So why have I chosen to start a blog? There are a few reasons, but really I like to write but have never had that flash of inspiration to write a novel, which is one of my occasional day dreams, so a blog seems a bit more achievable!
I’ve (fairly) recently returned to work after having my second baby, and as I did after baby number 1 I have moved into a different role within my company on my return to work. This new role focuses on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) which is both new and known to me, as I’ve worked on some projects within this but not all. It is also vast! Very much overwhelming initially (still is at times) but I’m slowly getting my head around where I would like it to go.
EDI is also an area that is fairly high profile in that people who work in this area are often very active on social media, LinkedIn, blogs and podcasts. I therefore need to “put myself out there” more than I ever have before so a blog felt like the best fit for me. But what to write about?!
Intersectionality is a big aspect of EDI and something that I have been learning about lately. It basically comes down to the idea that everyone is made up of a unique blend of characteristics, so they cannot be categorised conveniently as any one thing at any one time in their lives. These characteristics also change over time or some become more prominent than others, so this got me thinking about my different roles or characteristics at this time in my life.
- Woman
- Mum
- Wife
- HR Professional
- EDI Specialist
- Sister
- Friend
The list goes on and on… This then got my thinking about how these things often pull me in different directions and how sometimes I can feel very muddled and not really feel like I know where the “real me” is in all of this, rather like the image below ⬇️
Right now I feel like I am constantly juggling my roles as Mum, Wife and Working Parent, which doesn’t always leave much time for me to do things that just make me happy. I feel like during my maternity leave my role as a Mum has completely consumed me and at times left little room for anything else in my life. It has also led to me taking on new roles in my life (or I should say reassuming as I did both of these things with my eldest too) as someone who is Breastfeeding and Co-sleeping full time as well. These things have significantly impacted my life as I’ve felt unable to leave the baby for long periods due to feeding, and couldn’t contemplate going away overnight or even in the early evening due to the need to get him to bed and then physically stay with him as he is used to my presence with him while he sleeps.
So I rather thought that exploring some of these things and introducing you all to my lovely family might produce some interesting content and give me an opportunity to share some of my experiences and thoughts with the world through my little personal blog. I do not profess to be an expert (in quite frankly nothing at all!) and am constantly learning and adapting, so just want to share my journey with you all. I hope you enjoy following this with me and I would love to hear from you as to what you think.
Kathryn x