Babies, toddlers, business, oh my!

I’ve always said that running a business is the biggest lesson in personal development that you could ever undertake… but throw a 2-year old, a 4-month old, 100 clients and a founder with BIG dreams and high expectations of yourself, and you’ve got yourself a right ‘ol recipe for… well, a good time, actually!

Betcha didn’t expect me to say that, did you? Because the RHETORIC is that is kids and business is HARD… and sure, I wouldn’t call it a walk in the park.

But also? I’ve CHOSEN this, and I literally wouldn’t have it any other way.

In today’s podcast episode, I want to share with you my unique perspective on navigating this “early childhood” phase of business and life, and how I “manage it all”… or more accurately, how I DON’T (and how I’m completely okay with that).

How it’s wildly beautiful and how ADJUSTING my expectations down has actually been the catalyst for a sense of happiness and calm in this season that I didn’t think was possible for this little high achiever 👋

A couple of years ago, I had a client inside of my Launchpad program who was talking to me about her frustrations in business. I made sure she felt listened to, and seen, and I nodded along empathetically… until she said this:

“Stevie, it’s easy for you… you STARTED your business before you had kids…”

I stopped.

Did I? I started my social media management business before I had kids, yes.

I quit my job, started a podcast and took on a heap of clients to fund a staycation in Bali to create my first course all before I had kids. That was the first 10 months of my “business”… which, really, at that stage was more a hobby.

But, when I thought about it, this course business I have?

Has been built around my “baby years” right from the start. I was pregnant during my very first launch. I delivered the first round of my course in a house with zero air-conditioning in the middle of summer with raging morning sickness.

I gave birth to my 2-year old, Jimmy, and was doing my second launch two months later. A year later, I started Launchpad… and six months after that I was pregnant with Sunny.

She was wrong, and I was kind of mad about it.

One, because I think any attempt to belittle someone’s time, effort and sacrifice – kids or no kids – isn’t fair.

But two, because actually? This business was built in the THICK of having my babies, and as a mum I know for sure that that in itself is an achievement that she really didn’t give me credit for.

In the past few months, I have had SO many other mums reach out to me and ask “how I do it”, “how I juggle it all”, “how I manage”.

And so I want to share with you NOT my “expert guide to parenting and business”, because actually, I don’t really have it all figured out and I don’t really want to come at this from the place of an expert.

But instead, my honest account and thoughts on the best way I personally have found to navigate this beautiful, wild season of life… in case it helps you too.

If you’re a mum navigating business and babies — You ARE AMAZING, and I think it’s nice to know that actually. NO ONE has it all figured out (and that is totally okay).

1 — Choose Your Hard (Why I Chose Digital Programs)

2 — Everything is a Season / Choose Your Burners

3 — Adjust Your Expectations

4 — In 5 Years, What Will You Regret?

5 — Guilt is a Useless Emotion

6 — I Don’t Actually “Do It All”

7 — Get Away

Keep Listening!

Listen On: Apple Podcasts | Spotify