Are you facing challenges as a mom in business? Do you feel like you’ve lost yourself and need to rediscover your identity as a person and not only as a mom?

Today I talk to Amanda Clark. She’s an incredible mom in business. She’s going to be sharing several different things throughout her pivot from running a photography business to becoming a coach. She’ll be leaving us with some incredible advice and encouragement.

Amanda’s Pivot As A Mom In Business

Amanda became a mom when she was 18. She fell into that role of having to take care of everyone else so she put her own dreams on the back burner. She decided one day that she needed to do something different but didn’t know where to begin. So she started journaling. She started writing about random things like how she was feeling that day. And that’s what really led her to where she is today as a coach for moms in business.

Amanda always had a a dream of being a business owner. She wanted to support herself and make a lot of money because she felt money was the answer to everything. Once she became a mom she did feel like she lost part of her identity and she felt very lost. She knew she wanted to do something, she knew she wanted to have a business. So she started with Pampered Chef. She did a few parties but it just didn’t stick and she still felt lost. Fast forward a little bit and she got her first digital camera. So she decided to take a photography class. And she just dove right in starting to take pictures for her friends and family. But she struggled with this business for about eight years until she found her first business coach. And that’s when everything shifted and evolved. Where she has grown her business today feels really good.

What Prompted Amanda To Hire A Business Coach

Amanda says she was at a point where she was really struggling and wondering if anything was ever going to happen with her business. She kept telling herself that once she started making money then she’d hire a business coach. There was so much she needed to get for everyone else, she felt guilty spending money on herself. She was really struggling with the belief in herself and worried if hiring a coach would actually work. She quickly realized that if she wasn’t going to put the work in and do it then it wouldn’t do any good. So she told herself that she was going all in and she took action, listened to her coach, and dove into business with her. And it was the best investment she ever made. Her coach helped her stay focused on where she was going, she knew her goals and values, and helped her stay on path.

Making That Growth Within Her Business

Amanda says that what made her pivot from photography to coaching easier was knowing who she was and what she wanted. Often when you step into something new it’s ok to mourn the loss of the old thing. What allowed her to really pivot was understanding her identity. She had all the tools she had gained from both businesses and she was willing to release and let go of the things she needed to let go of. So she could focus where she wanted to focus.

How Amanda Helps A Mom In Business

Amanda says she helps moms not “Should” on themselves. As moms we have all these things. The way we were raised, things that we saw, and what media has shown us over the years. And we think that’s what motherhood and business needs to look like. We take on these beliefs of things we should do. But we never take the time to step back and reflect on what’s not good in our lives at the time. Amanda had all the things she thought she was supposed to have in her life but couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t happy. Or why she felt so overwhelmed and frustrated. So we take on all of these things because we think we should. And if we don’t then the guilt creeps in because we feel like we’re not doing it right. Her whole idea of not shoulding on yourself involves really thinking about areas of your life that don’t feel good. Why don’t they feel good? Are you doing things because you think you should do them a certain way? Or are you doing things the way that you want to do them so you can create a life that you love that feels good to you?

How To Identify One Of Your Shoulds

Start sitting down and looking at your day. How did you spend your day? Did certain parts of it not feel good? Did mom guilt creep in somewhere? We all feel it but gaining awareness around where that guilt creeps in and where there might be certain parts of your day that you’re dreading. Stop for a second and really evaluate where you’re at, what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it.

The Key To Happiness

Amanda used to believe that the key to happiness was money. She has learned that’s not the case. People can be happy with money or happy without it.

She now believes the key to happiness is your priorities. For her it’s spending time with her kids and family and being where she wants to be in her business. And with both of those things there’s never an end goal, they just keep moving. So we can choose to be happy now because if we can’t be happy now we won’t be happy when money comes. Money is not the key to happiness. You are the key. We get to choose how we respond to life and our circumstances and that can’t be solved with money.

If You’re A Mom In Business Feeling Overwhelmed

If yo’ure feeling that overwhelm and frustration Amanda says it’s best to find help. The power of hiring a life coach or a business coach can help you. But if you’re not in that place yet or don’t have the money she would suggest journaling or finding a friend to give advice. Someone you can get everything out to. When we’re in that place of desperation something that really helps Amanda specifically is journaling and writing it all out. All of your negative thoughts, positive thoughts, the direction you want to go, why you feel like you can’t go in that direction. Once you start to see some of the things your brain is offering up on paper you can look at it realistically and see that these things tend to lose power. When we continue to hold these things in our head then we stay stuck in that cycle.

You can find Amanda on Instagram at Amanda Clark Studios. She also has a podcast with three episodes per week. And her website is www.amandaclark.biz.

If you enjoyed this blog post then you’ll love this one:

Redefine Success In Your Business

And if you’re looking for a coach to help you work through the challenges you face as a mom in business then I would be happy to help you. Come send me a DM on Instagram so we can start the conversation!