5 Things I Do Now That I Wish I Did in My Corporate Job
What owning a business and raising a toddler has taught me about time, energy, and courage.
There are a handful of things I do now that I thought weren’t possible in my corporate job.
Not because anyone explicitly told me I couldn’t, but because somewhere along the way, I started believing I needed permission from my boss or my peers.
Now that I’m a year into running my own business full time, I’m realizing that I could have given myself permission all along.
If I’m honest, I don’t think the environment was as limiting as I made it out to be at the time…my male coworkers were setting plenty of boundaries. But as the only mom on the executive team, I just didn’t create the margin or maybe even have the guts to set the boundaries myself.
As I was reflecting on this the last couple of weeks, I wanted to share a few things I do now that I wish I would’ve done then for any of our working moms out there that are in the thick of navigating corporate, high-demanding jobs and being a fully present mom.
I’ve been there. I see you. Solidarity. You got this!
Here’s the list…it’s by no means perfect, just sharing what I’m learning along the way.
1. I invest in friendships that give me energy, not drain it.
I used to say yes to a lot of things out of obligation (I mean, I still do but I’m getting way better I think!). And more in personal relationships than business stuff than I’d like to admit.
About a year ago, I was reflecting on how I’m the more extroverted friend in almost all of my friendships, which means I’m usually the one that initiates hanging out. That’s true for us as a couple, too. We’re usually the ones that hosted our friend group or proactively planned movie nights, etc.
It was getting exhausting, so a few months back, I started decreasing my “check in texts” to friends that I rarely hear from and have tried to be intentional about increasing the frequency to those that show me their mutually invested in our relationship, and it’s been a game changer.
I’m so grateful for my mom friends in this season, most of them being new friends to me in the past two years!
Time is limited. Energy is even more limited.
2. I design my calendar instead of reacting to it
This might be the biggest one.
Most days, my working hours are between 8:30/9am and 4pm.
Of course there are exceptions. Early calls happen. Late things come up.
But that’s the exception for me now, not the default like it was.
In my corporate job as an executive at a high growth, investor-based tech company, I usually started my day with calls at 8am and was in back to backs until 5pm.
These days, I try not to take meetings before 9am or after 4pm if I can help it. Of course there are exceptions. As an entrepreneur, I value flexibility to be able to deliver for clients or attend a last minute networking invite. But having the set, more structured schedule allows me the margin to be able to flex when I choose to.
I used to let my calendar fill up based on everyone else’s priorities. Now, I (try to!) decide what it looks like first.
A better way to say it: I own my calendar instead of letting it own me.
3. I go on (almost) daily walks
I’m not perfect at this, but most weeks I walk 4–5 days for about 30 minutes, usually right after I put my daughter down and before dinner.
It’s become this small but important transition point in my day.
Work brain → (mostly) off
Mom mode → (try to) exhale
Evening → begin
I used to power straight through the day and wonder why I felt fried by 8pm.
Again, I’m not perfect at this of course, and I’ve only been consistent about it for the last month or so as it’s stayed lighter longer, but the days when I prioritize this walk, I feel so much better.
4. I buy casual clothes I actually feel good in
This feels almost embarrassing to admit, but it mattered more than I expected. I was first inspired after our interview with Priscilla Smith who challenged us to think about dressing ourselves with the intentionality that we dress our kids.
Up until about a month ago, I was avoiding walks or just felt super self conscious on the playground during the weekend because my leggings felt too tight, I didn’t have a pocket for my phone, or I was wearing random old t-shirts that looked awful.
After some back-pocket-coaching with my fellow Get Mom Ready co-host Meredith Mayo , I finally just bought a few new things: a sports bra, a couple pairs of workout pants (and no, not leggings…I think I’m done with them), some simple tees from Amazon.
Nothing fancy, but it removed the friction, and suddenly, the simple habit of a walk felt doable…and a little cuter. :)
5. I put friend time on the calendar
Pre-kids, girl hang time happened organically or last minute.
Now? If it’s not planned, it probably doesn’t happen, and then I’m left feeling like I have no friends and telling myself a sob story.
So I’ve been trying to be better about planning it.
I’ve been trying to hold Fridays (when I can) for a breakfast or a walk with a friend. It doesn’t happen every week, but even having it on the calendar sometimes has made a huge difference.
It gives me something to look forward to, too! It reminds me that I’m not doing life alone. Because goodness gracious… friendship postpartum is a whole thing. In fact, it’s such a thing that we did a whole episode about it.
Looking back, none of these required me starting my own business.
They required ownership.
I think I thought I needed permission to make these choices and just defaulted to, “Well, this is just the way being a working mom is,” but I didn’t.
I just needed the courage to do it.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned:
No one else is going to set your boundaries for you, so you gotta do it, girlfriend.
If you’re currently in the thick of navigating work and life, your Get Mom Ready crew is here for you. Book a time on Meredith Mayo’s calendar to explore if coaching is right for you.