Back in January 2015, I started the year feeling tired, stuck and unfulfilled.

The working mum juggle was dragging me down and I knew I had to take action to stop it dragging me under.

So I decided to pull the ripcord without a plan.

I made the decision that I didn’t want to live my life like this.  The only option (at the time) felt like it was to walk away from my career to save my health and sanity and be the kind of mum I wanted to be.

• I thought that taking away the pressure of my work would fix the problem
• I thought a change of pace was what I needed
• I thought doing less would bring me balance

But I was trying to solve a problem that was inside of me with a solution that was outside to me.

I was wrong. What I needed was inside of me all along. I couldn’t see that.

I don’t recommend pulling the ripcord as I did.

• It didn’t bring me the elusive balance I had been hoping for
• It didn’t magically dissolve my mother’s guilt 
• It didn’t free me up 

I just became frustrated that I couldn’t control my own life.  That I couldn’t live the kind of life I had hoped for.

So I stopped trying to achieve balance.

Instead, I created alignment.

Alignment is about clarifying who you are—your values and priorities—and removing the noise and distraction of the expectations of others.

Rather than trying to achieve some unattainable balance based on society’s norms and values, it’s finding your flow.

I stopped looking externally for the answers.

• I stopped dreaming about a “better” life and actually took think about what I actually wanted, even if it sounded too good to be true
• And I started looking inward…which was hardest of all…to ask myself the hard questions about what I really wanted.  To self-source my happiness and definition of success.  And to discover what was holding me back.

Was this change easy? No.

Was it worth it? OMG, yes!

Have I now got this perfectly nailed?  No.

I’d hate to give you the impression that my life is perfect now. It’s not. I’ve got stresses and struggles I still wrestle with.

But it’s a hell of a lot easier.

As alignment isn’t about perfection, it’s about direction.

I learned the hard way that the perfect balance as a working mum doesn’t exist.  But we can move forward in a way that lines up with what we believe and what matters most. That’s when alignment and flow happen and it feels easier.

A successful career and an aligned life are available to any woman who is willing to create it.

That’s why I created the Awaken, Align & Activate approach that enables my clients to thrive as working mums.

AWAKEN- awareness of their needs, values,  strengths,  goals but also their beliefs and unconscious rules that drive their behaviour.  This phase provides clarity and motivation.

ALIGN – is exploring the intersection between their personal and professional worlds.  It’s about looking at the context of their life and aligning this with their hopes, dreams and goals.

ACTIVATE – this phase is about designing and deploying intentional strategies that help my clients to apply their insights in the real world to have a lasting positive impact.  Ultimately helping them to thrive as working mums.

If you’re ready to stop sacrificing for your success and start truly enjoying the good life you’ve worked so hard for, schedule a call. I’m ready to help you see what is possible in your own career and life.