Hey there, welcome back to another episode. Today, I want to talk about motherhood and how my path to motherhood shaped my pursuit of purpose and led me to where I am today. When I was little, maybe five or six, I told my parents I wanted to live in Hawaii and have five kids. They laughed and said, "Good luck with that." It's funny because as I grew up, I wasn't around little kids. I was the youngest of two, and my sister is five years older than me. I wasn't exposed to kids, so later in life, as a teenager, I didn't want kids or think I would have them. It's ironic that when I was so young, I said I'd have five kids. There was a year when I tried babysitting. I was about 12 or 13. A neighborhood family needed a last-minute sitter for a dinner party with a lot of kids. Either I volunteered, or my mom volunteered me—I'm not sure. I showed up, and there was an 18-month-old crying so loudly. I had no idea what I was doing and started crying. Toddlers were running everywhere, and it was chaos. The parents eventually sent me home. That was my one and only babysitting experience, and I thought, "I'm probably not going to have kids." Fast forward to high school when I met Matt, who is now my husband. He's one of five siblings—three older brothers and two younger half-siblings who were two and four years old when I met him. This was my first real experience around young kids, and I started to understand how they worked. Watching Matt's mom parent the younger ones gave me a glimpse of what motherhood could look like. That's when I began to imagine having a family with Matt someday. But I was very career-driven and ambitious, so I put the idea of a family on hold to focus on my career. I grew up in a family of doctors and pharmacists. My sister has a PhD. Everyone pursued high levels of career success, and I was encouraged to get a steady job with a reliable paycheck to support a family one day. In high school, I pursued both music and science. I was deeply involved in orchestra and competitive piano, violin, and viola. At the same time, I took all the advanced science classes. I was at a crossroads—should I pursue something artistic or something more stable like science? Ultimately, I chose science. In college, I worked in labs and had mentors who balanced careers and family. One was a woman with kids, and another was a male professor whose daughter I tutored in violin. I admired their lives and imagined a future as a professor, running a lab, having a family, and contributing to society in a meaningful way. That vision drove me to grad school, where I joined a prestigious research program at UC San Diego. However, I noticed that many professors, even those with families, seemed consumed by work. Their lives were full of papers, conferences, and emails, leaving little time for family. It wasn't the life I wanted. I realized that pursuing a high-level career in science might not align with my values or the life I envisioned. One moment that stood out was during a grad school interview dinner. A prospective student talked about the book Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. She admired the message of women pushing for higher positions in the workplace. I asked her about her mom's career, and she mentioned her mom was a stay-at-home mom but wished she had worked. It surprised me because it seemed like she was judging her mom's choice to prioritize family. This made me reflect on how society often judges women's decisions, whether they choose to lean into their careers or prioritize family. I believe we need to stop judging and support women in whatever path they choose. For me, I didn't want my life to be defined solely by my career. I wanted time for my family, so I started exploring alternative career paths. I eventually left academia for a 9-to-5 job in tech support, which allowed me to enjoy my work while having time for other priorities. I've realized that ambition doesn't have to be confined to a career. It can also be directed toward building a meaningful life and a happy family. Whether you choose to focus on your career, take a break, or find a balance, it's all valid. This is your one life. I encourage you to align your values with your choices and create a path that works for you. Thank you for listening, and I hope you have a great rest of your day. Hey there, welcome back to another episode. Today, I want to talk about motherhood and how my path to motherhood shaped my pursuit of purpose and led me to where I am today. When I was little, maybe five or six, I told my parents I wanted to live in Hawaii and have five kids. They laughed and said, "Good luck with that." It's funny because as I grew up, I wasn't around little kids. I was the youngest of two, and my sister is five years older than me. I wasn't exposed to kids, so later in life, as a teenager, I didn't want kids or think I would have them. It's ironic that when I was so young, I said I'd have five kids. There was a year when I tried ...
Mostra di più
Mostra meno
8 min