Karen Windsor shares her journey from corporate burnout to family focus
Karen always thought she could handle motherhood like any other challenge, but it was tougher than she expected. After her daughter was born in 2018, she found herself overwhelmed. Her husband worked away, and their baby wouldn’t let her put her down. It was exhausting, and she felt like she was failing.
When she returned to work after her daughter turned eight months, it felt like a relief. Adult conversations and lunch breaks were a welcome change. But as her daughter’s second birthday approached, the stress hit hard. Karen confided in her mom, feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. That’s when she realized she needed help.
Counseling opened her eyes. She learned she had set impossibly high expectations for herself. Working long hours meant her family got the worst of her, and she was too drained to connect. She started reducing her hours and prioritized self-care, but her relationship with her husband still needed work.
A couple’s retreat helped them reconnect. They did exercises that brought them closer, and Karen realized how much she had missed out on. She began to make changes, like having more date nights and turning off her phone in the evenings. Eventually, she dropped to a three-day work week.
The turning point came when her daughter asked her to put down her phone during swimming lessons. That hit hard. Karen recognized how her focus on work affected her family. She decided to build a flexible freelance PR business while still working part-time.
This month, she finally quit her corporate job. Now, she can prioritize self-care and be more present for her family. She looks forward to baking cookies and playing in the park instead of rushing home after work. Karen is determined to make the next years better for her family, learning that you can have it all, just not all at once.
