MY Story

“Simple” is the exact opposite of how you’d describe my life over the last several years, which is what drove me to seek out practical solutions for simplicity.

In 2013, I earned my Ph.D. in May, moved across the country in June, had my first baby in early August, and started a new full-time job as a tenure-track professor just two weeks later. 

Most people would consider any one of those things a major life event, but I—being naïve, and just because of the way it happened to work out—experienced all of those things within the span of a few months.

It was as brutal as it sounds.

Unmoored from my old support system, uncertain how to navigate new mom life, and unable to keep up with the unending demands of my high-pressure job without sacrificing every ounce of sanity, I found myself oh-so-sleep-deprived, depressed, and then suicidal.

Thankfully my husband and mother intervened but I spent several more years feeling like a complete and utter failure at it all. After having three kids in just 4.5 years, I wasn’t able to perform at my job anywhere near the way I used to. Being overwhelmed with work then prevented me from being the patient, present mama I wanted to be. The mom-guilt was debilitating. My marriage was suffering. And I had lost all sense of my own identity along the way.

Finally I realized:

I started applying my academic research skills to figure out what’s scientifically shown to help us “balance” it all. And yet the more I found, the more frustrated I got because all the productivity gurus out there were spouting advice that didn’t match my season of life.

Wake up an hour before your alarm for personal development time? Ha! Try only sleeping in 30-60 minute increments for TWO YEARS because of baby sleep issues. (Even once that’s resolved, why is it that whenever you try to get up earlier, your kids just wake that much earlier, too?!?!)

Focus on only one—and only one—thing at a time? What a luxury! It’s hard to focus on anything when you don’t know how long you’ll have til the next interruption, and even then you can’t relax enough to think and work until you’re sure your baby is safe and sound.

Protect the first few hours of the day for your most important work? Sounds perfect in theory! Unfortunately, wrangling little ones out the door to school or daycare eats up a good chunk of your prime productivity time. And even once they’re squared away, there’s so much you could/should be doing that you’re paralyzed over where to start.

Turn off notifications so you can focus exclusively on the task at hand? Hard to do when you could get a phone call at any moment saying a kid is sick and needs to be picked up, thus eliminating what work time you thought you were going to get.

The reality is that when you’re a mom (especially of multiple really young kids), your time is no longer your own.

That’s why:

The great news is, there are so many scientifically proven ways to enhance productivity and efficiency while overcoming burnout and despair. But when you’re exhausted and overwhelmed, it’s hard to know that—let alone which strategies will work for your season of life or not.

Trust me: You don’t want to figure it all out the hard way! I did, and it was brutal (not to mention time-consuming). Wouldn’t it be a million times better to get the nice, neat answers from someone who’s been there and reminds you that you’re doing great?!?! I lay it all out in a simple, step-by-step way that works with your unique situation to get results fast.

I’ve tried, tested, and adapted every method I can get my hands on to isolate what does (and doesn’t!) work for achieving the work-life “balance” you crave.

More importantly, having four kids in eight years while working full-time has taught me invaluable lessons in perspective and prioritization that have enabled me to do more than I used to think was ever possible. That’s what I want that for you, too.

I’m nowhere near having it all figured out but it’s my mission to equip you with quick, powerful resources for leading a simpler, more purposeful and productive life. If you, too, are striving to prioritize your family without sacrificing your own God-given talents and ambitions, I’m your gal.