“When we surrender to the unknown a path is shown.” This mantra perfectly sums up Emily Szajda’s life journey. Currently a General Manager at The NOW Massage, Emily is also an author, speaker, chef, nutritionist, yoga meditation instructor, and activist. Not to mention, she is a mom to Henry William, age 3, and is expecting a baby girl this July!

Emily may have grown up in a small town of only 900 residents, but the rest of her life has been a story of exploration and drawing outside of the lines. In her late 20s, Emily moved abroad to Brussels, looking for more work-life balance after a hectic start to her career in the hospitality industry. It was there that she let her inhibitions go to the wind and began incorporating a greater focus on wellness into her day-to-day routine. Now, Emily has not only applied this new perspective to her career in the massage therapy world, but she has also exposed her son to the importance of mindfulness and self-care.

Tune into this week’s episode of Bathtime 2 Boardroom for a conversation with Emily Szajda about establishing consistent mind and body wellness while parenting. Learn how Emily has found a healthy balance between her Midwest work ethic and a more care-free approach, why Emily’s son Henry has decided (independently!) to be a vegetarian, and why treasuring experiences has been a fundamental component of Emily’s motherhood journey.

Quotes

• “It’s interesting because once you move away from your small town or move away from what you once knew and you change as an individual, your parents or family at large expect you to stay the same in your mentality.” (16:25-16:42)

• “In regards to being present with Henry, whenever I’m not working and committed to my clients and to my day job, I’m just very mindful that I’m always listening. I’m not being distracted by my cell phone, which is so easy to do these days….When it’s Henry’s time, it’s Henry’s time.” (23:57-24:29)

• “As an organization, we’re really focused on the power of a touch, and that touch can transcend whether that is empowering you as a person or giving you just that sense of wellness, wellbeing, grounding.” (29:27-29:39)

• “My advice to parents returning to the workplace is, even if it’s five minute’s time, find those little tidbits in the day in regards to filling your cup full. Because we give so much of our energy to our jobs, to our partners, to our children, that we’re often running on low fumes, low fuel gauge I like to say.” (33:07-33:25)

• “I think so often as Americans, sleep gets pushed to the bottom of the totem pole, and it’s so vital for us to be able to show up in a good mood, a good place for ourselves, so that we’re not disgusted by how we react, and for our children, so that they’re getting the best of us.” (34:25-34:42)

Links

https://thenowmassage.com

www.emilyszajda.com

https://www.helenbamber.org/

https://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing