The Peaceful Mompreneur
Encouraging and equipping Christian Mompreneurs to have peace in their lives and business while staying grounded in Jesus Christ.
The Peaceful Mompreneur
Crafting a Balanced Life with Cheryl Polk
Can you truly balance the demands of motherhood and entrepreneurship without losing your sanity? In this enlightening episode of the Peaceful Mompreneur, we welcome Cheryl Polk, a holistic career coach and the brain behind Excel Resumes and Career Coaching, who shares her journey from accounting graduate to esteemed career coach. Cheryl candidly discusses her vibrant career transitions, including her time at a Fortune 500 company, her choice to become a homeschool mom, and ultimately, her fulfilling role in career coaching. Together, we unravel the misconceptions surrounding work-life balance, especially for mompreneurs, and emphasize the importance of prioritizing what truly matters—faith, family, and business—over the pursuit of perfection in every life aspect.
We provide overwhelmed moms with practical strategies to efficiently manage their lives, such as using apps and timers, while also exploring the intricate process of discovering one's purpose and balancing multiple callings. Cheryl's insights guide us through cultivating a holistic life view where purpose transcends professional achievements. For moms who might feel overshadowed by the demands of parenting, we offer encouragement and affirm the inherent worth found in various life phases. Additionally, Cheryl shares her expertise in building a robust online presence, offering invaluable job search strategies through her popular social media platforms. Join us for a conversation brimming with wisdom and inspiration, aimed at empowering mompreneurs to achieve harmony in both life and business.
Connect with Cheryl:
https://excel-resumes.com/
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/careercoachcheryl/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/usajobsearchcoach/
Grab the Healthy Sustainable Weekly Rhythm Guide for Busy Moms ► ► https://aliesehalcomb.com/weeklyrhythms
Hello everyone, Welcome to the Peaceful Mompreneur and we're super excited that you're here and I have a great guest. Her name is Cheryl Polk and I am going to let her introduce herself to you guys. Tell us what you do, Cheryl. Tell us why you do it and why you're passionate about it.
Speaker 2:I am the owner of Excel Resumes and Career Coaching and I'm a holistic career coach, so basically I help people get better lives through career alignment, and so I help with career identification, career skills development, career transitions, interview prep strategies, resumes and other personal branding documents that are used in a job search resumes and other personal branding documents that are used in a job search and I help all the way from students and to adults of all ages and careers and stages.
Speaker 1:Wonderful, I love that. Okay, so can you tell us a little bit, like how did you get into this? Like, what is what's that? Well, transition for you or beginning of your career, unknown. How did that look for you?
Speaker 2:career unknown. How did that look for you? Yes, so, like so many people, I've had a lot of ups and downs and curves throughout the road right. So when I graduated, I actually graduated with a degree in accounting and, like so many people, I did not have any internships and I just wasn't polished as far as interviewing and that type of thing. So I actually ended up getting quite a few interviews, but I didn't get any offers from the interviews and so I ended up starting off as a temporary employee through a staffing agency, making minimum wage, but thankfully, by the grace of God, I was able to get into a decent sized company and within five years I worked my way up to be supervisor for the general accounting department for a division of a Fortune 500 company, and I just really enjoyed it.
Speaker 2:However, when I started having children, I decided I wanted to become a stay at home mom and then eventually a homeschool mom.
Speaker 2:I wanted to become a stay-at-home mom and then eventually a homeschool mom, and I did that for a few years and then decided to kind of dip my feet back into the job search pool and I found a position that was quite interesting. It was a recruiter position and I said this looks interesting, and I kind of just did it on a whim on a Friday and they called me on Monday and to my surprise, I got the job. And also to my surprise, I got the job and also to my surprise, I love the job. But what I didn't love is the fact that I had so many qualified candidates that I couldn't pass along because their resumes were unprofessional or they had spelling errors and sentence structure errors. So I ended up spending a lot of time helping people with their resumes. So I ended up becoming a certified professional resume writer and then a master certified life and career coach, and then the rest is history. I've been doing that ever since and just fully enjoy it.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. That is, yes, you're absolutely right. Nobody. I feel like a lot of people when they get out of college, right, they feel like they're going to get this job and they're going to be there forever. But I know no one who just like what. That's not true. I would guess. I know a couple of people who found a job, they fell in love with it and they stayed there forever, and usually it is a roller coaster of a life experience and it's a good time. So I yeah, I definitely just recently I've told my nieces that it's like it's okay, you don't need to know everything, we're just starting, it's okay, it's okay, so that's so good, all right.
Speaker 1:So we're going to specifically talk about work-life balance. So our audience, my audience, is mostly moms with young children, and they are either in the very beginning of starting a business or they're like about to start it, right. So that is where they're at and they really want to keep their priorities their priorities Jesus Christ first, then their family, then their business. And so we were talking about work-life balance and so like that gets thrown around a lot. But what does it mean to have a work-life balance?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it means doing. A lot of people think it thinks a lot of people think that it means doing everything at 100%, but there's no way to do everything at 100%. So what we have to do is prioritize, right. So when you think about it, most people spend at least eight hours at work, and then most people spend at least at most eight hours sleeping. So that's two-thirds of our life that's been working, whether you're working at home, being with your children, as a stay-at at home mom or working outside of the home, and so that's two thirds of the day gone. So that leaves another third for errands, for our business, for self-care for our spouses, for travel, for leisure, for all the other things that we're trying to fit in.
Speaker 2:So, first of all, I'd like to tell people to pray about their day. Lord, how would you like this day to look? Because of course, we might have, you know, plans, right? Because the Bible tells us that many are the plans in a man's heart, but it's the Lord who orders our steps. So we definitely want to start off the day by praying, seeking the Lord, saying how would you like our day to look?
Speaker 2:And then also yes, just like you said, we definitely want to make sure we have our priorities straight as far as God, and the thing is, yes, we want to have that dedicated, you know, devotional time or Bible study time, prayer time but we can bring God into everything. We're supposed to bring every God into everything, right, because he tells us to pray without ceasing. So all through the day we should be thanking the Lord for the small blessings. We should be praying and you know saying little prayers here and there. So God, yes, is first because he should be throughout everything we do, and then just also making sure that we have certain organizational tools, like having calendars, making sure we have calendars and schedules and staying on top of those things. But, yes, first prioritizing and then, as we have those priorities, and organizing things according to priorities.
Speaker 1:Okay, no, that's fabulous, okay. So let's touch base on that a little bit. You're talking about, like, organizing yourself and keeping your priorities first. So if you were talking to a busy, overwhelmed mom, right, and she just doesn't know where to start, how would she start organizing? Where would you tell her to begin?
Speaker 2:I would say, to really look at they, have some really good apps out now.
Speaker 2:So I would say, really, look at some of the apps that help you prioritize your day. Also, set timers. I love to set timers because that way you don't lose track of time. So let's just say, even if you're trying to clean your home, setting a timer and saying, okay, 15 minutes, guys, we're going to set this timer 15 minutes, we're going to do all that we can do in this room for this 15 minutes.
Speaker 2:So you know, just basic, basic, little things to help you stay on task throughout the day. And then also having goals that you want to achieve. You know you might have a long, you know, having your one-year goal, your five-year goal, your 10-year goals because, like you said, so many people are wanting to start businesses and some people have little side hustles that they want to turn into full-time hustles. So, definitely having those goals and then looking at the long range goals and then breaking them down into pieces the long range, the short range, the one year, down to the month, then down to the week. So kind of backing into your schedule to say, okay, if I want to be here in one year, what do I need to start doing in the next six months, in the next three months in the next, one month in the next week.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's perfect. Yeah, very, very, very good. Big picture first and hone into the what you need, the day-to-day activities. So, as you've been working with people all kinds from all ages and all you know everything, what do you think are like the challenges that really that seem to pop up a lot that people can't, that are struggling to get over? There we go.
Speaker 2:I would say people are really struggling to figure out their purpose and what they're supposed to be doing. Now, as believers, we know our general purpose is to know God and to make him known to others and to love God and to love people. So that's our general purpose, that we, as believers, all have. And then also, too, we have a calling, a primary calling and a secondary calling, and so a lot of people believe they've been led to believe that, okay, this calling is also going to be their career. But career usually for most of us, is a secondary calling.
Speaker 2:Now, sometimes I'll give you a couple of examples or sometimes where you do have that primary calling being the career as well. So in the Bible you have where God anointed and appointed people to be kings. So for them that was both their calling and their career. And then also to people who are head pastors at a church and who are doing that full time, that's both their calling and their career. But for the majority of us that may not be the case. So I help people to really identify their calling, their primary calling, and then also to see how that ties into their career. And we also look at their passions, their strengths, their gifts, their talents and then also their pain, because a lot of times things that we've overcome can lead us to that career. So we kind of look at a holistic approach to see where we're supposed to be and then make sure that it meets their goals, that they have.
Speaker 1:No, that is wonderful. I love that holistic outlook, like you're more than just your career, right, and you're more than just yeah, first and foremost, as believers, we have a purpose and we are important because God made us and we are his children, like amen for that. But, yes, there's so much more to us than just the work that we do. That's a beautiful thing. So in all of that, what would you say? Some mindset shifts that someone would need to go from saying like I'm not every, like I'm not what I produce, I'm not just my career. What? How would you help someone with that and what kind of mindset shift would need to be in?
Speaker 2:there is a great question because so many stay-at-home moms struggle with this, because a lot of people you know may be coming from corporate America and they may be coming home and then they feel like, wow, I'm not using all of my intellect or my gifts or my strengths and that type of thing, and they feel like they've lost value in some type of way. But it's just basically knowing our value in Christ and knowing what he's called us to do and being confident in what he called us to do, because what he's called us to do he will equip us to do. So that's the thing just knowing that we don't get our value just from our work, but we get our value through Christ. And if he's called us to do, to be at home at this particular time, then that's great, because some people, yeah, they might have a certain job, but it might not be what God has called them to do at that time.
Speaker 2:So, just taking solace in the fact that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing at this particular time, and just knowing too that we have different seasons in life and at the time it can seem like it's a long season, but I homeschool my children for 17 years and then, even though I'm done, I feel like I have a whole life ahead of me to still have a business, a career. I mean, you're still able to work 30 years, 30, 40 years, past that time of when you're home with your children. So, just knowing that, yes, this is just a brief season and that what he's called you to do he will equip you to do, and just counting on him to bring you that joy, and knowing that he's our resource instead of a job being our resource.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is beautiful. I love that. Yeah, I had. I struggled a lot whenever I came home with my son and I knew I wanted to like this was the goal, we were gonna do this thing, but I ran. I was a manager, operations manager of a soup kitchen, so every day I was like pouring into these people and seeing lives changed and like dealing with sometimes crazy things. And then I just come home and my life is. It's exciting in a different way, but also sometimes super mundane, and this little person doesn't. I don't know what to do with him and so like it wasn't definitely a mindset shift and and doing exactly what you said, which is just finding my, finding my purpose in Christ and not in what I'm producing, was a huge deal.
Speaker 1:And also giving myself some tough love, which was you're doing this because God told you to, so it doesn't matter how you feel about it.
Speaker 2:That's true.
Speaker 1:I feel like I tell myself that a lot Like you're doing it because he told you to that's why. That's why you're doing it. That's what we tell our kids right, that's right, that's right. So that's what we tell our kids right, that's right, that's right. So that's what I want him to listen. So I got to listen to, so OK, so we're going back to this work life balance. Is it really attainable, and how would somebody strive to be able to attain it? No-transcript.
Speaker 2:Well, a lot of times we have just to be honest with you, elise. We have too much stuff in our schedule a lot of times, so just really praying about, ok God, what is really necessary and what's not necessary at this time. So, if you're able to get help, sometimes you might not be able to spend as much time cooking or cleaning and that type of thing as you would want to, especially if you're trying to work from home or start a business. So if it's in the budget for you able to, you know, for you to be able to hire someone to come and help you clean once a month or once every other week or whatever you know, then that's great. Or also to tap into your community.
Speaker 2:A lot of times we have other moms who you're able to do. You know all types of like co-working and different types of things to switch off where, ok, maybe they can watch you know your children for one day where you get some things done and then you guys can switch off and do things like that, and then also to just being able to maybe utilize older children right. So not necessarily for you, but maybe it could be like a mom's helper. A lot of times people have mom's helpers that come in and sometimes they might even do that for free. So just making sure you utilize all of your resources to give you the help that you need and then also make sure that you prioritize and then get rid of the things that you need and then also make sure that you prioritize and then get rid of the things that aren't that important.
Speaker 2:A lot of times we think that having so many activities oh, my child has to be in sports and they have to be in dance and they have to be in all this and a lot of this is just time suckers and yes, it can be good, but not all good things are the right thing. So just really praying about how our day should look, got what activities are important right now and what's not important. And then, if you're married, just really talking to your spouse and making sure you guys get on the right page and develop your goals as a family, your goals as a couple, and then just making sure that you put your money where your mouth is right, because when we look at our checkbooks, we can really see what's important for us. And so the same thing with our time. Our time should be a direct reflection of our priorities.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, and yeah, and God gave us money to steward, but he also gave us our time to steward and it is our responsibility to take care of it. I love that that way you put it. Not all good things are the right things. You can't do everything all the time. It's just not possible. Yeah, so okay, we're getting close to wrapping it up. So if you were to talk to, if you had last words of encouragement for somebody who would be listening to this, what would you tell them?
Speaker 2:I would tell them just think about what you'd like to do and think about, would that also support the lifestyle that you want, the work-life balance that you want? Think about, does it have longevity or opportunity for growth? And then, first and foremost, pray, pray and ask God okay, what are you leading me to do at this point in my life? And then also don't be afraid to seek help. Sometimes we think we're supposed to have all the answers, when that's not the case, because the Bible tells us that there's wisdom in a multitude of counsel. So it's okay to seek help. It's okay if you need to hire a career coach to help you get on track, because it's important to be able to. We really like to have people be able to articulate their purpose and their mission statement and then have everything kind of utilize that as a guide and then whatever doesn't fit into that mission statement throw it out. So that's what I would say Just, just really reevaluate, pray, let the Lord lead you and don't be afraid to ask for help.
Speaker 1:That's so good. Yes, I love that. So where can people connect with you? And, yeah, where can they find you and learn more about?
Speaker 2:you. Well, I would say my first of all, my website, excel dash, resumes dot com, and that's E-X-C-L-L-A-dash or hyphen, and then resumes dot com. And if they, if they go to my contact us page, I even have a place there where they can upload their resume and I give a free resume analysis. And that'll just be a list of things they can change and improve. If they decide to have us help them, great. If they decide to do it on their own, great, but at least they will know. So that way they'll know how to move forward and how to make their resume better. And then also, too, I'm on LinkedIn as Career Coach Cheryl P, and with a P like Paul. So Career Coach Cheryl P on LinkedIn. And then USA Job Search Coach on Instagram Okay, wonderful, job search coach on Instagram.
Speaker 1:Okay, wonderful, that's so great. So thank you so much for being here with us. I will link all of those things in the description of this video show, and yeah, so thank you for being here with us, cheryl.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me. I've enjoyed it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.