Margie Warrell – Author “Find your Courage – 12 Acts for Becoming Fearless at Work and in Life”.

Recently returned to Australia after a decade making her mark in the USA, Margie Warrell is a Forbes Columnist, bestselling author, media contributor (Today Show, Fox News, CNN), leadership expert AND mother of four. We chat to Margie about being a Working Mother.

What’s the one thing you wish your organisation/industry offered working mothers?

Being self employed provides me with a flexibility that just isn’t always possible when you are part of a larger organisation. The downside of being self employed is that you miss out on being part of a ‘team’ and the connection that comes from working alongside others. There’s also no “Help Desk!”

What’s the single most frustrating thing about being a working mother?

Keeping all the balls airborne and when one drops, forgiving myself for not having been better organised. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to accept that when you choose to juggle career and family, balls will inevitably drop, that most the time my kids they really don’t matter in the bigger picture, and that they usually provide my kids with valuable opportunities to build resourcefulness and resilience. I’ve also found it frustrating at times not to have things be as perfect as I would like them but that most the time, “good enough is good enough.” So what, if my kids shirts have never seen an iron?

What changes have occurred in your workplace/industry (current or previous) to accommodate working mothers?

Again, being self-employed has meant that I haven’t faced some of the same challenges of those working in more structured work environments. Certainly there are more resources available today to help mums in building their own businesses that provide them with the flexibility they want and need should they decide to go that route.

If you could design your ideal role, what would it consist of?

I’m doing exactly what I want to do and what gives me an enormous sense of fulfillment. If anything, I just sometimes I wish I had a “wife” to help manage more on the homefront. Then again, I’m guessing most working mothers wish they had a double for that same reason. Sometimes there just isn’t enough of “us” to do everything we really want to do to the standard or extent we’d like to do it – in our work, for our kids, our partner, our friends etc. So we have to learn how to focus in on our core values and priorities and accept that we simply can’t be all things to all, particularly when our kids are young and the demands on our time and energy run most high.

Find out more about Margie at www.MargieWarrell.com