Wrapping up Impact Academy 2018 before the holidays

Last week marked our final session with Impact Academy: City Maker Edition, facilitated by Impact Hub Ottawa, Synapcity and the City of Ottawa.

As part of my experience and in hopes of spreading some child-friendly corporate jungle joy – I’m sharing my FREE Babies + Business Mini Guides below!

Before I applied, I had spent the past two years navigating the corporate jungle, coworking spaces, conferences, startup events and life in general with my first son.

When my second son arrived this past summer, I decided to keep going and see what happened. I applied to the local program and started attending workshops and business events when my newborn was two months old.

Before I had children, I had been working in the professional development industry, doing marketing communications roles and travelling in Australia and Europe. I was used to going to events, talking to people and visiting new places. In fact, it became a bit of a way of life and helped me make connections, learn something new and get out of my comfort zone.

Why does this matter?

Parents are people and I believe just because you have a family, it doesn’t mean you need to completely change who you are.

Children can be a catalyst for adjusting our priorities, creating new ways of doing things and reimagining who we are and how we want to be.

It could be upskilling ourselves through further education, changing careers, negotiating a flexible work arrangement or starting a business.

As much as I love technology and the internet, becoming a parent can also be an isolating experience.

If the baby won’t nap and you need some fresh air, why not pack them up, go for a walk and hit up a midday business event to meet people in real life while you’re at it?

Pack snacks for yourself, toys for the baby and a pen and paper to write down your learnings.

Throw some business cards in your diaper bag and go up to complete strangers to have a chat.

Grab a coffee with a colleague and get them to hold your baby while you scoff down a second breakfast.

Pitch yourself, your idea and ‘an ask’ in less than 60 seconds while juggling your squirmy and babbling 20+ lbs bundle of joy in front of a room of almost complete strangers.

Ask for help with your idea on a microphone while breastfeeding said bundle of joy in front of a packed Creative Mornings event because you’re on a time limit with this pilot project, you already made the effort to get there and if the baby is hungry you gotta do what you gotta do.

Too far? Feeling uncomfortable? Bewildered? Inspired?

I’ve done all of the above and more (you can read about it in my previous posts on the blog) but what it all boils down to is:

I did things which challenged my resolve, confidence, clarity, key messages, multitasking, organization and many more unseen and probably unrealized abilities alongside my children.

I did them because I didn’t have flexible childcare while they were babies, didn’t want to leave them with complete strangers and didn’t want to stay at home wondering what could/would/should happen if I decided to one day venture into the corporate jungle with them.

So I just did it.

And now I’m writing about it.

Bringing some awareness and creating real life experiences along the way to drive the major point home:

Parenthood and professional development don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

To help other babies (and their primary caregivers) and businesses do the same, I have created a FREE resource based on my experiences attending over two dozen events with a baby and toddler (separately – are you crazy?!) in two different countries (England and Canada), with more planned for future!

Calling all parents who want to invest in themselves alongside their children!

Grab our FREE Mini Guide To Navigating The Corporate Jungle (With Kids).

Be what you want to see (more of)

Subscribe for future emails at bit.ly/BabiesBizBreakfast.

Some of my other #BYOBaby into business settings experiences are detailed on these blog posts, if you want to learn more about:

• Visiting Algonquin College’s DARE District with kids
• Visiting Invest Ottawa with kids
• Participating in Impact Academy with a baby
• Attending Creative Mornings Ottawa while babywearing
• Touring coworking spaces as a parent
• Bringing children into the boardroom

AND if you’re curious about what I’m up to (besides planning child-friendly events) and want to hear from me every now and then, please sign up to my other newsletter at bit.ly/AmyMaureenLynchNews.

Baby and I were snapped at last week’s ‘Restart’ Creative Mornings Ottawa talk!

We’re even hanging out in the background behind the uber-inspiring artist-turned accountant-turned artist Ian A. Matthews and his pop-art winter parka.

It’s not all about #BYOBaby, packing up the nappy/diaper bag and leaving the house to attend events in real life (IRL) over here.

Parenting and professional development can also look like this.

Logging on from my kitchen counter while feeding the baby breakfast, ducking upstairs for naptime and then listening to the sessions and baby monitor in tandem, before getting ready to do lunchtime pick up at daycare for my other son.

This was the final workshop in the Impact Academy #CityMaker Edition series this morning, where we heard from Mohammed Shaheen, Founder of Silk Road Institute and Adrian Harewood, Co-Host of CBC News Ottawa, about ‘Raising Awareness and Gaining Community Support’, with exercises to determine stakeholders and storytelling elements.

BUT I was up all night feeding a hungry/teething/sniffling baby, with the husband and I both up since 3 a.m. trying to settle him without waking our toddler. Before you feel sorry for me, my husband still had to do daycare drop off, commute to work and attend meetings in real life.

I napped with the baby until the session started, requested a webinar link or teleconference number and jumped online between boiling the kettle and making our breakfast. I even managed to get dressed in something other than PJs, fix myself a cup of coffee and participate in some group breakout sessions during the two hour session.

Despite a bit of audio mix up, wavering WiFi strength and being 15 kms down the road, it *almost* was as if I was there.

Parenting while investing in yourself (learning something new, networking, working on or in your business) can also look like:

• listening to a podcast while pushing the pram/stroller
• writing your own copy or reading a book or news article from the car park after the kids fell asleep during a drive and you don’t want to risk the car transfer wake up
• making or taking calls before, after or during errands – logging on during naptime
• responding to client queries while kids are playing at the park
• or if you want to go old school, reading the newspaper or listening to talk radio while the kids play at home

People may have divided or differing opinions about all of the above.

Are you really being attentive to your children’s needs? 

Do you or they have a short attention span? 

Are you taking on too much?

Is now really the right time to do (X,Y,Z)?

To which I would answer:

Is everyone always 100 per cent present with their children?

Minds wander, adults converse, things catch our eye, before mobile technology entered the mix, there were print media, radio, TV, posters, billboards, street vendors. Yes, technology can distract but it can also break isolation.

My children are under age five…

Their attention span is a few minutes max. I am adapting to follow their lead and interests. Meaning anything I want to accomplish usually needs to get done in less than 10 minute increments, unless they both nap at the same time!

Being a parent to two kids under three is full on, so the time I spend learning, creating or doing things outside of my primary caregiver duties is for me.

I believe if it makes me feel good, refreshed, curious, creative, joyful, then it is making me a better person and mother.

And the “is now really the right time question?”

That one has stopped me in my tracks before, a big verbal smack to the face and my ego. Maybe it’s not, maybe it’s never been better but only you as an individual can decide. Is there ever a ‘right time’ to do anything? There are things you do and things you don’t. But you decide what and when.

On days when I’m tired and hangry, I scale back. But most days, getting out for a walk, meeting people face-to-face and doing something that results in self care or personal growth is always a positive experience.

I want my children to see me doing what I love. And I also want them to see me interacting with real people, in real life offline and participating in things regardless of my location or timezone.

The world is an exciting place and I hope they never lose their sense of wonderment, always keep learning and exploring.

It’s easier for me to do the things and involve them in the experience instead of trying to explain the concept behind things and why I think they’re important.

It’s an interesting time we live in – people are running full empires from their phone, location independent and with limited startup funding, while in some places a restriction on technology and access to information limits what you can consume or when you can be reached.

What are your views on the current state of mixing personal and professional life and the future of work?

I’m seeking your feedback as I plan 2019 parent-friendly professional development events!

If you have pre-school age children and are interested in participating in an initiative to invest in yourself (starting a business, upskilling, changing careers, return to work prep) – without having to find flexible childcare – this is for you.

Direct link to feedback form (less than 3 mins to complete).

If you’re not based in Ottawa, I’m also exploring online options for those who would like to attend remotely and your feedback is still welcome!

To learn more about the ‘Babies, Business + Breakfast’ pilot program, my latest newsletter can be found here and you can subscribe for future emails.

AND if you’re curious about what I’m up to (besides planning child-friendly events) and want to hear from me every now and then, please sign up to my other newsletter here or by clicking the image below!

A message I sent out to my subscribers today, which I would like to also share with my other readers and followers. A bit of #FinLitFriday on the blog.

Hand on heart: 💌
No sales, special offers, this one is purely a gift from me to you.

Unless gifts give you the guilts, then consider it a non-spammy distraction from today’s retail mania. If you even spot this message in your clogged up inbox it will be a holiday season miracle.

Between the companies and personalities I haven’t heard from in ages and the newsletters I look forward to, it seems as though everyone has something to sell this week.

No thanks, next please, thank you.
How did one day of pre-Christmas retail marketing morph into week-long (and in some cases month-long) discount, buy one, get one, limited time offer madness!?

I was mentally flip flopping all week:

1. Do I choose the ‘can’t beat ’em, may as well join ’em’ route and get in on the revolving door of time and price sensitive offers?
2. Do I keep quiet, give you some peace in amongst the shouty and flashy messages and save it for next week?

But here’s the thing, tomorrow is my birthday for real. I’ll be 33 years young. A third of the way into my thirties. A quarter of the way through my life (I plan to live large and for a long time – hoping the Universe is tuning in).

In the event I don’t, I am packing in as much adventure, joy, creativity, growth and family as I can in the present tense, in no particular order.

You see, since I stopped giving a hoot about too many things (around the tender age of 24) and started living as I meant to go on, some crazy ish began to happen.

I moved across the world to Australia (for what I thought would be one year, became almost four) without knowing anyone in that part of the world. Well, except for some random Irish stranger I had met in a pub in Ottawa, Canada a couple of months before my departure.

Spoiler alert: this is the inspiration behind my upcoming book, ‘Marry An Accountant‘. Not a pitch just a bit of background for you.

As I was saying, he followed me there and ‘psych’ no he didn’t sweep me off my feet. I popped the question to HIM on leap day in 2012, he said, “oh, yes baby!” or something along those lines and then we were off to the races. Literally, we used to go to horse races for fun. Anywhoooo.

After that I convinced him to move to Ireland and England so I could become more cultured, study other Europeans in their natural habitat and pretend to be one of them.

In between all of this travelling, gallivanting around the world and sipping espressos on cute wicker patio sets, I had negotiated a remote work arrangement with my Australian employer so I could work from wherever.

Expat life? Tick.
Foreign husband with a great accent? Tick.
Freelance work and a steady income? Tick. Tick.

Are you thinking:
Ok great Amy, loving your life highlights, now where’s my gift I need to get back to my Black Friday online shopping…

Stick with me. What I’m trying to paint a picture of here is, I’m good at getting what I want. It’s not because people feel bad for me, I blackmail them or pray to the good luck gods every day.

It’s because I think about what I want, make a vaguely organized plan of action, don’t fully calculate the risks involved, seek out opportunities and make that shit happen. In between loads of self-doubt, second guessing, false starts and unpredictable obstacles…I keep on investing in myself!

But the difference between my 20-something and 30-something selves (besides an increased level of confidence and commitment due to our two young children)? WISDOM.

Life in Australia in 2012 versus life in Canada in 2018:
The only beaches we’ve been hitting lately are covered in building blocks and toy cars.

That’s right. I am older but I am also wiser.
I don’t know everything and I won’t pretend to. But I’m wiser to the ways of the world and myself, compared to a decade ago. As an endlessly curious and risk-taking individual by nature, this added level of knowledge and experience has helped me to improve my confidence, become less afraid of failure and realize I can figure things out if they go awry!

So what do I mean by investing in yourself?
MONEY and TIME. One is finite, the other is not.

You better believe I got a few deals this week on things we had already planned to buy: Christmas gifts and family travel to Europe, mainly. But the only reason I went to the shops today was because I was attending a Creative Mornings breakfast and it was -25 with the windchill outside! So we parked underground, I bought a few Santa gifts and called it a day.

But I am also using those dollars saved to invest for future me. I’m currently on maternity leave and am saving a portion of my income each month. It could be in the stock market or through topping up our mortgage. As long as it outpaces inflation and it’s in line with my values and our family goals, I will consider it. Therefore, it won’t be sitting in my savings account or under my mattress – that money is growing nowhere fast!

In terms of time, I’ve also been busy ‘creating’ from my home office and attending professional development events with my baby, while our toddler is in daycare. As the primary caregiver in our family (for now), the best investment I can make in myself right now (besides looking after my health as number one) is to use my time wisely. It makes me happy and again, it aligns with my values and our future goals.

So now it’s your turn: Are you thinking about your money and your time and how you currently use (or misuse) them both?

If you’re saving because of all of the deals this week, what do you plan to do with the ‘excess’? The imaginary cash you didn’t have to spend because you got a bargain? If you are going to ‘treat yourself’ will you also put a bit aside for future you? Why or why not?

Not to get all negative (I prefer realistic) on you during the festive season but in case you don’t have a close friend or family member who will keep it real for you, this is the permission you may need (wrapped up as a written gift from me to you): INVEST IN YOURSELF!

Put it towards your pension, your tax-free savings account, a business you’re starting, an educational course, anything that will either buy you time in future and/or increase your net worth. Not clothes for your kids, a treat for your pet or an item for your loved ones. This is all about YOU.

Because you and I both know the retail marketers aren’t factoring in how much the money you spend this week will impact your future (holiday home, school fees, family vacay, small biz dreams, right????)

Go show them who’s boss and put a little bit away for yourself!

Today, not tomorrow – tick, tock.

Sending you lots of holiday love and a little bit of investment magic,

Amy x

P.S. Feel free to forward this post to others you know are trying to live their best life, you can sign up to my newsletter here or by clicking the image below.
P.P.S. You know I’m not an accountant or financial advisor, so always check with a professional before you decide where (and when) to invest your money!

This past week I was featured as part of Impact Academy: City Maker Edition, a program I’m participating in, made possible by Impact Hub Ottawa, Synapcity and the City of Ottawa.

Back in May 2018, while I was heavily pregnant with my second son who was born the next month, I started a list of parents (mainly moms) based in Ottawa who are interested in pursuing professional development alongside their children.

I called it ‘Babies, Business and Breakfast‘ to keep it simple and straightforward and I had quite a bit of interest in my posts in local Facebook Groups. When I would meet parents who were complete strangers in the park, at the library and even at IKEA, I would approach them, ask them about them, their children and then mention the concept.

I had made little business cards with coloured confetti graphics on them containing my name, number and email, which I had printed eight up on a sheet of A4 paper and cut out with scissors at home. I carried them in my wallet in my diaper bag and purse, depending on where I was going and I doled them out when people asked for my details. I also passed them out to local business contacts at networking events. I had people tell me they were cute and smile when I passed them one of my homemade ‘business cards’.

Coming from a marketing communications background it felt slightly painful to hand them a crinkled card on thin and cheap white paper but I wasn’t going for luxe quality. I’m still not. I was trying to get a bit of momentum until baby number two arrived and I wanted to see what would happen when I put more effort into making connections and taking action than the pursuit of beautiful design, perfect branding and a cohesive message. Those things can and will come in time. Right now, I’m evolving as I speak to more people and test out the ideas I have.

I would take their details down, follow up with a phone call and/or email, add them to my list and send them my progress updates as I researched the concept. In August 2018, when the next round of Impact Academy was accepting applications for their Fall program, I applied, was accepted and now I’m becoming a bit of an equity and inclusion activist on behalf of other parents. Not sure how that happened, but here I am.

In the spirit of keeping it real and actively practicing making progress over pursuing perfection, I also posted about the profile photo featured on Impact Hub Ottawa’s website, social media and my own channels:

For transparency’s sake, in this shot I’m for reals breastfeeding my two-and-a-half-month-old son BUT the laptop was off. I had blowdried my own hair that morning, did my makeup and brought a dry-cleaning bag of top options, since it was my first professional photoshoot. AND I had a newborn who was cluster feeding and in the 99th percentile.

Why did I book it for when he was less than 12 weeks old? Well, I had been meaning to get new headshots for years… I could have done them when I was pregnant and not-so-glowing or waited until 2019.

Since having kids I’m all about progress over perfection and now I’m on mat leave, wouldn’t I have heaps of time!? Hahaha oh sweet naive, newborn bubble mom me – the reality was I had a toddler to pick up at daycare at lunch time and a limited window to get stuff done, so I booked a photographer for a Friday at 10 a.m., scouted out a café and asked a friend to help me in case things did not go as planned. Funnily enough, the baby slept in his car seat THE. ENTIRE. TIME.

I had to wake him to feed before we headed off to get his brother and then we snapped this and a couple of other shots. Turns out they’re some of the best! Shout out to the fellow mama and wonderful friend, who watched my son as I moved indoors and outdoors, awkwardly posing, hoping my shirt wouldn’t get baby spit up or leaky nip stains and that I was ‘smizing’ effectively enough to mask the sleep deprivation. It definitely helped that the kind folks at Mamie Clafoutis in Westboro had cleared a section of their café for our photoshoot since I had asked them for permission to use the space in advance and they made me feel not-so-unusual for asking.

Moral of the story: less self-doubt, more making stuff happen seems to work out better for me when I get up the guts to go do it! And now I have a nice series of photos which actually look like me (hoping I eventually look less tired but hey – doesn’t that make me more relatable?) and our son got to show off his baby lounging skills. 🤱🏻

Photo by: Danielle Lynn Bernier (thank you so much!) and graphic from Impact Hub Ottawa’s post, with their text from the original Instagram post below:

After spending the better part of a decade as a freelance and remote worker in Australia, Ireland, and England, new mom Amy Lynch returned to Canada with a newfound motivation to address the isolation she sometimes faced as a working expat and new parent.

She set out to make more space for ‘parentpreneurs’ looking to invest in themselves, and the project she is working on here at Hub Ottawa, Babies, Business & Breakfast, is the result.

A pilot program for parent-friendly professional development, Amy’s initiative aims to improve parental mental health and accessibility of professional spaces across the city.

For the past two months we’ve been collaborating with the civic superstars at Synapcity to deliver the 7th edition of Impact Academy, a 3-month immersive and experiential learning program for creative and entrepreneurial change-makers. Today we’re excited to start sharing a little more about their journey.

Get the FREE Babies + Business Mini Guide

Download my FREE Babies + Business Mini Guide To Navigating The Corporate Jungle (With Kids), to encourage parents to explore more, invest in themselves alongside their children, take up space and make room for positive change when it comes to the future of work.

Learn more about Babies, Business + Breakfast™.

 

I sent this out to my email subscribers yesterday – if you’re not on the list, you can sign up here.

As some of you may know, I recently had a(nother) baby.
I’ve been using this time to one-handed type the rest of my first book and attempt edits in between my toddler’s nap schedule and baby’s cat naps.

Oh the irony, from someone who’s spouting off about ‘Living Your Best Life’! But here’s the thing – I AM living my best life and it’s mine all mine, based on choices I made.

We were out as a family on Sunday, hitting our local park (used to go to pubs) and then brunching as a family of four (no food was thrown). There was a live acoustic set being played by a guy a bit younger than us and my oldest son was mesmerized.

In between songs, the musician informed us he had a seven-month-old at home and asked us how old our boys were (a little under 2.5 years-old and five-months-old).

His eyes crinkled as he smiled and said, “Ah, the dream. You guys are living our goal.”

It reminded me of a post I shared on Instagram recently which had a whopping 370+ likes – I couldn’t believe it since I didn’t have that many more people actually following my account.

It read:
Remember when you wanted what you currently have.

Some things I said I am grateful for as they are right now, which I used to want:
🇨🇦 Permission to live in the same place as my husband.
👶👦 Two bright and joyful little ones.
🎨📝🏡 A cozy home with a room of my own to create in.
🇦🇺🇬🇧🇮🇪🌏 Amazing experiences as an expat to inspire my writing.

When something seems like a huge goal at the outset and when I’m slogging through it, I often feel like surrendering. Giving in. Letting things happen ‘as they’re meant to’. What a crock of #@%.

If I’ve learned anything during my journey so far, you have to be intentional, active and accountable.

It reminds me of how I felt:
• ✈️ Saving to move overseas (for three years).
• 💸 Paying off my student debt (well before I hit 30).
• 💒 Planning a wedding from abroad in another country (with a guest list spanning three continents).
• 💻 Remote working across timezones so I could travel freely and work from wherever (hello laptop lifestyle).

Now as I work towards my next big goal of building a business around my family, I will use the same tactics I used to achieve all of the above.

A positive mindset and the belief I can do it.
Rising to the challenge and taking inspired action.
Surrounding myself with those who will lift me higher.
Regular check-ins and measuring my progress.

Yes, you can wish and want and dream. But the real magic lies in the doing and taking action. Because when you start doing things differently, you get different results. When you venture outside of your comfort zone, interesting things start to happen. When you hold yourself in the highest regard, you start to behave accordingly.

Perhaps this will become second nature to you and you’ll have a hard time remembering what it used to feel like to want what you currently have. Sometimes our goals evolve so much that we barely recognize the dreams we once had, our past fears and limiting beliefs.

This is a note to let you know I’m in the middle of another goal right now but I’m also taking stock of what I currently have. From someone else’s perspective, I may not be living my best life. But from another’s, I may be living their dream! All that really matters is I’m living life on my own terms.

I’d love to hear the recent achievements you used to dream about.
ALSO – the ones you’re working on now but feeling like the end isn’t anywhere in sight!

Please keep in touch via my blog and following my Instagram (@amymaureenlynch).

Happy reading and remembering!
Amy x

P.S. Feel free to forward this post to others. 📬

Get the FREE Babies + Business Mini Guide

Download my FREE Babies + Business Mini Guide To Navigating The Corporate Jungle (With Kids), to encourage parents to explore more, invest in themselves alongside their children, take up space and make room for positive change when it comes to the future of work.

Learn more about Babies, Business + Breakfast™.

The first baby change table has been installed at Invest Ottawa

Not just a too-close for comfort selfie, this is a bit of city-making in progress. I’ve always hated the saying, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” and would much prefer to think it’s “the reasonable request gets met with respect”. Either way, Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards now has a baby change table in their ground floor accessible washroom (complete with a sign showing a woman AND a man changing a baby)! 🚼👧👨

As far as baby change tables go, it’s brand new, clean and the strap works. It’s also securely mounted to the wall so you won’t have to play chicken with it as it suspends your baby midair while you attempt to use the loo or wash your hands.

Come one, come all current and future entrepreneurs and those curious about business! Lots of great programming here at reasonable times, free two hour street parking and a cafe on site. You’ve no excuse not to check it out and now you and your child(ren) can also use the facilities while you’re there. 🙌

If I don’t accomplish anything other than getting this mounted to the wall as part of Impact Academy: City Maker Edition, I’ll be content. For those wishing to participate in child-friendly professional development, you can join my mailing list at bit.ly/BabiesBizBreakfast. 👶📝☕

Other signs of change on the horizon

Baby and I spent a morning last week at BDC’s #WETalkBusiness workshop for women entrepreneurs, complete with inspirational stories, speed networking and work ‘on’ your business – instead of ‘in’ your business sessions – surrounded by beautiful art at Wabano Meeting and Event Centre.

We had to leave partway through to do daycare pick up for my toddler but they were also offering free pop-up childcare, there were comfy places to nurse the baby and change tables on site. On second thought, I could have tried to bring my two-year-old but he’s in a routine and you know what it’s like to try messing with that.

I wore my baby for the morning workshop session as it was naptime (and he’s only four months old) but I kindly had offers to hold my baby and was able to drink a coffee and grab a bite to eat thanks to the warmth and openness of a friendly stranger!

I’m a firm believer parental leave is not a reason to shy away from professional events or your own personal development. Besides, when you’re experiencing sleep regressions, short nap windows, etc. it’s all the more reason to get out of the house! You can learn something, meet other people and comfort your baby at the same time. No need to go it alone. This is all part of how we recreate the village feel where we are and at times you may find people are more approachable (or approach you).

I’ve had another invitation to a ‘Equal Voice From Votes to Victory Reception‘ event during an evening in November – again offering free childcare – and was pleasantly surprised to see them acknowledging the time slot and participation may require those services. So stay tuned folks, inclusive and diverse events are happening and all are welcome to attend – you just need to play your part and show up!

Get the FREE Babies + Business Mini Guide

Download my FREE Babies + Business Mini Guide To Navigating The Corporate Jungle (With Kids), to encourage parents to explore more, invest in themselves alongside their children, take up space and make room for positive change when it comes to the future of work.

Learn more about Babies, Business + Breakfast™.