After working for 20 years to build a career; one day in August 2010, I gave it all up with no idea of what I was going to do next. It was a heart-wrenching decision. I think it broke my father's heart more than it did mine. My husband couldn't fathom what was going on. I loved the mad corporate rat race but working for 8 hours wasn't enough for me to sustain the growth I had been used to over the years. I was proud to be Vice-President with Citigroup, Director with American Express, managing teams and customers across the globe. But, I was in the US on Anya's 2nd birthday. It was a 5-year mid-life crisis during which I spoke to a lot more women than I had spoken to in all my life earlier, read Mckinsey's detailed research on women professionals in Europe and I realized every woman around the world was going through the same grind. A corporate career simply didn't allow you to be with your kids. At home, other break-downs were happening. Anya had stopped relating to me because I was only there to put her to bed - nothing broke me more than this. Aditya and my relationship was severely stressed because we had no time together. Between a global career and kids at home, I had no time for him or me. One day, I had the courage to finally hang up my corporate boots; without knowing what the future held for me, for divorce conversations had been pretty regular. For the next six months, I dedicated myself fully to being with my children. I loved going to drop and pick them up from school. I used to wonder at the boredom writ large on the faces of other moms coming to pick up their kids because for me, it was a precious gift. Then, Anya, all of 3 years, told me that when she has a baby, she is going to quit her job too to be at home. After six months of being at home, life had become worse - my fights with Aditya escalated because now I would blame him for my decision to quit my job, wanted his continual gratitude for the sacrifice I had made in giving up my lucrative career, my brains were getting pickled with dis-use, found myself more often than not irritated with the kids, going every day to pick them up from school became a tedium.
In the midst of it all, I began another very special journey called Mums At Work. I wanted a world where I could be fulfilled not only as a mother, but also as a professional and an individual. I knew deep down, if I could make this available to other women, I would get it for myself.
Besides my commitment to make a difference, I had nothing else to start-off with. I broke multiple business models in my search to make a sustainable deep impact to the sisterhood I belonged to support us to transform our experience of life from resignation or cynicism about being able to have it all to experiencing power to create.
After 12 years of being on a roller-coaster ride, Mums At Work has crossed from being a toddler, to an adolescent to a young adult ready to live on her own. I am grateful to have found co-travellers who are equally committed and passionate about creating a world where women have it all. Vimla joined us as CEO and Anju as COO to scale the impact of our work and transform what it means to be a woman.
Love, Jyoti.
In the midst of it all, I began another very special journey called Mums At Work. I wanted a world where I could be fulfilled not only as a mother, but also as a professional and an individual. I knew deep down, if I could make this available to other women, I would get it for myself.
Besides my commitment to make a difference, I had nothing else to start-off with. I broke multiple business models in my search to make a sustainable deep impact to the sisterhood I belonged to support us to transform our experience of life from resignation or cynicism about being able to have it all to experiencing power to create.
After 12 years of being on a roller-coaster ride, Mums At Work has crossed from being a toddler, to an adolescent to a young adult ready to live on her own. I am grateful to have found co-travellers who are equally committed and passionate about creating a world where women have it all. Vimla joined us as CEO and Anju as COO to scale the impact of our work and transform what it means to be a woman.
Love, Jyoti.
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Did you know only 5% of working women in India reach the top layer, as per a recent Forbes study?
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Did you know even in the US, though women run 33% of businesses, the contribution to national income is only 4%?
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The biggest reason for the above skew is the inability to manage it all - career, domestic responsibilities, childcare.
The purpose of life is to have it all - successful fulfilling career, joyful relationships, happy responsible kids and lots of nourishing me-time. These are the four balls that we are always juggling and balancing to keep up in the air. Even if one of these balls fall to the ground; not so far away in the future, all the balls will come crashing down.
Mums At Work™ supports you to have it all through an integration of the science of success, leadership, entrepreneurship, networking and life-style design. Click one of the statements below which best describes you, only if you are committed to taking action to realize your greatest dreams in deepest communion with your highest self:
1. I am a working professional committed to creating success at work and at home
2. I am an entrepreneur seeking to increase the profitability of my business
3. I am on a career-break. I would like to get back to working by transforming my passion into a profitable business
4. I want to start my own business as a creative expression of who I am
We also support organizations to increase their impact in the world through inclusive leadership and greater gender diversity. Please click the below statement for more details on our bottoms-up organic approach to sealing the leaking pipeline of women talent.
I am committed to increase gender diversity at our workplace
The purpose of life is to have it all - successful fulfilling career, joyful relationships, happy responsible kids and lots of nourishing me-time. These are the four balls that we are always juggling and balancing to keep up in the air. Even if one of these balls fall to the ground; not so far away in the future, all the balls will come crashing down.
Mums At Work™ supports you to have it all through an integration of the science of success, leadership, entrepreneurship, networking and life-style design. Click one of the statements below which best describes you, only if you are committed to taking action to realize your greatest dreams in deepest communion with your highest self:
1. I am a working professional committed to creating success at work and at home
2. I am an entrepreneur seeking to increase the profitability of my business
3. I am on a career-break. I would like to get back to working by transforming my passion into a profitable business
4. I want to start my own business as a creative expression of who I am
We also support organizations to increase their impact in the world through inclusive leadership and greater gender diversity. Please click the below statement for more details on our bottoms-up organic approach to sealing the leaking pipeline of women talent.
I am committed to increase gender diversity at our workplace
Have It All with Mums At Work™