Career Mom

I recently hosted a Fishbowl live with Kimberly Didrickson from Learning Motherhood and Ashley Reckdenwald from Working Mom Notes. This episode is a re-play of our conversation about returning to the workplace.

We tackled this topic from both a COVID return to office and maternity leave return. We had over 900 listeners on the event and I loved our conversation so much I wanted to share it with all of you.  I hope you enjoy!

For any references made in this episode visit: careermompodcast.com/return

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Music Credit: Campfire by Scandinavianz: soundcloud.com/scandinavianz

I swear, it's not you, it's me. I need a podcast break. This podcast has fulfilled me in so many ways but it is also a lot of work. I will be taking a few months off to regroup and plan for the future of Career Mom Podcast. Thanks for listening. Here are ways you can continue to support me: 

Catch up on all the past Career Mom episodes

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Check out my course on Listenable! Have a Career and Be a Good Mom: How to Redefine Working Motherhood The first 7 days of a listenable subscription is free so listen to my course (only 45 minutes) in those 7 days and then cancel - I won’t tell anyone ;)

Join the Career Mom conversation on Instagram @careermompodcast

 

Sign up for  Listenable.io

Join the Career Mom conversation on Instagram @careermompodcast

Join the Career Mom Facebook group Career Mom Facebook Group

Music Credit: Campfire by Scandinavianz:  soundcloud.com/scandinavianz

Returning to the corporate world after having a child is tough. Especially if you really thrived in the competitive environment pre-baby. Corporate moms needs to re-evaluate priorities and career goals. Maria Smith has been a corporate mom for 15 years and she shares some of her confessions of what she learned along the way in this week’s episode. 

Maria was born and raised in Lexington, KY. She is a former Miss Kentucky and competed in Miss America. She has spent the past 15 years in corporate America working in 4 organizations and 3 different industries. Throughout her career she has received leadership awards, promotions, and relocated 3 times all while having babies and a thriving marriage. She has 3 children and has been married for 15 years. She also has a blog: confessionsofacorporatemom.com about managing motherhood, marriage, and maniacs. 

Things we talk about in the episode: 

The competitiveness in large organizations 

Learning how to compartmentalize, say no and the importance of being your own advocate in Corporate America

Finding fulfillment and joy as a working mom

Managing motherhood, marriage and maniacs (the theme of Maria’s blog)

 

Check out my course on Listenable! Have a Career and Be a Good Mom: How to Redefine Working Motherhood The first 7 days of a listenable subscription is free so listen to my course (only 46 minutes) in those 7 days and then cancel - I won’t tell anyone ;) Sign up for  Listenable.io

 

Follow Maria on IG: @confessions_of_a_corporate_mom

Check out Maria’s Blog: confessionsofacorporatemom.com

Join the Career Mom conversation on Instagram @careermompodcast

Join the Career Mom Facebook group Career Mom Facebook Group

Music Credit: Campfire by Scandinavianz:  soundcloud.com/scandinavianz

Do you have a toxic relationship with productivity? I do. Toxic productivity can basically be summed up as:

Struggling to be alone with yourself when not completing a task. 

Feeling guilty when you take breaks or take a day off. 

Comparing yourself to others based on productivity.

Feeling a sense of restlessness during moments of stillness, play, or other things you may label in your head as “non-productive.”

Attaching feelings of self worth to producing, creating, or working in some way. 

Listen to this week’s episode to hear about what I have learned about toxic productivity and how it relates to my life and this podcast. I also announce that I am taking a podcasting break in an attempt to answer the question: Who am I when I’m not creating, doing or producing something.

 

Check out the book’s I mentioned in today’s episode on audible and get a free audiobook download here: audibletrial.com/careermom

 

Check out my course on Listenable! Have a Career and Be a Good Mom: How to Redefine Working Motherhood The first 7 days of a listenable subscription is free so listen to my course (only 46 minutes) in those 7 days and then cancel - I won’t tell anyone ;)

Sign up for  Listenable.io

Join the Career Mom conversation on Instagram @careermompodcast

Music Credit: Campfire by Scandinavianz:  soundcloud.com/scandinavianz

Did you know that 1 in 10 dads get postpartum depression within the first year of their child’s life. 18% of fathers develop anxiety related disorders in the first year and the risk of depression also goes up to 50% if their partner has postpartum depression too. This week’s episode features Daniel B. Singley, Ph.D., ABPP.

Dr. Singley is a San Diego-based board certified psychologist and Director of The Center for Men’s Excellence. His research and practice focus on men’s mental health with a particular emphasis on reproductive psychology and the transition to fatherhood. Dr. Singley won the American Psychological Association’s 2017 Practitioner of the Year Award from the Division on Men & Masculinities. He is Past President of the APA’s Section on Positive Psychology and currently serves on the Board of the APA’s Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities as well as Postpartum Support International. He conducts trainings and presentations around the country to assist individuals and organizations to enhance their level of father inclusiveness and founded the grant-funded Basic Training for New Dads, Inc nonprofit and Padre Cadre social networking application just for dads in order to give new fathers the tools they need to be highly engaged with their infants as well as their partners. In his free time, Dr. Singley likes to cook, surf, read, and drive his two sons to activities all over town so they can’t escape his annoying shrinky questions. Follow him @MenExcel and www.facebook.com/MenExcel/

Things we talk about in the episode: 

The dude to dad transition - male identity shifts

Fatherhood generational gap - the expectations for males to be caregivers and not just providers

Masked male depression - how postpartum depression manifests in men and questions to ask your partner if you are concerned about their mental health. 

Communication strategies for couples as they navigate the challenging transition into parenthood.

 

Follow Dr Singley:  @men.excel  and Facebook.com/MenExcel

 

Check out my course on Listenable! Have a Career and Be a Good Mom: How to Redefine Working Motherhood The first 7 days of a listenable subscription is free so listen to my course (only 46 minutes) in those 7 days and then cancel - I won’t tell anyone ;)

Sign up for  Listenable.io

Join the Career Mom conversation on Instagram @careermompodcast

Join the Career Mom Facebook group Career Mom Facebook Group

Music Credit: Campfire by Scandinavianz:  soundcloud.com/scandinavianz

I recently read the book,  Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking The Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski. This book has been a game changer for me and how I think about and treat stress in my life.  As a Career Mom, I know you are no stranger to stress and I know that for most of us COVID has done nothing but add 100x more of it  to our lives.  The term burnout has been thrown all over the working mom community in relation to this pandemic so this episode is how to begin treating and preventing burnout. I share several ways to complete the stress cycle and actually more stress through your body. 

 

Check out this book on audible and get a free audiobook download here: audibletrial.com/careermom

 

Check out my course on Listenable! Have a Career and Be a Good Mom: How to Redefine Working Motherhood The first 7 days of a listenable subscription is free so listen to my course (only 46 minutes) in those 7 days and then cancel - I won’t tell anyone ;)

Sign up for  Listenable.io

Join the Career Mom conversation on Instagram @careermompodcast

Join the Career Mom Facebook group Career Mom Facebook Group

Music Credit: Campfire by Scandinavianz:  soundcloud.com/scandinavianz

Routines, you either love them or hate them. I’ve leaned hard on routines during COVID and while they can be a challenge to start I do appreciate their power. This week’s guest, Ashley Brown, created a business and podcast all around routines. She uses routines not only to structure her days but to reduce stress, reduce the mental load, and to intentionally align her life with her values. 

Ashley  is a mom of 2 and creator and owner of Routine and Things, which equips women to consistently live their happiest life one routine at a time. Ashley strongly believes routines are a form of wellness and can be a beautiful springboard for improving your home, yourself, and your life. She’s on a mission to see as many women as possible live life with ease by starting, maintaining, and enjoying routines! 

Things we talk about in the episode: 

Ashley’s definition of a routine - an intentional flow of actions done consistently.

Common beliefs of routine resistant people - they are boring and restrictive (not true, btw!). 

The benefits of routines: reduced stress and confusion, lighten the mental load, create more flexibility, and live your life aligned with your values. 

Check out Ashley’s FREE routine assessment here: routineandthings/assessment

 

I hope you enjoy our conversation!

 

Check out my course on Listenable! Have a Career and Be a Good Mom: How to Redefine Working Motherhood 

Check out Ashley’s podcast  Routine and Things Podcast

Check out Ashley’s website routineandthings.com

Follow Ashley on Instagram @routineandthings

Join the Career Mom conversation on Instagram @careermompodcast

Music Credit: Campfire by Scandinavianz:  soundcloud.com/scandinavianz

I created an audio course on Listenable.io and this Career Mom Conversation is the first two lessons of that course. The full course is 10 lessons and 46 minutes long. The course’s objective is to help modern working moms understand their identity, how their careers relate to their identity and why women tend to lose themselves in motherhood. It provides exercises, tools, and resources to redefine and embrace working motherhood to ease mom guilt. It will empower you to make changes in your mindset to challenge societal messages telling women they don’t deserve a career or fulfillment outside of motherhood.  

 

Check out my course on Listenable! Have a Career and Be a Good Mom: How to Redefine Working Motherhood The first 7 days of a listenable subscription is free so listen to my course (only 46 minutes) in those 7 days and then cancel - I won’t tell anyone ;)

Sign up for  Listenable.io

 

Join the Career Mom conversation on Instagram @careermompodcast

Sign up for a free 30 day trial of Audible. audibletrial.com/CareerMom

Music Credit: Campfire by Scandinavianz:  soundcloud.com/scandinavianz

This month the world is reflecting on what a year in a global pandemic has been like. If 2020 taught us anything, it is how we all deal with change! Today’s guest, Danielle Vardaro, lost her job in aviation at the beginning of the pandemic and was forced to face change head on. She has a powerful story of seeing job loss as one of the biggest opportunities she has had. She spent the time navigating job loss getting clear on how she manages change and what it is she wants out of her career and life. 

 

Danielle is a proud working mom based in The Greater Boston Area, where she resides with her husband, and twin 4-year-old boys. Danielle is the Head of Worldwide Customer Support & Aftermarket Sales for Commercial Aviation with Embraer. She has spent her entire career in the Aerospace Industry, with experience in Engineering, Program Management, Business Development, and Product Marketing & Value Selling.

When she’s not chasing toddlers or airplanes, you can find her on the Peloton, weightlifting, mentoring, or finding a reason to open a bottle of champagne. She is committed to helping Modern Day Working Women own their power and actualize their full potential, and shares a slice of her life, and best mother hustler mindsets and tips from her platform @BubblesAndBabes.

 

Things we talk about in the episode: 

Mindset, mindset, mindset - Danielle shares her positive mindset to manage change and job change. 

Personal branding - Owning who you are and what you stand for in every room you enter.

Change Management - Knowing what we need to manage change; things like our support system, physical activity, and solid routines.

I hope you enjoy our conversation!

 

Check out my course on Listenable! Have a Career and Be a Good Mom: How to Redefine Working Motherhood 

Sign up for  Listenable.io

Follow Danielle  on Instagram @bubblesandbabes

Check out Danielle’s site  www.bubblesandbabesinc.com 

Join the Career Mom conversation on Instagram @careermompodcast

Sign up for a free 30 day trial of Audible. audibletrial.com/CareerMom

Music Credit: Campfire by Scandinavianz:  soundcloud.com/scandinavianz

"Don’t should on yourself".  I love this quote because I think we all can relate to the feeling that we should be doing something when we don’t want to. I didn’t fully realize the impacts of "shoulds" until I read Elle Lunas book: "The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion."

I read this right before starting my podcast and it pushed me to take the leap to start it. I re-read it at the start of 2021 and I loved it again! I want to share the main take-aways with you. Even if you’re thinking “I don’t have a passion” it doesn’t matter because the fundamentals of the book fit perfectly into the conflicts of modern working motherhood.

 

Check out my course on Listenable! Have a Career and Be a Good Mom: How to Redefine Working Motherhood

Join Listenable.io

Join the Career Mom conversation on Instagram @careermompodcast

Sign up for a free 30 day trial of Audible. audibletrial.com/CareerMom

Music Credit: Campfire by Scandinavianz:  soundcloud.com/scandinavianz