What does work-time balance even look like? Can you tell me right now who you know who is achieving such a blissed-out state? Who is actually juggling and keeping everything off the ground? I want to know and that’s why I wanted to bring this week’s podcast guest. Ingrid J Adams.  She has four kids. Lives in Manly Australia. Ingrid’s husband encouraged HER to find something that she was passionate about when their kids went to school. She also just published a book! 

This is not about perfection or an unrealistic goal post for superb balance. It’s about turning mom guilt on its head to publish your book or launch your business and about finding a way to teach your kids the lessons you’ve learned throughout life. 

I want to hear from you! Listen in and DM on Instagram @melissallarena. Is balance within your reach or do you think it’s slightly BS? Maybe we just need to enjoy the pockets of time in the day when we feel we are in balance? Tell me. I want to know!

Ingrid J. Adams is the author of Descended, an epic love story steeped in fantasy, the first in a four-book series for the upper YA market. It took Ingrid a long time to realize her unattainably crazy dream of being a writer was in fact both attainable and sane; but between then and now, she’s earnt degrees in business tourism, journalism, kinesiology and nutrition, studied psychotherapy, and worked in media, then as a therapist. 

She also had a couple of years off to lie in bed and stare at the ceiling after being diagnosed with an incurable disease she managed to cure herself of by going way outside the box, a disease she probably learned more from than all her degrees put together. Today, she lives in chaos by the beach in Manly in Australia with her four beautiful boys (five if you count her husband), and her cuddle-hunting cavoodle pup. She’s a massive fan of travel, yoga, meditation, farmer’s markets, cooking (and eating), ocean-swimming, and escaping into fictional worlds of her own and others’ creation. 

Ingrid’s story reminds us that balance is not about perfection or an unrealistic goal post, but about finding pockets of time in the day when we can feel in balance. Her journey shows the importance of pursuing one’s passions, even amidst the busyness of family life. Through her own experiences, Ingrid has learned that turning mom guilt on its head can lead to achieving seemingly unattainable goals. We hope this episode has inspired you to reflect on what balance means to you and to find joy in the little moments of peace in your day. 

In this episode, you will these ideas expressed:

• Why is finding something for yourself important?
• Searching for life’s answers to big questions and how writing can shed light on them 
• Starting your writing journey and how to think about writing for your kids eventually
• Offering comfort to kids with anxiety
• Finding the time to write after family time and juggling weekends
• The motivation to publish a book or launch a business might be found in the guilt
• What if you don’t find something just for you?
• How kids see moms happily blissed out following their passion
• What’s the key to making time for your partner?
• Is a book like a baby?
• How an illness early on in life motivated Ingrid to write her book 
• The dynamics in high school when fitting in was everything
• Being weird is interesting! Use your uniqueness to your advantage
• Find pockets of perfection in your day and relish them
• Deciding to become who you wish to do and that includes being a calm book author in the middle of a busy day with four kids in tow!
• The importance of saying no 
• The importance of teaching kids through showing, not telling

SHARE this episode with a mom founder, entrepreneur, or creator, who is a mom who wants to understand how other moms find work/time balance.

Similar episodes:

Theo Travers, Writer and Executive Producer on Showtime’s Billions, Talks About Hollywood Misconceptions and Making Scary Choices, Episode 37

https://www.melissallarena.com/theo-travers-talks-about-hollywood-misconceptions-and-making-scary-choices-episode-37/ 

Find Your Purpose Besides Being A Mom (This Is An Open Call For 50 Moms To Become Beta Readers Too), Episode 148

https://www.melissallarena.com/find-your-purpose-besides-being-a-mom-this-is-an-open-call-for-50-moms-to-become-beta-readers-too-episode-148/ 

Supporting Resources:

https://www.ingridjadams.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/ingrid.j.adams/ 

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WHAT YOU GET:

In this chapter, you will SEE what bringing a sense of curiosity, playfulness, and a willingness to dream for yourself can do for both you and your family. You’ll also have the opportunity to answer five key questions that will help you unlock ways you can rewrite your “mom scripts” so that you can cultivate a sense of playfulness every single day!

REVIEWS:

For moms like me, the pandemic was an opportunity to re-evaluate and course-correct things in our lives we weren’t thrilled with. Coming out of this period, sluggish yet motivated, so many of us can use this book to help us wake up! If you’re looking to refresh, reenergize, and yes, reimagine a better version of your life, this book is for you. I loved the hilarious, yet poignant stories about motherhood today and the window into the world of those who’ve gone for it – and did it. – Macollvie Neel, Brooklyn, NY

This chapter is about getting in touch with your creative, playful, imaginative side. The part of yourself that perhaps felt freer before you became a parent, before you chose your identity and had a lot of responsibilities weighing you down. In helping you get in touch with your more playful, creative self, it not only helps you on a path toward greater happiness and fulfillment, but it also helps you to feel more fulfilled as a parent. – Mom/PR

The words: imagination, play and fun are not the usual things we as mothers think of when wondering how to get a grip back on our career and I believe it provides a really fresh take and lots of food for thought for mothers reading it. I think that the tone is so energetic and fresh that it is why I would pick it up. – Latina Mom/Positive Psychology Coach

Melissa is a mom of three with big dreams who tells it like it is. She draws on her own experiences and the experiences of professionals she’s interviewed for her podcast to reflect on the plight of the mother. How do women conform to or challenge the traditional “mom script”? If you’re a mom, what can you do to break the “cultural glass ceiling” to be yourself and a great parent, all without having to force yourself into a mom mold that doesn’t fit you? Melissa is like a great friend, honest and wise and funny, telling you about her life and asking you to reflect on yours. This book is a great purchase for moms in every stage of life. – Aspiring Novelist, Librarian, Mom To Two Kiddos

In her book, Melissa shows us that motherhood does not have to be a pause or an end of your pre-child self. With guidance from her podcast guests, she encourages us to think big, find what lights us up, think big, and move towards our goals with the steps that fit the reality of our lives as they are today. In doing so we honor and inspire our child(ren), and our own inner child. – Single Mom To A 12-Year Old Boy