My biggest achievement this year was being fully offline for four months to care for a newborn baby, and returning to the company as a new person -- a working mother. I've had to redefine the way I work which has presented new challenges in the form of setting boundaries, delegating effectively, and much more.
Parenthood provides a new perspective and it's helped me kick my imposter syndrome to the curb. I have overcome the feelings of inadequacy that used to thrive in my body as a first-time founder that is also female, that is also a minority. In particular, board meetings no longer give me crippling anxiety. To me, I used to stick out like a sore thumb and didn't feel like I belonged in the room. I felt a lot of self-pressure to 'do good' by my gender and race, and the result was always a feeling of deflation and depletion. I cut myself a break when I transitioned to parenthood - giving myself more grace, self-empathy, and self-acceptance. It took some time off (and a baby?), but I am grateful to finally embraced who I am (it's ok that I'm soft spoken and not verbose!) and recognize the immense value I bring to the table.
As our company grows, I pledge to break the bias in tech by elevating the women around me and continuing to build a diverse leadership team.
Top comments (15)
Congrats on your promotion to mom, Jess! ❤️
Thank you @missamarakay!!
Congrats on your life-changing new role as a mom :) I love that you mentioned parenthood helped made you stronger - imposter syndrome definitely has an influence on my views of parenthood (being unsure if I can be a good parent when the time comes), and hearing that becoming a mom empowers you really inspires me!
Thanks for sharing your perspective, Jess! I feel ya as a fellow working mom -- I felt like I had to give myself more grace during this big transition too.
Oh and those are adorable jackets in the cover photo. :)
Congrats Jess ! 😄🎉🎉✨
Love how you keep it real Jess, as authentic and honest as ever.
You go mama!!
That is beautiful! You, the baby and the positive attitude. New motherhood is rough at best (I have 2 girls, I know). Having children changes you. I love the quote “hard times don’t build good character; they reveal it”. In your case it’s true. Bravo Jess!
From one new mama to another, this is inspiring! Thanks for sharing :)
Congrats!
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