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The Myth of Work-Life Balance: How Flexible Work Creates Work-Life Integration · Work It Like A Mum

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Hey, I'm Elizabeth Willits and I'm obsessed with helping as many women as possible achieve their boldest dreams after kids and helping you to navigate this messy and magical season of life.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: I'm a working mom with over 17 years of recruitment experience and I'm the founder of the Investing in Women job board and community.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: In this show, I'm honored to be chatting with remarkable women redefining our working world across all areas of business.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: They'll share their secrets on how they've achieved extraordinary success after children, set boundaries and balance, the challenges they faced and how they've overcome them to define their own versions of success.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: Shy away from the real talk?
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: No way.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Money struggles, growth, loss, boundaries and balance.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: We cover it all.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: Think of this as coffee with your mates, mixed with an inspiring TED Talk sprinkled with the career advice you wish you'd really had at school.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, make sure you're cosy and get ready to get inspired and chase your boldest dreams, or just survive Mondays.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: This is the Work it Like A Mum podcast.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: This episode is brought to you by Investing in Women.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Investing in Women is a job board and recruitment agency helping you find your dream part-time or flexible job with the UK's most family-friendly and forward-thinking employers.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Their site can help you find a professional and rewarding job that works for you.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: They're proud to partner with the UK's most family-friendly employers across a range of professional industries.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: Ready to find your perfect job?
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: Search their website at investinginwomencouk to find your next part-time or flexible job opportunity.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: Now back to the show.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Hi Faiza, Thank you so much for joining me today.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: It's such a pleasure to chat with you and obviously learn more about you and your experiences, particularly in going back to work after a bit of a career break.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: Thank you, liz.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: No, absolutely, I'm so happy to be here, yeah, of course, having a nice little chat about my work journey.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: And I'm so excited to hear about your role as well, because I know that you're working with one of our clients one of my favourite clients, actually so we'll definitely get on to that and how you found settling into your new job.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: But your background is a really interesting background, isn't it?
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: It's all in sales and yeah you know, absolutely, and I think it's almost I sort of was born into sales.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: It was one of my first career jobs and I just sort of grew from within and honestly, I think it's something.
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: When I first joined, naturally I didn't have any experience and you know, looking back, I've sort of gained from so many years all these different skills, all these different experiences and I'm so, so grateful for it.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: So you know, I absolutely love sales for for what it is what do you enjoy about sales?
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: you know, I think it's that that new challenge every day it's.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: You know, no day is going to be the same and you know, depending on your role, you know what you're doing.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: In itself, you're always going to be the same.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: And you know, depending on your role, you know what you're doing in itself, you're always going to come across a different day.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: You know, whether it's you like dabbling into a bit of marketing, you become all of a sudden this expert in marketing, so trying to manage some campaigns that you're running, and it's almost like you're self-employed in what you're doing.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: Right, I know I have a goal and I have this path that I need to reach to achieve this specific goal.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: So you're almost sort of like working out what you need to do as an individual to get where you need to be to have that success.
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: So it's a brilliant space for those who are able to sort of hack it.
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: It is wonderful.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: Absolutely.
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: Are you quite a target driven person, then yeah, you know I think that it was been, and I think it's one of the things I've just sort of picked up from right from the beginning.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: You know, your, we have sort of monthly KPIs and targets I mean you sort of achieve, and you know, at the end of the day you're you know it's a commission-based role, so you're naturally a lot more inclined to be like hey, you know, I need to hit this number, I need to do this, and I think this journey has really helped you develop this mindset of you.
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: You know what.
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: That is my goal at the end of the line and I will do whatever I can in my way to achieve it.
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, always, I think, be quite target driven.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, do you know?
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: Because I love sales, my background is obviously sales.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: I mean recruitment.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: People think it's HR, but actually it's a sales job.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: And I remember working my first joint agency and they said you've got to view your desk as a business.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: It's your little business and you're after your business.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: And I wonder then, because I'm like you, I'm really target driven, I love a to-do list, I keep ticking things off oh, the tick is like, even if I've only done it, I put it back on, and that's actually something I struggled with the most when I had a baby feeling that you'd be sat on a sofa not achieving anything and the to-do list was like not getting done.
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: Growing and not just yeah, not getting anywhere needs to be.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree absolutely yeah, I found it quite hard to relax into that when it doesn't suit your natural personality and I think, as mums, you almost have to learn this multitasking.
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: I have 10 things to do, I have very short time.
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: What is my priority?
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: What do I need to do?
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: And almost you know, wait, I don't know.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: It's just, you just get thrown in the deep end and you have to pick it up somehow and no one else is going to do it has to be you.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: So you know it's a tough thing.
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: But I also think, as women, we grow naturally in this role and with children, or whether it's with any other tasks or with any other, you know responsibility that they may have, even if it's not children, and we just come to do it.
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: We're doers.
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: We are doers.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: Has it changed since becoming a woman?
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Has it changed your perspective of work?
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, I think so.
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: I have two daughters now, so my eldest one is three and a half and my youngest one is one, and I think the jump from one to two I found really overwhelming.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: I feel like it was like it's really tough to get on with things, do things, because you know, I can't just sit there and take time out because I have a newborn, I have an, also a toddler that I you know.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: She needs her mama as well, and I found that really tough, just trying to juggle the work life, the social life, the family life and then be able to get, you know, feel how I used to feel before.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: You know, before I was a mom, I was also a person with interests and hobbies and all of that sort of just goes out the window and you're trying to come back into this new life and you're here trying to appreciate everything, but you're also getting like struggling, and I absolutely struggled, there's no question there, but it was tough, it was tough for me it's not easy, is it?
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: and I think, like you, it was harder for me actually to go from one to two.
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I had a very easy first day and my second one.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: You know she's more demanding and I say, well, we're more demanding, a louder personality.
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: I had my first, like during COVID, so maybe because everything was shut, we weren't necessarily going out, there wasn't necessarily the social aspect, it was just me and my first and sort of at home, and I mean that has challenges in its own.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: But I mean that has challenges in its own.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: But I mean, when it came to the second one, you know everything is out about we have all these classes to go.
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: You know my elders have play group to go.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: She's got school activities and this activities and you're just like, oh gosh, how am I dealing with all this?
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: And I'm very lucky that I have a lot of great support behind me and I don't know what I would have done without them.
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: But even that in itself, I feel like you're still the mom at the end of the day and this certain thing is you're going to be doing it, not anyone else.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, the one to do is definitely a big job and you obviously had this.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: Was it on your second maternity, where you'd just been made redundant?
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: yeah.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: So you know, you know it was again part of a learning journey and struggles, of, you know, being a woman in a working tech space and I was in my role and I was founded for this role.
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: So I was super happy.
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: It's sort of exactly on the career path I wanted to be.
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: You know, I'd gone back into work, had a new role, wonderful right, the people were wonderful, it was really going well.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: The people were wonderful, it was really going well.
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: And then only about eight months around into it, we found out that unfortunately there needs to be redundancies and it sort of came down on us within like a day it was, I think, shocking for most of us where all of the marketing and all of the sales were let go over a Zoom meeting.
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, that's crucial.
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: And it was only two days before where I'd let my line manager know that I had been expecting.
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: So for me it was like, just you know what is happening, right, and all of a sudden you think, oh my god, I'm going to be without a job and I've already got an eldest and I've got another one coming on the way.
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: How are we going to cope?
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: And you know, all these things start running, you know, rushing through your mind.
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: But you know, once you sort of overcome this, this massive anxiety and absolutely it was for me I think it was almost a blessing in disguise, because it meant that I was able to focus on my, my eldest, and then obviously for the new one that's going to come along and you know, and really spend that time together.
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: Well, so I but I mean you know you can imagine how hard it was trying to deal with pregnancy and I had quite a high risk pregnancy and then really would mean, you know you can imagine how hard it was trying to deal with pregnancy and I had quite a high risk pregnancy and then really would serve, you know, a job loss at all at the same time.
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: And then you get into this thing oh, my god, I need to find a new job, I need to find it like now, and you're rushing yeah, especially if you're like me and quite you're a planner, absolutely planner.
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: I'm like I need to apply.
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: You're sitting on LinkedIn and applying to, like you know know, 50 plus jobs in a day, and and then challenges came with that when I started doing some interviews.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: And then you're like do I let them know that I'm pregnant?
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: Do I let them know I'm pregnant?
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: How are they going to take it?
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: And I think that was a big question mark for me as well and how to deal with something like this.
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: But I mean again, unfortunately, I didn't get anything in the interim, so I left it and I was like you know what, forget this, I'm not going to.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: I was going to say so.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: How long?
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: How long into your pregnancy were you when you lost your job?
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: Three months, quite early.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: Then, like you could yeah, you could have carried on it was super, super early because it was three months, and then I just let my employer know because naturally that's the first time.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: By law you normally in an organization you sort of have to let them know by once you have all okay from all your, all your medical stuff.
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: So it's hard like it really.
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: I think it really sort of broke, but it breaks, you know, but just because you're so reliant and I was like, oh, this is going so well and I'm doing well in this job and making the money, and you obviously need the money, especially when you're about to go on maternity leave absolutely right, absolutely and naturally, all your maternity like plans they go out the window and we, you know, you're only sort of on your statutory pay and that was a big hit.
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: Absolutely it was.
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, you know you're applying hijabs, you're not getting anywhere so were you disclosing?
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: you were pregnant when you were applying.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: How, what were you doing?
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: so it was it's those questions like how do you deal with it?
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: I, a couple of them I did disclose and whilst I thought everything was okay and they never made it out as if, like, it will be a problem, you almost think that you know what do they really?
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: Are they really going to hire someone who perhaps will start and then go off in eternity?
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: And then you're like, should I tell them Should?
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: And then go off in eternity.
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: And then you and then you're like, well, should I tell them?
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: Should I not tell them?
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: But it's almost like a moral battle in your mind.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: It's so hard.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: Honestly, I found it really hard to disclose versus not to disclose.
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: Some I disclosed, some I didn't disclose, and obviously, naturally it didn't work out.
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: Whichever way and and fair, fair enough, whatever.
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: You know how.
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: That's how businesses sometimes run.
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: But I think for women it's such a tough choice because you want to get back into a career right, I've done, I've worked so hard in getting where I need to be and I don't want to just give it up and leave it.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: But at the same time I'm like, how am I gonna juggle two children, a job and natural, just family life all in one bubble?
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: because you start.
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: Where is this time going to come from?
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, agreed agreed and in the end it does come from you.
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: And even, like now, working flexibly, part-time, comes in a way at my own sacrifice.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: You know, I don't have a relaxing evening because I'll work, and I don't know if you.
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: You know, I think there's always trades off, isn't there?
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: no, there is trade.
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: It's absolutely, I mean like my work day and school pickup, and then it's dinner time and then it's bathroom and it's bedtime and then the next one, like I'm done by like 9 pm and you can imagine by then you are exhausted, you.
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: You cannot fathom to do anything else.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: I just want to sit here and not speak absolutely.
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: I get that and I'm sure so many people are nodding along.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: I'm sure I'm not the first one saying this is hundreds and hundreds of you know everyone feeling like this, yeah so you, you had your baby, your second child, and then, how long was it before then you started looking for a new job About six?
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: months, I want to say About six months.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: Actually.
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: No, I, like you know what.
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: I think I started about four months in saying you know what, let's see what the market is saying.
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: Right, I feel, you know, post three months of a newborn, you somewhat, you know, your sanity is somewhat coming back from all your long nights of a newborn, and so I started looking around and there was lots of opportunities.
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: No lie, there, there was lots of opportunities.
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: But for me, my biggest make or break was flexibility.
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: You know, having two such young children cannot make me go into, you know, the office about three times a week, whether it's and that is exactly what the ask was.
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: I spoke to multiples of really large organizations in the field that I was in, within sort of cybersecurity, as you know, a BDR, sdr manager and there was lots of opportunity and I spoke to lots, but I did not feel anyone was willing to budge over flexibility and I found it quite, you know, almost hypocritical, because they were very like yeah, you know, we want someone like you who had this experience and this and that, and when I bring up, hey, you know, I've got two such young kids and you know, and absolutely I will be flexible, to sort of come in as and when I can, and even if we do, for example, maybe you know I come in half a day or one day a week and they're like, well, okay, but sort of our policy or or our new way of working, yeah, so you know, man, just three, three to four days, and I was like, yeah, but unfortunately, you know, for me, in my situation currently, I can't, there is no way, I cannot do that.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: And they're like, oh, okay, well then, perhaps this is not something that we can speak, and I can't even tell you this.
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: There was so many, and even the thing was a lot of them.
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: I had to turn out on the first conversation, but I was like there's no point.
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: A lot of them.
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: I had to turn out on the first conversation.
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: I was like there's no point, and a lot of them.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: We went through like multiple stages of interviews.
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: We went through like these tasks that sometimes they ask you to do and you're investing so much time into one small interview slot, and then to be like, yeah, you know what, unfortunately, we're not going to be able to, you know, to move from this, and it's like mean, it really like come on, why are we?
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: You know, I've made it very, very clear right from the beginning for me, even over a pay, I'm happy to take a pay cut, but I cannot budge on my flexibility.
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: My kids are far too young and to me they are my absolute priority and maybe in the longer run, you know, when they're older, absolutely I'll be able to, you know.
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: But it's the fact that they weren't even being willing to be, you know, flexible which I think really got to me so sort of.
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: You know, months went on you can imagine months went on just by this, and then it was only up until very recently where I'd come across a company called Simply.
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: You know from yourself, liz, you asked and it was, I feel, like the breath of fresh air and I think, having spoken to the leaders, simon and John, it was so lovely just to be able to connect with like-minded people.
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: You know that every single person in this organization has kids, whether they're older, whether they're younger.
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: Some are sort of exact same ages as mine and it was just so nice to be able to connect with someone like this that they really just understand that.
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: You know we are here to work and you know, make a success out of your career, but we have a personal life too, and sometimes it means, oh my god, I can't make this call because you know my, my kid is falling in from school.
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: I need to go pick them up.
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: Or I can't do this because my kid is playing up or I have, you know, a naggy issue.
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: So it was just amazing.
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: Honestly, it was such a breath of pressure for me and I it was absolutely something I needed.
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: I will definitely come on to Simply and how you found the transition back to work, but I think what is so?
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: I mean your experience just mirrored mine and I know it will mirror so many people when they are trying to find something flexible to work around their lives and they're constantly being told no, I mean, mean, what was the justification these companies were giving you?
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: Oh well, we need someone in the office, we need someone to be a little bit more present with the team.
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: And I was like, well, you know what, I'm happy to sort of come in, maybe like once a week, and everything is on Zoom these days.
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: But like no, we have sort of a sales hub and we really want to engage with all the people.
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: And I was like, okay, well, I mean, I've led teams via Zoom and via sort of you know, in person as well.
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: You know, and for me, with my experience, I don't feel like I need to be in mandatory, and you know, this is a business and absolutely that's how they want to be.
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: And you know, good for you, absolutely right, how you do whatever you need to do.
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: But then you risk the loss of and I'm not saying I'm some, you know, fully experienced, perfect person, but there's others like me who are able to give sort of you know 120 to what they're doing.
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: Because I don't know, I feel and I'm sure you resonate with this too is that I think, as a mom, you're always trying to just strive to be the most.
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: You know, you want everything at the best.
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: You, I need a couple of years today.
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: I don't want to just leave it till tomorrow, and I feel like we really have that innate in us and I think that was the justification I was getting.
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: You know, it was baffling, it was really baffling to me, that why someone would say no to flexibility, given our world has changed.
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: We are a lot more sort of focused on hybrid and I, you know, that's fine, I get it, but how can you be like oh, we are giving you perks of free lunches, you know, but we're not going to give you flexibility.
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: How does that make any sense?
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: that, to me, it's mind-boggling and what frustrates me about these organizations is they will have reams of pages on their website dedicated to diversity and inclusion and then actually, when it comes down to it, they only want to hire people that can work exactly like them, which is obviously one certain type of person.
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: And I even give an example, like, for example, me working for me is I can be logged on at 8am, right?
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: If I was going in the office, you have to factor in all the travel times, right?
• 19:03
  Speaker 2: I'm not going to make it there before nine, right?
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: So instantly you're losing out hours on traveling.
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: And then, like I have a school pickup to do, right, I have to be back by then as well, and it's like you know, I'm so much more productive being at home and absolutely I'm flexible to come in when I need to.
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: But how is it we're saying no to people in this day and age based on this?
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: I know Particularly when obviously you know, rightly or wrongly, women still are the ones that more likely want flexible working because of childcare, household et cetera.
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: And I do believe offering flexible work is the best way for companies to close that gender pay gap because they will attract and retain more women and often it isn't a forever thing.
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: No, I agree and I'm not saying this is you know what I'm saying is right and everyone else agreed.
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: But it's like you know it's funny.
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: You read the job description.
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: It's like, yeah, we offer flexible working, four days mandatory, one day at home.
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: And I'm like, is this flexible to you?
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: Because I don't know, for me personally that's not flexible.
• 19:58
  Speaker 2: But hey, you know what?
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: Unfortunately, I feel like the struggles of a working woman.
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: So how has it been since you started at Simply Talkers, through then your role there and what you do, and the transition?
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: you know it was such an amazing smooth sort of transition into my new workplace.
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: I think I spoke to Simon, who is a CEO at Simply.
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: I think I spoke to him.
• 20:18
  Speaker 2: Have we had a really sort of informal chat?
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: You know, after I sort of had applied and within a few days he was like you know what, I think you will fit into the team so wonderfully and I was like you know it was just so nice that and not go through this rigorous like five-stage interviews just to confirm, you know, what you haven't been able to confirm in your one to five interviews.
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: And it was lovely just to get to know the team, the vision of what they want to do.
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: Why are they bringing on someone like me with my experience of their sort of achievements and goals that they wanted to by 2024, let's say?
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: And you know I started just before Christmas last year and you know the first of my job, we all met up, you know, together, which was so nice, and said you know, hey, have some face-to-face time.
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: You know it was just so easy.
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: You know I was given, you know, my tools that I needed to work.
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: You know Simon was so sort of, you know almost like, hey, you know what.
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: I'm here to help you with anything you need.
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: In any conversation, you know you tell me what it is you need to you need.
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: So he's given me this really like open range to work how I need to to how I've worked to be successful in my past.
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: He's like I want you to replicate that and I want you to bring all the joy in working as well here as a small team.
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: So we want to make sure that we are working really well together.
• 21:34
  Speaker 2: We wanted to be able to sort of communicate on a daily basis and it's been exactly that.
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: You know it's never a what are you doing?
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: How come you haven't done this?
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: It's always like you know what.
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: We're open to new ideas.
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: You know we're gonna absolutely make mistakes, but I always say you know, a failure is a success in a way itself.
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: So it's been just such a breath of fresh air to join a company where they really value women, their experiences and really keep in mind their personal you know lives, whatever it may be, whether it's with children, whether it's not with children, and in any way shape or form.
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: So yeah, it's honestly, I couldn't praise them enough.
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: What's been the challenge?
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: I know you've got a brilliant flexible role because you work from home.
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: Do you work full-time, part-time?
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: Yes, I'm full-time, Okay.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: So how's that transition been then?
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: then talk us through you know the day and that transition back to work.
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: I'm not lying, but it was hard because naturally I was like, okay, well, I need someone to naturally take care of my youngest.
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: I've got great support, so I've got my mum and my in-laws as well, which are super helpful in taking care of my youngest one.
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: She only just turned one, just in January.
• 22:39
  Speaker 2: But it was hard because, naturally, my eldest one she goes to full-time nursery and it was just I need to now get up early.
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: I need to make sure she's fully up and ready before I start my work.
• 22:51
  Speaker 2: And my husband he goes into the office about three to four times a week as well.
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: So, naturally, where I would be like, oh, let me go do some play group with my youngest and let me go out and get this, oh, I need my shopping done, I need to pop to Tesco's.
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: It was a bit of a struggle to have my working set day and it meant I have to almost reset what I'm doing.
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: So I meant that I would need to make sure that when my daughter comes home in the evening, I want to make sure in this time I have you know, she is able to do what she needs to do before she goes to bed and naturally spend a little bit of time.
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: So it was a little bit of struggle, I think, having a year, just over a year, off to get back into the single things, but I think having a flexible employer, it meant that you know, oh, by the way, I have, you know, my baby has a vaccination appointment.
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: I need to take her to this.
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: And they're like, yeah, absolutely, go, just put it in your diary.
• 23:41
  Speaker 2: You don't even need to like, almost tell me, just request it and I'll make sure we see it for you.
• 23:46
  Speaker 2: So I think that really, really helped.
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: It didn't mean that, oh, I need to make everyone I need to request time off to even go to the doctors or anything like that, and I think just that is such a nice way to it helps you just go back into that daily routine.
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: So a struggle, yes, just because all this time off and now you're having to oh, my god, I need to type and I need to work on a computer again and I need and I need to you know, my screens up and I need a quiet room and I need my little workspace set up.
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: But it was fine.
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: Honestly, I think I fell back into it a lot more smoothly than I thought I would have, so yeah, because a lot of people worry you don't know that they've lost their skills, their confidence.
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: Did you feel the same and almost you doubt yourself right, and I don't think that's a bad thing.
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: I think it's you just trying to reaffirm within yourself how you are able to.
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: To come back to these skills, and you know, like in my sales jobs, you know, previously I've sort of hit, you know, 200% of my quota, sort of year on year, and I'm really very proud of it.
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: You know I've worked very hard.
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: But then I also think about that.
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: I was a very different person back then.
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: I was a single person.
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: I'm dedicating all my time to this and now I'm also trying to juggle work life.
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: I have a family life, I have so many other things to do.
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: Am I going to be able to concentrate and perform and deliver exactly what I had been?
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: And I think I'm still on that journey.
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: I'm not going to lie, to try and be, you know, be the best that I can in all the hats that I'm currently wearing, but at least I'm on this journey and that's, I think, exactly where I want it to be.
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, and you know what you sound like.
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: You sound incredible.
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: I'm like nodding my head, I'm like I think it's the self-awareness as well.
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: So I'm sure you are, but maybe there's certain areas that you think I could do better at this at the other end.
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: But therefore you will.
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: You will do better because I feel like you are.
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: Thank you, yeah, yeah.
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: I think we're all in this learning journey and I think it's you're all on this new path to be where you need to be.
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: Sometimes in sales, we have this saying that you know, you're only as good as yesterday and every day is.
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: I'm sure you know that phrase and you're like oh god, you know, if I hit my you know kpis last month, am I going to be able to do it?
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: But I put this on and my daughter's sick and I'm not going to concentrate, but yeah, it's again.
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: This is a day-to-day learning themselves, I feel so I I listen to, I don't you.
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: You might not.
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: There's a lady called jenna kutcher and she has a podcast.
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: It's called the gold digger podcast and I think it's about that pressure.
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, oh, am I gonna keep trying to keep going at like 100 miles an hour because you know you can do it?
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: And obviously then there's the danger that you're going to get burnt out, you're going to exhaust yourself.
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: And she said sometimes you can take your foot off the pedal because you are still that same person.
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: Have the confidence to know that when you need to, you can put that accelerator back down.
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, oh yeah, I fully agree with that.
• 26:28
  Speaker 2: I love that, love that, love that.
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, no, very good so what advice would you give to somebody listening to this is maybe looking for a flexible job and struggling you know what.
• 26:37
  Speaker 2: Keep trying right.
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: Don't doubt yourself in your ability to get where you need to be.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: Yes, it may or may not come with some sacrifices, but I feel like, as long as you know what your priorities are, where you need to be, you, I feel like, as women, we will absolutely make it there.
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: And you know we are wonderful creatures of this earth and I really think that, especially since becoming a mom, you know you really home in on certain things.
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: For me, my priorities is my family and I will make sure that I am there for anything and everything I need to be in.
• 27:09
  Speaker 2: And you know, if you're able to find an employer that suits to that and is able to work with you, align with your priorities, I feel like you hit the jackpot.
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: So really believe in yourself and you will make it.
• 27:21
  Speaker 2: I promise you you will make it.
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much.
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: Where can people find you, connect with you and?
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: yes, I'm all over LinkedIn.
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: So please, if ever like, just drop me a note.
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: Happy to discuss, happy to share my experiences more.
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: Um, you know what I did.
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: You know things I've you know failed in and how I succeeded in that failure.
• 27:40
  Speaker 2: Please, just find me on LinkedIn oh, thank you so much.
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time and for sharing.
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me on this list.
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: I really appreciate it thank you for listening to another episode of the Work it Like A Mum podcast.
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review and subscribe, and don't forget to share the link with a friend.
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: If you're on LinkedIn, please send me a connection request at Elizabeth Willett and let me know your thoughts on this week's episode.
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: You can also follow my recruitment site Investing in Women on on LinkedIn, facebook and Instagram.
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: Until next time, keep on chasing your biggest dreams.