Afraid because I knew this signalled change.

Huge change.

Huge, life-altering, things-will-never-be-the-same kind of change.

The kind that demanded sacrifices and putting other people ahead of my own wants and ambitions.

And already, I felt my body demanding that sacrifice.

The food that I could no longer eat, the exercise I could no longer do, and how for 9 months my body didn’t feel like it belonged to me.

But above all the physical and hormonal changes, there was the worry.

I run my own business and with impending motherhood.

I had to figure out how to take maternity leave. And step away from one baby for another.

So I hustled during those 9 months.

Launched digital products and onboarded coaches who would help me with my clients.

And during this entire period, I thought (selfishly) - motherhood is such a sacrifice.

I can’t set these revenue targets for 2024.

I’ll have to push back on these launches.

I might have to scale back my existing business to be safe!

Why do mothers have to give up so much?!

Then I gave birth to my daughter.

3 months in, my perspective completely changed.

It no longer feels like a sacrifice but rather, a change in priorities.

Yes, I can’t achieve the business goals I once set for myself

But instead of feeling disappointed, I see this as a new season.

A season where I get to spend time with my daughter.

I get to watch her grow. See her discover a whole new world.

See her smile and coo.

And I remind myself that this was why I started a career coaching business to begin with.

So I can turn up and turn down the amount of work at different seasons.

To be able to step back to spend time with my daughter, or ramp up again when the time is right.

And while I’m still figuring out where on the spectrum of career and motherhood I fall

This much is clear - it no longer feels like I had to sacrifice my career.

My career goals, dreams and ambitions - they’re all still there.

They are just different now because those dreams have expanded.

They demand more.

I am now more.

When I first fell pregnant, I was excited but also afraid.

The 8 stages of falling out of love with your job

Many people think that they don’t need a career coach.