How would you best describe yourself?

Thriving mama, Talented worker.

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

The value of unconditional love for all humans. After becoming a mother, I am able to understand my students in a better and deeper way. Students also seem to respond to me better and feel empathised and loved. I am surprised by how strong and resilient I am even through the challenges of being a mother of 3 and working full-time in a very challenging workplace.

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

• Love yourself
• Learn about yourself
• Invest in yourself
• Do something fun for yourself
• Look after yourself
• Forgive yourself
• Accept yourself
• Create the version of yourself that you most desire
• Be more discerning of whom you keep in your inner circle
• Be more distant from negative self-talk
• Pay yourself first. Learn to invest money
• Spend more time with yourself. Travel more
• More firm boundaries
• Say what you mean
• Say no more than yes
• Tell other people who don’t matter to go away
• Read more books
• Live by yourself

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

Not having my family and allies in proximity. To overcome this, I try to self-care as much as possible and ask for help.

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

• Stop feeling sorry for myself
• Believe in myself
• I tell myself that I am strong enough to do whatever I want
• I can be good at both parenting and working
• Ain’t nobody gonna tell me how to live my life and how to raise my children because they aren’t me

What do you do for self-care?

• Spend time with quality people doing fun stuff
• I go on overseas trips alone or with friends
• I spend money on massages, shopping, nails, hair, and eating out.

Connect with Esther on Instagram @esther_hockey

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