Meet Penny Goffman: Head of Community at HeyMama
At every stage of parenthood, community is paramount. Penny Goffman is a huge advocate for this in her role as the Head of Community at HeyMama. A national community for moms in business, HeyMama has chapters throughout the country where women in a variety of industries can come together for connection, learning, and workshops (both in person and virtually) as they juggle career and family. Penny, who lives in Greenwich CT with her husband and two kids, is a huge supporter of women, and sees the power of connection firsthand in her role. Read on to learn more about Penny and her passion to help/support women.
Westchester Family: Tell us a bit about your background before HeyMama.
Penny Goffman: I’ve had my hand in various industries and careers throughout the years. I’ve never believed in limiting myself, plus it’s more fun to explore it all! I was in finance & then education many moons ago in my pre-mommy life. In 2015, I founded, and later successfully, sold an omni-channel fashion boutique, Jolie Gotique, a unique fashion truck concept popping up at bespoke private shopping events.
Simultaneously, I launched That Penny Life, a fashion and lifestyle consulting service where I worked as head fashion stylist, MC and hostess to large-scale fashion shows and events. Some of my clients were Bloomingdale’s, Lord & Taylor, Alice & Olivia, Athleta, and other luxury brands. Following my passions has always been the driving force.
Westchester Family: How did you get involved/start working with HeyMama?
Penny Goffman: I joined HeyMama in 2018 as a member myself to support my journey growing my own business at the time, Jolie Gotique. The membership instantly connected me to a pool of powerhouse moms that I wouldn’t have otherwise had access to, and I threw myself into the community. In Fall 2019, HeyMama was looking for a contractor in the Westchester area to join and help build the local community – Voila, I got the role! Building community with the HeyMama team was unbelievably fulfilling and I wanted more. After selling my business, it felt like such an organic move to join HeyMama headquarters officially Jan 2021.
Westchester Family: Within your role, you have made supporting working moms an impactful job. Tell us some of the things you do to achieve this?
Penny Goffman: Community has become a trending and necessary strategy for most businesses. Even your local pet store has a community of followers that share pet tips. HeyMama is interesting because our service is the community itself, and our ‘product’, what makes HeyMama truly incredible, is its members. As Head of Community, my entire role is to support, nurture & grow our membership locally and around the country.
This involves organizing in-person events, providing opportunities for virtual networking, streamlining our communications to members, onboarding and following the membership experience through all phases, highlighting members through features and visibility programs, developing leadership programs and facilitating collaborations.
All of this and more can be wrapped into a nice neat bow: Community is connection and I support the active experience.
Westchester Family: Why is this work important to you?
Penny Goffman: People are important to me. Women are important to me. Moms are important to me. Moms who are taking risks, breaking out of their shells, parenting while also juggling career, launching new businesses, growing at all stages, finding themselves again.
These moms, like myself, are important to me and through HeyMama I am able to play a role in supporting this challenging but exciting journey. When members join forces and announce collaborations on their podcast, investors in their business, press through a member’s media, friendships and coffee dates together. I get to see the impact of my role and HeyMama firsthand. The magic of connection is powerful.
Westchester Family: How do organizations like HeyMama help create community in Westchester/CT?
Penny Goffman: I’m lucky! I live in the Westchester area and HeyMama has a thriving community here as well. There are over 150+ members in the Westchester & Fairfield County area. Highlighting our members is a priority so when it comes to building community locally, we always start with our existing membership. For in-person moments, we collaborate first & foremost with the local Westchester mamas.
Recently, we had a networking event in Armonk, NY where we partnered with The Well Center, co-founded by a local mom and member, Michele Zipper. The delicious bites and gift bag products all came from local members. Incredibly, 40 HeyMama Westchester mamas gathered at that event to connect, grow, share and support each other.
Coming up we have a fun fitness event at Barry’s Scarsdale, again through our member who works at Barry’s corporate. HeyMama members will enjoy connection while we push each other out of our comfort zone and get sweaty! We build community in Westchester, and beyond, by amplifying our local members and creating meaningful opportunities for in-person and virtual connection.
Westchester Family: What are some of your favorite things to do in Westchester or Connecticut?
Penny Goffman: I feel so blessed to live in Greenwich, CT, close to the water. Todd’s Point is a great escape on a warm winter day walk or a beach day in the summer. Greenwich Avenue is always exciting with shops, great restaurants and outdoor dining. On any given Saturday night, my husband and I can be found at Le Penguin or East End with martini in hand. We have a boat and love docking at local restaurants around Westchester and Fairfield County. It feels like a complete escape.
The truth is, sports dominating our weekends at this point in my children’s lives. We are lucky to live in an area where almost everything and anything is offered and our children can stay active pursuing an activity they love. Greenwich Skating Club is our best kept secret if your child loves hockey, but there a lot of gear!
Westchester Family: What are some ways women can join HeyMama/connect with you?
Penny Goffman: Communication is key and I always suggest interested members understand exactly what the HeyMama membership experience is about. Each month I host a brief 30 minute info session, “The Intro: Meet HeyMama,” where you can learn about the actionable benefits of joining HeyMama because now is the time to invest in yourself & the growth of your business. Of course, mamas can apply anytime at HeyMama.co and use the code COMMUNITY75 for $75 off, my treat to the readers!
Learn more about HeyMama here.
