If you don’t take care of yourself, you cannot take care of others. This is something we hear a lot, but it is easier said than done when you have little children who need you in order to survive!
When there is a voice in your head saying you need something more fulfilling out of your career; it is important to listen. Katherine is a Wine Rep for Profile Wine Group and enjoys her job, but something was missing. An interest in nutrition, health and yoga was always present, so it was time to pursue a career focused in that realm.
While working full time and pregnant with her son Theo, she decided to go back to school at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. Managing this schedule through back pain and migraines while commuting to all her commitments was difficult, but her passion kept her going.
Fast forward to today and she is now working at a Health Food Store, building up her clientele and networking to develop relationships that could lead to her calling in this sector. Through promotion of nutritional wellness on her Instagram page @mind.body.spirit.mama; she is developing her brand and sharing experiences of holistically caring for herself and her child. With all of this going on she is continuing as a Wine Rep and caring for her 17-month-old boy. Sometimes we cannot quit our day job while we pursue our passion projects but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pursue them. It is easy to get caught up in the chaos of our mom job and day job and forget to listen to the nagging voice telling us that we need more.
Since having Theo, her perspective has shifted. No longer sweating the small stuff and prioritizing family is a natural choice. There is a level of guilt that comes from not being able to attend all work events, but her company accommodates by letting her work from home sometimes and make her own hours. It was noted that three other women she worked with went on maternity leave and did not return. The Wine industry can be a difficult one to navigate while being a mother. From her viewpoint it seems easier for the men in her industry who have had babies as their work life hasn’t had to change much.
In her holistic health gig, Katherine is focusing on wellness for women pre, during and post pregnancy and healthy eating for young children. She practices what she preaches by emulating this in her own home. It has become clear to me that early motherhood is a time when we give our energy and nutrients to our children; through pregnancy, breastfeeding, chasing them around or getting food stolen right from our hands!…those little seagulls… We need to replenish to keep our heads above water. Paying attention to what we put into our bodies is a way to do that and Katherine helped me with this when My oldest son was starting daycare and I was on my second pregnancy.
With everything she is pursuing, Katherine doesn’t feel she is able to focus on her career 100% at this time. Sometimes guilt creeps in when she thinks of this but is doing her best to enjoy this phase of life as a new mother. One of the challenges in managing all these different areas in her day to day is the exhaustion. Theo still wakes up multiple times a night most nights and if he doesn’t wake up, Katherine still does in anticipation (who hasn’t done this…so frustrating!!!). “As difficult as it is sometimes, I’ve realized that this is simply where I am at right now. My job as a mom is to listen to what he needs, and to trust my gut. Which right now is telling me to keep doing what I’m doing”. She has found that her body has learned to adapt to the exhaustion, but she also really takes care of herself. She uses adrenal support, takes vitamins and watches her blood sugar to keep up the energy she needs to fuel her day. Coffee and green tea are also her saviors! “If I need an extra cup of Jo in the morning or a quick 20-minute nap in my car at work (shhh), I know it’s worth it for the bond and trust I’ve developed with my son”.
Three tips Katherine has discovered on her journey and would like to share with women of the Career Pump community are:
- Take Care of Yourself – keep check on your nutrition, physical activity, mental health (its all related), but make sure you are in a good enough state for yourself before you take on the mother and career woman tasks. As they say “you can’t pour from an empty cup”
- Figure out your Support System – who will be there when you need a break, while you are at work, when you need a nap, or you have a work meeting? Whether that is your parent, partner, siblings, daycare etc. “It takes a village to raise a child, who is your village?”
- Take it One Day at a time – everything can change at the drop of a hat, so try to start each day with a fresh perspective and know that if something didn’t go as planned yesterday or you had a tough day, and YOU have the power to make it whatever you want it to be
Her holistic nutrition path is still evolving, and Katherine is unsure where it will lead, but is relishing in letting her path flow. She listened to that voice telling her she needed more and went for it!
Thank you for the tips on self care for our Career Pump community. We look forward to watching you grow along this new path.
Story written by Jenn DiRaddo Jefferson of Career Pump
Stay tuned for our next Career Pump interview teaching us lessons from a mother who made a huge career and lifestyle shift…
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