The Triangle is full of newcomers, with plenty of ways to find your squad

In April of 2018, my husband and I and our two kids (ages 2 years and 2 months at the time) stepped off a plane as new residents of Raleigh. With the help of a Realtor, we’d rented a house we’d only seen via Skype. We’d come from the San Francisco Bay Area, the place where I’d grown up, a place that was full of childhood memories and more family and friends than I can count. In Raleigh, we knew no one.

I’m an introvert, and at the time was working from home. My entire social life was on Zoom. While I was blessed with some amazing colleagues, I knew I needed more if Raleigh was ever going to feel like home.

I did have help from my very extroverted husband, but there were a couple of groups that really helped me to find my footing. So if you’re a mom and you’ve found yourself in the Triangle, can I suggest these groups that helped this mom make Raleigh feel like home?

Fit4Mom is, like its name implies, a fitness group for every stage of motherhood. They offer classes for prenatal moms, for those with kids in strollers, and body boost for the moms that can and want to leave the kids at home. In addition, there are playgroups, the new mama cafe and mom’s nights out.

I discovered Fit4Mom when my eldest was born in California. When we made the move, the franchise owner there introduced me to the wonderful Missy Currin from Fit4Mom Midtown Raleigh. She helped me find some classes, and two weeks after we landed, I showed up to my first stroller strides class at Green Hills Park in North Raleigh.

I will give the caveat that I was very much experiencing culture shock and may not have been totally ready at this point to make any lasting bonds. During this time, I put myself through a number of super awkward mom dates. It was rough.

When my youngest was six months old, I signed up for Body Boost, a moms-only fitness and nutrition program. This program helped me to start feeling like myself, get back into shape and put me in the right headspace to start making friends. In Body Boost, I met my people.

HER stands for Health, Empowerment and Respect for every mom. This health collective was founded by two local moms and together they have built a beautiful, supportive, and real community. They offer moms nights out and in, 5Ks, hikes, playdates, book clubs and conversation circles, volunteer opportunities, tons of perk partners, and most importantly, access to women’s health experts.

Being a mom is hard and the HER Health Collective is one of the best support networks I’ve ever found to help us through this crazy journey.

There are tons of mom groups in the Triangle. The challenge is finding the courage to put yourself out there. I still have social anxiety, and even meeting up with these groups that I love can sometimes feel like a hurdle I have to jump, but I can say that it’s worth it.

People often joke that there is no one actually from Raleigh, that this is an area made of transplants. What that’s meant for me is that so many know what it’s like to be the new kid and go out of their way to welcome newcomers. Put yourself out there and you’ll find yourself surrounded by some truly amazing humans. I know I did.