Netta is truly a super mom. She and I have known each other since her son and our youngest daughter were in Kindergarten. Truth be told, Zachary actually had a “Kindergarten crush” on Sydney ???? I knew she had a high-powered corporate job and I knew she was extremely busy not just at Goldman Sachs where she was VP of Marketing, but also as a mom of three children. Her Transition Tuesday is interesting.
When she and her family moved out of New York City, she took a break from corporate life to focus on the move and her children, but has found that taking a multi-pronged, work-from-home approach to her career while being a stay-at-home mom works for her and her family.
Although we haven’t seen each other in several years, we continue to virtually support and cheer each other on with all that we are doing — and it’s a lot!! — on our social media platforms. Read on and get inspired.
Transition Tuesday: From VP at Goldman Sachs to Marketing Consultant and Blogger
What was your previous career / title? VP, Brand Marketing and Digital Strategy, Goldman Sachs
What did your day-to-day look like in your previous career? It really varied and that’s what I liked about the job and what kept me there for so long: depending on what was happening some days I was sitting at my desk working on website copy and managing budgets and others I was managing a video shoot for our ad campaign in a not-so-glamorous place ????
What is your career / title now? I wear a few different hats, most important one of course is being a full-time mom to our three children, but I’m also a marketing consultant, a Rodan + Fields consultant and most recently a blogger for a website I started with my sisters, JEW-ishly.com, for modern Jewish inspiration.
What does your day-to-day look like now? After the kids are off to school, I do the boring stuff: wash dishes, clean up after what looks like a tornado swept through our house overnight and then I sit down and look at all I have to accomplish that day and prioritize. I always try to ensure that I can get at least one thing done for myself during the day, sounds silly, but that keeps me sane: I think we all need our own life separate from the kids, husband and the house and that can be as simple as going for a walk in the neighborhood, reading a book for half an hour or listening to music.
Why did you want to make the change? My husband and I had been living in NYC for nearly 20 years and had our three children there. When my oldest, Hannah, was 9, and after much contemplation, we decided to move to the suburbs, and I decided that it was the right time for me to hit pause on my career. It had been a great one, but I realized that with the kids getting older and the challenges they face being a little more complicated, I no longer wanted someone else dealing with the day-to-day but that this was my most important job. I was also worried how the transition was going to be for the kids, who had formed great friendships in the city, and wanted to be there for them during that time. It was the right time for me personally and professionally to stop working full-time as I had been.
What were the steps you took to make this change? The transition happened gradually, at first I wasn’t working at all, but after a year or so I began getting a little bored. My sister who was a recruiter at the time called me with an opportunity to consult and I thought why not, I can totally do this. It ended up being a somewhat lengthy, multi-dimensional assignment and this launched my marketing consultancy. It also made me realize that I didn’t need to choose one thing over another, working from home provided me the flexibility to work and be there for the kids, I no longer had to feel guilty about choosing one over the other.
I didn’t need to choose one thing over another, working from home provided me the flexibility to work and be there for the kids, I no longer had to feel guilty about choosing one over the other.
How much did it cost you to make this change? The moment you stop working, you become rusty in the eyes of others. If you consider going back to work at some point, you need to keep abreast of the latest trends and what’s happening in the marketplace. During the 18 months I wasn’t working I had definitely lost some of the expertise I had while working in terms of the latest marketing trends and digital tools, so I needed to spend some time getting back up to speed so that I can speak to all those things in a relevant way. So there is definitely a time-cost to making any sort of transition: you need to make sure you’re continually developing the skills you’re known for or want to be known for, whether through professional networks or online courses.
How did you afford the time and monetary cost? I’ve always worked, since the time I was a teenager, whether babysitting, working in retail, or in financial services. And my dad always taught us to save our money so I always have a little money saved for myself that I can do whatever I wish with, and I’m lucky to have a husband who supports me no matter what, as I do for him. My advice to you: have a little slush fund for yourself, you never know when or how you’ll want to use it.
I know I’m a better mom when my focus isn’t only on my children: it’s always about quality, not quantity for me. . .
What was the impact on, support of, pushback from family and friends? Describe your experiences. And if you had pushback, how did you overcome that? I’m lucky in that my family has always supported me, no matter what. But I know and expect that. I think the biggest support always comes from the places you least expect: when I launched my Rodan + Fields business, for example, so many friends I had not heard from in a while supported my business and it’s meant the world to me.
Netta’s website, Jew-ishly, has a shop where one can purchase unique products like this Hamsa serving dish to help celebrate and commemorate special milestones.
Any highlights and/or regrets to share? No regrets, only lessons. I think we tend to wait too long sometimes to do things that we know in our heart we should be doing. I know I’m a better mom when my focus isn’t only on my children: it’s always about quality, not quantity for me, and I probably should have found something to do professionally soon after we moved out of the city.
What is your affordable luxury indulgence when you have alone time? Going for a pedicure!
Get inspired and give Netta support! Follow her on @livingjewishly on Instagram and visit her blog Jew-ishly and her independent consultant page on Rodan & Fields .
This post is not sponsored in any way. All opinions expressed are mine, unless otherwise specified. All images all courtesy of Netta Levy.