Has Motherhood Taken Your Focus Off Your Practice? Here’s How You Can Keep It All Going…

You might be surprised to hear this from me, but… the last two weeks of life have been hell. 

I’m being a little over dramatic when I say that, because no one I love has died and all of my family members are healthy and safe. 

So bare with me while I be melodramatic.

As I write this post, it’s New Years Day. I was supposed to feel all calm, rested and gung-ho after a 2+ week break lasting from the Winter Solstice to the Epiphany. 

Instead, I’m wondering how I survived! 

I can’t quite put my finger on why, but for the last six weeks my kids have been bananas (and not in the fun Gwen Stefani song kind of way either). And the last two weeks with them have been particularly hard. 

Was it the arrival of our new au pair (and the fact that a stranger suddenly started living in our home) that set them off???

Is it that my husband’s officiating schedule has been particularly grueling for the last 7-10 days???

Was it too much Christmas candy???

Honestly, I really don’t know. 

There’s been back-talking, hair-pulling, hitting, scratching, refusing to sit at the dinner table, throwing food, and stealing each other’s toys. One child even slammed someone else’s hand in her bedroom door—twice! 

I’m mortified just typing all that out. 

Simultaneously, I fear that you might be thinking that all of that sounds like the normal chaos at your house and that the real problem is my unrealistic expectations for how my children should behave. 

Whatever they are collectively experiencing, I pray it ends soon. (Actually, yesterday would’ve been better, but you know…)

This super rough period we’re in as a family has reminded me of so many important things. 

It’s helped me to feel even more grateful for how easy my daughters normally are, and it’s shown me what a lot of parents are dealing with day to day in their homes. 

It’s opened my eyes in a whole new way to the reasons why so many women chiropractors leave practice after they become moms—because even though I have support with my kids, I honestly feel like this is no one else’s mess to clean up but my own. And yet, it’s been soooooo hard to get anything productive done in my practice while there’s so much chaos going on in my family. 

I had such high hopes for what I was going to accomplish and how I was going to feel by this date on the calendar. I’m practicing giving myself grace for things not looking like I expected them to throughout this holiday season. 

Maybe, just maybe, you can relate to what I’ve been experiencing…? 

Maybe you too are looking back over the holiday break wondering how so much time slipped away?

Maybe you meant to get a marketing plan for your chiropractic practice in place for 2020 but motherhood has demanded all your time and energy. 

Maybe you intended to take some extra rest the week between Christmas and New Year’s but you overscheduled your patient appointments instead because you felt too guilty making people wait. 

Or maybe your holiday cards for patients, referral partners, family and friends never went out this year because you just couldn’t find the time to get it done. 

Whatever your story is, just know… I get you. And you’re not alone. 

The good news is that this month is energetically a time for restructuring and rebalancing. 

It’s a time for planning and setting new boundaries. 

That means now is the time to:

• Make that change to your office hours you’ve been thinking about making 

• Phase people out of that old discounted wellness plan you know isn’t profitable anymore 

• Start taking more time to yourself so you can decrease your stress level 

And while it’s totally cliche, it’s totally true… there’s no better time to take action than NOW. 

If you’re like most people, though, you’re much more likely to stay on track with more support and accountability. 

So if you’re a Mama Chiropractor who wants to overcome the overwhelm of life and practice–without settling for a part-time income, even if you do work part-time hours–then join me for the next round of the Mama Chiropractors 21-Day Reset now. 

See, despite how crazy the last few weeks have been for me as a mom, there’s one thing I’m super proud of: 

My practice isn’t falling apart. 

In fact, it’s been mostly fine without me being super present for an extended period of time.

I’m immensely grateful that I’ve figured out how to structure my business and work so that if (when) things get crazy in my personal life, it’s actually still all ok in the long run. 

And this is what I want for you, too. 

So join me on The Reset? Details are here. 

In the meantime, here are 3 strategies to keep it all going in your chiropractic practice, even if motherhood has you barely treading water.

1. Know What’s Non-Compromiseable and Honor It

   When things get really stressful and our schedules are maxed out, it’s really easy to stop doing what’s important to you that keeps you healthy and happy. For example, you open up more hours on your office schedule to get more people in before the end of the year, even though it means you’re not able to be home for bedtime with your little one. If being the one to put your toddler to bed each night is non-compromiseable to you, honor that. It’s ok to not be as available as some people may like. 

2. Unravel Your Money Stories. 

   If/when your family requires you to take more time from work, this might trigger all kinds of old fears and worries about money. I mean, surely if you work a bit less, there won’t be enough money, right?! Well, I can’t promise you that you’ll always have extra cash in the bank, but I can tell you that I’ve now seen hundreds of women in chiropractic work less in their practices and actually make more money as a result. 

3. Build A Strong Team. 

   Just as you would tell any of your patients in your practice, hear me when I say this: you need more support! Being a mom and owning a business is like having TWO 24/7 jobs. You can’t nor shouldn’t do it all alone. Finding the right team members is an investment, but having the right people in the right roles will give you the freedom that you need to be present with your family. This doesn’t have to mean that you hire a full-time CA; utilizing the support of a virtual assistant can be a great way to get started with freeing up your time so you can do what only YOU can do. 

I am looking forward to diving into more of these strategies during the 21 Day Reset. Join me here!