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Michelle Bunge
Human Resources and Administrative Manager
Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance
Industry - Nonprofit
A Little Bit About Our Family
Next month my husband and I will have been married for 15 years. He is outnumbered in our family with 3 daughters. Lauren is 12, Brooke is 11 and Jordyn is 6. What he has in his favor is they all hold a special place in their hearts for daddy. As for me, growing up with 5 brothers and no sisters, I appreciate the current ratio.
A Lot Can Change Over Time
At the beginning of 2020, I was promoted to a new role and team. With that comes the obligations of learning new skills and responsibilities as well as building relationships with new team members. Being agile and open to learning new ways to do things in a remote situation was important, not just for me but for any professional. I learned a little more about being a 6th grade, 5th grade and Kindergarten teacher than I was expecting at the beginning of the year and although it had its challenging moments, it brought me more time with family and more involved in my children’s schoolwork. Instead of focusing on the negatives, we always tried to make the best out of the new situations we needed to adjust to. I think we all learned a lot about ourselves and each other.
I valued the relationships and individuals that could relate to my situation, lend an ear, and offer advice and support to get me through stressful days and perform at my very best.
Balancing Career and Motherhood
I always try to keep in mind that both are a privilege and a blessing. When things get overwhelming, I try to remind myself to take a deep breath, stay grounded, and always keep in mind what takes priority. I am fortunate to have supportive family, neighbors, friends, community and co-workers. It may be cliché, but parenthood does take a village and I have a great one! Also, I am a list person. Sometimes, just getting things on paper can ease the stress going on in my head. I like to set little goals and reward myself or celebrate along the way when those goals are achieved. However, I have to remind myself that I need to grant myself grace and know that the long game is about progress, not perfection. As a leader of our family, little eyes are watching how I model my behavior. Doing my best to stay organized, in control and driven helps keep my family at peace and happy. Being honest about mistakes also shows that it’s OK to be human and imperfect. What matters is what you learn from your mistakes and how you handle that situation going forward.
The work that Mom Mastermind does is something so essential and necessary. It's long overdue.
Final Thoughts
I’ve always believed taking good care of oneself is one of the most important things you can do for the people you love and for getting through stressful situations. That could mean many different things at any given time. You just have to identify what it is and take action on it.
I transitioned my 10 year career from a male-dominated job in Corporate Sales where I did not have many team members that could relate to the stresses of balancing motherhood and parenthood, to a job that is not just a job to me. I found a mission that I passionately believe in and my job now makes me a better mom as well. As I moved through my career, I realized how important it is to have resources, support and community. I valued the relationships and individuals that could relate to my situation, lend an ear, and offer advice and support to get me through stressful days and perform at my very best. Those relationships were critical in helping me decide where I wanted to spend my time when it was away from my precious, fast-growing babies and to make sure it was for something that I felt enriched me. Otherwise, why was I doing it?
The work that Mom Mastermind does is something so essential and necessary. It's long overdue. The women in this organization have been helping women for many years, even before starting this company, and I'm so excited that they can expand their reach to help support other professional women the same way I was supported as a mother and in my career.
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