
E39 - I thought I'd be further ahead by now
From Moms, Mats and Manuscripts by Ksenia Volkova Tomaz
February 6, 2026 · 23 min · Episode 39
About this episode
In this birthday reflection episode, Ksenia discusses the mixed emotions of self-employment and the pressure to meet societal expectations.
Four years into self-employment, almost two years of this podcast... and instead of feeling settled, I’ve been sitting with a lot of mixed emotions. In this birthday reflection episode, I talk honestly about the thought many of us carry: “I should be further ahead by now.” I reflect on academic conditioning, linear timelines, grief around identity shifts, motherhood and building a business in “hard mode,” and the pressure to measure ourselves by standards that were never designed for our live...
People in this episode
Host: Ksenia Volkova Tomaz
Topics covered
- self-employment
- identity shifts
- motherhood
- business challenges
- personal reflection
Keywords
- self-employment
- identity
- motherhood
- business
- reflection
- emotions
- expectations
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