When you chose the corporate path, you did so with a sense of purpose, ambition, and drive. Women in corporate spaces all share something powerful in common: a natural inclination to set goals, achieve them, and constantly strive for more. It’s what has helped you thrive in your career.
Then motherhood comes along and, naturally, your focus shifts. In those early years, your energy is directed almost entirely towards your children, ensuring they’re happy, safe, and thriving. For a time, this is exactly where your focus should be. But as they grow, gain independence, and enter school, you might start to feel something you haven’t for a while: the pull of your own ambitions.
I recently had a client who described feeling “adrift” as her kids reached school age. She had spent so much time and energy nurturing her children that her own goals seemed like distant memories. She was a driven, successful woman before motherhood, and she hadn’t lost that drive—it had just been waiting, quietly, in the background. And now, it was calling her to realign and refocus.
This is something many mothers experience. As we adjust to the demands of motherhood, we don’t lose our ambition or desire for self-fulfillment—we simply learn to navigate a new normal. But if we don’t take the time to realign our focus and reconnect with our own goals, it’s easy to feel frustrated, dissatisfied, or like we’ve lost a sense of ourselves.
Why Self-Actualisation is Non-Negotiable
As mothers, we often feel an unspoken pressure to put our own dreams on hold, as though pursuing them means sacrificing something at home. But here’s the truth: when you neglect your own ambitions, you’re neglecting a part of yourself. And that dissatisfaction can manifest in subtle ways—frustration, restlessness, or even feeling lost.
The desire for self-actualisation doesn’t disappear because you’ve had children. You’re still the same driven woman who built a career before motherhood, and it’s important to honor that. In fact, showing your children what it looks like to chase your dreams while being a present, loving mother is one of the most valuable lessons you can teach them.
Reconnecting With Your Goals
So, how do you begin to reconnect with your goals and ambitions after focusing on your children for so long?
Acknowledge the Shift: First, recognise that it’s normal to feel like your goals have taken a backseat. There’s no guilt in this—motherhood demands it. But as life settles into a new rhythm, it’s time to refocus.
Realign Your Focus: Take the time to reflect on what matters to you now. Your goals may have shifted, and that’s okay. It’s about finding what excites you today and how that fits into your current reality.
Create Harmony, Not Balance: Trying to perfectly balance work and home life can feel impossible. Instead, focus on creating harmony between the two—integrating your career and your personal ambitions in a way that feels authentic and manageable.
Set a New Path: With clarity on your goals, create a plan. This is where a Strategy Session can be life-changing—helping you get crystal clear on where you’re headed and the steps to get there.
The Importance of Realignment for Working Mothers
After the initial years of motherhood, when children start gaining independence, many women find themselves at a crossroads. Research shows that around 56% of working mothers report feelings of “loss of self” within the first 5-7 years of motherhood. This is often the result of focusing so intensely on their children that they begin to lose sight of their personal goals and ambitions. But those who realign and reconnect with their goals report higher overall life satisfaction.
If you’re finding yourself in this place—where your career drive is calling out to you again—it’s time to listen. It’s time to embrace the next chapter of your journey and step back into your ambition. You are still the incredible woman you’ve always been, and being a mum only adds to your strength.