Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Oh boy, this is something I am still working on and trying to master. I am lucky in that I can bring my youngest to work with me so she doesn’t miss out on time with me. But I do struggle with being present with them at times. Because there are meals to make, a house to clean and of course a business to run.
I rely on meal planning and bulk cooking to try and make sure my husband and kids still get nutritious meals when I am busy, and I make sure to make time to play with the kids. I have to be strict with myself and put my phone and computer away. Although I often find myself asking them to wait which send me on a guilt trip. As I said, I don’t have the Yin and Yang balanced yet but I am working on it.
The Drive: What challenges have you overcome?
The first challenge was accepting that my first business model wasn’t working and realising that I needed a business coach in my area to teach me what I did not know.
The second challenge was shifting my mindset and believing I could do it, even with my family commitments.
My first two years of business had many struggles too, alongside managing a newborn and a 4 year old. I struggled a lot with my role as a full time mum and as a business owner and wondered how these two roles could co-exist. As with any journey, there is a lot of trial and error involved and finding out what works and what doesn’t.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The Pros: Definitely the flexibility of work hours. As I am my own boss, I can decide when I work and when I can be available for my kids for school events and school pick ups and drop offs, as I don’t have the luxury of having family close by. Another upside is that you learn to be more efficient at work.
The Cons: I have to say is there is too often an overlap when work and home is in the same place. And also with the flexibility I mentioned before, it also means that when the kids are ill, my work can get hindered. Also running your own business can be very time consuming and one must take regular time away for the kids.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
While my kids are still little, I am going keep the business at a reasonable size, to keep things manageable for me. I will be launching a few online workshops on creating active and healthy lifestyles for mums during pregnancy and postpartum at my Active Mama Academcy later this year. My next step is to create an online active lifestyle program for for mums who love to babywear like me, so that my knowledge can be spread beyond Western Australia. So stay tuned for that!
I would also at some point love to write to book to help mums and family and continue to motivate, support and inspire mums on their health journey. You don’t have to wait until you are done having kids to start looking after your health and fitness.
To learn more, visit The Babywearing Health Coach website or become part of MJ’s community on Facebook and Instagram.
