How would you best describe yourself?

Creative, inventive, independent, caring

How has becoming a parent changed your perception of work and career and what surprised you the most?

I have no time to fluff around, but I also no longer see rest as ‘fluffing around’, because rest is the only way I survive motherhood haha

Being a mum has taught me so much about being organised, using systems to make your life easier, and getting even clearer in the way I communicate.

Reparenting myself so I don’t make my kids experience generational trauma has been so challenging for me, but so rewarding too. I’m healing myself while raising safe and well-loved children.

What advice would you give your younger self about starting a family?

Don’t let doctors blow you off about your period issues. I didn’t get diagnosed with PCOS until more than a decade after I started complaining about my periods. Of course, by the time I was diagnosed I was also trying to start a family, and that was a painful, expensive, heart-breaking journey.

Make sure your relationship has the strongest foundations it can possibly have before you start a family. You and your partner need to have a values alignment and know how to navigate challenges and manage the demands of parenting.

What has been your biggest challenge in motherhood to date? How have you overcome this?

Reparenting myself so I don’t make my kids experience generational trauma has been so challenging for me, but so rewarding too. I’m healing myself while raising safe and well-loved children.

Learning how to regulate myself so I can regulate my children’s big emotions. IT’S HARD! I wish I was taught these skills as a child and young adult.

What are your strategies to manage the juggle of career and family?

Systems and processes are everything! When I follow them, life runs much smoother and the house is cleaner haha!

Communication with my kids about how their day will go is so helpful to avoid tantrums. I keep running through them throughout the day – what’s happening first, next, and later, so when we have to finish an activity, they finish willingly because they know what’s next to do.

What do you do for self-care?

I’m still learning how to prioritise my self-care.

I’ve made an hour-long Wednesday morning exercise session non-negotiatble, and my shift-working husband has to manage the kids during that time (I’ve only just started this).

I’ve started attending more social things for my businesses and with friends, knowing my kids are safe with the family I leave them with. Trusting that others can look after my kids has been more of a challenge than I thought.

Connect with Cherie on Instagram @cheriedon.copy

Click here to share your story as a working mum