Early Career Pitfalls

In my coaching career, I have witnessed the following early career pitfalls once a professional becomes a parent. Parents just have more to consider other than their individual success.

The main barriers that I gathered from my clients during group coaching sessions are as follows :

🛡️ Fear of judgment

We are afraid of being put on the shelf if we ask for more flexibility following the arrival of a child.

We are generally afraid of being judged as a less productive worker because we need to adjust to our new situation.

Will we be able to progress in the company, to climb the ladder (if we want to) when we refuse some travel or meetings on Fridays at 5 pm?

This is a legitimate fear, widely shared around us.

💸Financial fear

Parenthood involves vulnerability. You are now financially responsible not only for yourself but for another human you love. In concrete terms, financial fear is very present when it comes to career pivoting. This is a time when You need security and stability the most so challenging the status quo or a well-established societal belief: that when you become a parent, you must have a stable income source at all costs are conflicting.

In reality, how can one hand ask for financial stability while

your other hand is craving career change?

How can these two things co-exist in the same sphere?

Besides this, physical fatigue can make us doubt ourselves even more:

Are we confident enough to want to pivot now?

🕕Fear of having to invest time

Perhaps for the first time, you begin to recognize time as a resource.

Because time is something you begin to crave as a parent.

Let's be honest, having a long bath might be a luxury if you refuse to address what needs to be done in your household.

Becoming a parent means seeing our available time drastically reduced. Moreover, we also think that a new job or any new activity will require us time to adapt.

Along with this is a tenfold increase in energy, where our energy gauge empties as our day's end.

Are these thoughts compatible? How can we ‌free up time and this energy to reflect or focus on ourselves when we become parents?

No clue on what to do with more questions than answers?

Lacking time and energy will drain our creativity as well.

How to move forward? What can be done now?

There is no simple answer. A mom of 2 told me “Wow, your program brought me to think a lot about myself, my skills, my knowledge, my strengths, my experiences and put that differently together, I see new perspectives now, it is really not easy to do that, I would never have been able to do that alone”

This is the kind of clarity I want to bring to you.

All your fears are legitimate. If you want to fulfill your purpose, but you’re not even sure where to start, book a quick call now. I will be happy to discuss your options.

BOOK a CALL

Christelle