hello and welcome to another episode in the life two point zero show today we are this thing today we're discussing really what a life two point zero show was all about you know we love bringing in gas who like two point zero community really is about helping women to create that second act in life that is purposeful and for filling to them doesn't have to mean that you're retiring and a lot of people think like to point always over time but it's not it's about reaching a point in your life and usually that point is a result of some other factor that acts as a catalyst or a trigger to say you know what i want to live a life that is more true to who i am i want to do you know the things i've always kind of put thank you for you know agreeing to how i wanted to rely on you know on your story and how what your journey has been like because you've had you have some very interesting model stones within that journey and so just give us a little brief idea of you know you started incorporating what made yes i to believe in you know so i did start in corporate and as a mother of three i decided it was time to leave and i made that decision rather abrupt abruptly because i really thought that i would stay ok but the tired nights eating out paying for daycare missing special moments in our children's lives yeah i decided it was really time i write to be a mom like right and god brought me to that journey to be a mother and i thought that it was time that i answered the call all right and that's what because i had a chance to talk with carolyn before you know about the show and so forth and that was the thing and i said to her says you have to tell this because to make the decision to stay home to take your family take your kids it's a tough decision and  oftentimes a lot of women struggle with that and a lot of women feel guilty about making that decision but i mean i relate to you when you're saying a working because my life was about working coming home tuesday was one even for my kids wednesday night was another event for my kids in the meantime i traveled a lot and my husband travel a lot and i was grateful that i had my my parents so you know i always had them to step in but it's like i have my life revolve around their schedule and you get burnt out oh i was doing a show i did like that yeah yeah yeah especially with no sleep yeah and that was also my experience we lived in a lovely spacious two bedroom condo but we were five people right so i always describe that as tight packed living that we did a nice job that yeah and in our honestly the decision as hard as it was i'm so happy that we made it right my husband and i made it together because it increased our relay it improved our relationship and when i was right home in my schedules calmed down a bit so we were really happy about that yeah but looking back just on my own experience because left because my husband moved from the state so i kind of left anyway i had to leave and was had intentions of going back but my son would not stay with anyone i would not sleep through the night but the time that i spent at home and trying to make entrepreneurship work i would never trade bad because of the lessons that i got to teach my kids i don't think any daycare could do that  everybody bring something to the table right like right yeah and every every child just as every adult is very different right so of course they're different adults today and i but they basically have the same moral fiber and we're very proud of that right exactly exactly and for me that's why i chose to stay in the field because my schedule was flexible so i never missed you know in the morning the important work reigns a little ways and things that they were in so like the three of us i think i feel very fortunate about wow what i did but there are so many women that don't have that flexibility with that option and i think that the it's for them it's going to work and always having that guilt but at the same time you know there's definitely guilt in leave our children and it is it's definitely guilt and i said i'm thankful because we had grandparents and you know right now yeah you know yeah but there's a guilt to it and i think that when we shouldn't because we have to work we have times you have to work or we have to and you have to  so i commend the women that still has that you know they can't do it they still have to work but i have to say to them you have to this priorities and i always would say people you have to find priorities because even though  worked you still have to make your kids a priority and i know they have to find that you have to find this moment and i know and do that for so my point is your kids are your priority whether you work or not just find those moments in women thinking about it and it's also can be me at a time when this is really a great time to help others rear you know i've learnt was but how did you have those how did you handle the women that likes it or you're leaving to be a stay at home mom you know what i'm saying because they were so career focused and what how did you handle that well thank you for asking that i approach it from the mindset of well i'm a corporate mom now i have the same skills that i had when i worked in business and i will apply those skills to making myself an at home mom a success story like my ok and i think i do want to point out though i think what's helpful to young parents today corporations are much more open to yes at home work for harm home life family balance so i i do think that maybe for some of our younger parents at home dads in my circle k primarily from our school ok we raised our children in educate our children and with catholic and honey ssion and there's a lot of maybe not today but at the time there were a lot of at home moms and some at home dad yeah yeah yeahs really actually a lot of fun to kind of maybe things are quite a bit yeah so i don't i have to say i really didn't feel a lot of pressure ok about being the at home ok mom however during corporate events that i might attend with my husband i did have to steal up a bit yeah yeah and then defend myself yeah and i think if we keep mission that i love which is because that is so much the heart of what we try to instill in life two point zero your skills your talents are transferable take those skills and count you enjoy using one of the things you mentioned was that you took an inventory of your skill set yes i did then you sort of went from there to figure out well what's going to be my next step so tell us a little bit more about that that journey was more scary for me because it helps me sit back and say ok what where are my skills how can i make them come together and i evaluated what was important to me my missions like yeah missions are education particular advocate for catholic schools but they're very much alike because they also listen for for funding ok and they're all terribly mission driven right to the core and very mission driven and the rewards are phenomenal so after i left teaching after fifteen years i did leave to take care of extended family members and i never regret that i actually wanted to hear my father and we were found in the city my husband i were found the situation unfortunately we did lose him rather quickly after that we were in a situation where one hasn't lost his job so i thought ok i need a part time job and i need it close by right i answered a three line ad and lo and behold it was for a marketing company right right independent schools so it worked out perfectly yeah it was the perfect perfect scenario right but i feel as though maybe my guardian angel stepped in and say whatever is meant to be you are meant to be and the door opens the door absolutely adored this company it was wonderful for me and of course i like to think that i kept an open ear and open eyes right and i learned quite a bit from them successful today and when they sold the business the new business wasn't quite a good fit for me and i thought you know what i can do this on my own ok and i have to say the previous owners were very are and continue to the state to be very supportive ok of of my work and we have remained strong friends and my husband speaking of support i do want to give a shout out to my husband and i have yes i had been the professional volunteer and i always step up to the and they're so proud of me today with my own business that writes for school marketing strategies nonprofits they're they're very supportive of me in this today said but they've had a lot of train vet a lot of trading so what are some of the things that after you decide you know you worked with the marketing company with this school you know doing stuff for schools right and then you decide ok well the folding up this other business is not going to be in tune with my mission what made you decide to start your own and how did you overcome the fear of actually oh sure well i'm not particularly fearful i just feel is another step i have to take into ok but how i came to the decision was i did that evaluation again and i said what did i do as a teacher what would my strengths what were my strengths as as a girl what were my strengths  corporate and what are my skills so i really took an evaluation of all of that i write well i edited very well i have a strong passion for what my my missions  right right right and i decided that this is it i'm there has to be a market out there for me all right and there is particularly with fledgling institutions now one would say well catholic oh marketing is very new to catholic schools so i knew that that was you know well i think it's very new to churches on both yes yes yes yes and quite frankly they're not that ready to jump on the bandwagon  that you know you try to tell them that ok i understand you're a church and you're a nonprofit but you're still business exact yeah yeah yeah at the end of the day you think need to open a door on you and you have corporate you're goal your mission make money nonprofits there use i guess people help you help your service service through people you know seeing the need believing in your service and they donate but it still has to function and be anything for my corporate experience i was never ever ever and i've always you know i have friends that have moved on to doing different things i've a good friend that's doing her own business and it's that corporate training that we developed and we y over time that is so key to us being able to do so many other things so for a lot of women that are trying to find their place and what is my wish what i believe in i think when you said what are you passion about what are the things that you believe in to mention what really takes courage is to leave everything else behind you leave all this make that decision to go in this particular direction and then say you know what i'm not doing that anymore or i've  think you're you're spot on and i say that because i would hope that i've never given and anyone left anyone with a bad taste right right oh yeah i so want to help them but you're not the right person exactly and you know it and they're not the right sort survey yeah  way yes way yeah yeah yeah yeah you know what you're right jacki you learn that in corporate yeah yeah it's not going to be a good fit yeah right and i do think that that is what takes strength yes yeah because you asked me about my fears so yeah yeah that i hate to say no but i'm getting better at it yeah you know and that's what you know without ever saying oh yeah yeah yeah because i think at this point in your life you know at least for me this whole second act of my life is really about saying ok the things that i know and i know there are things that i no longer want to do i've been there done that and saying i'm not doing it you know because i need to be true to who i am at this point  will be our best your leader yeah yeah yeah definitely definitely so you mentioned in several several times along your journey you had to re evaluate and sort of ok well what skills do i have today you know i learned a couple things incorporated and then i did this sort of thing and i learned a couple other things so i really feel like that's a key component to when you're in this phase of life or any anything really when you're going to start your neck the evaluation but i have to admit i do a lot of reevaluating but i think it's triggered or at least in the past it's been triggered by the stage as of our children's lives ok yeah yeah yeah yeah change and each one has a has a different interest right and then their needs for the attention that they died for their parental attention and we have to remember that we as as moms have to if we're lucky enough to to be in a committed relationship we have to remember that that committed relationship needs to come first so reevaluation sometimes isn't just a function of what i reevaluate it's a function of what  and in that i remember just anecdotally one story that i think had our children reevaluating themselves they were pre teen and teenagers and there was some sort of conflict that they had among themselves and they needed our approval and when they came to us i looked at them and i said ok now let's think about this the three of you don't agree but you all need our approval so a crossroads right now and getting ready to take that next step i'm not quite sure in terms of the evaluation of your passion your skills your mission like can you one of the things that i did for about two years believe or not it took me two years to come to this decision was i i meditated i prayed i and yeah what that did for me was it gave me i knew every sunday morning i was getting up and i was taking an hour an hour and a half and focusing on prayer and leadership and evaluating where i was in life and also looking at my family because family is the most important yeah gift that we are given and life and i knew that no decision could disrupt my family so i have to tell you that it was this i don't think a lot or much of this conversation counts and is an artist so we were we always talk about what are your skills with the talents that you have that can help you and when you left she use talent and skill as an artist and you taught art yes i said so i mean that's another thing you know what are your you know we evaluate your talents your skills and that for you was a stepping stone i believe when you were telling me was yet another type of business that you were doing so so what happened with that which is a lovely story and now i am working with as an art studio that will soon be a nonprofit studio it's been in business for you go take a listen for the answer and that and be guided because you don't always have to know the answers not the big lesson and i had to stop and learn i don't have to always know the answers and i think again coming from like you know work background you always have to have answers though what's going say well i'm praying but i'm not getting any answers are we listening totally are we listening italy yeah yeah so i there a few more concrete tips that i might hear ok so we have about we have about a minute ok so a concrete tip is if i measure you yes i always have a notebook a good point and i write in my and i always buy a notebook with a ribbon ok yes and you know tabs you can put in so i just have a notebook i keep a little cards sometimes to remind me of things that i want to say and i also keep a business card file kay and of course from ok put all kinds of stuff in it but i know it on my business cards where i met the person what we discussed and i really have a hard time sorting them out because what i should say sorting out throwing them out where i never know when yeah when you're going to not that part necessarily what has happened to mean not when i need them but sometimes they come back into my life yeah ok and then someone might need something from me right i want to be ready to answer that call ok so i did you that i also want to give the tip and it has helped me i think the one that i love ok go ahead as a homemaker and i who doesn't love having their own home and yet they're eating their own home i always made sure from the time that our children were young we always have either a bottle of champagne in the refrigerator and or sparkling cider yeah because one maybe it's because you graduated high school you're good you know margaret yes but even though small achievement yeah that our children experience and maybe your husband you and your husband experience he comes home he says hey guess