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When Motherhood Changes Everything: Finding Purpose Again · Work It Like A Mum

• 0:00
  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.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: I'm a working mum 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 honoured 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've faced and how they've overcome them to define their own versions of success.
• 0:42
  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 we cover it all.
• 0:49
  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: Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Work it Like A Mum podcast.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: Today I am chatting with Georgie Harris, who runs the Instagram community Mums who Build, and we're going to be chatting all about why she set up her Instagram community.
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: I know you do a lot of offline events now and the motivation behind it, and I know that you obviously speak to a lot of mums as well that are returning to work after career breaks and after maternity leave.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: So great to get some advice from you on that about how to make the transition returning to work after career breaks and after paternity leave.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: So great to get some advice from you on that about how to make the transition back to work smoother.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for coming on.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: Thank you for having me.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: I feel like it was normally the other way around, I know what?
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: so talk me through.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: You know what was the catalyst for Mums who Build, and so my, I mean my story started when I had my first child, my eldest, um, and when he was born, my kind of world got turned upside down because he was born with a rare genetic condition and is autistic.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: Um, I didn't actually know that at the time, but at 29 weeks I had bleed and had to go to hospital and kind of from that moment onwards I was under a microscope.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: Um, we didn't know whether, you know, I was gonna have a c-section or if he was going to be induced, but we basically had to keep him in until, um, I think it was 34 weeks I think that's when the lungs are formed and then they wanted to get him out.
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: So, um, yeah, basically we knew there were things going on.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: We didn't know what was going on.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: He was then born by emergency c-section and, uh, yeah, I guess just from that moment onwards we've been kind of in and out of hospitals, navigating the system, and it kind of meant that I couldn't go back to my old job at Burberry.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: Um, I think it's hard to go back to a company like that.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: Anyway, it's very fast paced, it's amazing.
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: But there weren't many children certainly at the time that had children.
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: But when you lay a child with things going on, because I say at that point I didn't actually know what was going on.
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: There was no way I could have made that work so fast forward to 2023,.
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: I'd had my second son and I was kind of ready to do something but didn't quite know what.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: So I was looking at total jobs and you know, whatever, google kind of asked me and was like what jobs out there are there which I could do?
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: And, to be honest, you didn't want to go back to marketing.
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: Then I did, but I felt very, um, out of touch with what marketing is today.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: So when I was at Burberry, like they were at the head of their game in terms of digital marketing, um, but obviously fast forward.
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: So Freddie's now nine, so that's a long time out of the game at that level.
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: Um, I have been doing things in between, um, so I did a bit of kind of consulting, marketing and Instagram stuff and I am part of a charity um, so I do do things.
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: But I think, in terms of going at that same level, like for like, I wouldn't have been able to.
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: I wouldn't have been able to get a job, um, either at the level I wanted or for the pay I needed to cover the childcare.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: So there was just kind of nothing really out there that offered that level of flexibility I needed as well, because Freddie can't go to breakfast club, can't go to after school club, can't go to holiday clubs.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: So I was just like, what is there?
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: What on earth can I do?
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: And basically I went to a first birthday party and met Bex, my co-founder, um.
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: So Bex didn't know her at all.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: I just literally, just over a beer we bonded um, and she is in, was in commercial finance, apple and Red Bull.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: She's an accountant by trade.
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: Um, she was also working at Moju doing, um, you know, lots of different.
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: Obviously in a startup you do and maternity leave.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: She set up her own consulting company and she's one of those people.
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: I was sitting there like, oh wow, you're amazing.
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: Oh, I wish I had.
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: I mean, I don't get me on, I love being a mum.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: Um, I think I had got to the point where I wanted to be more than just mum, like a different identity.
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: Um, I was very lucky in that I'd grown up being told I could have it.
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: All the world is my oyster.
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: I'd got really good grades, I'd worked really hard.
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: I'd been to uni, I I honestly did not think that having a child would impact my career trajectory.
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: It didn't cross my mind, hadn't heard of the motherhood penalty or anything like that.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: Um, and I was sitting there in the pub at this first birthday party, listening to Bex and a number of other amazing women, I was like, oh wow, I do feel really jealous and sad that I don't have anything else that I can give my purpose to other than being a mum, which is great.
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: And then she said well, I've got this idea for an event company called Mums who Build, and we swap skills.
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: So I've got finance, you've got marketing.
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: We almost like speed dating swap our skills, help each other, build the skills we need to get that career we want or build the business we want.
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: With the overarching theme of financial security, because she'd come from a divorce family, so her mum, financially, was a lot worse off than her dad because she'd taken time out to look after Bex and her brother.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: In my situation, freddie may never be independent.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: So what does financial security look for us, like, for our family?
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: You know, I've not been able to contribute properly to our family income for years.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: Um, so my personal financial security is.
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: There's not much of it without relying on my husband.
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: So we were very much united on that need for opening conversations about finance, money and I was like, oh, I don't think I'd ever do that speed dating thing.
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: And she was like what do you mean?
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: I was like because I don't have any skills.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: And she's like, yes, you do, we're starting.
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: Mums who Build, I'm gonna do it with you, and that was basically the start.
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: Um, that was our why and we've been building ever since.
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: As you know, it's kind of grown arms, legs, heads.
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't think we ever really did the event skill swapping.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: I was gonna take the do right.
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: You know I've introduced you as an Instagram community because obviously that's where we connect and that's um we do our Instagram lives.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: But I forgot you do, do, you have do do quite a lot of offline events yeah, so we it kind of.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: So how would?
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: How would you describe your business?
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: so it's an online and offline community.
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: The ambition is to have the mums who build communities all around the country, because what we've found we're currently in east london, um, and it's really that face-to-face meet.
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: That's super powerful.
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: But obviously we do, as you've seen on instagram.
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: Obviously we've got a lot of people that aren't in london, um, so we've now got like a whatsapp community.
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: So we've got a group for mums building businesses.
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: We've got like a careers group, we've got a send group.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: It's a different kind of spin-offs of do you know?
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: is it Danielle Wallington who runs flock here?
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: yes, yes, which is like a co-working space yeah, no, she's amazing yeah, sort of similar.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: I don't know.
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: There's probably quite a lot of synergies yeah, definitely, like we've known her from the start actually, um, yeah, yeah and uh yeah, not many amounts from you either, is she?
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: I don't think no.
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: I think she's in St Albans, yeah, but no, yeah, she's doing great things with her app, I think.
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: I think it's such a great thing to be able to connect with like-minded people that just get it.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: And, from the mums that I've met, loneliness is a big part of the struggles with, I think, not just being a mum, but being like a solo entrepreneur, or when you face redundancy and you feel lost, you don't know how to get back into work.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: I think having those spaces where you can kind of connect with like-minded people that get it have probably been there or at least know someone that's been there is really powerful.
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: So, yeah, a co-work app and things like that is really, really important yeah, it also reminds me of another business I've done work with in the past called kids kitchen.
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know people who volunteer with them, yeah and they've got little hubs all around the country, which is for mums uh, you know to bring along their kids and learn something new and they're amazing, as I say, like spaces like that are so important.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean Mums who Build has?
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: I am the transformation.
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: It's been my healing process.
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: I think um, I think I'd say when 2020, I think before 2023, I hadn't really realized that I'd been in such a difficult place mentally.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: I kept on trudging on each day.
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: Um, and then, as I say, when I finally sort of had a bit of headspace and my youngest was going to nursery, I was like, okay, I do want to do something, but what?
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: And it was just that stark realization that actually there was nothing really out there that I could do unless I did something myself.
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: But the way we've grown, mums who Build has been around my own personal needs and Bex's as well.
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: So we have three key pillars um, it's well-being, connection and financial education, because we think they're the sort of three key ingredients to help mums build the life and future they want in motherhood.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: So having choices rather than what society is putting on you so it's well-being sorry well-being financial security and connection to yourself and to others.
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: Um, and yeah, they're the kind of three key ingredients that I guess I personally are trying to challenge um channel.
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: Uh, so, well-being we partner with um online well-being provider, xena life, and also east london we have free pre and postnatal gym classes for the community.
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: So the idea everything we do is sort of around that habit stacking.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: So take small steps, doesn't matter how small, just start, whether it's your well-being, whether it's your finance, whether it's connecting with others or yourself, and slowly you will start building that life and future you want um, and we naturally attract a lot of mums who are building businesses, because that just seems to be who we've attracted um I think a lot of women, like you, say they're just forced into entrepreneurship because it's very hard to make a nine-to-five work.
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: Even you know, if your children you know if your children, you know, are, you know, don't have additional needs, yeah, still really.
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: And then it's expensive to go into work as well.
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: You know it's expensive to get the train or put petrol in the car, to then pay for wraparound care, to pay for the holiday clubs.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: Often I think women and oh you know men, oh you know who the primary caregiver is better off financially actually doing something from home and, I think, a lot of the time around the kids.
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: But what we've also noticed a lot of mums who are building business may also need to have some sort of career on the side so they possibly are in a career that maybe isn't serving them as they need to, so they want to start something like a business.
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: The question is, at what point can I make that jump?
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: Because you've got that financial security of a regular paycheck, yeah, yeah, um, or it's you've been made redundant, suddenly forced into yeah now what situation?
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: or you're building um a business and it's actually really freaking hard to do um, so you might need some more financial security by having um a more admin or you know, side job that is paying some of the bills but gives you enough space to be able to build your business as well.
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: So we do career.
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: That's why the careers part when we talk to you is really important.
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: Um, there's lots of people, it's not in isolation yeah, I think as well.
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: There's a misconception that it's more secure to be in a job and I haven't, having been doing investing women nearly four years.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: The amount of people that have come to me that have been made redundant, sometimes several times within that four year time period, it's unbelievable and actually I don't think it's the safer option to always have a job.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: It's actually some really empowering to create your own future and to know how much money this is all like tying into your financial security, but to know exactly how much money is in your business bank account, you know how long you are employed for if you have complete oversight of your business bank account, whereas if you're employed you are at the whim of somebody else and also the mental strain I think sometimes having a job can put on you, because I know a lot of mums that you know.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: Especially when you've been off for a year with mat leave or longer, you go back and you suddenly want to make yourself known again, you want to be the best and that's when burnout happens, because sometimes it's hard to, sometimes you don't realize.
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: I think when you do go back to work having had a baby, things will have to change, even if you don't possibly realize that, and that's what I was speaking to just before this.
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: You know one of my friends who did experience burnout at a really amazing company.
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: She had the perfect maternity leave and she had the child care in place and the meal plans in place and was aligned totally with her partner and she went back thinking, okay, this is going to be fine, um, but it wasn't.
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: And she had a burnout after six weeks and it actually took a man, a guy in her company, to sit down with her.
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: He was a dad and he said simple things like you need to block out your diary six weeks in advance.
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: You need to.
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: What do you mean?
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: Block out for what?
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: So then you block out.
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: So you look at your diary six weeks ahead of time and then within that you look at your days and you only accept I can't remember exactly the details, but like four meetings a day.
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: Say, you always block off an hour for lunch, you always block off an hour at the end of the day, so you've got that wriggle room and you know.
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: I guess it depends on the person.
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: But the point is you can make changes, but if you are blocking out your diary ahead of time, it takes the pressure off and that really saved her, that changed, that made her able to survive in her um career because she needed that person to sit down and give her that reassurance.
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: And I guess we you know, we've spoken at a lot of different events, um, like the mum club and stuff, and we've talked about that sort of return to work process and some people have said you know, but I work for a bank, I've got a load of men in my team.
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: I can't go in and say you know, I'm leaving at four o'clock, I need to do this, I need to do that.
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: I've been off for a year.
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: Who am I to come in and try and say and you know, I do hear that you know, it is easy for us to say, like what you should shouldn't do, but unless, what do you?
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: say to them.
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: Then, if they say to you I work for, you know, a top tier investment bank, I can't leave before what would be your.
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: You know what's the advice you give down to.
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: You know, is it the right company for you?
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, because at the end of the day, your welfare, your mental health, is really important and if you're working for someone that is not aligned with what you need, it's going to be really hard to make it work and either you're going to run yourself into the ground or you're probably not going to do a great job at the job.
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a point you know is it the right place?
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: And then, of course, that comes with the, the stress of you know, oh gosh, I've got to find a new job.
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: You know the financial risk and stuff.
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: So it's not an easy decision.
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: But I do think that you know, when you're going back, having been off and you are trying to build a life, sometimes you do need to reassess what you need, and a good job should be like a marriage.
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: You know you should have shared values and appreciate each other.
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: It shouldn't be about you giving all and not receiving any support.
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: Um, but I know that is a really easier said than done.
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and you're in that moment in time, but I do think ultimately that's probably the best longer term view.
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: You've got to put yourself first and what your wants are.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: And parenthood actually gives you.
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: If you know, if you are lucky enough to take maternity or parental leave, you do get that time to reassess.
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so it's quite, you know.
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: It gives you that pause, yeah, yeah and lots of people, as I say, don't they may.
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: Before they've had a baby, they might just be like, oh yeah, I want this big, big, big career.
• 19:29
  Speaker 2: And then a lot of people I speak to actually like, no, wow, having a child has really made me change my opinion on that and that's really fine.
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think what moms who build is about is you know you?
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: It doesn't matter if you're a stay-at-home mom, like I was, or whether you're a high-flying exec.
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: The point we're trying to make is you need to look after yourself, mentally and physically.
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: Connecting with other people not only gives you a great support network, but also provides opportunities, whether that's looking for different jobs.
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: We said this yesterday on our insta live.
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: You know, talking to your network brings opportunities.
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, um, and then finance.
• 20:01
  Speaker 2: You know, if you're a stay-at-home mom, you still have incomings and outgoings into your home life.
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: Do you know what they are?
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: yeah.
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: So that's, I think, a really important thing, this financial security, because a lot of people don't have it.
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: What is your advice?
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: You know, how can somebody get started building financial security?
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: well, I think it goes back to what I said originally.
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: It's the small steps.
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: So, just knowing what is in your bank account, how much are you spending?
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: Steady things like subscriptions are you paying a subscription to, like a gym app and you've not used it in two years?
• 20:35
  Speaker 2: Little things like that.
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: It's great housekeeping, just to be on top of what is the reality of your situation.
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: And then, when you start to build that confidence knowing what's coming in, knowing what's going, you know you can start setting really small goals.
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: Do you want to go on holiday?
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: Ok, how much will that cost?
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: Let's look at what's coming in, let's look at what's going out, and there's so many good.
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: You know, at Monzo you can get buckets to save for different things.
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: So you know you could have a holiday fund.
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: And, as I say, I think it's just about the first thing isn't having knowledge?
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: And then you can make these informed decisions and then start thinking longer term as well.
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: You know, do you want to send your kids to uni?
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: What does that look like?
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: How much is that going to cost?
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: And you can start future planning.
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: But just the number one step.
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: And you know, on Instagram I'm starting to just do like a monthly reminder how was, how was last month financially?
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: How much did you spend?
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: How much did you save?
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: I'm not asking for people to share their bank details, but just like a little yeah do you know what?
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: I started doing and it's only since Christmas because our finances were a mess.
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: Um, I was listening to this lady called Tiffany Aliche or something and she's American and she's a personal finance expert and she was like you've got to pay yourself first, you've got to automate your savings.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: So it's difficult and but what we've started doing since the first of January was like putting money automatically in savings on payday and it's all automated, and like we've got one like little bucket, like for holiday, another bucket, you know, to build a rainy day fund, etc.
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: And I think that is a really good way to save is to do it first and do it automated yeah, and, like you know, you just started doing that.
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: I think the thing is we've actually just started on the 1st of Jan and we're recording this mid-March, so yeah, I mean, you know that's the I guess that's the point of Mums who Build right.
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: You know we don't learn this stuff at school and, by the way, I am not the finance expert Bex is so I am also on this like financial learning journey as well.
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: But it's just astonishing that we're not all doing that already.
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: And you know, financial habits set in kids from around the age seven.
• 22:41
  Speaker 2: So if we don't feel confident with money, you know how will we pass that on to our children?
• 22:46
  Speaker 2: So even if you don't really want to look at it or think about it, think about it from your children's point of view.
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: You know how are you talking about money?
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: What are you talking about?
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: In a positive way, a negative way?
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: Um?
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: Are you including them in discussions?
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: You know, when you go to the supermarket, are you talking about how much things cost or playing fun games with them?
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: There's so many little things you can do that can really help build healthy financial mindset and habits with our children.
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: That will also help us as well.
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: So it's kind of a win-win.
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: I think it's really really important because so many people especially if you get into debt um, people feel shame and you know you shouldn't feel shame.
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: I understand why people do feel embarrassed about it, but you know everyone's been there and it's tough at the moment.
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: You know we find it tough.
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: I wrote a post yesterday like the cost of living crisis.
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: It's not easy for lots of families, yeah yeah, and that's the thing, and that's why it's just, you know, step one just look at your bank accounts, make a budget.
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: Yeah, just go from there.
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: That's like the best start point.
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: That's what we did, yeah, we literally did it on the first of january especially, and cancelled.
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: And that's the thing, as I say I go back to it doesn't matter if you're building a business, if you're building a career, if you're at home with the kids, it doesn't matter, it's still really important.
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: And that's kind of that overarching message.
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: Um, and then the vehicle, I guess, is the career you know how to get that pay rise.
• 24:10
  Speaker 2: Or the business is how to monetize, how to.
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: So they're the kind of you know, I guess the day-to-day it's the, the drivers are the, the businesses and the careers while navigating motherhood.
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: But that over we're mission-led.
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: We want mums to feel financially secure, because I think money worries is one of the biggest mental health drivers.
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it is, you know, if you've got money worries or you don't know if something was to happen.
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: And I know a lot of people going through divorce.
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: I know people whose partners have passed away unexpectedly and suddenly they're just they just I saw something on LinkedIn the other day where a lady's husband has been sectioned, so now she's on her own with two small children, and you know yesterday so she doesn't know when he's obviously at hospital and yeah, exactly, you just don't know.
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: So having a bit of a plan in place, especially as I say I'm a sen parent, um, doing things, um when you have a child with additional needs is slightly different um, just you know whether to put have an ISA for them or a child pension, things like that.
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: You know stuff I had no idea about before, um, but by doing Mums who Build, I'm slowly getting to know, okay, what we should be doing, what we should be setting up for our kids, for ourselves, um, and yeah, it's helped me massively.
• 25:27
  Speaker 2: So if we can help other mums, um in similar situations, then hopefully we're doing a good thing absolutely.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: How do you monetize it then?
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: Do people pay to join, or so?
• 25:37
  Speaker 2: I think you know, for the the last two years we've been doing it for free.
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: Um, you've got to remember that I wasn't really working before, so it's not like you know, I've just kind of cracked on and I've been building from my side a community that I need to sort of help me.
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: We've been learning what the mums want.
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: We work really really closely with all the people you know.
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: I think you're saying about building a community on Instagram.
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: So many people that follow us I personally will reach out to and say hello.
• 26:04
  Speaker 2: It's time consuming, but I do think that talking to people on the ground is really really valuable because I'm a, I'm in a fortunate position where I can build a community that the mums actually want.
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: So, you know, if someone's telling me they've got imposter syndrome, let's have an imposter syndrome workshop.
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: If someone you know needs CV help, let's do an Insta live.
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: Do you know what I mean?
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: It's like I can craft this community around the needs and wants of the community at the moment.
• 26:30
  Speaker 2: But we're really lucky to be working with Innovate UK so they are helping us on our own strategy for monetisation and building.
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: So we've got lots of opportunities to monetise it.
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: We've got a massive event in June with NatWest Accelerator Metal Bank and Baby to Body to monetize it.
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: Um.
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: We've got a massive event in june with natwest accelerator metal bank and baby to body.
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: Um.
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: Melinda nicky is incredible.
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: She is the um founder but she's a sports psychologist and her app has had like five million active users on it.
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: Um, but she knows a lot about, like, women's health.
• 27:04
  Speaker 2: She's also a single mum doing building all this, so she's hugely inspirational.
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: So, yeah, we've got lots of exciting things coming up um, and the monetization piece is sort of soon so how can people, if they're interested, so I guess they follow you on instagram and then do you do events still in person and around?
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so if you?
• 27:26
  Speaker 2: head to our website.
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: It's free to be a mobster at the moment, but when you sign in we'll then break down.
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: You know how we can help you for building a business If you're looking for a career.
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: You just literally go on our website and sign up and then we've got an events page so it will list out all the things we've got in person that's coming up and also online.
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: List out all the things we've got in person that's coming up, um and also online.
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: So we have like a ceo club.
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: We have like an accountability um group if you need that.
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: So we're doing like lots of different things online, um.
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: But we also have like our weekly hangouts in east london, um.
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: We're partnering with some really cool brands and local other communities to do like a really big hangout.
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: So we've got lots of things going on, but it's all on the website.
• 28:08
  Speaker 2: It's so hard with instagram to communicate all the time?
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: oh no, yeah.
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know there's other um you could do like courses and things like that, couldn't you?
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we've got a course coming up.
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: We partner with antonia um, antonia francesca hodgson, who is the founder of we are ambition.
• 28:23
  Speaker 2: She's an exited tech SEND parent and she is building a course which is basically helping you to build a business within 90 days.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: All right.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: So if you are entrepreneurial, you should definitely check out Georgie's website.
• 28:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, this is going to be amazing.
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: Like Francesca has pulled this out the bag, so she's got some serious sponsors doing this with her.
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: So it's not going to be just for mums who build, but we'll get first dibs, but it's also going to be free, yeah, so it's, yeah, it's really exciting.
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: So that will be announced soon.
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: So lots going on, not enough time in the day.
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: No, I know Are both yours at school now.
• 29:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I've got poorly one at the moment.
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, but generally they're at school, yeah, so Teddy's at nursery and Freddie's at school.
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: We finally got him into a special school.
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: So that was a year-long fight um with the local authority.
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: That's why I feel like I finally got some headspace now.
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what you mean.
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: I felt like that when my youngest started school last week, um last week last year, uh and like five, suddenly had five days till three and at the time it felt like, oh my god, like you know, I've got all this time, but now a year and a half in three o'clock, like hits very quickly.
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: I know, and also in the morning, so we're still doing the transport, we we don't have transport for him yet yeah so you don't really start your day to like 10 and then like eventually I'm like, oh gosh, I've gotta go and get him.
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: But you know, it is what it is.
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: I mean, I say he may never be independent.
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: So this is my window of opportunity to build something that I can feel really, really proud of.
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, gonna help me build financial security long term.
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: So at 19 he may be at home with me all the time, um, which is lovely, but you know's going to make things hard to build.
• 30:06
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, I'm just like I've just got to go for it now.
• 30:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: Oh well, thank you so much for joining us.
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: We'll put all the links in the show notes, but remind everyone what your Instagram handle is and your website it's.
• 30:18
  Speaker 2: Mums who Build on Instagram and then it's wwwmumswhobuildcom.
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: Brilliant.
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: Well, we'll put all the links.
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: Thank you so much for coming on.
• 30:31
  Speaker 2: Thank you, we'll speak again in a month for our insights.
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: thank you so much, thank you thank you for listening to another episode of the work.
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: It like a mom podcast.
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review and subscribe, and don't forget to share the link with a friend.
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: If you're on linkedin, please send me a connection request at elizabeth willett and let me know your thoughts, review and subscribe, and don't forget to share the link with a friend.
• 30:50
  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.
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: You can also follow my recruitment site Investing in Women on LinkedIn, facebook and Instagram.
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: Until next time, keep on chasing your biggest dreams.