Spring renewal
Each year the first truly lovely day in the spring renews my spirit and energizes me. Here in Maine, even after a mild winter (which this one has been), spring always seems a late arrival to this Virginia-born woman. I love seeing the first crocus, the first bees on flowers, and I savor the sun's warmth on my face as I sit on the porch and type this.
If you're a mom contemplating a return to the paid workforce after time home with your child or children, I hope you have a moment of renewal this spring, too. To help your career planning juices flow, I'm sharing a few thoughts and some resources to consider. I hope you can get outside and feel the sun on your face, too!
Take a look at Mother Untitled. Neha Ruch, well-educated and successful, stepped away from paid work to focus on her family. Wisely, she recognized a need for a community for "ambitious women leaning into family life." Her organization, Mother Untitled, is "on a mission to update the perception of career pauses and downshifts for motherhood, infusing this life chapter with ambition, dignity, growth, and potential." You can follow them on Instagram, join the community, and access terrific resources on their website. I love everything about Neha's focus, advocacy, and thoughts.
Maine moms: please check out Birth Roots, if you don't know them already. This amazing organization supports parents and families, however they are defined. To quote their website, they "are a non-profit providing community-based education and support focused on pregnancy through the early years of parenting. Our classes and events emphasize instinct and intuition, while addressing the social, emotional and non-clinical needs of new parents." If you're not in Maine, please let me know if you have a similar type organization in your community so I can spread the word. Parents need all the support and love they can get!
Pick up a book to help you think about careers in a new way. Two of my favorite writers, podcasters, and career development thought leaders are Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper. Their classic The Squiggly Career is both inspirational reading and a workbook to help you clarify your values and strengths. Ellis and Tupper are British, but their insights apply to those of us in the US, too. Their newest book on "Confidence Gremlins" is in the mail to me right now and will be the subject of another blog post. They are also brilliant podcasters. I'd love to have a glass of wine or a cup of tea with these women some day!
Finally, think about how you can support yourself. Sometimes our confidence takes a hit when we step away from the paid workforce. This is topic for a separate essay, but our society continues to devalue caregiving. Evidenced by the low wages we pay child care providers and the research that shows stay-at-home parents feel misunderstood, it's no wonder our confidence can take a hit when we're not receiving a paycheck. If the thought of doing an interview leaves you feeling queasy, take a listen to Matt Abrahams' advice. Abrahams is a professor at Stanford's Business School and the author of "Think Fast Talk Smart." He specializes in effective communication. In this discussion with Andrew Seaman from LinkedIn he talks about ways to boost your confidence and tell your story in an interview.
Happy Spring!
