EP 12 | Mia Dixon : A Journey Through the Complexities of New Motherhood

Have you ever felt like becoming a parent was the most life-altering experience you've ever had? You're not alone. Our guest today, Mia Dixon, a baby and toddler sleep coach and creator of Celebrate Sleep with Mia, shares her touching and inspiring journey of self-discovery through motherhood.

Mia opens up about how the COVID-19 pandemic challenged her as a new mother. She paints a vivid picture of her struggle with her daughter's sleep patterns and how the lack of a support system due to the pandemic's restrictions affected her mental health. She speaks about her battle with postpartum depression, the guilt of not enjoying motherhood, and the subsequent loss of identity. Her experiences, however, led her to realize the power of accepting help and the necessity of making changes for her well-being.

No stranger to life-altering decisions, Mia shares her experience of making a significant career change. She discusses the journey of realigning her values, taking small steps, and how it ushered in a sense of confidence and fulfillment. The final part of our conversation peers into Mia's life as she takes responsibility for her life and decisions, persisting on her path of personal growth despite the challenges. She talks about the importance of perseverance, having a supportive cheer squad, and maintaining a positive energy flow. Through Mia's captivating story, you'll realize that it's okay to ask for help and that success lies in taking one day at a time.

Connect with Mia today : https://celebratesleepwithmia.com/
Instagram : @celebratesleepwithmia

0:09 Motherhood's Unexpected Impact

10:44 The Challenges of Motherhood During COVID

16:49 Motherhood and Sleep Training Challenges

26:28 Values and Career Change Exploration

30:06 Taking Responsibility and Figuring It Out

33:50 Success and Support in Personal Growth

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

Welcome to the Pivot Point stories of courage, resilience and reinvention. I'm your host, jessica McGahn, coach, producer and creative, whose mission is to normalize the human experience, ignite the soul and move you from feeling limited to limitless. Connect us, and my hope is that within this series, you will find at least one story that resonates with you on a deeply personal level, one that speaks to your soul or your current situation, that will motivate you to keep moving forward, inspire you to make bold, brave choices in your own life and help you feel less alone in the process. Today's episode is for the moms. I myself am not yet a parent, but I witnessed so many of my friends navigate this very big chapter in their lives, and I understand how parenthood changes our lives dramatically.

Speaker 1: 1:04

For my guest today, mia Dixon, the story is no different. She had always wanted to be a mother and as the puzzle pieces of her life started to come together, she felt like having a baby, and stepping into motherhood was the last piece of the puzzle, the last piece to making her feel whole. But she was wrong, kind of. But coming to mom didn't fill her up in the ways that she had imagined, but instead left her with this sense of emptiness, like she was no longer Mia and now she was just mom. In this episode, mia shares how motherhood changed her life in many ways that she did not expect, and how she navigated this very emotional and very personal journey, how she listened to her instincts and created a life that today she feels very aligned and fulfilled in. Today, mia Dixon is a baby and toddler sleep coach and the creator of Celebrate Sleep with Mia, and she has been helping families across the world achieve the sleep that they all deserve. She offers an individualized coaching approach to support all parenting styles in order to help them support their children in learning how to fall asleep independently.

Speaker 1: 2:23

Mia has a vulnerable and powerful story to share with us today, so, without further ado, let's dive in. Hello, mia, I am so excited to dive into this conversation with you. Before I even hit record, I was mentioning how I have so many friends that are stepping into parenthood right now. A lot of my girlfriends are having babies, and it really is such a pivotal moment in anybody's life, male or female, to welcome a child into this world. So I'm really excited to dive into this story of yours about how your experience as a mother really transformed your life and to start off on your journey, maybe you could tell us a little bit about who you were and what life was like for you before you had children.

Speaker 2: 3:15

Thank you for having me on, jess. Let me share my story. So before I was born in South Africa and I lived there until about 2000,. And then we moved to Botswana for a bit and then we moved over to the UK. So there's sort of a lot of a change quite early on. And then I kind of just sort of had no real idea where I was, like what I wanted to do in life. So I kind of fell into doing occupational therapy. But then when I finished I was like this is not quite for me. So then I went in the teaching route and I met my husband sort of first year of the first year of my degree in occupational therapy, and he was amazing and he supported me to go out to Cape Town. So I went back home to go do my teaching.

Speaker 2: 4:08

He was in the Army as an ex-serviceman and he actually served out in Afghanistan where he lost half his leg. So we kind of met at the beginning of that journey for him as well, so at the beginning of our relationship it was quite an interesting one because he was kind of figuring out who he was going to be now with this new injury that he's picked up and he didn't want to stay in the Army because he couldn't do his role that he wanted to do. So we were just trying to figure out. I mean, I was like I was 20, just before I turned 21 was when we met, so like we were still babies when we met and sounds like you were there for him during his pivotal moment.

Speaker 1: 4:49

Like that would really change the course of your life.

Speaker 2: 4:52

I'm sure, yeah, and that's so funny because actually at that point I was like when he got back and I was like we had just been sort of dating and I was like, oh my gosh, how do I tell a guy I'm not interested in him, but it's not because he's just lost his leg? I've just come out of a long term relationship? I'd no, no, no. And he was thinking exactly the same, like how do I tell this girl you know, I've come home. I just don't think this is for me and I mean that was like almost 15 years ago now. And you know, this is where we are married with two incredible kids. So it's so funny how that works, the changes in life, yeah.

Speaker 1: 5:31

So did you separate at that time, like you went off to Cape Town and he stayed?

Speaker 2: 5:37

So no, we didn't separate. He was like, right, you go off, do that and we'll just do the long distance thing and see how it goes. Okay, and you know it worked out for us. We were. We were sort of we still wanted to be together. When I got back and to, and that point I moved in with him, which was a big, big thing because actually it's very going against the grain because in South Africa you kind of get married first before you live with your partner. So it was very, very, very different. But we kind of knew we wanted to be together and at that point I was just waiting for him to propose. I was like, right, we've been together for quite a while when this is happening, and his family were all taking bets and every time we went away on holiday, oh, this is it, this is going to be the moment.

Speaker 1: 6:22

Oh gosh, no pressure, I know.

Speaker 2: 6:25

How long were you guys? How long?

Speaker 1: 6:26

were you together for then, before he proposed.

Speaker 2: 6:30

Almost eight years. Oh, wow, he proposed yeah. And then we were together, like we were engaged for like a year and a half because I was like I want to get married in South Africa so that, like my Oman Opa can come, because they didn't, they weren't traveling. So it was almost 10 years we've been together before we actually got married. And at that point people were like, oh, finally it's just happened and you also like ready, then you've sort of lived your life, you've had an incredible life together, like we had amazing holidays and stuff which doesn't happen when you have children anymore, because it's completely different. Yeah, so then I went.

Speaker 2: 7:08

Yeah, so I got back, went into teaching and I loved working with children, but I just didn't feel something was missing, so it just didn't quite feel right and then that was off. Then we had kids and that was just. I mean, my oldest was three months old when we went into lockdown for the first time with COVID. Yeah, so you're like new mum, you know, a newborn just completely out of comfort zone I have, and your support is all taken away at that point. So you feel really lost and you're just trying to crumble through, figuring out how to do it. And then we'd also decided to move at that point and move away out of London. So we were living in London and we just like we can't do lockdown, another lockdown in London. So there was like a little gap and we just things really aligned beautifully. So we sold our place that we were living in and bought this house with our daughter, and she was seven, six months old when we moved. So that was an experience in itself.

Speaker 1: 8:19

Yeah, I mean the pandemic was a really big turning point for a lot of people where we questioned oh I think I've been on autopilot. I feel like I need to make a change. Things are not actually aligned with how I want to be living the pandemic Really. What do they call it? The great reset? And to be a first time parent during the pandemic, when you had to be so afraid of everybody and had to keep your children safe, must have been really scary.

Speaker 2: 8:48

And it was, and I think because you're so uncertain during that time as well, and my sister, who was a paramedic, so she was out on the road during this time, so we she just cut herself off from us.

Speaker 2: 9:00

She was like I just can't risk it because at the in the early days where, where you didn't know how bad things were and you know, with our parents being older, like you, just like you, you just don't know. So you're just, you just get on with it and you just sort of you're in that real survival mode being, you don't really think about it until things start settling down and we just kind of waited because we knew we wanted enough, we knew we wanted two children and we were just kind of waiting for things just to calm down and kind of go back to normality. But they just never really did. And then, you know, I felt pregnant really quickly with our youngest, oli, and which was, you know, we were really lucky in that sense. And Then we were still going through the pandemic like doing lockdowns, with me heavily pregnant and a toddler. I'm curious.

Speaker 1: 9:55

I. There's two parts I just want to go back to you real quick before we go too far forward. Is that One you mentioned before you had kids, this sense of something missing in your life, and I'm curious to know if you thought that motherhood or child was the thing to fill that space. And my second question is how was your mental health as you started motherhood in a pandemic?

Speaker 2: 10:23

So I think Exactly that. I thought I like there was always a part of me. It was like I'm just gonna do teaching and then I'm gonna become a mom and my life is gonna be whole. I'm gonna have fulfilled my purpose that society has told me I'm gonna fill, and then I'm just gonna be happy and I'm just Gonna love it. It's gonna be fine.

Speaker 2: 10:44

And then, like, the reality sets in and I think at the beginning of the pandemic, you just I was just in like fight-or-flight mode that you don't really Think, you don't really process anything. And my husband, he was still working, so we were still working during the day, so he was up in the office, so he would you know from about and his job was trying to get. So he's working for the, for banks, like in the branches, and he was like an area manager, so he was trying to get all the PPE out to. He's the people who are working for yeah, for him, but like his teams and stuff to make sure they were safe. So he was always he would be working and I'd be alone with this baby. So you just trying to like do any and everything that you can do. And Looking back now her naps. I became really anxious about her napping and that became my slight Obsession, like trying to get her to nap, because she was an awful napper. I mean, she slept From about six months old. She slept beautifully through the night, but not during the day, were awful. But you've got no distractions.

Speaker 2: 11:53

You know, all the mommy and baby groups had stopped at that point and I just I just started going, sort of I think it was maybe four weeks in, when I was about brave, like I was like right, she was two months old. Like right, let's start going. I had incredible group of NCT friends. So do not like when we go that the, the classes are prenatal classes, that you do and and so I had these incredible friends and we started going to these baby and mommy classes. But you don't go for the class, you just go for the friends.

Speaker 2: 12:26

And then you're actually yeah, and you're all sharing these experiences. You're like, oh, this is normal then, because this is exactly how I was feeling, this is exactly what I was doing. And then you go into lockdown and then you're separated and although we had a WhatsApp group and we were like constantly talking, you just you don't connect in the same way as what you do face to face, so all that connection is lost. But because we had no idea what we were doing or how long this was going to go on for, because without our government, they just kept saying, oh no, six weeks, you know, and then we'll come out of it. And then six weeks came, and then oh no, no, no, just a few more, just a few more. And then you've had months of lockdown and you're like, oh gosh, people crazy.

Speaker 1: 13:17

Like here in Canada, we got the same kind of thing. It was two more weeks, guys, just two more weeks. Yeah, wear a mask, actually wear two masks, actually wear the shield, you know, wash your groceries every two inches. Kept getting worse and I remember me and my roommate being like just two more weeks? Oh, okay, we did two weeks. We can do two more weeks, like we it was, but we were like Hamster is going nuts in a cage.

Speaker 2: 13:39

Yeah, and my baby Well, she's not a baby, only walk. But my youngest sister's out in Canada, so she lives in Toronto. So she was. She had literally got there she's gonna correct me maybe about a year or so before the pandemic happened and you know. So she was out there and all of a sudden she was so far away from us so you can't just jump on a plane and go visit her and you know that just really then separates you. So had one sister was a paramedic who just shut herself off. She's like no, I can't see you guys, it's not safe. The other one in Canada physically cannot see, like we cannot see you.

Speaker 2: 14:17

So it's just, you know, that was my, my immediate support system with my siblings because I'm so close to them. That was gone already.

Speaker 1: 14:28

If I've noticed anything through my friends experiences is that those who have the community and support around them, like their Mums and dads and sisters and brothers and aunts and uncles coming over and helping them do the laundry and do the cooking and hold the baby so that they can sleep they are Thriving. And those of my friends who are isolated because I my partner's military as well, and so I know a lot of women who travel because their partners are military and they're here far away from their families and they're struggling because it's a lot for one person, two people, to manage by themselves. It's exhausting.

Speaker 2: 15:10

And then that the hard thing is like now we're out the pandemic, is actually Feeling comfortable with accepting help because you're so used to doing it yourself that it's been sort of you really. I really had to try and like train myself out of being like, oh, it has to be done this way or that way, like and actually being like it's okay, the children are safe, you know, and I would never leave them with anyone who won't keep them safe.

Speaker 2: 15:34

And yes, things will be done differently and sleep might go out the window a bit, but that's fine and so it's been. That's been a big shift to me, trying to be like right, it's fine, you know that's. It's okay for someone else to do it, it doesn't just have to be me.

Speaker 1: 15:49

Yeah, yeah. And especially, I'm sure there was some layer of like Safety for the kids in terms of like the germs and stuff too, like fear of oh my god, is it still around? Who's touching my kid, who's breathing on my kid, who's on top of? Do they know how to care for my child in the way that I would care for my child? So how has this chapter In your life Motherhood during COVID Changed your life?

Speaker 2: 16:22

So I think it. You know it's a hard one. I think I'm still processing it as well because you sort of. So I left teaching and then the plan was to go back to teaching, and you know, because you've got your school holidays. You know term times are tough because you have to do so much work to try and, like you know, fit it all in, but at least I have the holidays.

Speaker 2: 16:49

And then when COVID came, it changed teaching completely and then my son also didn't sleep through the night for like the first. I think it was about 14 or 15 months before I actually like decided to sleep-train him when I was doing my sleep training course. And then that's when my mental health really deteriorated because I wasn't getting any sleep and I was the one responding to his nighttime wake-ups because my husband was working. So he couldn't you know he couldn't do it because I was the stay-at-home parent and, you know, with the toddler as well. So it just really quickly, just sort of you just go straight into survival mode because you're not getting that replenishing sleep that you need in order to try and deal with it to like a baby and a toddler, and it just got to breaking point.

Speaker 2: 17:43

At one point I was like I just I feel, and I was crying with my husband. I was like I just feel like I just have mom now, where you've had dad just added on to your work title, like you're still you, but dad as well, and I'm just mom, like there's nothing. I feel like there's nothing of me anymore. And as I try to figure out who I am because motherhood is amazing, but it's hard and it wasn't everything I was expecting it to be so it didn't like make me feel it sounds a little bit. It didn't make me feel whole in the way I wanted it to or thought it would.

Speaker 1: 18:21

So you said two things there that I really want to point out. When you said there was this evening where you just lost it and was like I'm just mom now. I'm just mom now. Like that you get to be dad and and I am just mom, and I feel like that is something that's gonna land for a lot of women listening to this, because what I hear is this, this consistent sense of a loss of identity when stepping into this. And then, on top of that, you mentioned something that I thought was going to make me whole and make me feel like top of the world was so much harder than you expected. And, and I'm sure there were even things where you were like why did I do this? Or this is so hard. And I think that that leads a lot of women into post oh my god, postpartum depression, because there's that sense of I'm not enjoying this and a guilt and shame attached to why don't I love being a mom right now, or why do I? Why is this so much harder than I thought?

Speaker 2: 19:30

and this the shame spiral that can take people on that shame spiral is so true because you know people are telling you that. You know this is what you wanted and this is you. You know, so you asked for this, yeah just there's women who can't have kids.

Speaker 2: 19:47

You should be grateful and then you start feeling really guilty and you're like oh my gosh, am I doing something wrong? You know what's wrong with me? Why don't like? And I love my children, but this is so hard and I just, I just don't want to be with them and you're like so you just really start having these real battles with yourself and you don't want to admit any of the stuff that you're thinking, because you're like oh my gosh, is I'm a horrible mom and that's just so, not true?

Speaker 2: 20:16

It's just such a big mind shift and sort of you just really trying to reident, like just find it, like rediscover who you are. And I think, particularly if you didn't have a very strong sense of self before becoming a mom, really rocks the boat because your sense of self is really shook up. You know, and some I know some people absolutely love it and they thrive in it, and some, some of us, just really struggle with it. And then you're trying to figure out right, how do I move on from here? How do I? Because this isn't, I can't, I can't go on like this. Something has to change either or I'm gonna break. So you just like, you get to that point and you just like right, I need to change something because this isn't working anymore.

Speaker 1: 21:04

So what was that for you? What was that change?

Speaker 2: 21:07

so I think it was when I was like with Olly, when he wasn't sleeping, I was like, right, I need to figure out how to get him to sleep because I can't do it. And then I was looking into sort of going online I've trying to figure out how to help him and then just coming across all this contradicting information because some people say to do it this way, some people say that way, some people go oh my gosh, do not even think of sleep training your son or your child, because you will scar, psychologically, scar them for the rest of their lives. You will like that relationship with you will be broken forever. And so you just go in this real spiral and you're like, oh, oh, okay, so what do I? What? What do I do now? Like I am at breaking point, how can I carry on?

Speaker 2: 21:55

And then I saw the sleep coaching, a sleep consulting, like training, and I was like, read about it a bit more as I, oh, actually, I like the sound of this and I sort of. Then you start actually looking at the research and you look into it a bit more and you know, oh, actually, all that information is just misinformation that's been spread incorrectly. So, yeah, they've taken bits and bobs of a research study and run with it and then made moms feel really guilty for daring to want to sleep again how dare you, how dare you yeah how dare you want your sleep?

Speaker 2: 22:31

dare you want to care?

Speaker 1: 22:32

for yourself in any kind of way. Your life is your child.

Speaker 2: 22:35

I know and also like, and sleep is so important, like the more I looked into it. But even for your child, if they're not sleeping through the night, it's impacting them you know as well as you and worse, and if it's not working for you, you have to make a change. And that's when I so I said to my husband it's like right, I don't want to go back into teaching. It's given me real anxiety. One, ollie's not sleeping. Two, it's not an environment that I can go back into and be the mum I would like to be, even though you're sort of really struggling with who you're trying to figure out. So, as you're trying to figure out who you want, you're like I do want to be present for my children because I love them so, so much and I just need to figure out a way to find out who I am and how I can be their mum that they deserve. And then, after some chatting, he was like right, fine, let's do this, you go and do the sleep coaching. It was just making that decision. For me that felt right. I was like something shifted and I was like, yes, I can run my own business and I can do something that I love helping support parents who are anxious about how to help their children learn how to sleep independently, and all the stuff I was learning. My mind was blown. I was like, well, we have to learn how to sleep. I thought that was just a given, like what? And actually this is all stuff you learn, you know, and then being able to support parents with how to do it. So it was that, and I still remember that day being like right, here we go, here's the money for it, let's go. And then just starting to do it and I've just loved it. I love working with the families.

Speaker 2: 24:19

I love, you know it's those parents who sort of were like, oh no, but our child, you know, we can't leave them to cry because they will actually physically be ill if we leave them too long. It's like, no, no, we can figure out a way of how to support you in a way, and then you do it. And then they come back to you. It's like I didn't even think this was possible. She's sleeping, she's going, you know, our child is going to bed, and they're sleeping the whole night. Like how is that? It's like a whole new world for us, because we're sleeping, and particularly with parents who've got older children and it's the youngest one who isn't sleeping, so similar situation to what I had. They're just the whole world's are changed and you're like I've helped you for two weeks and such a small part, you know, for such a small period I've helped you and I've changed your lives and that for me is just. It's amazing and it's so humbling. Every time I'm like I get to help these people, which-.

Speaker 1: 25:19

I can tell by your energy how lit up you are by this. Like. You can tell how passionate you are about helping these people through this, because you have, from your own experience, know just how difficult it really is. You have that extra layer of empathy attached to the passion to helping these humans. What is there a difference between sleep training and sleep coaching?

Speaker 2: 25:41

It's the same, so they call it the actual. So sleep training is when you're doing the helping your child learn how to sleep. But I'm a sleep coach so I'm coaching parents in how to help support their child. So they doing like the sleep learning bit. I don't like the sleep training because it sounds really hardcore and it's not, it's just sleep learning. So you're learning new helpful sleep habits and I'm a coach who will help coach the parents through it.

Speaker 2: 26:08

So sort of supporting them, any thing that they're worried about, any concerns, and I sort of guide them throughout the whole two weeks, sort of with everything like oh, this isn't work, so let's just tweak and usually it's just one or two small, tiny things to tweak that they make a massive difference. And as a parent, if you don't know that, it can feel like months of trying to figure it out and then you just give up because I just cannot. I just don't know where to go because there's so much. I think that's the internet's amazing in how much information is at our fingertips, but it's also so overwhelming. And like with parents, the parents like being a parent, you just you always go to the internet and then everything contradicts everything you're reading. So you're just kind of stuck. You know well, what do I, what do I do, where do I go? You know what do I? Yeah.

Speaker 1: 27:04

What's next? I want to go back to that, that decision, because when you speak about it, that decision to step away from teaching, you're so clear as you describe that moment of I knew I didn't want teaching anymore and I knew I wanted to be present with my kids. And what I'm hearing is in that moment you realigned yourself with what your values, your core values, had turned into, because our values change as we evolve, and you went with the flow of that evolution. It doesn't sound like you resisted it. It's like you knew that something had shifted, that what was important for you had changed, and you were ready to follow that impulse. Is that fair to say? And was it harder? Was it, was it difficult, to decide to quit that job and dive into entrepreneurialism?

Speaker 2: 28:01

So I think with from the get go with teaching I was always. I just was fumbling along Like I enjoyed it. I enjoyed working with the kids, but I hated all the other stuff that came along with it. So I think I was just coasting through. Then you know, you have these incredible teachers who are so passionate about what they do, and then I was like, oh well, that's just, that's just not me. I'm just not a passionate person.

Speaker 2: 28:29

You know, that's just that's fine, and I'll just kind of doing this because you know I can kind of it's supposed to be easy, an easy job to do with children, which it isn't Not at all.

Speaker 1: 28:44

It's so not.

Speaker 2: 28:45

And it used to frustrate me. It's like, oh well, you've got summer holidays. I was like, yeah, to recuperate and then just try like psych myself up again to go back into it. Yeah. But I think it was that shift in that decision being made and I was like I don't like this. Something has to change.

Speaker 2: 29:06

And I'm a very I can be quite impulsive sometimes with my decision making and I won't always necessarily have a plan and I've just if it feels right, I will do it, and this just felt right.

Speaker 2: 29:22

And then from that moment on, everything just started feeling more aligned. I felt like more confident in my own decisions and what I was doing. And there's like little steps that you start taking and it's small, small progress that you make and sort of. But it feels so great because I kind of look back now to and I mean, that was only a few months ago and like it was at the start of the year, so it's not even such a long time ago and I look back at who I was then, to who I am now and that changed and I'm just I'm a passionate person, but I found something I'm passionate about and that I want to do.

Speaker 2: 30:06

And when you find that you don't mind putting in the hard slog, because, being an entrepreneur, I would never in a million years thought this would ever be me because I have to make all the decisions and any the buck stops with me, and so anything that goes wrong or anything like that, it's me. But actually that's fine because I'm taking responsibility. So these are my choices, and there's a saying I think it's called you're failing forwards, so it doesn't matter if you're failing.

Speaker 2: 30:36

As long as you keep going it's not a fail. So it's that first attempt in learning and you just keep going and you're figuring things out. And there's still stuff I'm learning because marketing and all of that is just not in my wheelhouse and it's just not something I've ever even thought of doing. But it's fine and these steps I'm taking they feel good. So it's just figuring it out and like the ripple effect in the rest of my life has been amazing. I mean, now I'm running. I never thought I would be a runner, but I take this when I drop the kids off at nursery, I've got Ollie on my back and be in the push chair and it's about like a half an hour walk and then I run back home from that and I never ever thought I would be that kind of person.

Speaker 2: 31:28

But actually it's those small steps that make a big change and make a big difference. And as long as you're willing to keep going and keep trying and not give up, then you'll get like I'll get there. And you get there in the end because you're figuring it out along the way and just not stopping.

Speaker 1: 31:49

This is such a great story to demonstrate what happens when you listen to how you're feeling and align yourself and make decisions that align with what you value and what you want. What I'm really hearing in your story is that life was maybe it was good, it was good, you were happy, it wasn't bad and maybe you were just doing what you were told to do. You know, get the job, get the partner, you have the babies and that motherhood maybe demanded that you feel some things. It demanded that you confront some internal feelings or views of the world, and you were really good at listening to that and moving with what you were hearing. So, like the passion and the running and the joy and the trust that, as you navigate something that's hard and new, that you aren't maybe as familiar with, you're able to stick with it and go. I'm going to figure this out because it is so much in with alignment with who you want to be in this world and who you know yourself to be currently.

Speaker 2: 32:52

Yeah, no, definitely, and I think.

Speaker 2: 32:54

I think also it's when you take a responsibility for your life and your choices and like I was just coasting along in life and I it was a great life, you know, there was, it was beautiful, and you know.

Speaker 2: 33:08

And then it's that day you decide, like right, I'm now going to take responsibility for my actions and my steps, and I think that in itself is a really powerful thing to do. And if you make that decision, there's, you know, there's nothing stopping you from figuring it out, and you will get there as long as you keep going and just keep figuring it out, because everything is figure out of the ball, like there's this I've heard that saying somewhere before and it's so true you just figure it out. You know, if it doesn't work this way, then you know why it hasn't worked that way. Let's do it another way. I'm going to figure this out and I will get there eventually, and you know it's. I think it's that fact that it's not that instant gratification that we're so used to now with with society, like everything is instant social media it's not like that, I know.

Speaker 1: 34:01

You're addicted. It's like I want to avoid. I'm going to switch on.

Speaker 2: 34:05

I'm going to watch TikTok for 30 minutes and avoid whatever else I was supposed to be doing. And then, you're like two hours later.

Speaker 1: 34:12

Yeah, yeah, oh, it's 4am, I guess I should go to sleep. Oh dear yeah, what have you learned throughout this experience of great change in your life?

Speaker 2: 34:24

I think the biggest thing is have your cheerleaders and those people who will always, always root for you no matter what. And I'm very lucky in the fact that I've got my sisters. Even though we don't live any like close to like we don't live that close to each other we're still constantly like all our achievements we put on the WhatsApp. We've got a sister's WhatsApp group. We put them on like, oh, I did this and we're all. We're all like, yes, keep going, you know you're doing that, doing great. My youngest sister's decided she was to be a personal coach, like a personal trainer and a Pilates instructor, and that's completely different to what she originally thought. But we're just there cheering her on. And so if you've got your little, your cheer squad and it doesn't matter who they are you can sort of, in those down moments when you're really doubting yourself, you've got someone to go to and you're like, oh, I'm finding this really hard today and like, no, we know, but you know you're doing really well, so keep going.

Speaker 1: 35:22

Support system makes the world of a difference, or even just surrounding yourself with positive thinking. Humans like recognizing what kind of energy and thoughts you're surrounding yourself with. Yes, step one.

Speaker 2: 35:35

Yeah, but with the positive energy as well. I think also social media. It depends on who you're following and making sure you're following the right kind of voices that you want to like, help propel you forward and you're getting rid of all that negative stuff and being like right this isn't serving me in any way, so I'm not even going to indulge in it.

Speaker 2: 35:56

And then just nothing comes easy. So it's just, if you make a decision, just keep going, even on the hardest days, even if you only make a small progress or you sort of you know, one step forward, two step back, just keep going forward, because as long as you don't give up, you cannot fail, because you will get there eventually. And that's like the hardest thing with being an entrepreneur as well. It's like there's no, I'm lucky in the fact that I don't need to worry about any, like I don't have to worry about doing another job. This is like this is my main focus. And then the children as well, when they're not at nursery. But it's, you can figure it out and just keep going. You just you find those inspirational stories of these people who are amazing and just keep going. You're like, yeah, I can do it, I'm going to do it. And just keep telling yourself like those positive affirmations and just keep, yeah, honestly, just keep going because you have such a beautiful and positive mindset, mia.

Speaker 1: 36:57

Like I hope you know that, because so much of what I see is people see other people doing the things they want to do and they think that there's no space for them to do it because Mia is already doing it. She's doing it so well, so I can't do it. There's no space for me to do it, and you looked at it as evidence that it was possible for you. They're doing that, I can do that and that's such a great. That's exactly how you should see it. That's how, exactly how I want people to see these opportunities out in the world. And then also with the taking one piece at a time, as an entrepreneur myself, I've been doing this for about two years now and I was a freelancer before that.

Speaker 1: 37:36

I think really it is about what can you give today, like what can you do today, and if that is just I can watch 30 minutes of a podcast episode that teaches me about copywriting, that's all I can give today, great. And if I end up writing an entire book in a day and that's what I could give that day, amazing. And if I can't give it the next day, I won't judge it. But just what can you give today that is gonna keep you on that track? What do you hope the listeners take away from your story?

Speaker 2: 38:10

Just because you're a mom, it isn't the end of you. Yes, it's hard, it is so hard, but just to keep going and just you can find yourself again and just there is light at the end of the tunnel. And yeah, make sure you're getting your sleep as well, because that, for me, was a big one and I need to help you. If you wanna leave, yeah, and if you are struggling with sleep?

Speaker 1: 38:35

you can call Mia. So, mia, what is the best way for any of our listeners to work with you and get in touch with you if they're listening to this podcast and you're like I need what Mia's got?

Speaker 2: 38:46

So I've got I'm quite active on Instagram and I share sort of lots of sleep tips and stuff on that. So that's at celebrate sleep with Mia on there, or you can go straight to my website and book a call straight away, and that is also celebrate sleep with Miacom, where you'll be able to find how it will look working together. You can book a call with me as well and that call just helps you to kind of get a feel for who I am and sort of you know how I can help support you with your sleep. And then I also have last thing is I've got a free sort of sleep guide for exhausted parents, like with five simple steps that you can start implementing straight away on how to help your child sort of learn how to sleep and sort of how to support that, like support their fund, getting the fundamentals right in with their falling asleep, which is on. You can get that by my Instagram or even on the website. So yes, Amazing.

Speaker 1: 39:45

So there's lots of ways for people to connect with you and I'm going to make it super easy for everyone. All these links are in the episode description below, so just scroll down, click away and you can connect with Mia immediately, today, in this moment, and get the sleep you need. It's from someone who's navigated it firsthand. Thank you so much, mia, for coming in, being vulnerable, sharing your stories and your expertise. It's been really nice connecting with you today.

Speaker 2: 40:09

No, thank you so much for having me. This has been amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Speaker 1: 40:17

Thank you. If you enjoyed today's episode. Please consider liking, subscribing and letting us know your thoughts in the comments below. It truly means the world to me to hear from you. New episodes will be available every Saturday, both on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. And if you would like to learn more about my work as a coach today's guest or have a story that you would like to share on the pivot point, check out the episode description for more information. Now time for the legal stuff. This podcast is presented to you solely for educational and entertainment purposes. I may be a professionally certified coach myself, but hosting a podcast is not coaching. This podcast should not be used in substitution of working with a licensed therapist, doctor, coach or other qualified professionals. Copy that Amazing. See you on the next episode. Nothing but love, just