Chatting with Callie is always so much fun, and this conversation about motherhood and running an online business is no exception! She’s been on the podcast back on episode #49. And, I’ve been a guest on her podcast, Living Enneagram, on episodes #63 and #134. Callie is an enneagram coach, podcaster, YouTuber, wife, and new mama! We recorded this episode when she was about 3 months postpartum. So, she’s in the trenches. These aren’t tips from years ago from what she can remember, but the real stuff she’s doing NOW.
Whether you are pregnant, trying to conceive, or a new mama yourself, there’s something for you here. Or, if you are going through another big life transition (like moving, getting married, transitioning jobs, starting your business, etc), I think there’s so much for you to apply to non-baby related situations as well. Plus, so much of the baby stuff also just applies to BUSINESS, which you’ll hear us say a couple of times!
Seriously… I say this in the episode, but I will be re-listening to this one when it airs. It’s good, it’s refreshing and encouraging! So, volume up and get excited!
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:
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Meet Callie!
Callie is a type 3 Enneagram life coach who is on a mission to help individuals live with deeper intention every single day. She believes when we live with intention, we create a life we love, but this has to start with understanding why we do what we do. Callie is the Podcast host of Living Enneagram. Her business provides coaching services and courses to help individuals apply the Enneagram to their daily life so they can show up with confidence.
How did your perspective change about your online business after finding out you were pregnant?
Callie is an Enneagram type 3. I am a type 6 and we talk all about that on Callie’s podcast on episodes #63 and #134! As a type 3, Callie says that she is naturally a go-getter and loves to have a full schedule. After finding out she was pregnant and going to be expecting their first baby at the beginning of 2021, she decided to take a step back and really evaluate her business.
She says that she had to figure out where she was spending her time and what things were actually bringing money back to her business. There were also things that she needed to let go of in order to maintain a healthy balance of life and business.
In 2020, Callie was coaching a ton of 1:1 clients and she decided that she needed to release some of that and create more room in her schedule. Callie says that a huge thing for her as she prepared for motherhood and running an online business was to realize that while being pregnant and having a baby, you can’t do it all and it is really important to listen to your body.
What did your team look like pre-baby and now post-baby?
Callie did have a team of two people in addition to herself before having her baby. She had an assistant as well another team member who was writing and publishing blogs for her as well as writing some other content pieces.
She ended up deciding to release and let go of the writing position once she had her baby because she felt like that was the best move for her business at the time. She had been blogging but wasn’t seeing much return from those efforts and decided that for this season, that was something that could fall off of the list.
What changed for you between finding out you were pregnant and having your baby?
Callie says that she did a lot of work emotionally and physically preparing for motherhood and running an online business. She said she paid really close attention to the issues business owners specifically face after having a baby and tried to think from a problem-solving perspective about things she and her husband could do ahead of time.
She says that she learned a lot about taking care of her body physically while she was pregnant. Things like how to avoid sickness and how to stay active when you don’t feel like it so your body will be able to recover quicker.
Callie says that she also had incredible mentors and a doctor who was able to help educate her and direct her when things felt off.
Another huge thing that she did was give herself a ton of space to emotionally prepare for this major transition to motherhood. Callie journaled and went on walks to help her have literal space to process.
She says that as a business owner, this was really important to not just jump right back into a full schedule and just keep going. This could result in having a lot of emotions that are never processed or dealt with.
What did maternity leave look like for you?
Callie and her husband decided to take a slightly non-traditional approach to maternity leave. She was initially talking about taking a normal leave from her business but says that she felt really sad about it.
So they decided to plan out all content and podcast episodes 2 months ahead and not take on any calls or meetings during that period. But Callie also wanted the freedom to work if she felt like it or got inspired to do something that felt fun. And that is the beauty of owning your own business!
Callie says that during any kind of transition period, it is really important to feel like yourself as much as possible. She took inventory of the things that she does that make her feel like herself and how she could still incorporate them into her life as she becomes a new mom. Some of those things include exercise, doing her makeup, and working.
Callie encourages listeners to be in tune with what YOU NEED! Not necessarily to feel the pressure to adhere to society’s rules about how you should do things, especially when it comes to motherhood and running an online business.
What additional things have you done during your transition to motherhood?
Callie and her husband did several practical things to make their transition to parenthood easier on them. Listen to the full episode to hear Callie chat through some of those things as well as WHY they chose to do them.
Some of those practical steps include:
- Prepare 3 months worth of easy crockpot meals
- Alternate who is feeding the baby during the night
- Moved the baby to his own room when he was 2 weeks old
- And more!
Callie reminds us in this interview that when you carry a problem-solving mindset, you can figure things out. Anything that isn’t working for you, try to evaluate what you need to change to help make it work better. You don’t have to sit in a victim mentality thinking “this is just motherhood and I have to be exhausted.”
How did you manage revenue and income streams during maternity leave?
Callie says that she operates her business with cash on hand for 6 months. This is so in case of any emergencies, she can pay herself and her team as well as business expenses for at least 6 months.
In addition to having some reserved funds, she also had revenue streams like her courses that are continuing to bring income even while she was away on leave.
How have you handled child care as a new mom and running an online business?
Callie and her husband really wanted help with their new baby as they transitioned to parenthood but are both work-from-home entrepreneurs.
Callie says she was nervous about becoming a mom because while she has always loved kids, she didn’t always love babysitting or hanging out with kids for an extended period of time. But thankfully that has not been the case with their new little baby!
While she does love hanging out with her baby, she knew she really wanted help with him. They waited until they felt like they were ready for help to start looking for a nanny and after interviewing several, they found one that they both really love!
Tune in to the full episode to hear Callie’s story about their nanny hunt and how the transition has gone with adding help to their routine.
The power of your mind and positive self-talk
Callie lets us in on a little behind the scenes of her self-talk process. She uses visualization techniques and speaks into existence the way she wants to see things play out. She says that she knows that not all situations are going to go exactly as she planned and she trusts God through the process. But doing this helps her control her mind since she can sometimes feel anxious in situations where she doesn’t have control.
Callie uses the voice talk app on her iPhone to record victories and tell stories of things she wants to come true as if they have already happened. She listens to them and changes them out regularly.
She had a pregnancy, birth, and postpartum self-talk voice memo of herself speaking positive things over each of those situations and she said it was amazing for her mind during those transitions.
Callie is such a gem and has so much to offer in this episode! I hope you have enjoyed it and have taken something away about motherhood and running an online business and taking care of yourself. Be sure to check out the full episode to hear all of the wonderful wisdom Callie shared with us!
Episodes Mentioned:
Hear Elizabeth on Callie’s podcast, Living Enneagram, on episode #63
Hear Elizabeth on Callie’s podcast, Living Enneagram, on episode #134
Links Mentioned:
Listen to the Breakthrough Brand Podcast
Connect with Elizabeth on Instagram
Connect with Callie on her website
Connect with Callie on Instagram
Check out Callie’s YouTube Channel
Listen to The Living Enneagram Podcast
