My house managers make me a better mom — they do the grunt work so I can enjoy life

Izzy Anaya, 44, a married mom of two from the Upper West Side, and her house managers Sean, 29, and Phoebe, 23.
Busy moms like Upper West Side mother of two Izzy Anaya, 44, are able to manage their homes, husbands, kids and careers thanks to the help of their hired house managers -- men and women who assist overburdened parents with tasks like childcare, household chores, personal errands, cooking and cleaning.

It takes a village to raise a family.

And Upper West Side mom Izzy Anaya is anything but short on support.

Rather than becoming burdened by the daily demands of juggling her three homes, her two sons and a lifestyle content creation career, the unflappable mama simply delegates the more menial must-dos to her staff of hired helping hands — and it’s more than just housekeeping.

“I have two house [managers] who do everything like take my kids to after-school activities, grocery shop, cook dinner, open my Amazon boxes, fold laundry and stand in line at the post office for me,” Anaya, 44, told The Post of her round-the-clock personal assistants, Phoebe, 23, and Sean, 29.

Anaya, a married mom of two, says she couldn’t imagine life without having house assistants Sean and Phoebe on constant call. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST
Anaya, a married mom of two, says she couldn’t imagine life without having house assistants Sean and Phoebe on constant call. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST

“I run my house,” the stay-at-home wife of a well-to-do businessman insisted. “But having them on call 24/7 to take care of the minutia makes my life less stressful.”

Overworked and overwhelmed mothers like the brunette are saying so long to stress and hello to house managers for the sake of their sanities.

It’s a trendy new form of a domestic helper, which sees the once-distinct roles of housekeeper, nanny and gofer combined into a singular post held by one dutiful doer.

Nearly 23,000 men and women work as do-all aids for families in need across the US, per Zippia, an online recruitment service. But the experts found that house managers are in the highest demand in New York City.

House managers often help busy parents with childcare, household chores, personal errands and organization. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST
House managers often help busy parents with childcare, household chores, personal errands and organization. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST

Christel Hyden, founder of Marigold Life Works, a personal assistant and house management service in northern New Jersey and NYC, said she and her staff of 12 are happy to take big and small tasks off of a busy mommy’s plates.

“Literally anything that our clients don’t want to do, don’t have time to do or need a friend’s help, we’re there,” Hyden, 49, a single mom of two teens, told The Post.

In October 2021, she ditched a full-time career in public health to launch the neighborly endeavor. For $28 an hour, Hyden and her team handle duties such as dog-sitting, babysitting, house-sitting, supermarket runs, housekeeping and the occasional kid birthday party drop-off.

“I know what it’s like to have little kids, work, be enrolled in graduate school — moms can’t always do it all and they need a little extra help,” she said. “And I’m glad to provide people with the support I would have wanted when my kids were younger.”

The lifestyle influencer says her home helpers literally do “everything” she can’t do while taking care of her kids and husband, and running a content creation business. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST
The lifestyle influencer says her home helpers literally do “everything” she can’t do while taking care of her kids and husband, and running a content creation business. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST

Anaya told The Post that her support staff — Sean, whom she hired via Care.com, and Phoebe, who joined the job through a family reference, both in September 2021 — minimizes her hustle and bustle of Big Apple parenting.

“My sons, Simon and Maximilian, are 9 and don’t need a nanny because they can take care of themselves,” she said. “But when it comes to getting them up, dressed, fed and out the door for a birthday party or a sports activity, having Sean take care of those things has been amazing.

“While he’s running around with the boys, Phoebe’s taking care of the little errands for me like food shopping, closet organizing — literally everything,” added Anaya.

She pays her accommodating aides around $30 an hour, and typically calls for their services between one to three days in a given week.

“I couldn’t live without them,” said Anaya. “They have 100% helped me avoid mom burnout.”

“I run my house, but having them on-call 24/7 to take care of the minutia makes my life less stressful,” says Anaya. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST
“I run my house, but having them on-call 24/7 to take care of the minutia makes my life less stressful,” says Anaya. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST

And maintaining good mental health is crucial to the well-being of any mother and child.

“Parenting is a complex, stressful activity that is highly susceptible to parenting burnout,” warned study authors of a February report from Shandong University in China. “Parental burnout can not only give rise to suicidal and escape ideations, but also may lead to external problems such as substance and behavioral addictions and sleep disorders.”

Researchers went on to note that kids of overtaxed moms and dads experience increased levels of anxiety and loneliness, aggressive behavior and depression. Parental burnout can also exacerbate spousal conflict, causing one or both partners to feel less satisfied in a marriage, per the findings.

Azih says she’s able to be a more present and active parent to her sons thanks to help from her house manager. @sweenshots
Azih says she’s able to be a more present and active parent to her sons thanks to help from her house manager. @sweenshots

Onyi Azih, 36, a married mother of two from Houston, Texas, felt like she was “drowning” as a wife, mom and full-time health care professional in the months after the pandemic.

“I was the main breadwinner because my husband lost his job during COVID. I was taking care of the kids, squeezing in everyday tasks for myself, the family and our house,” Azih, a psychiatric physician assistant, told The Post. “I have ADHD, so that made things even more difficult.

“My mental health was struggling, I was constantly nagging my husband and I wasn’t as present for my kids as I wanted to be,” she said.

Nearing her wits’ end in late 2022, Azih turned to local Facebook mommy groups to find house manager Kayla, 24, who’s delightfully lightened her daily load.

“My anxiety has reduced and I’m not as high-strung since hiring her,” said Azih, who pays Kayla $25 an hour for sporadically helping out in a given week.

“My husband and I can do date nights, I’m at peace knowing the laundry is done, food is in the fridge and that makeup brushes have been cleaned because of Kayla,” she explained.

“I don’t feel like I’m drowning anymore.”