If You're Struggling From the Work From Home Blues, Read This
Work from home, be happy.
Working from home—that is the dream, right? A recent study found that 80 percent of workers reported higher morale when working from home. But we know this isn't always the case.
Working from home can be filled with creative freedom, independence and ownership over your career. It can also be isolating, and many content creators have admitted to struggling with the “work-from-home blues.”
Don't fret yet. Follow these six work-from-home tips and you will be well on your way to a happier, healthier work/life balance.
GET DRESSED
Staying in your pajamas all day? Not great for tackling the WFH blues. Pretend you have a meeting every single day. Get dressed, do your hair and make-up and make yourself a cup of coffee.
CREATE A SPACE
Even if you don’t have a dedicated room or studio in your house, you can still create an inviting workspace. Make sure this space is quiet and free from distraction. It’s also important to make your space a real workspace—it should be the place that you go to work on your business, not a place where you chat on the phone with your bestie. Creating a distinct place will help you distinguish between work time and play time.
GET OUT
Even if you have a dedicated work-from-home space, it can sometimes feel isolating to be alone all day. Go work at a coffee shop, library or co-working space. Even if you only make small talk with the barista, you’ll feel less like a shut-in.
GET MOVING
When you work from home, it is easy to fall into the trap of working all the time. Try scheduling breaks into your daily routine, and make exercise of the upmost importance. Whether you start your day with Pilates, go to spinning at lunch, or end your day with a walk around the block, exercise helps jump start your creativity and gives your brain a break.
BE SOCIAL
Reach out to fellow content creators or anyone that you know who works from home. Schedule weekly lunch dates, coffee meet-ups or even happy hour sessions. Remember, you want to schedule leaving the house and doing social things so that you don’t feel isolated.
Reach out to fellow content creators or anyone that you know who works from home.
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FOLLOW A SCHEDULE
One of the best things about working from home is that you get to create your own schedule. Still, all that freedom can often cause you to procrastinate or get easily distracted. Real Housewives marathon, anyone?
To combat this, stick to a schedule during the week. Wake up at the same time every day, exercise, schedule weekly meetings, and you’ll be happier, more creative and more productive.
What are your WFH tips? Share with us in the comments!
The original version of this article appeared on IPSY .
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This Is How You Thrive After Bankruptcy
Just keep swimming.
28 years ago, when Rachel Ashwell opened her first Shabby Chic store in Santa Monica, CA, "the world," she says, "was a very different place." It was August, 1989. There was no Instagram. Computers weren't yet a household mainstay. Google (b: 1998) was not around. At the time Ashwell was recently divorced and looking for a career path that allowed her to balance being a "young mum of two teeny children," who were six weeks and two-years-old, with work. A store "seemed like the perfect path."
Raised in an artistic and cultural household by parents who made money by way of flea markets, the designer learned the world of searching for treasure at an early age. At 16 she left school to become a stylist and "create worlds of fantasy." She used her background, her talents and know-how, her proclivity for hard work, and opened a "little store," on a "wing and a prayer." She didn't have a traditional business background, but in many ways this made her fearless.
"My mission," she says, "was simple: to bring a world of beauty, comfort and function to the home furnishing retail market." The first store had anchor products of washable slipcovered upholstery, vintage accessories, and sun-bleached fabrics.
It became a movement, spawning she says, " a whole new way for people to decorate and live." Shabby Chic was a retail success. Everyone from Julia Roberts to Oprah came calling. The E! Network offered Ashwell her own show which ran from 1998-2003, and by 2008, her children grown and about to head off to college, she was thinking, "what's next?" She hired a CEO, met with investor groups, and signed on to a plan that would expand the business from six to 57 stores in five years.
Then the financial crisis hit and Shabby Chic filed for bankruptcy in 2009.
"In 2007 I decided to bring on investors who had the capital and strategic skill sets I didn't have. Sadly the timing of the economy was wrong, and so after 18 months the new strategy fell apart."
It was a devastating blow.
"I was in disbelief; first to myself and many of my fans, as this was a beloved brand that was still so alive and had more beauty to share. But after months of trying to salvage portions of the company," she recalls, "it was all lost."
But part of the Shabby Chic dynamism is the acceptance of imperfection. For Ashwell, though this shock came during a time when she also suffered the loss of her mother and the hurdles of broken romance, it was her "lesson in learning to let go, grieving, finding faith and finding my strength."
In many way this was the same approach she took toward her company: accepting that life and people are not perfect. "How we live in the privacy of our homes," she explains, "is a manifestation of that philosophy. Learning to accept that things don't go as planned allows us to see the beauty of what isn't perfect."
This she believes is why Shabby Chic has resonated so profoundly with its customers over two decades. That, and an honest determination from its founder.
"While I watched my castle crumble, somewhere in my broken heart I knew somehow we would come back. Shabby Chic was my family."
"Learning to accept that things don't go as planned allows us to see the beauty of what isn't perfect."
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Looking back and given the chance to do it again, she says, "I would have let my voice be heard when my instincts had something to say. The investors were wise schooled men and so I trusted they knew more than I in 'scaling a company.'"
But fear has never ruled her roost. "I left school so young and really had no traditional education, and my way of learning is by trying and doing. The good side of that is fear doesn't fester."
So she tried, did, lost for a minute, but got back up. "One has to expect to make mistakes," she notes, "and somehow lessons have to be learned, if not in the classroom, then in life." Today, Shabby Chic is on a journey back to the top where Ashwell's instinct is to stay true to her brand, even if it seems out of fashion.
"My gut is saying, The World of Shabby Chic is still relevant and to stay authentic. Less in more, small is ok too.....just be true."
Last year in 2016 Ashwell expanded Simply Shabby Chic ™ into Target, from bedding to other areas of home. A collection called Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell Chalk & Clay Paint, which grew from customer requests over the years to learn how she selects and uses paint. She's also "letting Rachel Ashwell come to the light from the shadows of Shabby Chic. This will be at a couture level, not compromising on any details, the crème de la crème of my world."
It's a world where mistakes don't mean failure. Where rough patches are smoothed over with "friends, mentors," a lot of hard word, and the occasional "good, sad movie."
It is a world where bigger isn't always better.
In addition to her other projects, Ashwell opened, "The world’s smallest furniture store on Lexington Ave in NYC. Just 250 square feet. But my goal is to tell my visual story, curated intimately but proudly. For me I am happy sitting with the stars, the moon can be for the big boys."
"For me I am happy sitting with the stars, the moon can be for the big boys."
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Here's How to Face Criticism at Work Head On
Think happy thoughts.
Article by Alana Helapitage. Facing Criticism at Work? Here's How to Stay Confident originally appeared on Shine, a free daily text to help you thrive.
Success-driven professionals tend to take our work personally—including the criticism we get for it.
While we have the power to respond to all criticism constructively, there’s some criticism that brings even the most empowered among us to our knees. This is the kind of feedback that challenges our self-worth, our power to serve, and our authority as professionals.
When we get difficult criticism, it’s important to have a practice to lean on so we can bounce back stronger and more assertive than we were before. In fact, according to a graduate study conducted by Mark Reid, assertiveness is one of the key factors of Emotional Intelligence, which research shows is a core part of effective communication at work.
The following three-step assertiveness practice has been a lifeline when I’ve received truly challenging criticism. This practice has allowed me to re-center myself when I feel trapped in the mire of other people’s wants, needs, and expectations—helping me to distill the lessons in the criticism while still standing my ground.
Step 1: Give Yourself Permission to Feel
We carry so many hidden limiting beliefs about certain feelings. The anger, sadness, shame, and other negative emotions that result from receiving criticism can trigger beliefs about what is wrong or lacking in us as human beings. We may believe that having so-called negative feelings reflects our weakness, illness, or badness.
Decide to feel what you feel.
So, we may react by resisting, dismissing, or outright denying these feelings, only to have them grow stronger and more depleting.
The solution? Decide to feel what you feel. Carve out some time alone and undistracted to simply sit still, breathe deeply, and witness the sensations that arise in your body. Scan your body from head to toe and notice what feelings come up in each body part.
Maybe you feel your head swimming in your racing thoughts. Your neck might be aching under the burden of feeling not good enough. Your heart could be pounding with anger at some unjust remarks hurled your way. But amidst the struggle, you may eventually feel some courage mingling with the anger, some peacefulness expanding in your lungs as your deep breathing relaxes you.
As you notice your feelings, choose to relate to them, not as an indication of who you are, but as a sign of what needs your attention so you can respond proactively to the situation at hand.
Step 2: Write It Out, Talk It Out, Work It Out
Once we’ve given ourselves permission to feel, we need to express what we feel. You may have heard the popular definition of emotions as “energy in motion.” In other words, emotions aren’t designed to stagnate. Rather, they’re designed to be fluid, to move through us.
Emotions are energy in motion.
To help shift our feelings from negative and depleted to positive and assertive, we need to put words to what we feel—uncensored—and then talk about them to those we trust to listen to us.
For the first phase of this process, I recommend writing down what you feel. This is the unedited part, for your eyes only. Allow every feeling to spill onto the paper in its raw form, no matter how wrong or even obscene your feelings may seem. If you’re compelled to write an entire page of expletives or a litany that would knock your critic(s) to the ground—so be it.
Then, highlight the key feelings that are especially difficult for you to process. Decide who you want to discuss them with and clarify what kind of feedback you need so you can respond effectively. If you just want someone to listen, that’s completely valid. I’d recommend speaking with someone who isn’t directly involved in your relationship with the person/people who have criticized you, in order for you to get unbiased support.
Another tip: Physically moving our bodies based on how we’re feeling is a key part of healthy self-expression, whether that means dancing, hitting a punching bag, practicing yoga, or doing other forms of exercise. This is one of the fastest and most effective ways I know to keep our emotions moving in a positive direction, especially when we focus on our breathing and how it would feel to be assertive.
Step 3: Use D-E-A-R M-A-N When Talking to Your Critics
D-E-A-R M-A-N was introduced to me by my soul-based business strategist, Kim Page, as a handy mnemonic to practice assertive communication. It was developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., ABPP, an expert in human psychology. I'll illusrate each letter in the acronym with an example adapted from my experience with writer clients struggling with criticism.
●︎ D stands for describing the facts of the situation at hand. "My understanding is that I was to provide you with ten hours of editing work for $500, and you were expecting a ten page critique in that amount of time."
●︎ E stands for expressing your feelings and opinions using “I” statements, along with a brief explanation. For example: "I feel unclear as to why you expected a ten-page critique, when we agreed that half of your payment (five hours of my time) was to be set aside for a step-by-step editing strategy."
●︎ A stands for asking for what you want and saying no to what you don’t want. Example: "I would like to talk to you over the phone to clarify what your editing needs are, and also what we can do to meet those needs together. I don’t want to write a ten-page critique because I feel it would be overwhelming for you as a novice writer."
●︎ R stands for reinforcing the benefits of getting what you want and need and the consequences of not getting what you want and need. Example: "If you’re open to speaking with me over the phone about our scope of work, I feel we can come to a clearer understanding of what will make your book as effective as possible. If we don’t, I’m concerned that you’ll continue to want more feedback than we can efficiently apply to editing your work."
●︎ M stands for staying mindful of your desired outcome for the communication, without giving into distractions. Example: "I understand that you’re disappointed about not receiving a ten-page critique, but I have to emphasize the importance of breaking down our work into manageable steps."
●︎ A stands for appearing confident, meaning that you maintain direct speech and eye contact. Example: "I have provided editing strategies for dozens of new authors in your field, and I trust that we’ll figure out one that works for you—even if it’s different from what you were envisioning."
●︎ N stands for negotiating a solution with the other person, accepting that there may be alternatives that will allow you to get your wants and needs met. Example: "While a ten-page critique is off the table, how else do you think we can work together to get your editing needs met?"
Success-driven professionals often go through a lot of difficult change to claim our self-worth, our authority, and our power to serve. Part of this change includes responding assertively to criticism.
The three techniques I’ve described can help you to walk resolutely down your chosen path, allowing you to turn criticism into fuel for a successful and fulfilling career.
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Why This Emmy Winner Says You Should Flip Off Failure
And the best takeaways from her new book.
Fearless and free. It’s a pretty good place to be when it comes to your career. Which is exactly what Emmy-award winning TV news producer and author Wendy Sachs writes about in her book, Fearless and Free, How Smart Women Pivot— and Relaunch Their Careers.
In the book she discusses the self-imposed barriers that hold women back. The job market’s radical change in recent years. And how we can all take small steps that lead to massive growth.
Here are our 5 favorite takeaways that you can apply to your career today. Free? Fearless? Right this way.
1. “The only career goal you should be focusing on right now, is staying relevant.”
In the book Wendy quotes Karen Shnek Lippman, a managing director at the Sloan-Koller Group. Lippman says, “There is no such thing as a career path now.” It’s scary to think about, but in the last decade we have seen industry change exponentially. Keeping yourself relevant, continuing to advance and develop your skills (ahem, learn new ones), and evolve with the times is a way to make sure you keep your job.
2. Your sorry’s add up.
Wendy references the Amy Schumer May 2015 sketch on Inside Amy Schumer, that documents the female tendency to apologize. It’s satire sure, but that means it’s biting. And it packs some truth. Think of how many times you say “sorry” when someone runs into you. Sorry! It’s innocuous enough in that moment, but the propensity to apologize adds up and seeps into our other behavior.
We suggest testing out actively not saying sorry in instances that aren’t your fault. Someone runs into you? Look them in the eye and wait for their apology. See if it shifts your attitude and self-worth even a smidgen. Because smidgen's add up too.
“Inertia is a confidence killer.There’s no time to get stuck.”
3. Confidence is more important than competence.
Wendy cites research from journalists Katty Kay and Claire Shipman and their book, The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance, in which they found that we’re either hardwired for confidence or we’re not. “Like blue eyes,” Wendy writes, “this inheritable trait is something we are born with— imprinted in our genetic code. Kay and Shipman found that the correlation between genes and confidence may be as high as 50 percent and may be even more closely connected than the link between genes and IQ.”
Did that make your heart stop? We’ve always been told that we can power pose our way to confidence! (Something Wendy also discusses in the book.) And these women are telling us, maybe not? “The key here,” says Wendy, “is that those with overconfidence weren’t faking it—it simply wasn’t bravado or bluster—they actually believed they were that good.”
So what’s a woman not born with the confidence gene do with this research? We say, allow yourself off the hook for not getting the [insert anything you’ve ever beat yourself up about here] and then rewire your brain to become more confident.
Wendy says, “While confidence may be partly genetic, the good news is that it is also very malleable. It’s like a muscle that can be strengthened.”
She also says that “confidence creation is about taking risks.” So go ahead and make some risky moves.
4. Get Up and Go After It
If you’re making risky moves, you’re going to fail. You’re going to fall. Sometimes that means starting all over again.
Wendy recounts the story of Jill Abramson, The New York Times’s first and only female executive editor, who was fired two and a half years into her job. “Some reported,” writes Wendy, “that Jill was ‘difficult,’ which for a female executive is a word loaded with gender double standards. It was also reported that Jill had hired a lawyer before she was fired to look into compensation issues, believing that she was not paid the equivalent to her male predecessor.”
But Jill didn’t stay down. According to Wendy, “The morning after Jill was fired, she went to a session with her trainer that handed her pair of boxing gloves. She had never boxed before, but hitting the bag was intensely satisfying, Jill asked her trainer to take a picture of her with the gloves and she emailed it to her kids who were worried about her.” The pic went viral after her daughter Cornelia posted it to her Instagram.
It’s a great reminder that no one fall is your end. Only you can decide your professional end.
Which is why we love #5…
5. Flip off failure.
Seriously. Process your failure and then give it the bird. (And the wings so that it may fly away.) You can’t become paralyzed because something doesn't work or survive in the marketplace.
"Process your failure and then give it the bird. (And the wings so that it may fly away.)"
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We’re reminded of this modern day biz facet the whole book through. And it’s a vital Wendy says, “Inertia is a confidence killer, and with the world today moving at the speed of social, there’s no time to get stuck.”
For more career advice and how to fail forward, check out Wendy’s book, available on Amazon here.
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Why Ban.do's CCO Says There's No Shame In The Hustle Struggle
Pursuing your passion isn't all glitz + glam.
Our girl Jen Gotch is back with her business advice series. This week, the CCO of ban.do + breakout star of Instagram stories is answering your burning questions on the infamous work-life balance. One of our favorite pieces of gold from JG? "There shouldn't be any shame in the struggle of doing what you LOVE!"
Check the videos below for more gems on pursuing your passions!
Q: HOW DO I PERSEVERE TOWARDS MY GOALS + BALANCE CAREER AMBITIONS WITH MENTAL HEALTH/STRESS?
Q: HOW DO YOU PREVENT YOURSELF FROM BURNING OUT?
Jen also designed a super soft, short sleeve t-shirt as a little tribute to her advice series and 15% of the proceeds will be donated to writegirl, an la-based creative writing and mentoring organization that promotes creativity, critical thinking and leadership skills to empower teen girls.
What Up Real World: 5 Recent Grads On What’s Next
Does the anxiety ever end? YEP.
The panic hits! You are suddenly a second semester senior starting to realize, “Wait, I have to find a job! I need to start making money! I'm not sure what I want to do!” Totally normal. The Washington Post found "only 27% of college grads had a job that was closely related to their major." And though some grads work all of college to secure their dream jobs, most have no clue what field they even want to be in. Does the anxiety ever end?
Maybe.
Fast-forward.
You are a recent post-grad in your new position. That old familiar panic starts to set in: “How do I feel about my job? Where do I see myself going? Do I even like what I am doing?” In a poll published by the Huff Post it was found "nearly 80% of workers in their 20s, said they want to change career paths." So if you aren't exactly loving your first job...it is completely normal.
The transition from college into 'the real world' is a learning experience. As a recent college grad myself, I thought who better people to ask than my friends? We're all in the same boat. So I spoke with 5 post-college grads to help us get a clear picture of what the beginning of their journey looks like and where they see themselves going in the future. It's nice to know all 5 grads have their own goals set, but are waiting to see where their paths take them-- one step at a time.
Emily K.
Last month I graduated from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. I studied Public Relations and minored in Communications in the Entertainment Industry. Just a few days after graduation, I began my job at Viewpoint, which is a public relations firm located in Beverly Hills. I’m currently working as a Talent Publicity Assistant. The job is exactly what it sounds like. I’ve been working at Viewpoint for about a month now, and every day brings something new. It’s hard to say exactly where I want to end up career-wise, but I could definitely see myself sticking to this path and eventually becoming a publicist. I could also see myself going down other paths in the entertainment industry. Only time will tell!
Zoe S.
I recently graduated from Lehigh University with a double major in sociology and women's studies with a minor in public healthy. Naturally, I had no idea what I wanted to do with that discipline, nor did I have any clue what skill set beyond college it prepared me for. As I proceeded through my college years, I got more and more confused with my own personal expectations post college. I did not know what I wanted to do. I could not envision where I belonged in this massive industry that is carved out for post-grad college kids. All I knew was that I wanted to be in a field that allowed me to interact with people. I love people; talking to different people, connecting with people, learning from as many people as I could. Yes, I would describe myself as a "people person," which to some might be a cop out, but for me it's my truth. I ended up being hired at this amazing company called ChowNow in which people are the focus of the business. We help business set up their online ordering, which may not sound so glamorous or stereotypically lucrative for a recent college grad, but that is false. Not only is it an amazing place to work with an incredible culture that cultivates strong, incredibly ambitious people, but, everyday, it is my mission as an account coordinator to interact with people. I never imagined finding a job that satisfied both my creativity and desire to belong to the growing "trendish" industry, while simultaneously allowing me to exercise my love of people, but, needless to say, I found the job that is absolutely perfect for me. Now, I have no idea where I'll be in 5 years from now or where I'm going in terms of big picture, but I know that I'm one step closer to figuring that out, and that is just alright for me.
Mackenzie H.
After recently graduating from The George Washington University I am now working as a Recruiting Coordinator at Publicis Health. Publicis Health is the third largest advertising network in the world, and first largest health network! I'm passionate about people and their careers, as a recruiting coordinator I pay an integral part of the Talent Acquisition process. Even though I'm just starting out, I see myself working hard to lead a Talent Acquisition team to facilitate growth and change within a health-based organization.
Nina B.
I just recently graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in Elementary Education. For the summer I am working with a non-profit whose goal is to promote literacy for children coming from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and LAUSD schools. In August I will be starting a job as a teachers assistant in a second grade classroom. However, next year I hope to have a classroom of my own and eventually go back to school to receive my masters in Special Education. My future is very undecided, but for now that is the plan.
Emily P.
I just recently graduated from the University of Michigan. I am now moving to Austin to start my career at Facebook as an SMB Account Manager. I have always been fascinated with the interconnectivity of organizations through the shared purpose of helping others in their communities. I see Facebook as the perfect place to jumpstart my career as it is a platform for connecting people and organizations on a worldwide scale. I hope to continue to strengthen my knowledge of change management, practical development skills and positive leadership practices while gaining invaluable experience from the incredible people I will have the chance to work with. My ultimate goal is to strive for impactful change that has the ability make a difference on multiple levels - helping communities join together to change lives through corporate social responsibility.
Every person starts somewhere. Each person has their own individual journey. Hopefully the experiences shared by these recent college grads can help the rest of us feel a bit more at ease and accepting of our unknown paths.
Are you a recent grad in a job that you're MEH... about? Or maybe you LOVE what you're doing. We'd love to hear from you either way... Hit us in the comments below.
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A Crippling Disease Won't Stop This Harvard MBA & Mom
Because Fridays are made to inspire.
Samantha with son Rocky. photo credit: Taryn Kent
In 2014, I was a couple years fresh off a Harvard Business School MBA program, feeling pretty proud of myself as a 26 year old CFO for a large marketing and web development company in San Diego. I worked 55+ hours a week and loved every second of it. Most of the time. OK, some of the time. Once I found out I was pregnant in October 2015, I decided to venture off on my own and launch my business coaching company, Little Petunia Consulting. I knew there was no way I would be able to handle the work stress, a new baby, and my own health.
See, in addition to being a mama and a boss lady, I also struggle daily with a chronic disease known as Meniere’s disease. Meniere’s disease is a rare vestibular disorder that showers you with fun symptoms such as —
vertigo (attacks can last anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours)
loss of hearing
tinnitus
loss of balance
migraines with aura (blackout blindness in my case)
nausea, vomiting, and sweating caused by severe vertigo
chronic fatigue
I had to learn really early on in this new phase of my life what my limitations were and how to cope so I wouldn’t lose my shit. It’s taken 9 months, but I feel like I finally have a healthy balance down thanks to some serious tricks and discipline.
I TAKE CARE OF MYSELF
The most important thing I had to learn in this new balancing act was taking care of myself first, so that I could take care of my baby, my clients and everything else afterward. I’ve learned to take a lot of precautions in order to maintain the flow. This means —
No hour long trips to Target just for fun (the fluorescents trigger my attacks)
Drinking a ton of water and resting my body more often than most
Saying “no” when it doesn’t suit my schedule or will overwork me
Disconnecting from screens in order to reset my vestibular system
Another huge precaution I take in order to maintain a healthy balance is by setting some serious boundaries and sticking with them. This means my designated work hours are my work hours, and that work life doesn’t trickle into my time with my kiddo.
"Work life doesn’t trickle into my time with my kiddo."
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Having everything mush together leads to more stress, which leads to more Meniere’s attacks. Boundaries are key.
I CULTIVATE & MAINTAIN AN IDEAL CLIENT BASE
One of the things I love about working with creatives is they tend to not follow the rigid 9-5 rules. They like to meet in coffee shops, and if there are times when my husband or my mom can’t watch the baby, there is noone more excited to hold him while we get down to business. Clearly defining my ideal client has been huge for the success of my business and allows me to work with like minded people who appreciate this season in my life.
I'M ORGANIZED TO A "T"
You guys, I live and die by Asana. I create documented processes for everything — client workflows, intake assessments, onboarding, you name it. I plug each tasks into Asana and assign myself deliverables and due dates. I always have a landscape view of what my week looks like so I can manage my time effectively and adjust as needed.
This also goes for my baby. I use apps to track feedings, diapers, sleep cycles, etc. I know every movement this kiddo makes. I can’t tell you how many times I cross-reference my Asana with my baby apps to get shit done. “Hmm, OK it has been 2 hours and 10 minutes since the last feed which means I have approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes to get this client proposal done”. It’s life saving.
I KEEP MY BABY CLOSE
The biggest factor in maintaining work-mama-health balance? Babywearing. I wrap this kid up in a ring sling and get my shit done. Because, as most mothers will tell you, the time you really need to get stuff done is the exact time your child refuses to be put down. Babywearing for the win, forever.
Becoming a mama was the greatest life change that has ever happened to me. It allowed me to step back, reevaluate my priorities, and cultivate a career that I truly love. Balancing motherhood, my career, and my life with a chronic disease has been far from easy, but I’m grateful for finding tools and techniques that work for me and allow me to cultivate my best life yet.
Want to know more about Samantha Welker and her co? Head over to Little Petunia Consulting and follow the boss mom on Instagram here.