Rule Breaking Women
Four women who haven’t figured it all out, pulled back in their careers and understand school pick up is an act of social impact.
👋 I challenge conventional thinking to help people craft well-rounded lives that blend career, caregiving and self-care.
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A couple of weeks ago I told you about the International Women’s Day gathering I’m hosting.
It’s two days away now and oh my goodness am I getting excited.
Over 200 people are coming together to say sayonara to the unsustainable, unachievable ideal of the woman who should be doing it all as a professional and parent.
It will be a conversation between me and four women who are challenging the status-quo of the successful-do-it-all-no-hair-unkempt-reach-to-new-heights mantra.
So today, I want to give you a sneak peak at what we’ll be covering by sharing snippets of each woman’s story.
There is way more to cover than what is below so come join us! And if you can’t make the live event, register anyway to get the recording!
Rochelle: Imperfection is Perfection
She'd never want to be thought of as the picture-perfect mompreneur. Instead, Rochelle Ford is refreshingly real, and what I've learned from her is even more valuable because of it.
Rochelle’s bio reads: Coach, Author, Speaker, Mom of 4 helping working moms to advance their careers while raising a family and reclaiming their inner Queen.
These 22 words sum up Rochelle wonderfully and would make her seem like a super-mom, boss babe, rock star.
And yet - Rochelle will never be one to say she has figured it all out or has all the answers.
She knows that each day brings new challenges that require one to speak their truth, connect with their own physical and mental state and figure out where to go from here.
She is the last person who would want to be put on a pedestal and make others feel less-than.
Instead, she reminds you life is never perfect and joins you side-by-side to ride the hills of ups and downs together.
Amanda: Impact In Big And Small Ways
Amanda Munday is proof you don't need a special title to make a difference.
I really learned the meaning of JFK's words – "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country" – when I met Amanda. We hear a lot about the importance of social good, but to me Amanda embodies this ideal but in a very unexpected way.
Amanda is not a politician, an activist, or a civil servant. She's a business person (with super skills in PR, fundraising and getting s!@# done) who believes in using her talents to make a positive impact.
Here are just some of the ways, big and small, she has contributed to social good:
1️⃣ Wrote a book about her own postpartum depression to normalize and provide solace for others who have gone through or are going through the same thing.
2️⃣ Started a on-demand childcare centre with co-working on site so that parents who wanted to do part-time, flex-time or whatever-time they needed for work could get childcare.
3️⃣ Leading up a non-partisan organization and raising millions of dollars to get youth and first time voters to the polls.
But also!
4️⃣ Raising two vibrant children and attending to their unique needs by consistently being there for them, which includes daily 3pm school pick ups.
5️⃣ Supporting and helping her fellow entrepreneurs at a drop of a hat with anything they need, whether it be filling out complicated tax forms, ideating on the next thing or being a comforting ear when things go bad.
Amanda Munday is a successful businesswoman, a devoted mother, AND a tireless force for positive change. She proves we don't have to choose.
She does, though, prove that we have to rethink what "success" means. For Amanda, success wasn't founding the most stellar social impact business but not being there for her family or caring for herself. Impact had to come in both small and large ways.
Melissa and Ashley: Leaning-Out
This picture was taken a decade ago after a long day at work. Little did we know that Melissa Huggett, Ashley Good and I would embark on a whole different kind of success story.
At the time, we were full-on work. Our careers were the most important part of our identity.
We'd meet at a downtown bar when the long day was over (pictured here still in their corporate fanciness).
We'd discuss the days events, the bosses, the clients, the projects that excited us and stressed us to the max.
We'd talk about our plans of what we wanted to accomplish - the seniority, the salary, the roles we wanted to play.
We also always laughed and ended the evening with our cups overflowing.
Then life changed.
Melissa became a parent first. We were able to drag her out to an after work drink only once.
That ritual ended when Ashley and I became parents a year or so later.
What also ended without us realizing it? Our lofty aspirations and relentless pursuit of professional success.
Today, we still talk about work and our bosses, clients, and projects that excite us. We still have ambitions to learn and contribute. But they are tempered.
We also still meet up - the latest hang out, though, was at 8am in one of our kitchens after the kids were off to school.
We all work flexible jobs that allow us to take three hours in the middle of the week to meet up with friends (something I consider a major part of my self-care.)
We became the ladies who brunch and *never* *ever* would we have expected that to happen 10 years ago.
I share this because in our culture obsessed with wealth and power we often don't hear the stories of people who choose to pull back.
To me this well-rounded life that makes space for career, caregiving and self-care is the ultimate in success. A success that has no 'costs'
So there you have it. The four women who will be joining me to talk about identity, self-love, expectations of women, and so much more.
This is just the start of figuring out how to show up if you love your career AND being a caregiver AND want space for self-care AND are struggling to blend them together in our hustle and bustle world.
Do come join us - and if not, stay tuned for more :)
Keep well,
J
P.S. I’m prioritizing shipping over perfection, so this post may not convey all my thoughts perfectly. I’d love comments or questions to keep the discovery going.
P.P.S. With thanks, as always, to my Junior Associate, ChatGPT-4.0 AND Gemini Advanced (just started testing both against each other… I feel kind of disloyal in a weird way)