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Tomi | My Career Couch™️🇬🇧

@mycareercouch

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For anyone trying to make it work 🌱
Have a seat, let's figure this out together 🛋️
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As my chapter of being a full time stay-at-home mum on maternity leave comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect on WHAT A YEAR IT HAS BEEN 🥲

There was the sleep deprivation, the cluster feeding, the anxiety, the stress, lots of tears but there was also a jolly good time with my angel.

Swipe to see how I rated most things I got up to while on maternity leave. Spoiler alert 🚨: financial planning made it all possible.

If you’re pregnant or planning to be, I’ll definitely say don’t leave your finances to chance.
The link in my bio has everything you need to build a maternity fund and go on leave feeling prepared.

#maternityleave #maternityleaveisover #firsttimemummy #honestmotherhood #maternityleavelife by @mycareercouch

I’ve had this saved in my drafts since March, worried about posting it on a career page. But I think it’s time to finally embrace that I can’t only talk about careers here anymore, I’m also a whole first time working mum figuring this out in real time 😮‍💨
So today felt like the right day to embrace that fully.

This is my birth story. 33+ hours, majority of it in terrible pain 😣
I needed someone to tell me this, so I’m telling you 🫶🏾.

And if it helps even one person release any pressure, then it’s more than worth sharing.

#birthstory #firsttimemum #positivebirth #labourandbirth #positivebirthexperience by @mycareercouch

My baby recently turned one so you know what that means….the countdown is officially on *screamssss* ⌛️

In all my years handling maternity leave policies, I noticed that the women who thrived in the first few weeks/months back at work were those who had some sort of plan for it so it was a no-brainer that I was going to do the same.
And my plan goes something like this 👆🏾(with a little bonus point at the end that must be said).

Experienced Mums, what would you add/do differently?

#firsttimemom #maternityleave #returntowork #maternityleavelife #firsttimemum by @mycareercouch

🎈🥹My Princess turned one about a month ago & what a year it has been! 🥹🎈

I haven’t really been able to take time to myself to really deep my first year of motherhood. All I know is that there have been the lowest of lows and the highest of highs in this one year. Nonetheless, I’m super grateful 🙏🏾.

When I think back to being pregnant, this was one of the best pieces of new mum advice I never saw coming and I’m so grateful for it till this day.
Matter of fact, that one sentence saved me from;
💭imagining a life that will never happen
😞being too hard on myself
🧸buying loads of baby items I’ll never need
because I was laser focused on these 2 things.
Zero regrets 👌🏾.

If you also want a financially free mat leave then download
✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐭 - 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 & 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 ✨that I created.

It is for any employee or self employed individual who has ever wondered;
💭”What will my income look like during maternity leave (whether SMP, MA or enhanced)?”
💭”Can I actually afford to take a full year off for maternity leave?”
💭”When should I start saving for maternity leave and how much should I save?”
💭“How much am I likely to spend in preparation for a baby?”

Link in my bio to download 📥

#firsttimemom #firsttimeparents #maternityleave #maternityleavelife #firsttimemum by @mycareercouch

I’ve been in your corner long enough for you to know that everything I say comes from a good place. So take this in the spirit it’s intended 🤍.

We’ve been rocking together for a long time now so I’m saying this because I genuinely believe you’re capable of more than you’re currently demanding of yourself.

I’ve watched talented people miss out on opportunities, get overlooked for promotions & just generally stay stuck because of negative patterns like these 👆🏾.
You know I do my best to call it out (in love) when we’re working 1:1 but I’m bringing it out here because these five things in particular are costing you more than you realise.

#careeradvice #careertips #careercoach #ukcareercoach #careergrowth by @mycareercouch

The best total compensation packages aren’t just about the number at the top. The benefits in there could be worth tens of thousands (or cost you that much when you need & don’t have them).

From about 2021, getting a job meant more than just the salary & learning experience for me. Prior to that I was more concerned with getting enough experience to jumpstart my career after my move to the UK but from then on, salary became just one line in my total compensation package.
I once declined to proceed with a recruiter when I found out their company’s maternity pay was only statutory 🫣. Sorry, not sorry.

Ask about everything, then use everything. That’s how you get the full value from where you work.

Am I the only one that asks for a full copy of the benefits information before I sign any offer? 🤔

#salaryadvice #employeebenefits #careertips #careercoach #ukcareercoach by @mycareercouch

And to be honest, this isn’t just about interviews! it’s your everyday conversations, your performance reviews, the way you describe yourself when someone asks what you do etc.
A lot of you do this constantly without realising it.

The words you use can either reinforce your credibility or chip away at it. If you did the work then you made a difference & the way you talk about it should reflect that.
Full stop.
Every time you downplay what you’ve done, you draw attention to supposed gaps &, without realising it, your confidence also takes a hit.

It’s time to stop shrinking your story before someone else has had a chance to form an opinion about it.

#careeradvice #careertips #careercoach #interviewtips #careergrowth by @mycareercouch

That’s a total of £2,184 that did not come out of my bank account whilst I did my necessary self care.
And this isn’t even half of what I’m entitled to! I have access to therapy sessions, discounted hotel/spa rates, financial planning services, L&D conferences/workshops, professional memberships, nutrition planning, retail discounts….I could actually go on.

Okay let’s be real, nothing is truly “free.”
Most of these are benefits in kind, which means they may be taxable but it is SIGNIFICANTLY less than paying out of pocket.

The real waste is leaving your company provided benefits untouched whilst still paying tax on them. They’re part of your total compensation package & you negotiated for them (even if you didn’t know it).

You’ve earned them. So this is your sign to open up your employee benefits handbook/portal today & see what’s sitting there waiting for you.

#employeebenefits #employeewellness #employeeperks #perksofthejob #personalfinanceuk by @mycareercouch

The reality for us professionals working abroad is that we’re in a country that isn’t where we grew up & in an industry that wasn’t built with us in mind. Therefore, struggling with culture fit is arguably an expected part of the journey.

We’re being exposed to different communication styles, workplace etiquette & unwritten rules about how we’re supposed to show up. And because nobody gave us a manual, we just have figure it out as we go along.

Recognising a culture fit problem is one thing. Knowing what to do after the realisation is another.

If you’ve ever been in this situation what did you do?
I’ll be honest, the one time I really struggled…I stayed & made it work because the pros for my career were huge!

#careeradvice #culturalfit #workplaceculture #careercoach #ukcareercoach by @mycareercouch

I received my performance based bonus & a pretty solid rating while on maternity leave (though I was only at work for 6 months of the year).
Baby & bag secured 💸💸💸

According to UK law, you must not be disadvantaged, down rated or treated less favourably because you’re on maternity leave. But that protection only goes so far if nobody in that room knows your work or has the evidence to advocate for you.

Performance reviews, calibration meetings, performance ratings, promotion decisions etc all go on as usual in your absence. And as someone who sits in those meetings, I can tell you that the employees who put in the work & set things up before they left are remembered differently.

#careercoach #performancereview #performanceappraisal #careertips #careeradvice by @mycareercouch

5 days in Palma De Mallorca celebrating the bestest @kunbiesq reminded me that excellence is not just part of work ethic, it’s a lifestyle ✨🥂👑

Anyone who knows her knows that she sets the standard HIGH in her multiple businesses & it clearly shows up everywhere else too.
5 days of pure excellence! The planning, the people, the energy, the foood 🤤….I was surrounded by brilliant minds, big dreamers & people who just know how to celebrate life well because this is what we work for.
We partied. We praised God. And then we partied some more.

My life motto is quite simple: Work hard enough to have moments like this often, play hard enough to actually enjoy them.

Now back to building because I must make this monneeyyy 💸

#palmademallorca #mallorca #palmamallorca #spain #spaintrip by @mycareercouch