One of the things I love most about telling people what I do is the vigorous head-nodding in agreement when I talk about why I believe leadership coaching for working parents is so important.

You can ask any parent in the history of the world - having a child changes you. There are the obvious ways it changes you - less sleep, more responsibility, more stress, more love, etc. But, having a child also changes you in a lot of non-obvious ways, namely, the way you think about your career.

Career and Parenthood Collide

As you can probably imagine, I have the "career colliding with parenthood" conversation A LOT. And while everyone has their own story and their own collisions, there are quite a few themes.

1. Time becomes your most precious resource. There's nothing like a child to make you question the way you're currently spending your time. Do I really want to be spending all my time on my computer responding to emails or do I want to be building blanket forts? Can I really make this all work and not be exhausted at the end of the night? That would be magic and lovely.

2. Your priorities shift. And, shift again. In my three short years as a parent, I've had my career drop to the bottom of the list, only to have it pop right back up to the top of the list when I realized how important an identity other than "mom" is to my mental health. I can guarantee these priorities will shift again when the season changes.

3. You see things differently. I have a hard time putting this one into words, but it's just such a perspective shift. Your reason for doing many of the same things you did before is different. Whereas your career prior to baby might have been about personal ambition and growth, it's now about stability and balance - or whatever that perspective shift looks like for you.

On your own, these things can be really overwhelming. You're navigating the day-to-day and trying to think about what you want and where you're going, and it's really freaking hard. It can also feel very lonely and aimless as you ricochet around to different emotions and directions. Maybe I should do this? Maybe I should do this? Oh no, definitely don't do that… or maybe, yes?

Support for Working Moms

Luckily, it doesn't have to be like this. Add in the right partner and support (I'm a coach. Nice to meet you!) and this search for more clarity and direction in your career can have a focal point. We create a dedicated space for defining your needs and working toward them together. You have a champion, challenger, and cheerleader standing in your corner solely focused on what you want. You find direction. You shift mindsets. You make progress. Hooray!

I often get asked the type of topics my clients bring to our sessions. They range from the tactical: boundaries, work/life balance, time management, or navigating parental leave; to the existential: identity crises, search for purpose, or confronting all the inner saboteurs (hello imposter syndrome and perfectionism). Some clients are making complete career shifts. Some clients are trying to make decisions. Full or part-time? Stay in the role or aim for the promotion? And others just want an additional thought-partner in their own leadership journey.

All of them undertake this journey with their families in mind.

Are you nodding vigorously yet? If this resonated with you as you navigate your own career, let's chat. Raising kids is pure chaos. Your career doesn't have to be.