Unlock Freedom & Flexibility - 6 Steps to Shift from Corporate to Work-from-Home Mom! S4E48

Have you been told to tough it out in your corporate job, but deep down, you feel the pain of leaving your baby at daycare every day for a job that doesn't fulfill you? Maybe you're just exhausted and feel like your family isn't getting the best of you because of your demanding nine-to-five.
 
Transitioning to Work-From-Home Mom
Feeling stuck in a corporate job as a new mom can be incredibly tough. Making the transition to a work-from-home role isn't an overnight process but, instead, requires patience, steady steps, and open communication with your partner. Nevertheless, it offers moms the unique opportunity to effectively balance professional achievement and family life. You deserve to have a career that truly lights you up while being there for your little ones.

Join me as we unravel the strategic roadmap to reclaiming your career and personal fulfillment while being present for your little ones.

Just make a decision. Put a line in the sand that you're going to do this, that it is that important to you, that you are going to figure out a way to make it happen. - Sheri Miter

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Gain the confidence to transition from a corporate career to a fulfilling work-from-home mom role.
• Create a realistic and actionable plan to make a smooth exit from the 9 to 5 corporate grind.
• Explore the possibilities of finding fulfillment and income as a stay-at-home mom, empowering yourself to pursue your passions alongside motherhood.
• Know exactly what you can do to start living your dream as a work-from-home mom.

Listen to Yesenia's story as mentioned in this episode:
Overcoming Societal Expectations: Follow Your Dream to be a Work-From-Home Mom - with Yesenia Faiella S4E47

Are you ready to make a career transition but aren't even sure what you would do? No worries—that's where my expertise comes in! I can help you discover what gifts, talents, and possibilities you have in front of you that you don't see because you're too close to them (and possibly just too overwhelmed). Let's grab a coffee and have a conversation to see what your next best step is!

✨ Not sure what’s next in your career or life?

Take Sheri’s free Career Clarity Quiz to discover your current season and the smartest next step for you.

👉 www.sherimiterco.com/careerquiz

📘 Book:

Get your copy of Discovering Your Calling Book

🔗 Connect with Sheri

Website: www.sherimiterco.com
Facebook & LinkedIn: @SheriMiter

Additional Resources:
Searching for Mary Kay products? Shop Here

To learn more about CliftonStrengths and Gallup - Click Here

Matthew 5:14-16 is the inspiration for this podcast.

Gallup®, Clifton StrengthsFinder®, StrengthsFinder®, the 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder® theme names are trademarks of Gallup, Inc.

Transcript

00:00:01
Welcome back to the discovering your calling podcast. I am your host, Sheri Miter. And if you listen to the last episode with Yesenia Faiella, where she shared her story of being a successful attorney, but just feeling that need to make a change after having her first son. And she shared in that episode that she had strategy, and that strategy took her basically 18 months to complete. She went from working as an attorney to owning her own law practice.

00:00:36
And maybe when you listened to that, it stirred up something for you and left you wondering, wow, if she did that, maybe I can, too. Or maybe even just left you with, like, how can I do that? And maybe you're like, jess and you're a new mom, and you just can't stand that. Dropping off your little baby at daycare every day for a job that doesn't even really light you up. Or maybe you're a few years down the road and you've been doing this and you're just exhausted.

00:01:11
You can't do it anymore because you know that your family is not getting the best of you because you have to give the best of you to your nine to five job. Maybe sometimes it's eight to six, sometimes it's the hustle in the morning, and then you come home and you're exhausted and you cook dinner and maybe do the homework and put the kids to bed, and there's no quality time. And you're just like, I don't want to do this anymore. I can't do this anymore. And you're feeling like, you know, you're not even in your calling.

00:01:42
Like, your job is not that important to you anymore. Your priorities have shifted. So if that feels like you, I want to give you some strategies how you can make this change, how you can make this shift and be like Yasanya or Jess so we could call her and make this a reality for you, because it is possible. And I know that anxiety you're feeling because I remember my oldest son is 37, 37 years old. But I remember those first two weeks of going back to a job that was just a job for me.

00:02:22
It was not my career. And trying to arrange daycare. And then he was sick one day. It's like, I can't do this. I can't drop off my sick baby and go to work.

00:02:34
That's just not going to work for me. So I had to figure out a way to be a work from home mom and I did a lot of different things in those days to work from home. But that's a time I will never forget. So I wanted to share these simple steps that you can start taking today. And, yeah, I've got some notes in front of me because I don't want to forget a step for you.

00:02:57
So these are steps that will begin unlocking that freedom that you desire as a mom. And again, even if you have no idea what you would even do as a work from home mom, don't worry, I've got you. I've got you on that part. So here are the six steps you can start taking. So number one, the first step is the easy one.

00:03:18
Just make a decision. Put a line in the sand that you're going to do this, that this is that important to you, that you are going to figure out a way to make it happen. And that's a claim that I want you to do out loud. Now, when I say out loud, it's okay if you do that in the shower to yourself, or maybe you're at work listening to this. You can go in the bathroom stall right now, close the door, make sure nobody hears you, and just say it out loud.

00:03:46
I'm going to do this. So that's the first thing, you got to just make a decision. Because once you make that decision, you cross over into a new reality, really. And it's amazing what starts happening in our lives when we just make a decision on something. I promise you, you will start to see things differently.

00:04:06
Things will start to show up in your life that you realize, like, oh, wait, maybe I could do this. Or wait, maybe that is a possibility. Or wait, that's happening. It's just an amazing thing that happens. And it's kind of know when we think something, we're like, oh, I would love to learn how know make my own pasta.

00:04:26
And the next thing you do, when you go on Facebook, there's an ad for how to make your own. You know, we put our minds to it, something's going to start showing up. So step one, just make that decision. Step two, start making baby steps towards your dream life. Now, Yasanya, in the podcast episode, if you listen to it, she bought a book that was her first baby step.

00:04:54
And the book was something to the effect of for lawyers wanting to start their own practice. So is there a book that maybe you just need to order that just hit on Amazon and find something that you're kind of sort of interested in? Or maybe, I'm sure there's books out there on working from become a work from home mom, something that just lights you up a little bit that's going to ignite that fire. Keep the fire burning. Just order the book.

00:05:19
Maybe you need to go a little bit bigger. And finally, book that start with strength session you've been meaning to book with me. And in that session we're going to identify your natural talent themes that are going to guide you on this path. They're going to give you clear direction of your what's next. And by the way, this is something, if you haven't figured that out yet.

00:05:42
I am so passionate about, and I'm really darn good at digging through people's Clifton strengths reports and picking out the pieces they didn't even notice. I love to do puzzles. If you looked over here, I got a jigsaw puzzle I'm working on now. And that's what I feel like. It's like I get to put together the puzzles so that you could start to see how this is going to look.

00:06:05
Because right now you probably feel like you may have a bunch of puzzle pieces on the table and you don't have the box, you don't have the lid. You have no idea what this new life could look like. So let me be that guide that's going to at least give you the picture and then we'll start putting the puzzle pieces together. And that's the first little baby step is just the start with strength session. Maybe your first baby step isn't that.

00:06:29
Maybe it's just go find a YouTube channel, read a blog about someone else who's doing what you think you might want to do or other work from home moms. I don't know. So what's that first baby step that you can take this week? Don't delay this step. This is supposed to be an easy one.

00:06:49
All right, step three, this is probably the hardest step of all, but it is the most important one, in my opinion. And that is to talk to your significant other about your plan, about your dream, and together create a realistic timeline, an exit strategy, talk about the finances. Like I said, it's not an easy conversation to have for either one of you, but this is where you really need to maybe find wine and dine them a little bit, put the kids to bed, pour a bottle of wine, light a candle, get a comfortable conversation. And just first of all, let them know your heart and why this is so important to you and why you want to do this. Then let them speak their fears.

00:07:51
They probably have a lot of fears you hadn't even thought about. Maybe you have fears about it. So just have an open dialogue about the fears and the whys and he may be or she may be more on board than you even realize. But just have that open conversation and then the two of you can really look at the timeline. What's a realistic timeline?

00:08:13
Jess took 18 months. I took at least twelve months before making a big major career move. Is it the end of 2024? Is it this summer? Is it next summer?

00:08:25
What's a realistic timeline to make this happen for you guys? Then look at your financials. And again, this may be a tricky conversation based on where you're at, and maybe you have a good cushion, a good safety net, and that's not even a worry. But for a lot of us, it is. So have that conversation.

00:08:44
What is it going to look like? What do you really need to bring in as a work from home mom in this new career path? How much money do you want to save before you exit out of your current career? There's so many pieces to look at, but I've got two podcast episodes I want you to look out for. One's going to be another podcast interview with another mom who's done this, and she has four kids, and currently she left one job and decided to step into being a stay at home mom.

00:09:15
And now she's created a couple of little smaller businesses for herself. And she talks a lot about in that conversation about how they did it financially. So look for that episode coming out soon, and then I'm going to do another podcast episode where I kind of break down some numbers for you or what to look at. Because sometimes the number we think we need to bring in isn't what it really is, because you don't need to replace your current income to be a work from home mom. And that's the thinking that we need to realize is like, what you're making now is not what you need to make as a work from home mom because you're not going to have a lot of the expenses.

00:09:56
And for most of us, we waste a lot of money. So we'll have a real frank conversation around that because you may be surprised that your number is not that unrealistic to hit and it's not that huge. So look for those things. But that's a conversation you also want to start opening up. You don't need to figure it all out.

00:10:16
You don't need to know all the things, but just start having that conversation of what are they thinking? What are you thinking? What's the realistic timeline? And just, again, you want them on board now. Don't lose hope.

00:10:31
If this conversation doesn't go the way you want it to go, because maybe your significant other is going to take a lot of work. They need to see things before they can see things. So don't lose hope if it doesn't go as well as you thought, don't let it ruin your plan because you can still make this happen. It's just easier if they're on board. Okay.

00:10:56
The other part of that conversation and step three is to make sure that you give your significant other your fallback plan. Let them know that, hey, I want to try this for a year, maybe two if it doesn't work out. I know I could probably go back to my old job. I know they'll welcome me back with open arms. Or, hey, I'm willing to go wait tables if I have to to make this work, but you're not going to put them in a financial bind.

00:11:22
So that's step three. And again, that's definitely, in my opinion, the hardest step to take. All right, step four is what are the changes that you can start making at your current job right now? Now again, this is probably going to be a conversation you need to have with your manager, with your boss, whoever it is that makes those kind of decisions for you, somebody in HR. But can you drop down to maybe a four day work week?

00:11:54
Can you maybe go to a hybrid work schedule if you haven't done that yet? Can you have more flexible hours? Can you go in earlier so you can get off earlier so you can spend the beautiful summer evenings watching your son play baseball? Can you just have less responsibilities? Maybe you just need to get rid of some of the responsibilities they've loaded down on you.

00:12:19
So what are the little changes you could start making right now? Maybe big changes. Some of those are huge. You can start making right now to start making what you're currently doing a little less stressful for you. And when you go back and listen or re listen, I recommend to Jess's story from last episode.

00:12:39
She shared how she went down to four days a week, but she used that extra day off to work on her new upcoming business. Which leads us to step five. Find others who have done this. So Jess shared, she spent that day talking to other attorneys who were doing their own practice, doing the work that she wanted to then do as a work from home attorney. So find others who have done it.

00:13:08
Now, it may be that you find others who have done this in Facebook communities. Maybe you'll hear their stories on podcasts like this. But maybe, you know, people who, even moms who've just left the corporate world doesn't matter if they're doing what you want to do, but just go have conversations with them. Treat them to coffee, treat them to lunch, get in that space of other people who have done it. And then step six is take action toward the dream.

00:13:35
And what I mean by that is, what activity can you start doing now that is going to light a fire for what you might want to do in the future? And again, it's okay if you don't even know what that is. This is going to be your time to just explore and have fun with it. So maybe is there a hobby that you once had and love that you need to maybe go take a course for it? Maybe go take a find something local.

00:14:04
Maybe it was photography you used to love to do, or flower design or writing. What can you do to start honing that hobby? Maybe it's just you didn't need to dust off the camera and just pull it back out again.

00:14:18
Perhaps you've been thinking about, oh, I'd love to write a blog. Maybe it's time to start that blog and just start sharing from your heart what you're interested in, what you're thinking about, what you'd love to talk about. Maybe you kind of know what you're interested in and maybe you could go shadow somebody at their job doing that. Maybe you could volunteer somewhere. You're just, again, testing it out.

00:14:39
It doesn't mean that's exactly what you're going to do. And again, if you have absolutely no idea, maybe you're sitting here listening to this sharing. It's like, I don't have hobbies. I don't want to write a blog. I have no idea what I would do.

00:14:54
If that's you, I would highly recommend you schedule a conversation and coffee call with me, like ASAP, and let's begin a conversation to figure out what's the next best step for you so we can start getting a little more clarity on what is that? What's next for you? So those are the six steps that I have for you. And I do recommend go back through, write them down, spend some time on these. These are not overnight.

00:15:19
Again, remember, Jess took 18 months to get her plan in place. And that's kind of the average of what I hear. This doesn't happen overnight. I wish it could. I wish I had a magic wand to say, poof, it's all good you're here, but we got to go through this process and I just want to close with, be willing to pivot, know that this won't be easy.

00:15:43
And just keep on taking those little steps because someday you are going to be able to say, wow, I can't believe this is the week I get to retire or quit from my job and begin this new journey as a work from home mom. So picture that in your head that you're there. You're at that week and all that's happening. I want you to think, how are you going to celebrate that moment? What is that going to feel like for you?

00:16:12
How are you going to celebrate your first day as a work from home mom? I recommend go have coffee or lunch with a special friend that day. Treat yourself or maybe go get a massage in the middle of the afternoon. Something special like that. Or take the baby for a play date.

00:16:29
Keep that image of how that week is going to feel. What's that going to be like for you in your mind and in your heart? Because that's what's going to keep you going. When it gets challenging, when it seems like it's not possible, when you do need to make the pivots and know that you've got this many, many women have gone before you and have made that decision. That I want to be home for my kids, but I also want to be valued.

00:16:56
I want to have fulfillment. I want to make an income. And you can do it, too, because if we can do it, you can do it. I promise you that. And remember, at any time during these steps, you need to book a coffee and conversation with me.

00:17:10
I am here to support you on this journey. All right, my friend, you've got this. I believe in you and you deserve to have a life that lights you up and to be home with those babies, because time does fly by. Trust me, I know. Bye.