Every week, Macaroni Kid South Shore will introduce you to an amazing, local mom. Nothing makes me happier than supporting incredible women and I am so excited to have the opportunity to introduce you to some of the South Shore's finest!
This week, I introduce you to Robbin Mangano. Robbin is as impressive as she is cool and to be honest, I am in complete awe of how much she has done and how good she looks doing it! Robbin founded Wave Collective, a full-service public relations, social media, influencer marketing, and creative agency. It has grown so much in the six years since she began that they are currently moving to a bigger space in Boston and have secured some very well known clients including Primark, Shake Shack and B. Good. As if this was not enough, Robbin and her husband founded The Golden Cod in 2020. The Golden Cod is a New England inspired apparel and jewelry line and is often seen worn by many throughout the South Shore. Let's not forget, on top of all of this, Robbin is also mom to a sweet three year old girl.
Read on to learn more about Robbin, how she balances it all and all of her favorite spots on the South Shore. It was so great learning more about this incredible woman!!
How many kids do you have and how old are they?
I have one child, she is 3 years old.
What town do you live in and what is your favorite thing about the South Shore?
My husband, daughter, and I live in Scituate, MA. We love the small town feel, the proximity to the beach, yet the ease and convenience of getting to Boston.
What do you like to do for fun with your kid/s on the South Shore? Without your kid/s?
We're a big beach family, so during the spring, summer, and fall, you'll most likely find us either at Minot Beach, Peggotty Beach, or we'll cruise down to Duxbury to drive onto the beach there. And, we certainly enjoy eating & drinking at local restaurants, especially if they're kid friendly, so we're often grabbing a bite at Hibernian Tavern, Untold Brewing, Rexicana in Marshfield, or the raw bar at Island Creek in Duxbury.
Please tell us more about Wave Collective AND The Golden Cod!
Wave Collective is a full-service public relations, social media, influencer marketing, and creative agency that I founded about six years ago. Wave is my full-time gig and we're about to move into a new studio space in the city to expand on our creative services. We work with clients like Primark, B.Good, Shake Shack, Sweet Tree Creamery, and other brands in the hospitality, beer/spirits, food, and non-profit sectors.
My side-hustle that I launched with my husband in the summer of 2020 is The Golden Cod. It was inspired by the history of New England, specifically when I'd visit family in Marblehead... I kept seeing these wood-carved golden cods above the doors of homes and had asked my aunt what they were for. She explained the history and importance of cod-fishing - not only for Marblehead - but New England as a whole, and how it essentially built the region's economy. I felt like this storytelling lent itself perfectly for a brand that represented New England, and that's what led to the launch of The Golden Cod. Currently, we focus on apparel, hats, and jewelry. And, we're about to launch a few new necklaces within the next few weeks that I'm very excited about. We work with a local designer from Providence, RI, and our jewelry is all made within New England as well. Whether you're wearing that, or our apparel, you'll always have a little piece of New England with you!
Has the South Shore had any influence on your work?
Absolutely! For Wave Collective, the majority of my team lives primarily in Boston or on the South Shore, so it's always a win-win for everyone if we work with a client that is based in the area.
As for The Golden Cod, we try to create most of the content ourselves for the brand's social media, so it's always nice that Scituate is the perfect backdrop for our photoshoots. Plus, the community year has been incredibly supportive of the brand - there's no better feeling than when I spot someone walking around town or at the beach wearing one of our crewnecks, hats, or necklaces!
Two companies, mom, wife, friend and more…How do you balance it all? Or do you?! ;)
Trying to do it all during a pandemic has certainly been my biggest challenge. I am fortunate that my daughter attends a daycare that she loves, which allows my husband and I to work at our respective jobs, and then squeeze in The Golden Cod after work and on the weekends. There have absolutely been massive challenges these past two years, especially when daycare shuts down and we're trying to balance working from home and watching & entertaining a toddler. I know a lot of other working parents have felt the same the past two years. You want to do it all -- be a good mother, wife, business owner, friend... there's definitely been days that I've felt like I've hit my breaking point. But then you have a really great day at work or an amazing weekend with the family, and you're encouraged and inspired to keep going and believe that there has to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Until that happens, I've tried to get better at delegating and understanding what really is important to work on now, versus what can wait until later.
Favorite places on the South Shore to:
Eat: Square Cafe in Hingham, Oysterman and Winsor House in Duxbury, MA
Drink: Salt Society and Untold Brewing - both in Scituate, MA
Play: Driving onto the Duxbury Beach