{bridging the gap between motherhood, work and everything else}

Last month I wrote about the challenges I faced when I turned in my corporate high heels for life as a work-at-home mom (WAHM). My transition from work-outside-the-home mom (WOHM) to WAHM physically took place in 2003, but it’s taken more than six years for it to mentally and emotionally lock in. Based on your comments, I realized that I wasn’t alone. Shifting gears from corporate cog to WAHM is a change that is easier for some that others. Either way, the topic is worth having a conversation about.

Today’s post introduces Meryl, also known as the “Content Maven,” who was a WOHM for 13 years and became a WAHM in 2005. She says it was the “best move of my career.” Wow! I had to know more, so I interviewed Meryl for her insights on the transition from WOHM to WAHM. Here’s what I learned:

Michele: Describe your career before you began working from home.

Meryl: It started with three years in the Federal government working in the training department. When I left DC to return home to Texas, I found a career in telecommunications, mainly in process management and technical writing. When kid #2 arrived, I started taking online courses at NYU for a certificate in Internet Technologies thinking I would be a web designer. Hated web design. It just didn’t work for me even though I love computers and web sites. Programming was already out, although I did try a few courses to see if I could change my mind.

I published my first article for a popular Web design newsletter and won expensive software. That sparked something and started my portfolio. From there, I kept landing gigs and did this work on the side while I held down my corporate job. This went on for five years. I would’ve left sooner, but my husband got laid off before #3 was born. We had to wait until he was in a stable job with health benefits (three kids = lots of medical bills!)

Michele: What made you decide to leave the traditional workforce to work from home?

Meryl: Flexibility, diversity and ability. Flexibility to be there for my kids as needed especially one who has special needs. Diversity in the work I do for different clients. I never get bored. Ability in that I never thought I could have my own business because of my deafness (cold calling and all that marketing stuff to keep gigs coming in). Turns out I need not worry about that. I’ve been fortunate to keep business going thanks to client referrals.

Michele: What unexpected challenges did you face during the transition from WOHM to WAHM?

Meryl: Cleaning up the office to turn it into my office. It was a dumping ground (you know … where people put the boxes, mail and all the other stuff that have no place to go). I’m an organized person and like a clean, uncluttered environment. It’s a small office and I love working in it now. The rest of the transition went smoothly.

Michele: What do you enjoy most about working from home? Is it as you imagined it would be

Meryl: No commute and the flexibility to exercise when I want instead of fitting it in before or after work when I wanted to spend time with family. Life as a WAHM is better than I thought it would be. It also allows me to volunteer more often and hold PTA board positions.

Michele: What advice would you give to a mom who is thinking about making the move from WOHM to WAHM?

Meryl: To make the transition easier, consider building your business on the side while still working in your out of office job (unless you’re trying to do your out of office job at home). This approach is less stressful because you’ll already have work available. You won’t have to worry about spending the first few months trying to get gigs and not have much money coming in.

To learn more about Meryl, visit her Web site at www.meryl.net or follow her on Twitter @merylkevans.

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Do you have a WOHM to WAHM story to share? If so, comment on this post or contact me and you might be featured on this blog!

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