For most of my career I thought something was wrong with me. I would fall in love with a new business idea, or a new job, a creative project constantly. Instantly I was filled with excitement and passion. I loved newness and sinking my teeth into new learnings and building, creating something new. My family called me unfocused. They said I had a problem with follow-through. They said I never really committed to something fully—because I didn’t follow the usual path of traditional career success.
But here’s what I’ve learned from working across 35+ roles and more than 15 industries.
There is nothing wrong with us. We’re just trying to fit into a career system that wasn’t designed for us.
I’ve been where many mothers get stuck. Staring at my laptop at 11 PM, trying to finish work that couldn’t get done during the day because of 2 meltdowns, a forgotten lunch, and a school assembly that was inconveniently scheduled at 2pm.
The traditional career ladder that we know wasn’t really designed for us, working mothers. Between school pickups, sick days, and the mental load of managing a household, many of us find ourselves questioning whether our current work situation truly serves our lives or what the heck we’re actually doing.
Luckily once I started discovering Human Design a few years ago, everything shifted for me. I finally gave myself permission to think outside the box. Create a work-life that is exactly the way I am (no more hiding my multihyphenate nature). I tuned into what felt expansive, energizing, into what made me feel alive and excited and I began rebuilding my work and life from that place.
That’s where holistic career coaching comes in and it’s been a real game-changer for many of the mothers I work with. It’s career advice that actually integrates who you are as a person and what your life looks like. It goes beyond the neat analysis of talents, strengths and passions and what you could use them for in real life.
Traditional career coaching feels like it was designed for people who don’t have to worry about childcare falling through or leaving work early for a pediatrician appointment. Holistic career coaching integrates what your life currently looks like and what would feel realistic and joyful for you and your soul. It doesn’t just look at what looks good on paper but helps you decode your soul’s signals and where you’re meant to go.
The Search for Meaning (And Why It Matters More Now)
I realized early on in my work, that I couldn’t trade passion for money. I couldn’t fake engagement and excitement if there was none. I think the moment you think “just this once” or “until I get promoted” is the moment you’ve already lost (yourself).
Jobs that drain your soul often pay more because they have to pay for the meaning that’s lacking. It’s essentially the compensation for the part of your soul, that you’re selling. But meaningful work builds not just skills. It creates change, it impacts people and relationships, and creates personal growth that „soul-drainers” never will.
“I Have So Many Interests — How Do I Choose Just One Career Path?”
Recently I worked with a former marketing manager who’d become really excited about nutrition. She had started a small Etsy shop selling handmade toys, and was considering going back to school for parenting coaching. She felt confused and kept apologizing for not having a “absolute clarity and direction.”
I told her: being multipassionate isn’t a flaw that needs fixing. It’s actually her secret gift and superpower. You can actually combine multiple interests in ways you haven’t considered yet: consider your marketing background + nutrition passion = helping wellness brands tell their brand stories
How to Know If Your Current Career Still Fits
You need to re-learn to feel. To trust your gut. Because it’s probably telling you something important right now.
I ask my clients to pay attention to their energy throughout the week. What brings them energy and joy and what blocks their joy and drains their energy. It’s an important indicator.
Ask yourself some important questions:
Do you feel proud when you tell people about your work?
Can you be the real you in your job, or are you playing a role?
Do you feel excited about your next project or bored?
Does your work schedule allow you to be the kind of mother you want to be or do you feel guilty all the time?
Are you growing or just getting a paycheck?
Where to Start When You’re Ready for Change
If you’re feeling unhappy in your career here is what helped me reconnect:
1. Be brave, not responsible (even if outside voices tell you differently)
If a choice makes you feel tight or tired before it even begins, trust that. Your body always knows and energy does not lie.
2. Be a C Student and experiment often
Try something new. Learn a new skill or join a new course. Do it messy. You don’t have to follow through on all projects you start. Just start. Often the newness is enough to shift energy that was stuck and remove the density. You meet new people, that creates new opportunities. I read about a girl that worked in 30 roles in one year to test what she liked (pretty crazy but for her it worked).
3. What brings you joy
Notice what parts of your current work you actually enjoy. Pay attention to what you find yourself reading about in your free time. Have coffee with someone whose career intrigues you. Try something new. Your next holidays, how about a volunteer gig in Africa? (I actually thought of that recently so I’ll share it here).
4. Shame and worry gets you nowhere
Your pace, your pivots, they’re your life-journey. Only you truly know how it feels on the inside and if you’re living in integrity.
5. Follow your inner knowing
If you didn’t get paid for it and no one was watching, what would I really do? Ask yourself, what do you really care about. That’s often a key driver – your why. If you looked back on your life later in life, what is the kind of work you would be proud to share and talk about to your grand kids? Do you want to tell them you just did what you had to, because of a pay check? I know that hurts. But if it doesn’t hurt, you’ll stay where you are. Once you are actually 70, you can’t turn back the time. So do it now, turn it forward. What is the kind of change and impact you want to have and how do you want to serve people in this lifetime?
The Truth About Making It Work
I know how isolating it can feel when you’re stuck in work that doesn’t fit your life anymore. But here’s what I’ve learned from working in 35+ roles and 15+ industries: your skills that you’ve developed raising children, the creativity, resilience, and ability to make something out of nothing- these are exactly the kind of skills that you need to create work that truly serves your life. Your dreams don’t need to wait until your kids leave you with an empty nest. They can start now. They can start in small ways where you explore your passions and ideas while honoring your family’s needs.
Sponsored by mamawhatsnext
