The hidden burden of a working mom

Diagnosed with shingles at 28...

All I could think is “Isn’t that an old person disease?”  

I didn't know that you could get it from heavy levels of stress. You see,

I had been promoted to a new role right after having my first child. 

He was constantly sick...always on the most important week of work. 

And I was scared that someone would think I wasn’t committed to my job. That I would fail my son who needed me. 

That maybe, just maybe if he didn’t stop getting sick, that I might lose my job. 

And yet I believed that the ONLY WAY to be successful was to continue to achieve in my corporate job.

And that in order to achieve, it meant SACRIFICE. 

Sacrifice of time for me and my family

Doing the work (even if it didn’t align with my values or wasn’t the most effective way) 

Spending hours perfecting something because my boss expected it (even if it was unnecessary). 

Playing the political game and making sure I was seen and at my desk putting in the hours. 

?? These things made me sick, riddled with anxiety, a brain that never shut off and the worry that one day I would wake up and regret what I’d given up in order to achieve success. 

—

And here is the truth - 

Four years later, as I sat at an awards banquet receiving an honor for being the number two team in the company to achieve sales and profit...

As I walked across the stage getting congratulations and kudos from the CEO, CMO and CFO, I FELT it. 

I got settled back into my chair, turned to my husband, looked him in the eyes and told him how I really felt. 

That award. 

The prestige. 

The accomplishment. 

It WASN’T WORTH IT. 

Why?

Because it cost me my sanity. 

Portions of my daughter’s first year of life that I don’t remember and can never get back. 

It cost me countless hours of sleep and weekends I spent working instead of with friends or family. 

That night at the banquet began a very long journey for me. 

One where I searched for how to find FULFILLMENT & BALANCE as a WORKING MOM. 

One that, had I known now, what I didn’t know then, would have changed my life. 

Despite that turning point in 2009, it took me nearly 8 years to leave. 

Not because I didn’t have the skills to create a better life for myself and my family, 

Not because there weren’t other ways for me to leverage my skills without giving up my income,

But because I LACKED the CLARITY on my value and path ahead. 

And I was riddled with FEAR.

Instead of seeking help to figure out my path, I took the known route. 

One might call it the “easier path”,

But I can tell you now, it was anything but. 

I learned the hard way, but you DON’T have to. 

—-

If you know you have got to make a change, don’t let fear or lack of clarity keep you stuck like I did. 

There is freedom & fulfillment waiting on the other side

...so much more than you can’t even imagine. 

2019 is right around the corner. 

The best time to start building your bridge to freedom is NOW.