Ever since we met Cassie while working on her wedding to Pete a couple summers ago, we’ve admired her! She has one of the craziest jobs we know as a Bachelor producer, traveling and working non-stop for weeks and weeks on end. Now Cassie has jumped into an even crazier role…mom! We caught up with her to ask how life has changed since little miss Georgia came into the picture and her plans now that she’s a working mom!
Name: Cassie Lambert Scalettar
Company: Mamacass Productions
Title: Supervising Producer on ABC’s The Bachelor and The Bachelorette
Location: Offices are LA based, but I travel all over the world about 16 weeks out of the year during production.
Kids (names, ages): Georgia, born August 1st, 2013
What does a typical day in your position look like?
During pregnancy, I would leave for the office around 8 am and stay until around 7:30 pm. When shooting the show, I was working around the clock. Crazy hours! I took this season of The Bachelor off from work to focus on Georgia- luckily the 24/7 nature of work pre-Georgia prepared me for the 24/7 nature of motherhood. Now that she is 6 months old I am doing some part time work and getting into the swing of trying to add more hours to the day.
How do you balance being a working mom?
Honestly, I’m still figuring that out! I realize now that I can’t go back to how my work life was before I had Georgia. There just aren’t enough hours in the day to do both well, and my daughter is my priority. I am currently figuring out what I want the next phase of my career to look like. I wasn’t prepared to say goodbye to work (and The Bachelor franchise) altogether, so I have been working part-time from home on one of the Bachelor specials.
Has there ever been a breaking point when you didn’t think you could do both?
I used to be able to focus entirely on work, pull crazy long hours to get the job done, and know that I did my best. Lately I’ve found it really hard to strike that balance with Georgia in the picture. As soon as I get into a zone, I need to feed her, change her, or I want to stop and love on her, so I have definitely had moments where I wonder, “What did I get myself into?”. I’m afraid I can’t be as a great of a mom as I need to be while trying to be as solid of a producer as I want to be.
What got you through?
Accepting that I can’t do it all, and that as long as I do my best, it will work out.
What is your favorite part about your job?
On The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, I love watching the cast evolve and discover what they really want and need in a relationship. I get to go to work everyday not only doing what I love, which is production, but the subject matter is love and self-discovery. It’s raw, it’s emotional, and I have been able to witness multiple times the actual moment when two people fall in love.
What is your favorite part about being a mom?
I am just in awe of it all. I love everything; watching her discover her hands, feet, voice; her developing motor skills, her completely infectious smile, hearing her laugh, the way she looks at me, even changing the diapers… it’s all so fascinating and fulfilling and I feel so lucky to be her mom. I also love how it has helped my relationship with my husband grow even deeper.
You’re not working full time for The Bachelor and Bachelorette while Georgia is little. What are you filling your time with?
Now that I am no longer working full time, I’m trying to utilize any free time I have to Drop in the Bucket. DITB is a non profit organization I co-founded in 2006. We build wells and sanitation systems at schools throughout sub-Saharan Africa. We mostly focus in Uganda and South Sudan. Our goal is to provide schools and communities with tools they need to improve child health, increase school enrollment rates, and promote gender equality. This cause has always been near and dear to me for years, but now that I have a young daughter, I find an even stronger pull toward DITB. I want to do what I can to keep young women in school, which can ultimately change the entire country. We have some amazing celebrity support such as Russell Brand, Henry Rollins, Sharon Stone, and The Dixie Chicks, to name a few.
Among our everyday fundraising and awareness work, DITB’s current campaign is called Soap for Sudan. Our goal is to provide 1000 cases of soap to the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) from the recent violence in South Sudan that are living in camps. In a country already lacking infrastructure, the situation is dire. Basic services are desperately needed, and there is an urgent call for soap to prevent the spread of disease. Almost one-third of all child deaths are caused by hygiene and sanitation related illnesses. Our goal is to provide prevention, which is as simple as soap. This campaign will be launching in a few weeks, and I have been working to raise awareness.
I have been fortunate enough to travel to Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan to photograph, film, and participate in the installation of wells. I plan to continue my travels there, and look forward to bringing my kid(s) when I feel they are ready for the trip.
(To get more information or to join Cassie in this cause, visit Drop in the Bucket)
What you wanted to be when you grew up: A talk show host.
Beauty secret: Eyelash extensions by StudioLash
Celebrity style crush: Nicole Richie, Victoria Beckham, Blake Lively, and every coat that Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) wears on Scandal.
Secret talent: Limbo. How low can I go? Low.
I can’t live without: Love
I love the “working mom” series that you post!! Please keep it up! Its so encouraging to see other women who are “figuring it out” too! The balancing of passions ~ motherhood + entrepreneurial ventures seems to be quite daunting at times!
Thank you!! Will do, we are always so inspired by these ladies!