16. ❓ Should I quit my day job to write full time -- Coaching Q&A with Jen!

Transforming into Your Writer Self While Juggling Motherhood and a Day Job

In this episode of Mom Writes First, host Jen Larimore addresses a coaching question from a client about balancing the roles of motherhood, employment, and entrepreneurship while navigating a transition into a freelance writing career. Jen, a mom of five and a lawyer turned life coach, emphasizes the importance of leaning into transformation and envisioning one's future self as a writer. She encourages listeners to move at their own pace and to be open to various paths to achieving their dream of becoming a writer. The episode also includes an invitation for listeners to share their perspectives and questions via social media or email, further empowering the community of mom writers.

00:00 Introduction to Mom Writes First
00:01 Meet Jen Larimore: Lawyer Turned Life Coach and Aspiring Author
00:55 Today's Special Coaching Question: Embracing Transformation
02:42 The Struggle of Balancing Writing, Work, and Motherhood
03:34 Jen's Advice: Embracing Transformation and Future Self
05:46 Paths to Becoming Your Future Self
08:57 Releasing Control and Trusting the Transformation Process
10:38 Engaging with the Community and Final Thoughts

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Transcript

16. Should I quit my day job to write full time -- Coaching Q&A with Jen!

[00:00:00] 

[00:00:00] Introduction to Mom Writes First[00:00:00] Meet Jen Larimore: Lawyer Turned Life Coach and Aspiring Author

[00:00:00] Welcome to Mom Writes First, the podcast that helps busy moms reach their writing goals. I'm Jen Larimore. I'm a mom of five, a lawyer turned life coach, And I'm writing my very first book. I want to help you reach your writing goals too.

[00:00:21] Unlock Your Writing Goals with Mom's Superpower Quiz

[00:00:21] If you're a mom who wants to jumpstart her journey as a writer, then you have to head over to my website, momfirstcoaching.

[00:00:29] com, and take the free quiz there. That quiz is going to show you How to take your mom's superpower, you know, that characteristic that makes you an absolutely incredible mom to your kids, and then leverage that characteristic so that you can reach your writing goals. Again, the website is momfirstcoaching.

[00:00:52] com forward slash quiz.

[00:00:55] Diving into Today's Transformational Coaching Question

[00:00:55] Now on to today's episode.

[00:00:59] [00:01:00] Welcome to mom writes first. I'm so glad you're here. Today's episode is a coaching question that I received from a client of mine. And this question is a really special to me because it's about transformation and leaning into your future self and who you are becoming as a writer. 

[00:01:19] I'm really thrilled to have the chance to share it with you. 

[00:01:22] And also share my perspective on this question.

[00:01:25] Plus on top of that, I would love to hear from you and your thoughts on this question. 

[00:01:30] If you listen to some of the earlier episodes of mom rights first, you might recall that I included a coaching question in each episode for awhile. And in those coaching questions, segments, I would answer a question from a listener. 

[00:01:44] I got feedback from all of you, which I really appreciated. Sharing that, yeah. While you might love the question and find them really interesting, the episodes were getting longer than what you might want. And so I decided, Hey, how can I. Have the best of both worlds here. And I [00:02:00] figured let's break it up a little bit. 

[00:02:01] Let's mix it up and play a little bit with the format by just having these coaching questions. Be their own actual episode. it totally works for me because I love getting asked questions. I love answering them and sharing my perspective. I love getting the questions from you. I love hearing your thoughts about what I'm sharing, but also hearing your thoughts on the question itself. And so I thought that if we did it like this, with this individual episode, it would be a great opportunity for us to almost collaborate and empower each other. As we go through this journey together.

[00:02:40] Let's try it and see how it goes. 

[00:02:42] The Struggle of Balancing Writing, Work, and Motherhood

[00:02:42] today's question comes from a client of mine and she asks. I feel like I am trying to launch my writing career as a freelance writer. While also working my day job. 

[00:02:54] It is so hard right now to be a mom and employee. And an [00:03:00] entrepreneur with a somewhat struggling side hustle. And it feels like I am splitting myself into two different people. What do I do? 

[00:03:10] I was so honored when my client sent me an email asking me about this question that she had. And then I felt even better when she told me I could share the question on my podcast. Because here's the thing. I know just what it's like to feel like this, to feel like you're splitting yourself into so many different pieces and like, you don't know what part of you, you should honor. 

[00:03:34] Embracing Transformation and Leaning into Your Future Self

[00:03:34] Now here is what I would offer. 

[00:03:36] First of course, let me give a little caveat that. This is truly a great topic to get coaching on. And that's what we actually ended up doing. Coaching her on it because ultimately the answer here is very personal. I don't know what is right or best for you. But you do. And I want to help you trust that knowing part of you. [00:04:00] Coaching can help you unlock it and coaching can help you build your trust and confidence in the answers that are inside of you. 

[00:04:06] With all that said, here is what I would offer. Based on my professional experience that I'm not talking just as a coach over the last couple of years, but really, All my life, working with people who are going through these kinds of transformative journeys. Whether it was when I was practicing as an attorney or when I was supervising employees who are trying to figure out if they're ready to move to that next level and trying to, as their supervisor empower them to do so. Whether it's in my work as a consultant, or whether it's in my work now as a coach. 

[00:04:39] Here's the thing typically, when someone is feeling like this, it is because they really, truly are. In a period of transformation. Or about to enter into that period. And to me, this is. Incredibly exciting. It is such a beautiful privilege and [00:05:00] honor, to be able to be a human. In this world and experience and create transformation. As part of our human experience to take. What we have now and transform it into something totally different in our life. And so for that reason, although going through a transformative period, Can feel. Painful uncertain different. I would really encourage you to consider. Whether it has to feel like that. Or whether there may be a different perspective. 

[00:05:38] What would it look like if you got curious about what this transformation. I could be like for you. 

[00:05:46] Practical Steps Towards Becoming Your Future Self

[00:05:46] Next, I would say that whatever you can do to lean into that future version of you do it. This involves both releasing that past version of yourself and then stepping more and more and more into that future [00:06:00] version of yourself. Stop looking back. You are not going that way. Right. So stop looking back, stop thinking about who you have then, or who you are now and start. Envisioning yourself and talking about yourself and thinking about yourself as this person that you are becoming now. This could mean you quit your day job today. 

[00:06:23] That's what it could mean. And take a breath, right? Don't make any decisions right now based on this podcast. It also might not mean that you do that. It also might mean that you give it a minute that you take a breath. And don't quit your day job today. 

[00:06:41] I know I am personally wild by the humans who can rip the bandaid off quickly. Take a leap of faith and go all in immediately on their dreams. I love that it is inspiring. And that is not how I operate. I move much slower. Probably too slow. Some people would [00:07:00] say. 

[00:07:01] But we all have to move at our own pace. 

[00:07:04] We all get to move at our own pace. Nothing has gone wrong. If you feel like you have one foot in each world, So one foot in a world where you are. Having your day job. And another foot in a world where you are this freelance writer that you most aspire right now to be. 

[00:07:26] Instead of arguing with where you are right now, 

[00:07:29] Tri instead every day to really intentionally move toward the direction where more and more of you is in that world as a freelance writer. 

[00:07:39] Think about what this might look like for you. Maybe it's introducing yourself as a freelance writer to others. Maybe it's devoting. More time to that kind of work, making it a priority. 

[00:07:49] Maybe it's simply researching what it would take to become a freelance writer and how people make money doing it. Talking to others about it. 

[00:07:57] As you lean more and more and [00:08:00] more. Into that world where you are. Truly becoming and are your future self, what you are probably going to find in my experience, both personally and professionally and working with others. Is that you are going to start to see that there are a lot of ways. To become that future version of yourself there. I like to say that there are a lot of paths to every destination or that there are many ways to peel an orange. 

[00:08:29] No way it's necessarily right or wrong. No way is better or worse. 

[00:08:35] There are many ways to become that future version of yourself. And probably many that you haven't even thought about. And so this is an invitation then. To release that idea of how you get there. And stop focusing so much on the how, and instead be open to what comes your way. Again, always just leaning more and more and more into that future version of yourself. 

[00:08:57] Releasing Control and Trusting the Transformation Process

[00:08:57] So that is the third thing that I [00:09:00] would say release your idea of how this is going to unfold and trust instead that it will unfold for you in a way that will best serve you. Now I know as a writers. And as moms, we sometimes can be very like analytical and sometimes maybe even a little controlling, some people might say. Especially when it comes to our writing and what we want to do with it. Here's what I would offer about that. 

[00:09:25] Those kinds of qualities being analytical, controlling accounting for the very many variables that are out there in the world. Those are really great, valuable qualities and they come with great correlated abilities. And. And they do not always serve us when we are going through a period of transformation because transformation does not always make sense. 

[00:09:49] We don't always know how it's going to work out. We don't always know how it's going to happen. We don't know what the path right. There's that famous quote, That I'm just going to paraphrase and [00:10:00] probably butcher here, but it's like, as you start walking, the path unfolds, As you start on the path, the path appears and you have to sometimes just trust that if you start moving down that path, that it is going to unfold before you. 

[00:10:16] Transformation is a little bit of intuition, luck, guidance, and a little bit of work. 

[00:10:21] It's all those things rolled up into one. Our viewpoint towards it is what makes it either painful or joyful. So try bringing a little more curiosity and wonder and trust to your own transformative journey. That is my perspective on today's coaching question. 

[00:10:38] Look, we empower each other on this journey. 

[00:10:41] Engage with Mom Writes First Community and Wrap-Up

[00:10:41] I want to know what you think. Hop on over to Instagram at mom writes first and share your perspective. And if you have a question that you'd like to have asked and answered on this podcast, Then send it to me. You can get in touch with me on my website. www.momfirstcoaching.com, by email at [00:11:00] jen@momfirstcoaching.com, or on instagram at MomWritesFirst. 

[00:11:04] I can't wait to hear from you.

[00:11:06] Hey, it's Jen here. Listen, if this podcast resonates with you, then would you please do me a favor? Number one, share it with somebody else. It's up to each of us to empower each other on this journey, and that's one of the values that I am trying to Really hard to live into as part of this podcast. So please, if this podcast resonates with you, share it with a friend who it might help to number two, it would mean so much to me.

[00:11:37] If you would leave me a rating and review on Apple podcast or on Spotify, because that will help other people find this show to third. And finally, I want to invite you to get on board. Signed up for my absolutely free newsletter, not spam. It's not salesy. I just want to support you in your writing goals.

[00:11:58] Head over to momfirstcoaching. [00:12:00] com and you'll find a link there where you can easily sign up. Thank you so much for listening to this episode in case nobody has told you today, you are a beautiful, resourceful, whole, creative human being. You are not broken. You are an incredible writer. Keep on writing. I will see you next time.