We caught up with one of our superstar moms, Catherine, who found a flexible marketing position with a non-profit through MomUp. Alright, Catherine, five questions for you and GO…
What’s your professional backstory?
22 years writing content that touches hearts and minds, creates community or inspires readers to take action.
After graduate school, I worked in the heady New York City art world, at large museums and a thriving boutique public relations agency. I transitioned into higher education where I continued to meet diverse, intelligent people. I worked on a suburban campus for almost 6 years, and then remotely as a freelancer for 6 years supporting a variety of nationally-known colleges and universities.
Higher education is such a rewarding field – whether I was sharing stories of successful alumni, or producing a fundraising campaign or a press release, I always felt connected to the students’ life-changing educational growth, or else world-changing academic research.
Best bullets on your resume?
• Secured over 1,000 press clips annually, worth over $3 million in advertising, reaching approximately 700 million people.
• Scored interviews for clients with CNN, NBC’s Today Show, National Public Radio, and The New York Times.
• Earned two awards for excellence from the Public Relations Society of America – New Jersey Chapter.
• Earned my RYT-200 Hour Yoga Teacher Certification from Fluid Yoga School at Stil Studio in Massachusetts
How does your current flexible work schedule benefit your clients?
Because I appreciate this flexibility, I’m all in (and not burned out) when that midnight oil burning is required.
I recently spent an afternoon creating a campaign with a client and right before I had to leave to pick up the kids from school, we encountered an irritating technical error that could have prevented us from launching at our strategically planned time.
I still had to pick up the kids from school on time. But I offered to return to the office that evening to ultimately fix the error to stay on schedule with the campaign. I think the client appreciated my level of commitment.
What would you tell your younger self, about work/life balance?
Innovate through self-reflection and self-discovery.
A daily meditation practice is great, but sometimes simply stepping away from your desk or your daily grind, whatever it is, for a walk in the sunshine can change your point of view and birth new ideas – either for your work or yourself.
I recently considered returning to a full-time job. Once my children were a bit older and solidly elementary school-aged, it felt like something I “should” do. After some soul searching, I realized I still love the kind of writing I get to do, with a flexible schedule, but I wanted to change up my client base to get to know different types of companies and organizations. I still love higher education and the arts, but I’m equally excited about working in health and wellness and collaborating with companies and organizations right in my very own backyard here in Metro-West Boston.
There’s been much written about how mothers “should” or can balance work and family. I think the balance changes over time and can look different for different people in different families. Embrace change; whether it’s a new job for you or a new school for your child. Change can feel scary at times but it always leads to growth.
What excites and inspires you about your work?
I love to connect people to resources and to one another, through sharing personal stories or information.
There’s indeed a cacophony of content on the “interwebs” these days. We’re spammed and bombarded with too much information. But well-crafted content rises above the noise. The stories I am honored to tell through my freelance work can make a difference.
I thrive on collaboration with clients who change people’s lives, through education, health and wellness, and the arts.
Bonus Question: How Did MomUp help you?
MomUp helped me to expand my client roster by setting me up with a great writing gig for a health and wellness focused non-profit based near where I live. It’s flexible, fun and working with MomUp is easy!
Catherine, MomUp thanks you for sharing for your story!
