Balance is Bullsh*t: The Real Stories of Blending Motherhood & Career

Join me for a short solo episode. Sunday morning, in my cozy chair, sharing a story from this week that spans the last 8 years. I'm thrilled to be back and would love to know more about what you want to hear.

This episode continues the series where I am sharing my reflections and learnings from my 11 month career break. There were ups and downs along the way and I wanted to share with you 4 key things that helped me move through the tough days. Can't wait to hear what you think!

Matrescence If you are in any stage of motherhood - pursuit of motherhood, postpartum, middle motherhood, and you have never heard of this word - don’t walk, RUN to and learn a word that will make you feel SEEN. Jess Ringgenberg is a gift. You can hear the care, passion and expertise in her voice. She is an accredited coach, business owner, mother of 2 and so much more. She found her passion in educating and supporting women in their journey of motherhood and self-discovery. You will walk away from this conversation with knowledge, tools and a vocabulary to put words to your experience. Please share this episode with your. moms group, parents employee resource group, mother, best friends. We should all feel that the transitions in our mind, body and spirit are normalized and celebrated. About Jess Jess left a thriving corporate career in rare disease biotech to work toward closing systematic gaps in the workplace for women and mothers. As a mom and a woman leader in a Fortune 500, she witnessed first-hand the gap for all women and working mothers and couldn’t look away. She believes women are meant to feel empowered in their careers and lives. She became a matrescence expert, a researcher, an accredited coach, and an advocate – all used to provide businesses with focused programs that support and advance women and moms at work. She serves as a board member for a non-profit, and resident coach-expert in "The Society of Working Moms." Jess ignites change by bridging neuroscience education and evidence-based tools that lead to retention, re-engagement, and re-discovery. Links Connect with Jess Ringgenberg on LinkedIn Visit ELIXR Coaching to learn more about how to work with Jess. If you are looking for a coach If you are a leader in an organization (leader doesn't only mean The Society of Working Moms (working-moms.com)

A healthcare/research start, tech pivot turned entrepreneur who is now on a mission to help parents own more of their most valuable asset - TIME. Ashley joins us in lifting the cloak on her as a human. She is so poised as she talks through her experience navigating career, hitting tough patches, pulling herself back up and making the leap into entrepreneurship-before she even knew the business she wanted to build (!!). Spoiler alert, she went back to the basics to define the business she wanted to build by centering on the problems she cares about solving. That soul searching set her on a path to start ‘Sundays’. LINKS: Ashley Chang Sundays: World-class assistants for work and home Founder-led Marketing The Old Girls Club Build Impact Convert

Lysa and her family are a few months into a huge move from California (with a full community filled with friends and family) to Texas (as their family of 4). They are on this adventure together in support of Lysas' career when she accepted a promotion to VP, Clinical Trials. In this episode we talk.. - What that move has been like - Having no shame in loving work and work travel as a mom - Being with a company for 10+ years and how she earned promotion after promotion (spoiler work: 'doing the job well was the checkmark') - Building authentic relationships at work - Defining your why and keeping it at the center of what you do at work and as a leader of an organization - And you'll have to listen to hear the context around this great quote: "Everyday is different, you have to be really forgiving and realistic with yourself." Let us know what you think after you listen! See you again soon! Links: Connect with Lysa Cano on LinkedIn

Shweta is the youngest of four children and the first child to be born in Canada to an immigrant family. She shares the cultural pressure she felt growing up and how it impacted her crafting her plan and checklist for her life. As you might imagine (because many of us can relate), her plan didn't exactly go as planned. She experienced abandonment at a young age and suffered a devastating loss - one of those a part of her creation of the plan in the first place and the other blowing up the plan and having Shweta take back the pen and rewrite her plan and definition for success in her career and in her life. We all have an idea of how we want our lives to go and an image of success, but if that image doesn't align with your experience or make you feel full when you quietly listen. Changing that plan, not meeting that plan - it is not a failure. It is an opportunity to reimagine what will make you happy and allow you to live a more fulfilled life. A few (of the many) things that I left this conversation with... It's hard to ask for help, but it's there when you ask for it. Your title does not make you a failure. On the flip side, your title does not make you a success. Life usually doesn't go according to plan, so instead of looking at changes as failures, embrace the idea that your path is dynamic and will change with you in a way that serves you and gets you to where you are supposed to be. Trigger warning: At minute 28, Shweta so bravely shares with us her experience with miscarriage and the impact it had on her 'life plan'. If this is not a conversation that will make you feel connected and support you in your journey at this point, listen up until that point and pop off, or simply join us next time! We will be here when you get back! Links Connect with Shweta Jacob on LinkedIn Book - 'Worthy' by Jamie Kern Lima Podcast - Jay Shetty, On Purpose: WHY YOUR SELF-WORTH IS KEEPING YOU STUCK & HOW TO STOP SABOTAGING YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH WITH JAMIE KERN LIMA Book - ''Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood'' by Lisa Damour, PhD

ON THIS EPISODE You'll hear two women who met in their 20s at college catch up on their crafted lives and relate to the tough stuff that contributed to the people and lives they lead today. I am honored to host Amanda Slavin. If you are an educator, a parent with kids either in the school systems today or that will be in the future, or just a human interested in how education needs to adapt to address our learner's new world - tune in. It's a fascinating conversation about how Amanda is on a mission to put the learner at the center of the education ecosystem, giving them ownership over their learning style, and revolutionizing how to evaluate success in education. She is a mom of 2, a CEO, and a world traveler, and while you could easily look at her posts, bio, and LinkedIn career and think - 'wow, she has it all' - she is still human, and the human experience is full of ups and downs. She vulnerability shares: Even though she is off social media, except LinkedIn, she still has to be intentional about not comparing herself to others or to her own highlight reel. The beauty of the way kids grow and evolve vs adults and how she is returning to her education degree to help shape the future for our youth. The Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis that shifted the life plan she made for herself. Recovering from loss, managing two high-risk pregnancies, and the need for women to be able to process birthing trauma but so often not having the space to do so. Powerful advice she got after a miscarriage that pushed her to change things and people in her life. and so much more... Trigger Warning: This episode does cover miscarriage. ABOUT OUR GUEST Amanda Slavin is a renowned educator with a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction, a Cannes Lion award-winning community designer, a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, and the co-founder of LearningFREQUENCY. Her Seventh Level Engagement Framework has transformed how we measure learning success and is taught in MBA programs worldwide. Amanda has spent her career changing how we measure success, from learning to marketing. Amanda is the author of the best-selling book, "The Seventh Level." She co-founded CatalystCreativ in 2012, where she increased engagement with top brands like Google and Coca-Cola. Additionally, Amanda has been an advisor and angel investor to 30+ startups, including HubSpot, SEED, and Clay. Among her advisory roles, Amanda serves as a strategic advisor to New Stand, an employee experience startup. She has been featured in publications like Inc., Entrepreneur, Adweek, and Fast Company. Amanda is a sought-after speaker, with two TEDx talks under her belt, and has spoken at prestigious events such as INBOUND and Summit. CONNECT AND LEARN MORE Connect or Follow Amanda Slavin on LinkedIn LearningFREQUENCY CatalystU

If you have ever struggled with imposter syndrome or had to (too frequently) ask yourself the question, am I enough? You aren’t alone. Samantha and I have, too. Samantha breaks down why she no longer subscribes to the idea of imposter syndrome and how she intentionally tackles moments of self-doubt. Ever been out of work or taken a break from your corporate career and wrestled with how to approach the conversation with your kids in an age-appropriate way? What about as a single momma? You’ll hear two moms talk through their approach to the absence of Zoom calls around the clock and the layers of feelings navigating these periods brings. Do you feel like you’ve hit a stress break point at work or are getting close, but you haven’t had to take a leave yet, or even worse? Like far too many women I have connected with, Samantha shares the physical and mental toll that stress played on her body, a breaking point, and how she shifted her strategy for self-care and her mission to help others with what she’s learned. In this episode of Balance is Bullsh*t Podcast: The Real Stories of Blending Motherhood & Career, we cover all of that and more in a transparent, raw conversation between two women, moms, customer success leaders, and friends. Follow Samantha Manuel on LinkedIn to connect and learn more about her mental health resources for Customer Success professionals.

Kesh Shannon is a colleague who started as a colleague but quickly became a friend and mentor. We are so lucky to hear from her today. She graciously shares how she infuses her family history into the way she parents, her career path, and how she broke through the glass ceiling that had her stalled, how she and her husband work together to decide on priorities and tradeoffs (not without the hiccups). You'll see how a doorbell ring and dry cleaning drop-off allow us to debunk the facade of being 'Superwoman'. Kesh is a marketing executive who has spent the last 20+ years helping high-growth organizations in B2B SaaS thrive in their respective markets. She's also a mom of two amazing kids. Her and her partner have committed to supporting each others careers while prioritizing family. To follow connect with Kesh, follow her on LinkedIn!

Jaime has an immensely successful career and is a mom of 2 but it hasn't come without its struggles. Listen to learn more about how she had early conversations with her kids about working, embracing non-linear steps in your career, Jaimes' physical breaking point as a mom of 2 and how she turned this moment into a WIN for so many. Follow Jaime and InFirst Consulting on LinkedIn for more!

Take a listen to hear what we're all about. We're so happy you're here.