About

Michele Dortch is the founder and editor of The Integrated Mother®, a Web site she created in 2005 to help career-mined moms make sense of the work/life juggle. Addressing the needs of both work-at-home moms and those who drive to an office every day, the mission of The Integrated Mother is to equip, teach, and support mothers to effectively manage their life and their work so they can enjoy the best life possible.

“I was a working woman first.”
After earning a degree in English, Michele did what any headstrong 20-something would do – she jumped right into a career that had nothing to do with her studies and landed a job as a Technical Trainer for a San Diego-based software company. That was the beginning of fast-moving career that eventually led her to a burgeoning dot-com in 1999. She joined as part of the Human Resources team and it was there that she honed her expertise in the areas of learning & development, leadership, change management and organizational effectiveness, while completing a graduate degree in Organization Development.

“Then, I became a working mother…”
Michele swiftly moved up the corporate ladder with cliche visions of busting glass ceilings and earning plenty of money doing it. But motherhood changed all that and just months before her 30th birthday, she decided to quit her full-time job to pursue a career life that offered different challenges and stretched her in new ways. She was nine months pregnant with her second child at the time. But that didn’t stop her from launching a one-woman management consulting practice where served a variety of clients including, Toyota Motor Sales, Yahoo!, and Boeing.

“Motherhood taught me how to think and act differently.”
In 2005, while Michele was building her consulting practice, she discovered a dormant passion in writing. She created The Integrated Mother blog as an outlet for her writing and also began accepting freelance writing and editing projects alongside her existing consulting work. She eventually closed her consulting practice in 2008 to officially make the leap as a full-time writer, specializing in marketing and employee communication. Her written work has appeared in a variety of in-print and online publications including Redbook, SUCCESS magazine, Work It Mom!, Hybrid Mom, Divine Caroline and Examiner.com where she served as the Phoenix Working Moms feature writer. She has also been a contributor to two books.

“Motherhood offers learning I couldn’t get elsewhere.”
Michele holds a BA in English from San Diego State University and a MA in Organization Development from Fielding Graduate University. She completed professional coach training at The Coaches Institute (CTI) and graduated from the Management Development for Entrepreneurs (MDE) executive training program at UCLA. Michele is also certified to deliver a variety of professional development programs including Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and AchieveGlobal’s Leadership series. She puts her education and experience to good use not only as a mother and business professional, but also as an adjunct professor teaching undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in English, entrepreneurship and organizational behavior.

“I’m a mother, but I’m a whole, integrated package too.”
Based in San Diego, CA, Michele is a mother of three children – age 5, 7 and 9.  When she’s not working or enjoying her family, you can find her training for an upcoming half marathon, hanging with good friends, or curled up with a pile of books.

To contact Michele for an interview or to inquire about retaining her for a full-time or contract opportunity, please email her at info [at] integratedmother [dot] com.

Authorized Bios

Need to grab Michele’s bio for marketing and/or press-related materials? You’re free to use any of the following bios so long as it remains in-tact, including complete URL. If you need a revised version, please contact Michele.

100 words
Michele Dortch is a communication and organization development consultant specializing in marketing and employee communications. Her ears perk up at the mention of work-life effectiveness, I/O psychology, running, or technology & business trends. She been privileged to work alongside brands like Boeing, Toyota Motor Sales, Yahoo!, ConAgra and WNBA. She is the Founding Editor of The Integrated Mother® (www.integratedmother.com), a Web site that provides resources, advice and community for working moms. Michele is also an adjunct professor and instructs courses in English, Entrepreneurship and Organizational Behavior. She enjoys work and life with her family in San Diego, California.

50 words
Michele Dortch is a San Diego-based writer specializing in marketing & employee communications. She enjoys conversations about work-life effectiveness, I/O psychology, running, or technology/business trends. She owns The Integrated Mother® (www.integratedmother.com), a blog for career-minded moms trying to make sense of the work-life juggle.

25 words
Michele Dortch is the Editor of The Integrated Mother (www.integratedmother.com), a blog for career-minded moms trying to make sense of the work-life juggle.