Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Seaman.
Hi Morgan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Can you remember the moment you started believing that you didn’t have time to take care of yourself? Let’s take a walk down memory lane… I thought for sure it was after I had kids. Kids change everything right? Well, the more I thought about it, the further back I could go. And before I knew it, I was finding examples from well before having kids…
At first, I thought it had to be when I went back to work after having my first daughter. Even though I was crying in my office almost every day, I decided that I didn’t have time to research the list of counselors that my doctor gave me. That wasn’t it.
Maybe it was the time I continued working while I was in labor. When I was counting contractions through calls with clients, sending that One. Last. Email. (that really turned out to be like 20 last emails). That had to be it! At that point in time, I didn’t have many work friends who were also moms, and those who were worked up until the day before their babies were born. I figured that’s how I needed to do it too. The logic being, I’m only going to have 12 weeks off, so I need to spend all of that with my baby because I will never get those days back! Nope, that wasn’t it either.
Maybe it was the time I went back to the office an hour after learning that my pregnancy was no longer viable. I left work mid-morning for what I thought would be the most joyous doctor’s appointment – I was 11 weeks pregnant. I left my doctor’s appointment in a fog. My husband and I had driven separately because we both left work to meet at the appointment. I didn’t really know what to do next. I was so incredibly sad. I called my mom and my sister, and then I drove back to work. Nobody at my office knew that I was pregnant, so I thought that I needed to go back. I put myself back together and quietly walked to my desk. I stared at the computer screen with tears streaming down my face. I knew that I couldn’t be there.
I wish I could tell you that was the first time, but that would be a lie. I kept going back in time.
I went all the way back to the time I went to work the day after I was in a car accident that left both cars totaled. I knew that I had a really important event at work the next day. I was hosting a webinar that had taken months of planning. So, I told myself that I needed to be at work. I told myself that this was my fault and that I had to be there for the webinar. So, I went to work the next day, bruised, burned and scared shitless.
I used to be the kind of woman who didn’t believe that she had time to take care of herself. The kind of woman who thought her only choice was to keep going. That woman used to be me. Today, she is part of me, but she does not define me. Today, I have a knowing in my core that I have time to take care of myself, and I believe that I am worth my time.
After 16 years as a leader in the clinical research industry, being close to the edge of burnout many times, and finally taking the time to talk with a counselor and work with a coach, I realized that I could listen to that voice in the back of my head that was telling me to listen to my heart and pursue my desire to help women and mothers who were struggling like I had. Women who started believing that they don’t have time to take care of themselves. Women who say “yes” to everyone and everything except themselves.
I shifted my focus from how to make my current career work for me to how to start a business. I worked with a business coach and completed an intensive coaching certification program to create This Empowered Mom Coaching and Consulting. Today, I combine my training, experience in the corporate sector, and my personal journey to provide life-changing strategies to my clients.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been filled with twists and turns! I made the decision to start my coaching business in January of 2020 and planned to officially launch in August of the same year. Then, everything in the world turned upside down with a global pandemic. One of the reasons I wanted to make a career change was so that I could spend more time with my family, and boy was that prayer answered in the most unexpected way! I got to be with my family 24/7, and that was an adventure, to say the least.
The challenges of Covid aside, I’m learning about entrepreneurship every day. I started my business from scratch, so I’m still in building mode. I think one of the biggest struggles with starting a business is letting go, or softening, many of my old beliefs about success and productivity. Letting go of an addiction to being busy and receiving praise from colleagues and peers takes time and energy. So, I still do the work every day.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about This Empowered Mom Coaching & Consulting?
This Empowered Mom Coaching and Consulting is a lifeline for high-achieving mothers in the corporate sector who want to start saying yes to themselves again. I provide 1:1 coaching, workshops, and corporate trainings to help women reclaim their time and heal their relationship with themselves through self-compassion, self-advocacy, and whole self-care; shedding self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and guilt.
Most of my clients are among the top performers in their organizations and in their relationships. On paper, everything seems picture perfect. Their friends and family consider them the “ones who always have it together.” But, when they look in the mirror, they see a very different picture: someone who snaps at her kids and sneaks email checks during bedtime, a partner who is resentful of her never-ending to-do list, a leader who now second-guesses her abilities and qualifications. She says yes to everyone but herself, and she is about to break.
I was this woman, and thankfully, I made time to get the help that I needed to start living a healthier life; to start choosing me. I have walked in my clients’ shoes. I’ve been the only woman in the boardroom. I’ve been responsible for high-stakes decisions and multi-million dollar budgets. I’ve said “yes” to another project or committee when I really meant no. I’ve straddled the guilt of wanting to be the best mom and wanting to choose work because it filled me up more than another game of Barbies. I’ve been there for it all, and I am on the other side because I learned that it doesn’t all rest on my shoulders and that is okay!
I am proud that This Empowered Mom gives women and mothers a voice to find themselves in motherhood and career and do both on their own terms. I am This Empowered Mom and so are my clients.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The coaching industry is growing exponentially, and working with a coach is not only for executives anymore. If an athlete wants to grow in a specific area, they work with a coach. I’d like to see that philosophy transcend the sports world and become more common for anyone who wants to grow or make changes in their life. Our mental and emotional wellness are such a critical component of our overall health. Coaching, counseling, and therapy all help cultivate that. In the next 5 to 10 years, I hope that taking care of our mental health continues to gain acceptance.
Contact Info:
- Email: morgan@thisempoweredmom.com
- Website: www.thisempoweredmom.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisempoweredmom/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisEmpoweredMom/
Image Credits
Kelly Power Photography
