A change of heart and a new path

Dear Readers, Everyone tells you when you're about to have a child that your life will change. That is an understatement if there ever was one. From the moment I saw the positive pregnancy test, I was in shock and knew our worlds would be turned upside down. At that moment I felt grateful about what was "meant to be" and also just about every emotion a human can experience. Needless to say, that was one of the longest afternoons of my life, waiting for Nick to get home from work.

Come November, a rogue wave would be crashing down on our lives and bringing with it all sorts of change, both personally and professionally. Flash forward to present day as a mother with a seven-month-old baby girl. My personal passions and values have spilled into my professional ones, and I am rewriting the playbook of my career. I had a change of heart to where I was headed. In this season of my life, I have decided that what I do for a living is going to be directly related to my personal interests. Mission-driven and local community philanthropic work in the 501 (c)(3) space is attractive to me. I am more selective with the organizations and causes where I give my time and talents. What does this look like? I have gravitated toward the following job categories: · Child wellbeing

· Mentoring

· Literacy

· Animal welfare

· Environmental advocacy and conservation

Wealth and success have slightly different meanings to me now than they did before I was a mother. Happiness and fulfillment look different now. As I begin to experience the world through the eyes of Evangeline, I am driven by a more altruistic mission to do what I can to make the planet better for her.