Reader, How is it December already? I find myself asking this every year these days. Here's what I've learned in 2024: 1. Trust yourself more I started this newsletter in 2020 talking about personal finance. It was something I wanted to get better at so I was sharing all my lessons. Money led me to career and business building since work and money are intricately connected. Leaning into sharing career advice felt great since it's the foundation of my 2-decade long career in HR. Through it all, I've always been guided by taking inspired action - meaning, taking action on what feels good and that energizes me. It's always led me to better things, even when doing it sometimes feels scary and risky. It's shown me how trusting myself is always the right move for me. 2. Do work you're passionate about Love what you do and never work another day in your life, right? Some people think this is unrealistic and impractical. I think it's only that if you expect this process to be linear. Finding and doing work you're passionate about isn't straightforward. It involves detours, steps back and to the side. For me, it's meant saying no to promotions and accepting salary 'caps' in my job. And then creating other income streams through my side business so I can continue doing work I love and make a good living. Doing work you're passionate about is possible when you keep an open-mind and remain flexible and adaptable. 3. Live your life Seems obvious, but ambitious women like us can get fixated on our work. Our work ethic is what makes us accomplish what we do. And when you love your work, it doesn't even feel like work. But, we don't live in a bubble and what we do or don't do affects the people around us. I made an intentional effort in 2024 to be less obsessed about my business and more present with family and friends. It wasn't always easy to step away from working on my business, but I've always been glad I did each time because it helped me come back with even better ideas and ways of doing things. 4. Set your intention for 2025 Come January, you're going to be seeing lots of 'new year, new you', and 'goal setting' messages everywhere. These days, I prefer intention setting. It's more flexible and practical for working moms like me. It gives me broad direction and focus, yet room to manoeuvre when life happens during the year which it always does. My intention for 2025 is to remain focused on what matters to me most:
To this end, I'm filling up my 1:1 coaching spots for 2025. If you're an ambitious woman or mom who wants my help creating a career that's rewarding without compromising time with your kids and important priorities in your life, then submit an application form or book a call and let's explore working together. Sharon |
The Weekly Newsletter CAREER COACH FOR WORKING MOMS I've always been the person who makes career decisions that look crazy from the outside. Pay cut for a smaller role? ✅ Leaving stable jobs for unknown opportunities? ✅ Following gut instincts over spreadsheet logic? ✅ People thought I was either brave or reckless. Turns out, I was just being myself. Last week I discovered Human Design - basically a personality system that creates your 'user manual for life' based on your birth details....
Reader, It's begun. Retrenchment talks. Even though the company I work at has announced 'restructuring' after the acquisition, up to this point, this was only happening at the global and regional level, and the top folks in our country. Last week, the first trickle has landed in country. As someone in HR, conducting these conversations is the part of my job I hate most. Watching people cry. Seeing the shock, anger, and helplessness wash over their faces. Knowing that in an instant, their...
Reader, I have a confession. A decade ago, I got into a 6-figure business debt. I used to believe having more money solves all problems. Whenever there was something I didn't know how to or didn't want to deal with, I'd throw more money on it. When I would realized what I had done, I'd panic and stress. Hitting the 6-figure mark in debt was my wake-up call. The problem wasn't that I needed to become a financial expert. The problem was that I was stuck in survival mode, making decisions from...