Join us as we explore innovative strategies and inspiring stories of parents who have harnessed their abilities during the precious hours available to them.
Discover practical insights on how to seamlessly integrate personal and professional pursuits into the intricate tapestry of parenthood. Louise Webster, Founder of WeAreBeyond Global and the Beyondtheschoolrun podcast shares her wisdom on leveraging unique skills, navigating time constraints, and finding fulfillment in the multifaceted roles that parenting entails.
Whether you're a stay-at-home parent, a working professional juggling responsibilities, or someone considering a career shift while raising a family, this episode is a beacon of encouragement.
SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.
Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.
Join us as we explore innovative strategies and inspiring stories of parents who have harnessed their abilities during the precious hours available to them.
Discover practical insights on how to seamlessly integrate personal and professional pursuits into the intricate tapestry of parenthood. Louise Webster, Founder of WeAreBeyond Global and the Beyondtheschoolrun podcast shares her wisdom on leveraging unique skills, navigating time constraints, and finding fulfillment in the multifaceted roles that parenting entails.
Whether you're a stay-at-home parent, a working professional juggling responsibilities, or someone considering a career shift while raising a family, this episode is a beacon of encouragement.
SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.
Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.
Hello everyone, thank you for tuning in Again. I am Katie Batesman, the content director at she Can Code, and today we are discussing parenting with purpose and leashing hidden talents. In the hours available, we're going to talk about strategies to seamlessly integrate personal and professional pursuits into the intricate tapestry of parenthood. Now, thankfully, I've got the amazing Louise Webster, founder of Beyond the School Run and author of A New Way for Mothers, with me today, and she's going to help me unpack this topic and share her wisdom with us. So thank you so much, louise, welcome.
Speaker 2:Thank you. It's lovely to be here, Katie. Thank you for having me. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, you obviously a very busy lady and you're going to share your wisdom on how you cram everything into your day. But can we kick off a bit of background about yourself to set the scene? Please A little bit about you.
Speaker 2:Yes, of course. So I started out my career in PR I still work in PR now as well, and I set up a PR agency that specialised in the kids and family sectors. And then I went on. I was growing that, loving doing it, and then I have my first child and I decided it was time to I couldn't. I sort of kept seeing a lot of the challenges that were coming up from others who were working at the time.
Speaker 2:It was over 16 years ago now and I sold my agency and on the basis that I was going to head back into the workplace, and then I saw more issues in terms of finding flexible jobs, and in that time I just thought something needed to be done about it. So I set up a platform called Beyond the School Run. Beyond the School Run is growing into a global platform, reaching thousands of mothers across the globe via our website, social channels newsletter and my book, which published in the US, called A New Way for Mothers, and the whole mission behind Beyond the School Run is to connect mothers to opportunities, inspiration and information to empower them to grow both personally and professionally.
Speaker 1:And I never know what ladies are going to say when they come on here and I never know their backgrounds, and it's always great to hear when somebody has seen a need themselves, because that makes you instantly so passionate about what you do and, obviously, why it's been so successful in launching your community. And we have so much to address today about parenting and finding the time in your day. So we're going to kick off with how do you find the delicate balance between parenting responsibilities and pursuing personal or professional goals?
Speaker 1:There's got to be some guilt in there right, there is a delicate balance.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we have to be kind of careful with one of the things. A big part of Beyond the School Run is about really looking at us as a person as a whole, which I think up until the point in which you become a parent. It's very much. Career is separate to anything else, and one of the elements we will look at Beyond the School Run is really helping mothers really look at exactly really who they are on all levels, and I think that's a big part of what parenting can really do for you is to really unlock in you so much of the authentic parts of who you are, and that can be anything from what your core skills are and your core talents to letting go of the things that aren't your core skills and talents, to what truly makes you happy, to what your body when you work best, when you work, and all these different elements. Because you're so confined to such short periods of time, it can really fine tune all of those parts yourself that really I kind of think was probably really would have been beneficially unlocked during the school system, but we have a sort of a school system that maybe doesn't work in that way.
Speaker 2:I read a book when I set up Beyond the School Run called Finding your Element by Ken Robinson, and it really sparked something in me that really saw this. This sparked something in me in sort of seeing the importance of us unlocking our natural skills and talents and this waste that happens when it's not. And for various people and many of the mothers who are removed from that opportunity due to this amazing job that which is raising children and for some reason as a world which I could never understand, was why we weren't valuing that more. It's the most important one, the most incredible jobs on this planet and yet for some reason as a site and it's purely mindset led we weren't valuing that. So what Beyond the School Run does is both it values the role of being a mother and the windows do open up, and recognises that those windows do open up and within there it's really we are both better parents but also the importance in how it feels to keep on evolving and growing.
Speaker 2:But I outline in there in my book A New Way for Mothers, this sort of new approach to doing that sort of not the old way which I sort of I discovered for myself in these sort of, in this intensity of caregiving, this new way of working, this new way of connecting what's right to you, letting go of things that aren't and following what I believe is we all have our own authentic paths and when you connect with that, it's a really, it's a very, it's a very joyful thing and it removes that competitive edge which I think starts off in the school system, and you realise, actually, you align with the right people.
Speaker 2:You don't need to push to make things happen. There's a lot of work involved, but I love what I absolutely love what I do, so it doesn't feel like work in that way and there's a sort of a flow and I talk about we'll go on and talk about this this discovery of what flow is which I think could be so beneficial to parents or caregivers or anyone that's working or really trying to grow themselves in a finite window of time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love everything that you just said. That I completely agree. I love the fact, as though that you started. We look at the person as a whole, because it's not something that suddenly separate and it's not especially in a workplace. It's not something that you come to work and suddenly you're not a parent anymore and suddenly that doesn't matter. It is. It's very much the person as a whole as, as you said, and moving forward from there and Finding those opportunities as well.
Speaker 1:I mean you're so who said that you were looking more into when to find opportunities where you can be flexible and finding a great employer as well, or Launching your own business. They're kind of, you know, just gets that as a whole you are a parent is part of who you are, and we talk a lot on here about finding your authentic self actually and how Different you are when you come to work. When you are your authentic self and it changes everything about you or your leadership style, for instance. It's very different when you are authentic and when, when you haven't found that yet it's, it's. It's quite difficult to be at the wrong employer and not feeling that you can be yourself and always feeling like you have to change to.
Speaker 2:You know work and I Think that interesting thing. For such a long time we had that for women where there was sort of Adapt into a workplace, and now a lot of the work that's being done is around really supporting Changing the workplace to support women as well. But I think when you go in and you're not fully authentic is there's a it's. It's really not sustainable by the time you come a parent that's the whole point. Yeah, so, because you can't work in that intense, in that Unease of not being fully yourself. So what this parenting journey does is it almost throws that all away. So I, when I sit up beyond the school and I continue to hear from people, often they say to me that previous career no longer works for them, since they've been looking for more meaning or something more aligned to them or something that they feel more passionate about. And that's where, beyond the screen, is created, which I often feel is a place I was really searching for, but I feel is then the place that's sort of missing after school, where you have this Incredible transformation in your life and yet there's nothing to support you in any way that helps you Evolve. And I think when we have this place that supports you, which is the whole premise of beyond the school run, we'll see Brilliant businesses on earth that will change the world in brilliant ways, because I think this level of empathy that comes through when you become a parent or this, this, this you see the world in a really different way. You have a Compassion for the world because you're leaving it with your children. So I see amazing people to benefit great business. We'll see unlocked talent that we probably have never, we haven't unearthed yet that will come up with great healthcare solutions, great Longevity solutions, so many things. And then we'll also see this talent Reshape the workplace, which is hence the. The name for a new way of working for my book Is this when we do have people within the, the current structures of organizations I mean big organizations are just smaller ones that have evolved, but they can also get stuck like human beings, and in that stuck, it's just a mindset not evolving and not growing, and when you're not growing, you're not being innovative. And and I think when we bring this, this, this talent, in, that will honor again, unlock and help businesses move and innovate. And so there's so many different elements to To this whole kind of bigger picture. When we do make this change, it will benefit everyone.
Speaker 2:And Then the key thing for me is when we change your lives, mothers, we change the lives of future generations. So all the issues we've created in the society, I believe they can be addressed when we address it for mothers. So I'm deeply passionate about the empowerment of mothers around money, across all Demographics of mothers, and about empowering them, obviously, to unlock their talents. And I'd like to get to point where, beyond the school and sports, mothers across, fully across the globe, not just in kind of Western societies and and when we do that, the world will be a far, far happier place. And I think when we see people on, when children see their mothers on their authentic path and showing them this way of a new way of doing things, a new way of working, a new way of collaborating, navigating world, unlocking talents, which is a very joyful thing, I think we've always sort of seen this sort of you are not your talents in schools. Well, I don't. You know. What I'm seeing now is I'm like you will unlock them all the way through your lives. I mean, I don't really believe in the concept of retirement. I think it's so exciting and then this brings you this sort of sense of longevity and wellbeing. When you're unlocking, you're connecting with people, you're discovering what you're all about and it keeps on growing and growing and growing and it's an incredible thing and I think when we do this for mothers, we're going to see a big shift in everything in the world. We'll see less, less. We'll see people not competing so much, not fighting for space, for power, for we'll see whoever is on this planet during these, how many years we're all here. This is the joyful thing that we've all got our individual skills and talents and when we connect with the right people to do the right things, we'll develop amazing businesses, we'll come up with great solutions and we can do it in a really positive way.
Speaker 2:And I want Beyond the School to be this place to unlock these opportunities. And for me, I think AI is a real wake up call now. So I'm really working on the expansion this year for 2024 for Beyond the School Run, so we really scale quickly this year to reach as many mothers as possible and really meet our vision for what we want to be able to achieve in terms of connecting mothers, tailoring information, being out for them to access information on the go, creating more webinars, bringing them more re-skilling and really creating this place where you can go daily to get both inspiration, because it's not of also only about the opportunities. What I've learned is it's also about getting the inspiration you need because sometimes, when you're in the day-to-day thick of all the mundaneness, you need a little bit of something that will spark a bit of belief in you that you can do it, because you can.
Speaker 2:And that one word, that bit of wisdom, that t-shirt that you see, I remember seeing something once and it was on someone's t-shirt and I said, just believe. And I was like, oh, that was enough, I just needed that today. I just needed that today. And yeah, so we're on a, we are, we want to reach mothers as many mothers as possible and bring them as much as we can and create this place. That, I feel, is the next step up from what we had, from the education system, to really to empower mothers to grow personally and professionally Incredible.
Speaker 1:And, in terms of yourself, can you share personal experiences or antidotes that highlight the challenges of finding time for personal development amid parenting duties? Is how, if you are that busy, how do you find time or prioritize things for personal development? It's quite it must be quite easy to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it is really. It keeps changing, I think, from each different stage in which you're in your kind of parenting journey as the children really younger and then sort of get broader. But I think what I learned in the very early days and I write about this in my book is your children are your greatest teachers. So in that early years where you're so in thinking, that's where the personal growth really comes in. And it's so easy to avoid it because usually the hardest bit is where you're up against it. So they're teaching you something that's there for you to learn and grow from.
Speaker 2:But it's hard, obviously, because it's not going to come. No lessons come in easy form. So the incredible thing about the parenting journey, I believe, and especially in those early years, is it's almost there, so that children already know. So this whole concept of my book about children are your greatest teachers is that we're not necessarily, we don't necessarily teach them. They're there to reteach us and you have a choice whether you can look at that or not. So it could be anything from something how you feel or them kicking it. So that's where it can come in at all different stages and I think, when you really reflect on yourself through the parenting journey. It's all in there. It will all come.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love the fact that you said that children are there to teach us. I've had quite a few conversations on here with ladies who tell me the skills that they learned when they became a parent. They didn't realise how much their child would teach them, about brand new skills that they then took back into the workplace, and there are a few ladies that have all said things like time management, having to get children out the door on time, something to become a big thing in their lives. That wasn't before. Negotiation, negotiation, oh my word. Trying to get young children to eat things that they don't want to eat. And is it? All of these skills suddenly came about and you're absolutely right as if the children taught the parents and I'm not sure how quickly you would learn them in any other circumstances.
Speaker 2:I don't think you would in a human capacity and even things like understanding humans on a much.
Speaker 2:So if you're in the workplace and you see someone being a bit nasty or kicking off a bit, you often you can learn again through the parent. Often it's got nothing to do with you that it's there, it's whatever's gone on for them. They're them bringing it to you. So it's things like that. You can also. You know, for example, if you've picked your child up from school and they've had a really tricky day, you can see that then, when they start kicking off, it's got nothing to do with you, it's just you're a really safe place for them to let off, let out those emotions. So there's a lot of things that you can learn about human behavior and I think when we bring that to the leadership table, it'll be hugely beneficial in terms of how you, how you are with other human beings, because everything's about Companies, everything is about human beings, isn't it? It's about bringing humans together in a company and to innovate, and Couldn't think of a more innovative thing than creating more human life.
Speaker 1:No, and because I wanted to ask you about how parents can recognize their own abilities, especially those that may have been overlooked. And I mean, I suppose a lot of people, a lot parents, feel like you know, as you said, it's just a job, it's not considered, you know, job with skills and talents and actually, and a lot of them might have been overlooked because of that. But you know, as you rightly pointed out, is one of the best jobs ever that somebody could take on. So I suppose it's just taking a moment to look at all of the new skills that you have learned when you do go back to work. So you take a break from eternity, leave. Actually, I've come back a different person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it really is. I think the other thing we don't consider is it's a very Specific time in your life it's not the whole time of your life, so you do come out of this kind, that kind of intense period. So it's often overlooked. Is that the the importance of that time and being able to really honor that time, but also that the fact that it's just it's it's a human, you are evolving as a human being through the parenting process and I just that was one things that really struck me when I saw beyond the screen was not Valuing it.
Speaker 2:I remember interviewing Amri slaughter who worked with Barack Obama and she'd written a book called unfinished business and she said that was in her book. She said that was one of the key things is that we value really interesting things Much more over parenting, which I again out. She said I couldn't, we can't understand, and it's not that other things don't need to be valued, it's just we need to value that as well and I think, as mothers, until we do that, we need to do it for until it's from external, we need to do it for ourselves, or is there? So the key? I think the key thing is, again, I write about in my book and the whole platform is about this is really discovering all of this for yourself. So when you value that, you start to also look at your natural skillset. So I've seen amazing women who have come to the platform. They've just what trying to work out. They couldn't work the other way because they couldn't look after the kids and go back into a legal job or whatever it was, and they found the parts of themselves they just had never and unlocked parts themselves and skills and talents and that has really is really incredible to see and and I think it's a really it's part of the incredibly squiggly career and it's just a brilliant thing that we can really embrace it.
Speaker 2:And I think when companies and Talent all come together to embrace this period in human evolution, which is when you're in the parenting window of probably 10, 15 years, and then that talent goes back into the organizations and then the talent underneath them then go in and have children, it's sort of like and a wonderful, and then the talent who then having children who were in the organizations before, can see the Pipeline through back into organizations or those that have been growing businesses, then bring that talent through it. To me it seems like a really clear, lovely route that honors everyone and Honours us all for the reason how we were going on the first place. Someone parented us, so every male or female in the organization who's not honoring that? And also, our talents don't go away. So for anyone that's listening to this, one thing really really we really Focus on on being on the screen is that our talents that are infinite talents are within all of us and I wish every child in every school knew this that you have your unique talent. It's within you and it never goes and it fills you with that joy when you're using it and that's your kind of purpose to unlock. You're given your gifts for a reason and that will never take you away from parenting. So it's really about constantly.
Speaker 2:I think it's very easy to let the dialogue creep in and let the self-doubt creep in, and that happens not because of lack of confidence I know we talk about this lot. I think it's a lack of disconnect. It's a disconnect so, and it's no one's fault, it's a system really, because all mothers, if they were still connected with their schools and talent, they wouldn't feel that uneat, that lack of confidence, because they'll still be connected. They'll be connected with their. So not everyone's meant so. Some people are meant to grow businesses, some people are meant to run organizations, some people are meant to be in the community doing so. Everyone has a different dream. Everyone has a different.
Speaker 2:You know, I'll talk to women all the time and I love seeing them when they talk about their dreams and what they're born to do and I'm always like that's not for me, but I can see that's for you and that's brilliant because that's what you're born to do and but it can. We do need a place to help nurture that. At such a critical time, when that person has taken all their attention away from themselves on all levels external, internal to nurture new life, we need a place to nurture that talent which has Is doing the most incredible job, and that's what I'm growing is that place to nurture that talent and that sense of self and grow and evolve that when you do come through it, you don't feel like you've compromised or go. If anything, you've grown into this super version of Not even a version. You've grown into your super self, and that would be great for the children to see. That's great for the economy, it's great for sisterhood, it's great for everything, and I can't wait to build beyond the school run further.
Speaker 1:Amazing and a lot of that. Obviously, you're talking about finding that self-confidence and making sure that that disconnect isn't there anymore. A lot of that, sometimes as well, comes down to time management and how you fit that back in, how you start to change the narrative to focus back on yourself and your own development. So do you have any practical tips for that, or time management strategies that you can share to help parents make the most of their hours available to them, especially if they're now looking to go back and focus more on themselves? Do you have any tips for that?
Speaker 2:Yes, definitely. I write about this a lot in my book and they're sort of chapter by chapter about. One of the key areas I write about is finding your flow, and I used to think that was exclusive to people like athletes or, but it's not. It's accessible to everyone. When you get into your sense of flow and it's kind of almost like flow is where you're working. You don't really know you're in a zone they call it like your zone of genius. To access that as often as possible is brilliant and people find different ways to do that. Exercise is a great way to do it, meditation is another way.
Speaker 2:Some people say reading, but doing that thing every day before you start working might seem like it's wasted time, but it's not, because if it can get you into your sense of rhythm, you will work with greater ease, with greater clarity, and then everything will flow with much greater ease. So definitely flow. Secondly, it's just to really declutter what comes into your head. So, for example, I have to turn the radio out off. I turn music on when I need it. I don't read things that will shift any minds, that my mindset in any way, that I feel not shift it, but I don't feel his value to me and I learned that in the very early days with the children is if we're in the car, I'd change off the news if it wasn't. So really, and then you'll also know really selectively choose what. You cut out the noise outside. So if someone's interested in something, that's great but really fine, tune into what you is right for you at this stage. So maybe it's.
Speaker 2:Whatever step you need to take. It might be you need to be reskilling, or you want to go and take this job, and it might be for six months, or you just need to get your CV updated. Really follow your own and don't compare to anyone else. So comparing apps, everyone's on a very different, their own journey. And every step you take, listen to that feeling inside. It'll be like a little, it'll be like a light that you'll feel like that's a really great fact. I've taken that step today. So each one of those and there's no rates. However, taking every step is really a step. Every day is really important. So it'd be really easy for one day to go or delay things and say, oh, I'll wait until after or when the kids do, but really take the step today, because every step will lead you to where you want to go.
Speaker 2:And one other point, I think, which is comfort zone. It's very the comfort zone's comfortable and we all have to have to, but it feels good to step out of the comfort zone. So lots and lists. So lists, if you're a list maker, really structure a day when you are on. Your flow is switch off your phone Really look at those things that potentially do distract you and create a clear routine and rhythm that really works for you.
Speaker 2:So when the kids are at school, use that window of time really clearly. If you find going and meeting people of coffees a distraction, don't do that. And hone in on the things that really work for you meeting the right people, going to the events that you feel are really in rhythm with you and and get really really clear and and and connect with those people that are doing the same. Sometimes you can find yourself in environments where maybe people aren't wanting to do that and if you do, then really surround yourself. And if you can't find many, just one is enough, one person that can say I'm doing this too, because often what you don't see is hard to then imagine. So you might be in a community where you're not seeing women who are really stepping back in or moving on there, forward on there, and then sometimes it can feel harder.
Speaker 2:So, really, and if you can't find that, just join the communities where you feel engaged with that and that really connects with what you're looking for. And certainly we have a community at Beyond the Scorun. I know you have your own as well, and we'll be developing more where women can come together and you can go on there and you can spar with each other, because it's all about really lifting each other, inspiring each other to move forward. I'm part of a network as well and I find it. You know, when you're on that part, you're seeing other people women do that and they're challenging themselves and they're going to these things and they're moving forward. It just inspires you. So, yes, and really keeping in routine, even in the school holidays, as much as possible.
Speaker 1:I completely agree with finding a network that is similar to what you're going through, even to hear other people say I feel the same way that you feel, or I had the same struggle, because even just hearing that not always hearing that success stories as well, but hearing when people fail and that that's OK and that you're not the only one that is feeling that is so valuable and sometimes it's best to hear those failure stories.
Speaker 2:It's so brilliant. And also I'm seeing more now. Communities come together where women are also sort of sharing so much. We have a Facebook working for Mums Page as well, a Facebook page, and on there people are just sharing things. And these other networks I'm in, women are sort of going oh, maybe everyone should look at this. This has worked for me, or go to this, try out this event, or we're using this person for this, and that's the magic of the sisterhood, that's the brilliant and we all want. I think nothing makes me happen when I see you know both of myself. But for other people, when they tell me oh, I've just got that. I'm so really want to get that job and I got that. It's just brilliant. Yeah, yeah, way for everyone. And it's nothing, you know, there's opportunities for everyone.
Speaker 1:And I wanted to ask you about feeling overwhelmed, because a lot of people must must feel that way. If you, if you're not part of a group yet you're not reading those stories, everybody is feeling the same way as you are. Or you haven't been to a networking event and somebody's had a similar conversation with you. Is there a way that parents can navigate the challenges of how do you find the time to find, you know, personal, professional time to pursue that without feeling overwhelmed? I mean, you mentioned there there are some, some great ways of doing that finding your flow and finding a great group that is doing something similar to you. A lot of people just feel very overwhelmed by the whole thing, surely?
Speaker 2:It can. I think the thing that I've always talked about with me on the school run is to take one step each day. Yeah, really, it's as. You just take one, and it can be. Step one can be mentioning to someone at the school gates that you're thinking about going back to work. Step two is just pulling out your CV, or so really taking one step at a time and not thinking beyond that, but each one of those steps will all add up and also each one of those steps will feel good in it's, in the right way, because I think you are so cocoon that making this way, I don't think you can all of a sudden just burst in. You know it is a. It's a reemerging, reemerging process and the key to it is, I think, is really taking a single step every day.
Speaker 2:And and you'll find I've seen women do this who have just sort of got oh my God, I can't, or I can't get on to LinkedIn, and then they do one. They're like, oh my God, that feels amazing. And then I see them on there all the time posting things. Or someone who's been out workplace about 10 years and felt very removed, to then all of a sudden quickly reconnected. I knew her before for how she worked. She quickly with it. She took the step day by day, by day and taking time just to recognize when you do sort of maybe go back Words is just sort of put those daily steps and is really, really key and just opening up that time for you and recognizing, telling yourself, filling your mind with that you can do this, but step by step.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and on that note, do you have any advice where to get started on those steps? If somebody is looking to make a career shift or they want to come back into work and they're looking to explore flexible or non-traditional career paths that align with their own skills and interests, do you have any advice for parents that are starting to consider that career shift and where to get started?
Speaker 2:Yes, definitely there's some, since we've launched Beyond the School Run. There's some amazing places now where, in fact, I've just been giving some details to someone I know personally as well that you can go and find access to all these kind of opportunities and information. We'll be linking to more, but we link to all of them on our jobs section on BeyondTheSchoolRuncom. But there's a lot of flexible working pages, such as flexible working for people I think it's called. There's a lot of recruitment agencies. There's a lot of Facebook pages. I would almost register for all of those. You can literally go to our page and link onto all of them, connect with the recruitment agencies and then the next step is then start developing your CV, and we'll be again, we'll be sharing on Beyond the School Run, as part of our rebrand how you go about doing that. I remember when I was doing mine actually not so long ago and I just contacted a friend who was an HR, because I know that she. But you want to be able to. Sometimes you just want to be able to do that with these or be reminded to do that. So we'll be walking people through this on Beyond the School Run and really the other thing is to reach out to your community, although I think a lot of people. Well, I think it's really important to also value your community that you're in, so your school gates community can often have this vast array of talent that you can all support each other. So mention within that community and really you can really help each other.
Speaker 2:So, both with childcare in terms of what skill sets, when there are a lot of people at our school gates helped me a lot when I was building Beyond the School Run in the early days. Another one really helped me when I was sort of returning to my PPR career. So, and it was all because I sort of took the moment and even my head I was like am I really able to do this? Can I do this? And I just sort of went, I'm doing this. And they were like okay, yeah, and they kind of bleep, they were like yeah, and I remember now now I'm looking at where I am now to where I was before when I was talking about going back to college. Just in my head I was like how can I? But it's not like what the? I just got a bit detached from all of it and I'm in the swing of it and rhythm and that's what a lot of people don't move out of and that's why they're where they are and I think a lot of people also when they get back into it but it's, they realize it was never as hard as we probably think it was.
Speaker 2:So really talk to others within your community and come along to be on the school run. You can register to our newsletter and then we've got and also you can just go onto the website for free access all the different flexible working. We're about to do a full rebrand so if, at what point, anyone listens to this, they can revisit the website again. But there's a lot more. Since when I set up beyond the school run, there was nothing. There's huge amount of places now where you can access and also on beyond the school run we're going to be. We are working with businesses to really showcase what they are doing for this talent. So you can come along, you can see what these businesses are doing and you can connect with them. So we're really kind of going to be evolving that side of things as well Incredible.
Speaker 1:Yes, I'm pleased you mentioned businesses there and we spoke a little bit we touched upon it a little bit in this podcast about finding a support network and also hearing from businesses and what they're doing and how they can help you as well.
Speaker 1:I would just want to touch upon the support networks and the importance of that, because I suppose finding other parents that are facing similar challenges something that we advocate a lot, that she can code, is to try and let people know that you're not on your own, and a lot of us can internalize things and think I'm the only one. I'm the only one that is feeling this way and actually when you do even you mentioned in there if you just speak to people at school gates and start to hear from one person to two people, three, and then go and find a Facebook group and then realize that actually there are great communities out there that can really help you, that that is. It would be so inspiring. It must be so inspiring for people to think that's where I'm going to take my first step. Just reading that somebody else has done it or hearing from another parent at the gate, somebody else is feeling that way.
Speaker 2:And I think that's probably enough, isn't it for someone sometimes to think that? So, because that's exact, and that is the great thing about social media doing this world that we, this sort of more open world that we live in, is where you can share, and I think people are more open about it, and it's exactly that People, even if people aren't it, may be experienced something. Now, people do have different experiences throughout their careers and just you'll see it navigate, but I think that's the key thing is they could come and just see what people are doing and everyone is experienced in the same, and I remember, actually, when I set up beyond the school run, I just thought, am I the only one? And then, by just putting a bit of a blank kind of website out there, people used were coming to me going I'm so glad you're talking about this. So whatever someone's experiencing, they'll find that people, there'll be a reason and other people will be feeling the same.
Speaker 1:Yes, definitely, louise. We're already out of time, unfortunately, and I could talk to you for a lot longer on this topic. I would love for you to come back and tell us how you're getting on with Beyond the School Run and, yeah, we would definitely love you back for another episode to share more with us. So thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come and share your story with us. Thank you so much. I've been already listening, as always. Thank you so much for joining us and we hope to see you again next time.