“From feeling lonely and homesick to promoting my own business”

When I first moved to London, I knew no one, didn’t have a job, and felt very lonely.
I have been part of this community now for ten years. Karin has always found the time to answer my questions or if she can’t, she finds the right person to help.

Throughout, she has dedicated her time supporting me and expecting nothing in return.

This year I am promoting my own business with NW8-mums and internationally as I am moving to the United States. 
I am deeply grateful to have connected with Karin and can’t thank her enough for her support. I hope that one day I will be able to provide the same support to both her and this wonderful community.

NW8-mums is a unique community where you can find support for honestly almost everything. It’s quite unique I have to say, compared to other areas of London, to have mothers support each other this way. This is mostly thanks to Karin who has built this community from scratch and she manages an amazing amount of WhatsApp groups, cares about local businesses, promotes them, helps them… She has a unique generosity towards everyone. She is a superwoman! I can’t wait to continue supporting NW8-mums throughout the years and I thank them for their support towards me and my family! Thank you for existing!

For me, NW8 Mums was a lifesaver when I arrived in London with a 2-month-old baby. It was the difference of arriving in a new city to feeling I had arrived home. It gave me a place to ask any questions; from nurseries, to plumbers, to NHS surgeries to advice from fellow mums regarding how to deal with colic or breastfeeding or sleepless nights. I found friends for life and I will always be grateful for it! Five years on, I still find it useful now!

The community and support created by Karin in NW8-mums has been one of the most invaluable support networks I’ve had since becoming a mother. I am always in awe of the altruism, kindness and sound advice Karin endeavours to give out at any time of day to a huge and growing number of mothers. She should be given an award for her time given to the community and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without this support network. It’s so fantastic living in an area where you feel part of a community and I sincerely hope that this community stays true to what Karin has given her heart to create.

NW8-mums is a community that made my life as a new mum easier. No question too silly, no need too difficult to find an answer for. Over the years, I have needed specialist doctors, birthday cake makers, mid-size balls with polka dots because that’s what my child wanted for a present. You name it; NW8 mums either has it or will find it for you. A wonderful community of hard-working parents who know how hard it is to raise children in London, often without families around, and who are happy to share information with (often) strangers. None of this, however, would have ever been possible without Karin, a super woman who created the community and kept it all together for no reason at all apart from the goodness of her heart. I am very blessed to have her in my life.

“It takes a village to raise a child ” is an African proverb that means that an entire community of people must interact with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment.

NW8-mums is something quite special. It joins together women within a community that may not know each other directly but may be at similar life stages and are going through wildly transformative moments in their life, and they all live local to each other. And in this day and age they can come together as a community even if sometimes that is just digitally. I have benefited from the knowledge and wisdom of other mums who have either gone through similar experiences with their children or who just have some good suggestions and support for whenever you may need a helping hand. This was all set up by one local mum, Karin. She herself couldn’t be more supportive; she is a wealth of information, she wears her own heart on her sleeve to the benefit of others and all the while remains professional and respects people’s confidentiality. I believe she has the trust and respect of an entire community who now get to thrive and enjoy the benefits of this great and well thought out initiative. I have certainly benefited from being part of NW8-mums and the ethos that comes with it. I have even had mums I don’t know offering to pop to a pharmacy for me in the middle of the night to the benefit of my children in OUR community. Long may NW8-mums thrive with the energy, kindness and compassion Karin has instilled into it.

As a new mum in London, I didn’t have many connections nor much know-how. I found in Karin and in her NW8-mums initiative tremendous strength, insight, connections and an unquantifiable number of tips!! I also relied on her Magus Education enterprise to gather a better understanding of the school system in the UK. Sometimes I wonder…. what would I have done without all of this?? Thank you, Karin.

NW8-mums has been extremely helpful to me from the birth of my daughter up to now on any subject from babies, health, nannies, even for finding an electrician for something urgenct etc. The founder, Karin, has been a rock for us during lockdown and we are so ever grateful for this. Hard to be a mom during Covid times but the community of NW8-mums made us feel we are not alone.

The NW8-mums babies group has been a constant and helpful support, particularly during such uncertain times. Having a place where other mothers can share experiences and ask and offer advice is so important. Karin is wonderful, kind and full of knowledge about absolutely everything you would need to know. It’s a warm and inviting, non-judgemental place where you feel like you can ask anything should you need to; a place where no question is a silly one!
Thank you, Karin, for setting up such a valuable space for women to share information and support one another.

We moved from north London to NW8 and like after every move, it was difficult to navigate around in the new area (eg good schools, baby classes, playgroups, hairdressers, dentists etc). The NW8-mums website and WhatsApp groups helped with everything. We could find answers to many many questions online and a helpful community of mums who were willing to share their experiences. But not only their experiences of where to find what in NW8; they also shared lots of advice around baby and child related questions (sleep, feeding issues, nannies, toys etc). Very happy to be part of this community and a big thank you to Karin who set up this community and is always very willing to share her experiences. Thank you.

I don’t know what I would have done without the NW8-mums community as a first-time mum; the support, advice and content this group provides is amazing.

I moved to London in 2015 and being new to the country, the only helpful resource I could rely on was NW8-mums. Karin has been an amazing source of information who’s always helpful. She’s a true inspiration; she brings the community together and keeps people connected. My experience of moving to England was made so easy with the help of NW8-mums; from kids’ classes to nanny info, to finding a plumber – each ask was within reach. I’m grateful to Karin and the entire NW8 community for all their support through the years!

I am deeply grateful to the NW8-mums community and groups created by Karin. I was due to give birth in mid 2020 (also in the middle of a pandemic). Everything was so tentative. My family could not come over to help. We could barely get anyone at our home to assist us. Yet I managed to stay calm throughout my pregnancy and birth process. I always felt that the NW8-mums group had my back. Whatever problems I was facing, someone else was in the same boat and had found a solution or at least could give me visibility. I definitely felt more empowered due to the group even during the newborn care phase. I also made some wonderful friends and my baby got amazing play dates. The community is a tremendous support system which comes without any judgment and only with the intention to help. It is now my top advice to any expecting friend – find a local mum’s group or community!

Karin is truly amazing and has built an amazing community of women. When I was pregnant and suffering and very much alone, Karin & NW8-mums were my go-to for everything. Her groups have educated me on motherhood and I felt fully integrated into the local community thanks to the group. I’m so happy it still exists and goes from strength to strength. I am no longer living in St. John’s Wood but am still an active member on the chats and in the group. I am very grateful to Karin for starting this wonderful nurturing community.

My husband and I were one of the first ones to embrace parenthood amongst our friends. NW8-mums has proved to be such an amazing resource at every point in these 4 years as we have figured our way out! It is amazing to be able to get honest advice, tips and tricks, and words of support on every topic possible (from diapers to nannies to sickness to sleep training) almost real time!! Most of all it is an incredibly powerful community of supportive mothers, that acts as a constant reminder that we are all in it together! Thanks for building this community, Karin!

Something that is truly beautiful about NW8-mums is knowing that even if you moved to this city or area alone, there is a community there for you, which can offer love and support. As a first-time mum, many years ago, I didn’t know anyone in the area and had no family or friends. Simply knowing that there were a group of mums available for a coffee and a chat was a lifeline even if I couldn’t make the regular meet ups on a weekly basis. Knowing where they were at a particular time in the week provided comfort that I was not alone in my journey. Having a wealth of available resources such as first aid courses focused on baby or simply seeing a friendly face at a baby club gives strength to so many. I am so happy that I was able to meet Karin and her wonderful NW8-mums so many years ago. Karin has encouraged me in so many ways; she is one of life’s wonderful people.

NW8-mums has been the backbone for many young women who have started their journey into motherhood. Right from advice on pregnancy issues, the best doctors around, weaning advice, guiding the way through the education maze, extra-curricular classes, half-term camps to keep the young ones busy, birthday party organisers, informative coffee mornings on relevant topics, finding experts in their fields and bringing them to the local mums for advice, encouraging mumpreneurs and small businesses on the high street… I could go on and on. Not to forget the innumerable WhatsApp groups that offer support to the whole community. I have greatly benefitted by the advice and support I have received from Karin and her wonderful team and the support groups that they have formed with so much care.

NW8-mums is not a just a platform. It is an amazing community founded by a remarkable woman, Karin Thyselius. She has improved the lives of countless mums in the past 12 years, assisting them in every aspect of their lives; no matter where they are in their journey (moms-to-be, newborn moms, toddler moms, etc). In a number of cases, Karin/NW8’s assistance has even saved lives. I cannot praise enough the amazing work done through NW8-mums by Karin. You will never feel alone or misunderstood if you become part of this incredible community.

As a mum with limited support structure, I found the NW8-mums group invaluable.
Late night worrying eased by the comments of other mums going on the same journey or having been through it before.
Guidance at my fingertips and especially Karin’s patience and always ensuring every mum has a response to their questions or concerns. Most importantly, it helped me to know I was not alone.
I have also loved the buy and sell platforms which have allowed me to buy baby stuff at a fraction of the retail cost.
I don’t think I would have made it through the last 6 months without the support of NW8-mums. Thanks.

As a FTM who just moved to the UK during a pandemic, NW8-mums has been a beacon of hope for an otherwise clueless me. It’s a platform to meet other supportive mums, get advice, and share experiences. Karin is like a fairy godmother who always has a contact, an answer or can direct you to someone who has the answer. The group of friendly, knowledgeable and badass (can I say this?) mums made my experience as a mum much more enjoyable.

NW8-mums has provided an invaluable platform to connect with other mums and to get instant advice and recommendations, which has been hugely helpful, especially as a first-time mum and during the pandemic, which has left everyone more isolated. As well as creating this platform and connecting mums from the local community, Karin herself has been very supportive and helpful from the outset, sharing her own experience and knowledge on motherhood and childcare.