My First Post: Welcome To The Home Work Hustle!

Welcome to The Home Work Hustle—a blog for parents treading water in the chaos, running on coffee, and doing their best to juggle work life, home life, and maybe—just maybe—carve out a little time for themselves. Some days it feels impossible. Other days, surprisingly peaceful. This space is for all of it.

Hi, I’m Tori Akselrad—second grade teacher, mom to two spirited little girls (Olive, 5 and Violet, 2), and wife to my incredible husband and best friend, Zach. We live in a ski town in the Colorado mountains and are learning what it means to survive and thrive as two full-time working parents raising tiny humans.

In my (very limited) free time, you can usually find me skiing, mountain biking, weightlifting, running, hiking, or tuning into a favorite podcast. I’m especially inspired by the work of Dr. Amy Johnson—her book Just A Thought changed the way I view life, parenting, and personal growth. Much of what I share here is shaped by insights I have had around her work. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking out her books or her podcast, Changeable.

If you’ve known me for a while, you might remember my old blog (Mindyourfullness) where I shared my journey through recovery from Binge Eating Disorder. I poured a lot of my heart into that space, and for a long time, it felt like the right outlet. But over the years—and especially since becoming a parent—my identity has grown into so much more than that story.

While I still experience complicated thoughts around food, and yes, I still overeat or binge on occasion, it no longer feels like the defining part of who I am. These days, my focus has shifted. Life is bigger. Messier. Fuller. And so, it felt right to start something new—something that reflects the version of me that’s currently juggling marriage, teaching, wellness, and the mental gymnastics of modern parenthood.

This blog is my way of sharing that journey. My hope is to create a space where other moms, teachers, and overextended humans can relate, connect, laugh, and maybe even feel a little less alone. The mental load of motherhood is no joke, and I know I’m not the only one navigating it one chaotic day (and coffee refill) at a time.

In addition to all things mom life and wellness, I’ll also have a dedicated space for my fellow educators. Teaching is a huge part of who I am, and there’s no way I could leave that part out. When I started this blog, I made a conscious decision not to pick a lane—because honestly, how could I? There are so many parts of my life that carry meaning, and I’m constantly trying to find some kind of balance between them all.

So whether you’re here for the parenting chaos, the classroom ideas, or just a dose of real talk—you’re in the right place. Stick around for the content that speaks to you… and who knows, maybe you’ll stumble into something new that inspires you too.

Now let’s be real—teaching doesn’t exactly pay the bills, so yes, I’m also really hoping this blog eventually becomes a solid side hustle. I’ll be sharing the behind-the-scenes of that too: what it’s like to start a blog from scratch with zero knowledge of web design, coding, SEO, or any of that techy stuff. You will get all the details about whether or not I monetize, how long it takes, and what it’s like being a teacher, mom, having a side hustle, and attempting to stay sane and healthy all at the same time. 

This blog is adding a whole new layer to my hustle—but honestly, I’m hoping it’s also therapeutic (I’ll report back on that later). And since therapy isn’t in the budget right now… I’m multitasking. Let’s call it healing and hustling.

Thanks so much for being here—I’m seriously glad you found your way to this corner of chaos and coffee (I really love coffee if you can’t already tell). If there’s something you’d love to see on the blog or a question you want to ask (about teaching, parenting, or just surviving Mondays), drop a comment or shoot me an email. I’d love to hear from you—and let’s be honest, I could use the adult conversation.

Let’s not lose our minds together,

Tori