Get to know me: I’m the SEO Director at Dealer Inspire, a fast-growing and award-winning website platform and digital marketing company near Chicago. I’m extremely driven and goal-oriented, but also need the freedom of “me time” to relax in silence (usually laying down!) to explore all of my thoughts. I’m hard-pressed to decide if I’m happier curled up on a hammock in my peaceful backyard or sitting on a raft, beer in hand, floating on our lake.
Utilizing my more than 15 years of digital marketing and analytics experience, I spend my days at Dealer Inspire directing the daily operations of the SEO Department, coaching team members, innovating current services offered, improving workflows to maximize productivity, and using data to justify decisions.
I spend my evenings and weekends with my crazy family; laughing, crying and everything in between. Baseball, t-ball, and soccer schedules are just a few pieces of my Mom Hustle. My daydreams revolve around finding more “me time” and traveling. I try to keep myself sane with naps, Netflix, and eating out as often as I can.
Get to know my family: My husband Todd and I have a family with (almost) 4 awesome kids and love living in a small community centered on a lake in northwest Indiana. As we kick off this blog in 2018, Oscar is nearly 17, Mikey is 4, Scarlett just turned 2 ½ and we’re expecting our fourth child, a girl, in April.
Where my mom game is on point: I hug and kiss and cuddle my kids and tell them I love them as often as I can. They will never doubt that. They know I will love them unconditionally and they can talk to me about anything. I’m a big fan of talking through things and expressing feelings. I impress myself with how quick I am on my feet (not literally) with answering “why” questions and translating complicated things to my kids in age-appropriate ways so they can understand and learn. While I have a demanding career, I try to optimize the time I do have with my kids so it’s quality time full of memories; be it traditions or routines they can count on or impromptu adventures or crazy dance parties in the living room.
Where I’m lacking: I don’t enjoy being in the kitchen and REALLY like going out to eat. I could definitely benefit from some meal planning, a system for keeping fresh food in the house, and finding a better way to feed my family of picky eaters (myself included) without feeling like I’m compromising “my time” for everyone else. More often than I’d like to admit, I say things that I later regret and wish I could take back. (I’ve gotten really good at meaningful apologies, though.) Ten years ago I was diagnosed with a sleeping disorder that plays a major role in my daily life. I’m not bursting with energy so finding motivation to do anything other than lay around is a struggle.
Why I’m excited about this project: I’m an “always in my head” kind of girl. My brain never stops and I prefer to be by myself, so what’s swirling around up there doesn’t often get shared; or if it does, it gets shared with one or two people at a time. Having a million private thoughts each day is safe. It’s exhausting, but safe. This project speaks to me because it is a commitment on so many levels. The Mom Hustle requires a time commitment, a commitment to being honest and vulnerable, and a commitment to do something I struggle with – pausing and granting all my thoughts the opportunity to exist, as permanent, shareable words (OMG, what am I getting myself into?)
What you can expect me to write about: I will write about the things that interest me, of course. I’ll also write about things that frustrate and annoy me and those posts WILL include “bad words” a.k.a. swear words. In no specific order, my posts will likely fall into the following categories – pregnancy, marriage, family, juggling motherhood and a career, blended families, guilt (a lot of guilt), being a teen mom, being an introvert mother (specifically, an INTP), sleeping disorders, “me time”, food, traveling, getting older (and wiser!), user experience, marketing, technology, and random thoughts. I realize my interests may not be too mainstream, but if anything I share resonates with another mom and makes her feel like she’s not alone in her hustle, I will consider this project a success.
Comments