conflicting feelings about motherhood were normal, and she would get through the hard stuff.

Elke saw there was magic to this coming together with other moms not just for the kids, but for the mothers themselves. She launched Mother’s Day Eve® (MDE) as a night to celebrate each other in 2005 right after her second son was born. A few years later, the idea for Mamalode was born and launched with just $400. Ten years later, Mother’s Day Eve® has since grown into a national holiday and Mamalode is now a multi-faceted media group with a heavily-followed website, social media platforms and a soon-to-be national print magazine.

After going through numerous hardships, and coming to the light at the end of the tunnel with a successful business, Elke shares her “3 Things” with us:

1. Start. Don’t wait for this, that, or the other. If you have an idea, a passion or an opportunity, pursue it NOW. Life is short. Right now you have so much inside you– it is worth something, everything. As is.

2. Appreciate. Once we did an underwear shoot for Mamalode with moms and grandmothers in our skivvies at a bakery. I was feeling self conscious about my buns (!)  and MY mother, rocking her literal granny panties said “Shut up. 10 years from now you will LONG for the ass you have today. Show it off.” So yes, appreciate your ass. And your mother. And the moment. And bakeries.

3. Notice. I spent far to much time just getting through (college, illness, pregnancy, etc) and missed many of the profound moments. I see them now as I look back, but oh, man, would things have been different had I really noticed them at the time. Hard, wonderful, amazing, mundane things happen every day. And they all culminate into YOUR life. Notice every speck of it.