mother and child against a sunsetting backdrop highlights the importance of work-life balance
Posted inChildren & Relationships Parenting tips

Work-Life Balance: The Balancing Act We Didn’t Sign Up For

Remember the days when ‘balance’ meant mastering a yoga pose or perhaps not falling over after a night out with friends? Those were the days. Now, ‘balance’ has taken on an entirely new meaning involving work deadlines, school runs, and what might be an impossible juggling act.

Is work-life balance a mythical creature for working mums, or is it a reality waiting to be claimed? Let’s dig in, shall we?

Attractive Woman Morning Routine
Posted inHealth news and tips for the family Staying Sane

Why Your Morning Routine is Your Secret Superpower

Let’s be honest: how many of us have fantasised about that serene morning glow-up, only to hit the snooze button one too many times? If juggling packed lunch prep, a daily Zoom call, and finding that missing school sock all before 8am sounds like your typical day, then darling, it’s time for an overhaul.

Grab a cuppa; you’re about to turn your mornings from manic to magnificent.

Fit Mama’s Guide: 4 Ways to Squeeze in a Cellulite-Zapping Workout as a Busy Mum
Posted inFitness for mums Staying healthy

Fit Mama’s Guide: 4 Ways to Squeeze in a Cellulite-Zapping Workout as a Busy Mum

On paper, it should be simple enough for working mums to fit in a handful of trips to the gym a week or a morning run, and it can sound like a lame excuse when we bemoan the lack of time. I know this for a fact because when juggling this website and my other businesses, it is not that easy to get the consistency that keeps the cellulite off!

Your Mindset and Progress
Posted inCareers Coach Blog

Do you see a problem or an opportunity?

Most of us have heard (too many times, in fact) the phrase ‘half empty or half full’. Right? It’s often used to see what type of person you are: whether you are an optimistic person or a pessimistic one; whether you are realistic or unrealistic. 

Can I introduce a new dialogue? Well, it’s new, but not shiny brand new. Let’s talk about ‘opportunity over problem’. Take a look at the picture for this post again, but this time look very carefully. What do you see?

How to make a second income
Posted inMoney - how to keep it and how to make it Work and money Work, Business, Money

5 Money Hobbies Ideas for a Second Income

I’m creating this post because one of my lovely followers on Instagram asked for some help! And I am all about helping whenever I can.

I am going to talk about creating a side hustle – this is extra income or what I like to call a ‘money hobby’. If you have a full-time job, this is for you. If you have a part-time job, this is for you. If you have no job, this is for you, too. A side hustle is for everyone whose eyes happen to glance on this post.

How? Because if there is one (of the many) key learning outcomes from this pandemic, it is that you cannot depend on just one source of income for life.

No matter how amazing your career is, it would help if you had a side hustle.

racism in schools
Posted inChildren & Relationships Family life Podcasts for mums

Podcast – How to Teach Children About Racism With Paula Rhone-Adrien

I speak with the award-winning black barrister and family law expert, Paula Rhone-Adrien about how we can teach children about racism and why we should. Paula is also a mum of four, and she shares some refreshing insight into the issue, which will be an eye-opener for parents and educators of all races!

Learning from the big C
Posted inPodcasts for mums

Podcast – Learning From the Big ‘C’

She’s like the new recruit at work that just blows his own trumpet and makes everything about him: Corona! You know the type – acts like he knows everything under the sun about not only the job, the industry but the world! He makes everyone believe his hype and that what he says is gospel…

We won’t get not the politics, the medical evidence, conspiracy theories or anything like that here! Not because I want to sit on the fence on those issues – I really don’t. But it’s because I want to focus on the learning outcomes. This is the one area we have some control over.

Homeschool Working Mums: Use the '2-Minute Rule'
Posted inCareers Coach Blog Work and career tips and advice

Homeschooling Working Mums: Use the ‘2-Minute Rule’

The two-minute rule is a time-management strategy that can dramatically improve productivity. Forget long to-do lists that create overwhelm (or self-importance!), if you really want to get things done, try this rule. You’ll eliminate procrastination and accomplish more every day.

The ‘2-minute rule’ can make an enormous difference in your life – especially if you have a penchant for procrastination. It is ascribed to productivity king, David Allen, author of the renowned Getting Things Done book.

start an online business as a multiple income stream during lockdown
Posted inBusiness tutorials How to promote your business Starting and running your business Work, Business, Money

Product Pricing: The Difference Between Digital and Physical Products

If there’s one lesson, we have all learnt from Coronavirus and the ensuing lockdown it is the ever-increasing importance of having an online presence and having a digital product of some sort. 

You only need to go on any social media platform, from Facebook to Instagram, from Pinterest to YouTube, to see how those brands with a digital product or service are able to sell this flexibly. For many, this digital delivery has not only supplemented their income but has caused a skyrocketing of their profits.

start an online business as a multiple income stream during lockdown
Posted inBusiness building Business Opportunities How to promote your business Starting and running your business Work, Business, Money

What Can You Learn About Pricing From Your Competition?

In the second part of our series on starting a business during the Covid-19 lockdown and beyond, let’s take a look at how to price your products and services – using the competition!

When you’re trying to decide how much to price your products, there’s a lot you can learn from your competitors. While ultimately, several factors will impact how much you should price your products, your competition can certainly help point you in the right direction.

The benefits of blogging
Posted inCareers Coach Blog Work, Business, Money

Why Starting a Blog Could Help Reduce Your Anxiety and Stress Levels

Let’s face it, things aren’t exactly plain sailing at the moment. There’s so much to worry and stress about, it’s a miracle we get anything done at all. From worrying about your health and the safety of your loved ones to going back to work, getting a refund for your holiday or even having a baby or suffering from another health condition. When the stress and strain continues to pile itself onto you, it’s only a matter of time before you buckle under the pressure.

Of course, it makes sense to reach out to your GP or your family and friends if you’re struggling with anxiety and stress. But did you know there are other ways to combat your mental issues and give your wellbeing a boost? Blogging is the perfect outlet for voicing your worries and concerns and relieving the pressure you’re under. 

start an online business as a multiple income stream during lockdown
Posted inBusiness building Business Opportunities Starting and running your business Work, Business, Money

Business Startup 101: Finding Your Unique Selling Position

Are you thinking of launching a new business? Do you wish you had an extra stream of income before Coronavirus struck, placing most of us in lockdown?

It’s not too late. This is the first of a three-part short series to help you get started.

One consideration that many working mums who want to start a business may grapple with is how to price products or services, to help determine a unique selling position in the market.

Using LinkedIn: A Must for Employees and Employers
Posted inCareers Coach Blog How to promote your business Work and career tips and advice

Spread Your Wings: LinkedIn Quick Tips During Covid-19 Lockdown

Now more than ever, having a strong online presence can be the difference between sinking or swimming. With the lockdown in the UK looking like it may drag on further still, an ability to reach out to professionals online.

LinkedIn is a must for employees and business owners alike. Not only is it an effective networking tool, but it is an excellent way of staying engaged with what is going on in your industry. Here are just a few of the things you can use LinkedIn for:

Online Creative Writing Crash Course
Posted inChildren & Relationships Things to do with the kids

Online Creative Writing Course for Children

  • Are you worried about the quality of your child’s writing?
  • Is it a battle to get your child to read?
  • Does your child love everything to do with gadgets but won’t do any book work without a battle?

The Geek School Online Creative Writing Crash Course has been developed for these reasons and more. 

4 Ways to Make Returning to Work After Maternity Leave as Painless (and Stress-Free)as Possible
Posted inHow to cope with problems at work Maternity leave Mothers' rights at work Pregnancy at work Staying Sane Tips for working mums Work and career tips and advice

4 Ways to Make Returning to Work After Maternity Leave as Painless (and Stress-Free)as Possible

Returning to work after maternity leave can have mixed feelings. I know this for sure because my sentiments were quite different after each of my two maternity leaves.

For our first child, I remember crying all the way to the train station. It was nothing, in particular, just the thought of leaving him with anyone, compounded by the guilt at even thinking about heading back to work, leaving my first fruits with complete strangers.

Do you have the right skills and attitude to be a WAHM?
Posted inTips for working mums Work and career tips and advice Work from home how-tos Work from home tips and advice Work, Business, Money

Do you have the right skills and attitude to be a WAHM?

If you’re new here, let me just start by defining WAHM: it is a ‘work-at-home mum’. WAHMs can be self-employed or work for an employer – there are so many options available these days. However, the primary requirement to be called a WAHM is to, well, to work from home.

My first experience of working from home started about 13 years ago, shortly after returning to work from maternity leave. I had applied to work flexibly at work, and the editorial director was so incensed by the audaciousness that she made me a full-time homeworker. I would show up in the office once a fortnight just to stay connected to my work colleagues and to attend meetings.