How I went from the corporate grind to stay at home mum
While I have lived in the UK for the past 20 years, I was born in Russia, then moved to Israel, but mostly grew up in New York. After university, I worked in finance before getting my MBA from Columbia Business School in New York. After graduating, I moved to the UK where I worked as a Marketing Manager at Sainsbury's until the birth of my second child.
Fast forward 8 years, and after two careers and four children, my energy levels were at an all-time low, I was snappy and irritable with my husband and kids, overweight, I had low self-esteem, horrible IBS and though I was going through the motions of running a large family, I wasn’t really present in my own life. While I was dedicated to my family and very hard working, I felt totally insecure. I was confused by this stage in life, uncomfortable in my own skin and was seeking direction to move forward. I felt that I had lost my spark and wanted to get back to the vibrant and confident person I had been before children but didn’t know how.
Sounds awful, right?
So how did I overcome all these difficulties? What did I do to start moving forward? Honestly, it’s the same way you might, or anyone would.
I had to dig deep, open myself to learning again and to seek new mentors. Most of all, I had to see a different kind of future for myself and my family, and I had to get to work.
To the other side of the world
Around that time my husband and I moved to Australia with our four young children for 2 years and I began a journey of transformation that changed my mind, body and spirit. At the end, not only was I slimmer and stronger, but I had more confidence and energy then I ever had before. Most importantly, I learned to be present in my own life and to really enjoy it!
But I didn’t do it alone. I went to see a nutritionist who taught me how to change my diet. I started exercising with a personal trainer and joined a tennis group of local mums and really improved my fitness, strength and health. I started taking total control of my hectic schedule and made time for me and what I needed as a priority. Then, with the new confidence that I got from weight loss, an organised schedule and loads of energy, I started tackling other fears and issues that were lurking at a deeper level. I learned that transformation is achievable through hard work, and the benefits extend to those we love and to those around us.
Now what?!
Having undergone this huge change in my own life, I started looking for what was next. This was when my entrepreneurial journey began. I knew that the corporate work I had done before was no longer for me and I also knew that I wanted to help others feel great and move forwards in their lives the way I had, but how?
With this mindset, I started noticing that everywhere I went I saw other women who were feeling the way I used to; busy, unhappy, not looking after themselves, exhausted and snappy. I remember thinking “I know how you feel” and found myself in so many conversations helping them to see that it didn’t have to be that way.
Through these discussions and because it just felt so right helping others, I had an epiphany: I decided I wanted to help other women who were struggling with similar issues to have the same results I was having. This was my why.
From entrepreneur to founder
Upon returning to the UK, I retrained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I then opened my practice and began working with women to make them feel good about themselves again. After expanding to the online world, especially Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, I then began attending networking events leading on to speaking opportunities. Boy do I love to speak to a roomful of interested and interesting women!
With the insights I gained from my personal transformation, and my early work with business women in similar situations, I created PowerSystem, a 5-step process for clarifying goals and removing the obstacles to success to get the confidence and energy to take on the world!
