In Her Shoes: Fussy Food Plates’ Samantha Forrest on luxurious creams and WhatsApp groups

Coming from a very corporate background – she has a BSc in Bioanalytical Science, a Master’s in Pharmaceutical Science and works full-time for a large American Pharmaceutical Company in STEM – everything changed when she had her first child. “Nobody told me that kids don’t eat,” Samantha tells me, able to laugh about it now. “I was navigating this whole world of being a new mom, coming back from maternity leave, trying to figure out this new dynamic at home and working. It got to the point where mealtimes were becoming really, really stressful.”

Samantha shares more about her career trajectory and what a day in the life of a working mum balancing multiple roles really entails. 

The idea

I had to have my gallbladder removed so I was out of action for seven weeks. I’m not the type of person that can sit still. So I was like, ‘Right, I have to lie here. I have to get better. I’m going to figure out my family dynamic of eating.’ So I took pen to paper, and I came up with the idea for Fussy Food Plates. Basically, it’s a nine-inch plate with an image on it, and it’s all about encouraging your child to make food fun. The aim is to get them to focus on the table, so they’re sitting, they’re eating, they’re engaging with their dinner. They’re not looking at tablets, they’re not looking at phones. We launched in January 2023 and, thank God, it’s just gone from strength to strength since then. It’s just been myself and my husband working behind the scenes. He has a background in digital marketing, so he did all my website and social. My own background is in product and engineering design, so I knew all about that. 

I came up with the idea for Fussy Food Plates to help my own kids who struggle to sit still but they’re not just for restless eaters. For example, I’ve done some work with local autism groups – children who are autistic or on the spectrum or really suffer from sensory sensitivities don’t like their foods to touch. I’ve found that our products are really good for neurodiverse children. We’re all about pressure-free eating. Since I launched, I’ve gone back, and I’ve actually studied as a nutrition coach, so I now have a nutrition qualification, which is a nice add-on to my scientific qualifications. We’ve also launched an online course. So many people were coming to me asking me about nutrition, things like how much protein should I be giving my kids or how do I actually feed them? We’re great at teaching our kids to ride a bike, we pay a fortune for swimming lessons, but how do we actually teach and educate the parents as well as the kids? In October of this year, we launched what’s called Fussy Food Fix. So as well as our products, we have that online offering now where parents can subscribe and learn how to make mealtimes fun. 

Dublin City Council is working on a three-year project to make the city more autism-friendly. I was invited to the Mansion House with the Lord Mayor James Geoghegan and we spoke about how we can look at making restaurants more accepting of neurodiverse people. I still work full-time so there are a lot of late nights but this is my passion. 

Early bird 

I have three small kids, so I don’t need to set an alarm anymore. It’s always up early. We’re on the go from half six, seven. There’s always a quick protein-based breakfast for everyone. We’re overnight oats people. We get the kids involved the night before and always start the day with something like that. I work from home so between myself and my husband, we do the school drop off, the creche drop off and then it’s back to work. I’m definitely more aware of nutrition now that I’m not just looking after myself. When I’m trying to run a business and look after three smallies, if the wheels come off, they go everywhere. So I really do make sure that we’re all taking our multivitamins in the morning. 

Average day

It’s quite busy, I won’t lie! But I thrive in busyness. I can’t sit still, that’s just me – I have to keep going. My kids are in full-time childcare so we can work full-time. I work eight to five at my other job. I’m happy working from home. I’ve been home for the last four years since Covid and it suits me with the family. My office used to be over in Blanchardstown and I’m based in Terenure so I’d be leaving the house before 7am to dash across the M50 for work. Add kids into the mix and there are creche drop-offs and school drop-offs. The flexibility of working from home, especially for parents, is key. The commute just isn’t sustainable. I find being in an office mentally draining. When you’re home, you can stay in your bubble and get focused. I’m certainly more productive in those hours. I get hangry if I don’t eat properly so I always have a lunch, always have a healthy dinner. I do like to be able to treat myself at the weekend. I do eat at my desk, that’s one thing. I make sure I’m eating something nutritious but I’m usually eating on the go. When you’re working from home, it is harder to walk away from the laptop.

Burnout

Between after-school activities and working on Fussy Food Plates, the evenings again, are very busy. I do try to be structured because you can burn out quite quickly. I’m very careful around sleep. There are no phones or laptops typically after 10 o’clock. I try to get a good night’s sleep to make sure that we’re ready to go again. Knowing when to take a step back can be difficult. Between the kids and day job and activities, I think it’s important to be aware of burnout – and I certainly am. I do try and train. I try and walk as much as I can, and just be able to take a step away from the laptop. I find my Apple Watch is actually great when I get that buzz reminding me to stand up! Getting to bed early refills my cup. I like to be able to just put the phone away, focus on a show (we’re watching Yellowstone at the moment) and just kind of zone out. I definitely need sleep. If I’m running on empty, I get grouchy and that’s not beneficial for anybody. Walking, getting some air, and getting to bed early definitely helps. 

Highs and lows

We launched in Arnotts last week and things like that spur me on to keep going. I’m learning as I go. Before, that whole website space would have really freaked me out, but for our most recent launch, I did it all myself. I uploaded the pictures, I put in the text and pricing. Things like that really do excite me. Creating a course was, again, something that was alien to me but that was brilliant. Time is my biggest challenge. I definitely would be time-poor in some areas. It’s about balancing your passion with everything else. People often say to me, ‘Well, how do you do it all?’ I don’t really see it like that, because I want to do it. You know, it’s not somebody telling me ‘You have to do this’. I want to do it. I don’t want to sit down and just watch TV in the evening. If I don’t keep pushing forward, it’s not going to happen.

Wind-down routine

I always try and put the phone away at night. A lot of what I do is on Instagram – sales, chatting to customers, sharing content – so I like to log out before bed. I’ve also started drinking Pukka Nighttime Tea. It’s a sleepy tea… whether it works or not, I don’t know! I’m a fan of a decent night cream too. I love Image Skincare. That’s the one thing I don’t scrimp on. I like having a nice bath, and doing a face mask or putting on some night cream. That, for me, is a reset and then I can go again from there. 

Weekending

Weekends are all go. My boys are five and six, so the first Saturday visit is always GAA. For me, self-care in the GAA space is getting a nice coffee. After GAA, it’ll be kids’ activities in the afternoon. Because we’re in that school phase, there’s usually a playdate or a party but I always try to get out for a walk, usually to the shop to buy food. I don’t always get to switch off because I’m probably filming a bit of content when I’m in the supermarket. But we do like to have a takeaway at the weekend, so I look forward to that. Sunday is soccer. My husband is a football coach, and the kids are playing soccer. So again, a nice coffee. My little two-year-old will follow along, usually in the buggy with a unicorn in hand. I’m very structured on a Sunday evening, sitting down and making a plan for what I need to do during my working week. I am definitely a very organised person. Things change from week to week but I like having that plan and we can deal with changes as they happen. I always have a to-do list on the phone and I have a paper one at the desk beside me. It’s the only way, especially when you’re trying to do so much. The self-care might be a glass of Prosecco and a bath, and if we can, we’ll try and get out maybe once a month, if possible. But for the most part, weekends are very family-centered.

Words of wisdom

Having a network of people around you is crucial – the IMAGE Business Club has been hugely important to me. I’m in Network Ireland and my Local Enterprise Office (LEO) has also been really supportive. I’ve befriended people in the LEO and a lot of other women in business – many of whom are in completely different areas to me, but they get the challenges. They’re all juggling a business, some are juggling kids and a full-time job too. We have a WhatsApp group and there’s always someone asking something or sharing advice. In small businesses like mine, there are knocks every day; you build yourself up to think you’re going to get something, and then you have to dust yourself off and move forward. The key thing is really just to keep pushing forward and to back yourself. If you have an idea and you’re passionate about something, just go for it. What’s the worst that can happen?