Jane (President of a small media company) was stunned.  Not one to mince words, she immediately remarked that she would never hire anyone at her company who wasn’t wired with a blackberry or something similar.  Her employees are required to have them and to check them (and their company voice mail) in evenings and even on the weekends.

Not having worked in the corporate world full-time in many years, I was surprised by this.  I don’t recall ever having signed up for a job that requires their employees to be in touch and accessible 24/7.  The accounting professional said as much, and Jane was adamant that this is what is required to be a valued employee and professional these days.

I disagree, and believe that every employee is entitled to a weekend off, and if work is required of them on the weekends, they should be responsible enough to do it with our without a blackberry.  That being said, I am addicted to my blackberry and check it constantly.  How do you feel about technology? Should a blackberry or iphone be a requirement for an employee in 2010?

After some soul searching, I researched options for returning to work.  I informally polled moms in the same stage and learned that there were many moms in my position—wanting to return to work or do something “more” but not quite sure how.  After taking classes in career management, Barri and I founded Mind Your Own Business Moms (MYOBMoms) a business dedicated to helping stay-at-home moms return to workplace and keep their skills alive while raising their children. We are glad you are joining us for the journey.

Pamela and I started MYOBMoms to help women reinvent themselves and develop “second act” careers after or while raising children. We know this is an important and difficult process because each of us went through it ourselves.

My own story is a pretty universal one: after a career as a lawyer, I stopped working to raise my children. I tried to find a less demanding position that used my legal skills but found that the one that best fit my life (teaching law school) didn’t fit my interests. So I embarked on a decade-long period of parenting and volunteering, I joined the PTA, chaired school fundraising benefits and committees, and served on the Board of my cooperative. I may as well have had a part-time job. And although these activities helped me forge a nice community for my family, they didn’t help me figure out what I wanted to do when my children were grown.

When my youngest child turned 10, I knew that I had to start planning for my own future. I spent a year paring down my activities so that I could think about my interests and options. I talked to many other stay-at-home moms about their future plans, and saw their uncertainty about what direction to go in. I’ve always been a problem-solver, and I enjoyed helping these women identify options and develop plans for themselves.

Getting a degree in career management and starting MYOBMoms was a logical next step for me. Providing career advice combines many of my lawyering skills (research, problem-solving, advocacy, client relations), and being an entrepreneur affords me the work-life balance that fits my life. But more importantly, I am passionate about what I do.

My own experience has taught me that
• it is important for women to develop plans for their post-parenting life;
• it’s never too early to start that process;
• recharting your course is a tremendous opportunity that will eventually lead to greater happiness and fulfillment; and
• collaborating makes the process more productive and less painful

My goal for this blog is to provide information, advice, questions and stories that will inform and hopefully inspire you. I welcome any feedback and encourage you to pass it along to your friends.