March 2020 hit different for me.

(and it wasn’t just because of lockdown)

I was out of work for the first time in my life (company had closed down Jan 2020).

I had just become a new mom.

Life was totally different (very overwhelming actually) and I had no prior framework to navigate this season.

So I did the only thing I knew to do in the midst of floundering. Dig in and learn.

My biggest question? What could this season look like as a new mom going back into the workforce? What could be possible?

Having spent time in design thinking, I decided to apply these principles to my own life.

I started out by considering the “big rocks” - the most important pieces of my life.

This included:

• How I wanted to show up as a mom (energy levels etc.)
• How much time I wanted to devote to being a mom during the week (for me, I wanted two weekdays to be with my kiddo)
• How much money I wanted to contribute to my family’s gross income (based on our shared financial goals)

Then, I started a “no” list.

I’d invested a lot into my career up until that point and had worked for some exciting companies on big projects, and a normal work week for me was long (a minimum of at least 60-70 hours).

I knew this way of working wasn’t compatible with my new goals.

But I didn’t really know any other way to work.

I was worried that the type of roles that would give me more time would also leave me bored and unable to contribute financially in the way I wanted to and knew I could.

I also realized that I had developed a lot of habits to support my long work weeks that I’d need to unlearn and replace.

Talk about a major transformation!

So I laid out a list of career paths and roles that I knew I could do, but wouldn’t allow me the flexibility I wanted for this season. This was my “not-for-now” list.

Then, the fun part. What could be possible?

I created a mind map of all the different types of career opportunities I wanted to explore.

Then (now here’s the part that people forget or don’t do properly), I created a list of questions to validate each career path that aligned to my goals.

1. How much of a challenge will this role be?
2. Will I be contributing to or leading something new?
3. What is the financial compensation?
4. How much time is required?
5. How hard will it be to transition into this line of work?

For each opportunity, I answered these 5 questions. If I didn’t know the answer, I found people in my network to chat with and validate my assumptions.

After applying this process, it became clearer as to what could be next.

(mind you, I wasn’t planning on doing this for forever, just for this season)

I decided to start my own consulting and coaching company where I worked with startup and scale up business clients who needed strategic management support around sales, operations and people practices. In addition to this, I opened up a second revenue stream where I coached high potential leaders at places like Google and helped them progress their career.

Given my skill set, network and background, this was the easiest way for me to have control over my time, enjoy engaging and strategic work while contributing financially to my family.

I took what I had in my hands and created something new that worked for this season.

Now, you may be looking at this thinking, “Good for you, Beckie. There’s no way I could ever do something like this.”

And my response to you would be, “I agree. If you don’t have my background and skill set, this would be really hard.”

However, you have your own background, education and skills that could lead to very interesting opportunities.

My hunch? Perhaps you’ve never considered that there are other ways to work beyond the normal 40-hour employment model.

One of my clients, Ella, realized this very thing. She also had a new baby and was feeling anxious about going back to a fulltime role while her daughter was still young.

We worked together to determine what was important to her for an 12-month season. Then, we brainstormed several career options designed to help her to achieve these goals and finally she validated them in conversation with real people.

She’s now moving towards work that she never dreamed she’d be doing and is so happy about the direction her career is taking.

So, if you’re feeling stuck and you know that this season is special - maybe you’ve just had a child, or you’re caring for your aging parents or you’re just trying to find a new rhythm for a season - I’m here to tell you that there are so many career options available to you.

You just have to take the time to explore while being creative and realistic about what is possible.

So, if this is resonating, I’d love to invite you to join me in a FREE Intro-to-Coaching session. In this call, we’ll talk about what your goals are, what you’re struggling with and the fears that are hitting you late at night. Then we'll talk through a plan to help you move forward with confidence. ​

​These calls are for people who are serious about figuring out what could be next and who are ready to invest in a positive change.​

If this is you, let’s book a time.

​I can’t wait to meet you and support you as you transition to what’s next.

Until next week!

Beckie

When you’re ready, here are some ways I can support you:

​Book FREE 1:1 Intro-To-Coaching call with me Make 2024 YOUR year by setting and achieving your important career goals.

​FREE DOWNLOAD ​The Job Search Playbook Fix the 3 mistakes that are holding you back from finding and landing a new role you love.