Episode 115: Career Growth for Moms Who Don't Have Time for Career Growth
ITUNES | SPOTIFY
If you're a working mom who hasn't thought about your career in... a while — this episode is for you.
Whether you're starting to wonder what's next, feeling that quiet burn of "is this even worth it anymore," or just want to stop being caught off guard when someone asks where you see yourself in five years, we're talking about those bigger picture career questions that tend to get pushed to the bottom of the list when life is full and you're just trying to keep up. But here's the truth: career growth doesn't stop just because you're also raising kids. You just need a different approach.
In this episode, I'm sharing four simple routines that can help you stay connected to where you're headed professionally, without adding a massive project to your already full plate. We're talking 15 minutes. That's it.
And if you're ready to take this further with real support and a plan, I'm currently accepting 1:1 coaching clients this summer. Head to www.themothernurture.com/work-with-me to learn more.
Links and resources mentioned in this episode:
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You are listening to the Life Coach for Working Moms podcast, the show where we are talking about what it actually takes to make life work as a working mom. I'm your host, Katelyn Denning, a full time working mom of three and a certified life and executive coach. I'm so glad you're here and I hope you enjoy this week's episode. Hello, hello. Welcome back to another episode of the podcast Today we're gonna focus on those big picture career questions that we all face from time to time, and you might be thinking that summer is maybe not the most ideal time to be thinking about your career, but I don't know about you, I often find myself in a more reflective mode in the summer, and I'm also noticing that in my client sessions. I can distinctly remember over the years our family travels up to Lake Michigan every summer for a week of just pure relaxation. It truly is. You know the types of trips or vacations where you go to the same spot, to the same house, you have your routine when you get there so that you really can just relax. Well, that's what we do. And I can distinctly remember in summers past sitting in my beach chair on the shore of Lake Michigan in the beautiful weather, staring off at the horizon and thinking about the bigger questions in my life. What are my priorities? Where do I see myself? What type of mom am I or do I want to be or who am I becoming in this stage of my life? And Maybe you have a similar relaxing vacation like that coming up, or maybe you don't, but either way I want to encourage you to not just discount summer as the season where it's all about fun in the sun and whatever else you think of when it comes to summer. Yes, and I think it can be a really beautiful season to contemplate some of these bigger questions. And so I wanna ask you, when was the last time you thought about your career? Where you're headed, what the next phase or the next thing is for you? For a lot of the working moms that I talk to, the answer to that question is, "I can't remember the last time I thought about where I'm headed in my career." You're so focused on all the other things, raising your kids, taking care of daily life, and just making it from one day to the next, showing up at your job, getting the work done and when life is busy and full like that, the first things that we let go of or the first things to get cut are the things that don't feel as necessary, and thinking about where you're headed in your career does not feel necessary in those moments Plus, for a lot of my clients and listeners, you have gone through a lot of change to become a mom, to transition into this role, to work alongside of raising a family, and so thinking about your career can also feel a bit overwhelming. You have questions about, "Who even am I, and what do I actually want?" But at some point, you will inevitably be asked some variation of the question, "Where do you wanna be in five years?" Or, "What's next for you?" If not by an employer, a manager, a boss, or a potential employer if you're interviewing, then perhaps from yourself. You'll wonder, "Why am I doing this? Is it worth it? What's my end goal?" Or, "What am I working toward?" Now, I always hated those questions in interviews, I will be honest. I don't think that you can definitively answer any of those types of questions, because who really knows? We're all just guessing and figuring it out as we go But what I do know is that you will be completely clueless if you're not actively looking for clues along the way, if you're not being curious about yourself and your own life along the way From every position, responsibility, project, opportunity, colleague, manager, team member, you get information that can form the future of your career. From being in conversation, getting exposure to new projects and opportunities, staying in touch with, and yes, networking with peers and colleagues I actually have a great podcast episode. If you are interested or feeling like you need to be doing more networking for your next step in your career, you should check out episode 32 of the podcast called Networking for Working Moms But through all of these things, you are gathering clues So that someday down the road or now or in your next annual review or in your next interview, when you think about answering those bigger career questions, you have a wealth of ideas and data points. You have all of these seeds that you've been planting along the way that have taught you what you enjoy doing and what you don't Now, if you're wondering, how do I find time to invest in my career, to plant those seeds, to think about the bigger, longer term picture when my time is so limited I can barely keep up with my inbox or get dinner on the table in the evening I wanna give you some very specific examples of what this can look like, because it doesn't have to be a big project that requires lots of time or a big chunk of time. It only requires that big project management energy when we go for weeks, months, or even years without thinking about it. Then it is truly like picking up something that you've forgotten years ago and have to dust off and restart. Whereas if you can think about it as just a small habit that you do on a somewhat consistent basis in the same way... I was gonna say that you brush your teeth, but that's every day, and I don't even think this has to be every day. But if you think about, I don't know, you wash your sheets every week, or you occasionally, , do any other sort of maintenance task that you do around your house or in your life. If you keep up with it, it doesn't turn into this thing that requires a bunch of effort and time And so my challenge to you really through this, these examples and through this entire topic is to think of this as not, is to think of this not as a project, a one-off large scale project, but as a very small habit that you are always tending to, if we go back to our planting seeds analogy. You are tending to this. You are thinking about it on a consistent basis so that you're not caught off guard. You're not starting from scratch. You don't have the deer in the headlights look when someone asks you what's next. You have some ideas. You don't have to have, again, a definitive answer or know exactly what you're working toward, but you have ideas, and what I really love about having ideas is that feels energizing. And so whenever I'm working with a client who's feeling burnt out and tired and exhausted by their career and ready to burn it all down It's usually because they've lost that spark or that connection or that curiosity about themselves, about the work that they're doing, about what they enjoy and what they don't So if investing in your career, if thinking about the bigger picture and your next steps was something that was small and manageable that you did in very short pockets of time, maybe five to 15 minutes, and that that, was enough, this is what it could potentially look like. And I hope that as you're listening to this, you might have your own variations and ideas of what you could do that's unique to your career and your industry and your path. But here is just a baseline to get you started thinking So the first assignment that I would give any client who's looking to reconnect with their career and that bigger picture is to be in the know This is honestly half the battle when it comes to thinking about your long-term career, your industry, the trends, what's happening, and the good news is this is also the easiest step. Information is everywhere. It does take some time to discern what is useful and accurate information. But how can you get plugged into the right sources that will help you stay active and current with what's happening in your field, that could help you learn more about what you're currently doing or what you might be interested in learning more about? So maybe that looks like subscribing to a weekly email digest. Maybe it is following a couple of key accounts from thought leaders on social media in your space. Or maybe, this is a good one, you could get notified of job openings from a job board or looking on LinkedIn, whatever you use these days to find openings, so that you can know and have your finger on the pulse of what positions and what fields are growing related to, again, what you currently do or what you might be interested in Then to turn this into a consistent habit, it's taking a block of time where honestly you could just repurpose from mindlessly scrolling on your phone or on social media, and instead spend those 15 minutes skimming the latest news. You can certainly read an in-depth article. Maybe there's a Substack that you really enjoy, and you could set aside a little bit of time. Think about what time of day is best for you to maybe when you need a brain break a little bit and you just wanna read, you wanna skim. Find those 15 minutes where you can get caught up, maybe perhaps be inspired, think about something from a new perspective, relate it back to your work or what you might want to do in the future. Be knowledgeable. Be in the know, and follow your curiosity. It's as simple as that. Follow your curiosity, and on a weekly basis, set aside 15 minutes to just absorb. What can you absorb? Then if we wanna take that a step further, we've got our weekly reading, our weekly knowledge building, then we want to stay top of mind. This is key for networking. This is key for a potential job search, a career pivot, a re-entry into the workforce if you've taken a pause or you've scaled back your hours and you're ready to get back in. When conversations, projects, or positions are happening in your area of expertise, in your field, are you top of mind? Whether you like it or not, a lot of decisions are made based on who you know and more importantly, who is thinking of you. I talk to a lot of women who are frustrated by this way of doing things because it is hard to be out and about shaking hands, getting lunch or coffee, and being seen when you are raising young kids and your schedule is often not your own But if we challenge that thinking that this is hard or you don't have enough time, maybe it can be as simple as being active online. I've talked about this in episodes before on the podcast when we think about networking or we think about career pivots, but can you find, again, that 10 or 15-minute pocket of time each week to use, say, LinkedIn intentionally to be active, to be liking posts, to be commenting so that your name appears? Can you send an email sharing an interesting article that you came across in your weekly reading with a colleague? Can you sit down for those 15 minutes with the intention of putting yourself top of mind of your network I love this not only because it keeps you positioned and ready at all times for whatever changes your career might bring, and I know there is a lot of uncertainty right now in certain industries. Trust me, I hear it all of the time from my clients who work in fields that are being impacted by AI and workforce reduction. All of these changes, this not only keeps you well positioned in the event of a change, but the more people that you are connecting with, that you are chatting with on LinkedIn or commenting on their posts or forwarding an email to, the more, again, you start to pick up those clues for yourself about the types of conversations and the topics and the interests that are interesting to you. That is something you may want to consider or pursue or explore in the future as you think about what is important to me, where am I going, what is this for? Now, I know I just gave you an example that was because it can be so hard to get out and see people face to face. Trust me, I get it. When I am working, I wanna be head down at my computer getting as much done as I can so that when I need to pick up the kids from school or daycare back in the day or summer camp, I can be present with them. It doesn't leave me a lot of wiggle room. My schedule, as I'm sure yours is, is pretty tight. But hear me out on this one With a little bit of advanced planning, it is possible, you have to choose it, but it is possible to make time for a coffee or a lunch to stay connected, and you don't need to do it more than once a month And this is not just about staying connected for your career. I also find this to be for your mental health. I don't think that I have left a coffee date yet that didn't have me feeling energized and excited to just be outside my normal routine, but to also be talking about something different for a change, to be seeing someone who I don't normally cross paths with, to hear what they're excited about or what they're focused on Maybe these people are former colleagues that you wanna catch up with. Maybe they are people in a different branch of your organization that you don't work with on a regular basis. Maybe these are people that you meet via a mutual introduction or an informational interview There are lots of options, and if you wanna just start in a very low stakes way, make a list. Make an initial list of people that you might like to reconnect with, people that you find inspiring or who are doing interesting work that you wanna be curious about, people that you just wanna build a connection with. Whatever you are comfortable with, start with a list. And then look at your calendar a month in advance, should give you plenty of advance notice And commit to just one connection, one meeting, one coffee, one lunch, whatever feels best to you once a month. It ends up being 12 people a year that you are making meaningful connections with. It's not a ton, but it's also more than zero And the possibility of where those conversations can take you really is endless. And if nothing else, maybe you leave with a little bit more motivation or energy or connection to your own work Now my fourth and final idea for you on making this a regular habit of connecting to and thinking about your career and the bigger picture of your work , is to schedule a self-review. With so much going on, trust me I know, projects that feel never-ending, it is very natural to immediately move on from this deadline to the next, from this project to the next, from this client meeting to the next and not look back. But it's the looking back, the celebrating, the acknowledging, the reflecting that helps you see where you might want to go moving forward Now this, in full transparency, will be the hardest routine to establish because it takes a little bit more time, and there's no one waiting for you at the coffee shop to hold you accountable. Your manager is not expecting your self-reflection of your performance review to be submitted by X date. But I promise this will be one of the most impactful things that you do. Now, you can choose once a month or once a quarter. I think probably quarterly is more than enough in this instance if you're also doing these other steps But I want you to create a list in this meeting with yourself of your biggest accomplishments, to write down what you learned, to highlight what you enjoyed, what you could improve on, and what results you created with your work, with your effort Not only will it help you start to analyze and connect the dots in your own career in terms of what lights you up, what you are uniquely positioned to do, but it will also be a wealth of information from which to draw if you ever end up applying for a new job, changing careers, or just to use in your next performance review. It is so easy to forget your accomplishments after they've happened. This can be just a simple running list in Word or Google Doc. Nothing fancy or overly formatted, just a collection of your thoughts that will accumulate with each quarter and will help you as you continue to navigate where you are headed in your career Now, aside from that monthly in-person connection and maybe your quarterly review, if you're only doing it quarterly, you might want an hour for that. But none of these routines really take more than 15 or 30 minutes because anything more than that is just not realistic. Let's be honest. Anything more than that is going to be really hard to consistently do because your time is precious and you have lots of things going on. If this is going to work and be sustainable for you, you have to take things at a pace that makes sense for you right now. So if you need to start with just one idea for now, that's great. Right? Maybe you just start with a weekly check-in on industry news and updates But what I want to remind you is that career growth doesn't have to stop because you are also raising kids. It's actually the perfect time to be thinking about and experimenting with new ideas in your next evolution The key here though is to do this work with some consistency using some very simple routines like I've outlined here in this episode If you are at a decision point in your career and you would like support connecting these dots, someone to ask you the questions that can help you better see where you might go from here, and then help you with the plan and the steps to turn those ideas into action that maybe look like a promotion or a change of jobs or potentially a new career path entirely, I would love to support you My clients are stepping into the next version of their careers with confidence that they can both do the work that they are actually excited to do and still maintain their time with their family and for themselves I am currently accepting new one-on-one clients this summer. I would love to coach you. As I said, I think this is a beautiful season for self-reflection and for establishing some of these routines that can stay with you through the rest of the year into any reviews, into any next steps that you might be taking or thinking of taking in your career. To learn more about one-on-one coaching, you can visit my website At themothernurture.com/work-with-me. So that's themothernurture.com/work-with-me. If you wanna just grab that link and look at any of the show notes that we have for this episode, those are available at themothernurture.com/podcast I hope you are excited and motivated to put some of these routines in place for yourself to explore what is coming up for you in your career And until the next episode, I hope you take care, and I'll talk to you soon Thank you for listening and as always, for being a part of this working mom community. You can find everything related to this episode in the show notes at themothernurture.com/podcast, you can also find information about how I support working moms just like you through one-on-one, and group coaching, as well as access a number of resources and articles all on my website at themothernurture.com. I will see you again next week for another episode of the podcast.
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