Nadine Pike on the importance of self, self-care and doing motherhood your way.

"Never be afraid of taking risks when it comes to your dream career. Don't be scared of saying yes."

An interview series featuring mothers within the DD community. Here, we examine the juggle of paid working mothers – we talk motherhood, career, routine, self-care and daycare. I ask the things you actually want to know, like what they outsource, why they work, how they work, keep it together and get out the door each morning.

Can you start by sharing a bit about your family dynamic and what roles each of you take on that helps to keep the household functioning?
At home, it is the three of us – my husband, Toby, Rocky (our 19month old daughter) and I. I am the co-founder and talent manager of by them. (creative agency) and my husband is a Director. We both work from home which however does create a good balance together when it comes to housework as we work as a team. If one person is busier than the other we will take the load off each other. Toby does the grocery shopping as I am a terrible cook. Rocky attends daycare four days a week and we take turns with pick up and drop offs depending on our schedules for the week.

Rocky goes to childcare Monday-Thursday and Daddy Daycare Fridays. Hubby loves having a day with Rocky on which is adorable! Daycare pick up and drop offs just depending on our schedules but we share this and I usually do the afternoon from 4pm.

How would you describe the stage of motherhood you are in?
I am feeling less anxious and more relaxed as a mum now. I do struggle with the Mum guilts when working or if I do anything for myself and I know that this will never go away, but I know it will get better in time.

And what have you learnt so far?
I have learnt that it is important to not to let go of who you are but to grow into being the Mother. And to embrace this journey. You now have a cheerleader by your side who calls you Mum. The love you have for them is something that no one can take away from you. I lost my Mother many years ago and to see her now in Rocky is something I can't describe but just so beautiful as I know she has a part of her.

Can you give us a basic rundown of your day – what does your job entail? 
My job entails many different things such as running the day-to-day business admin with my business partner, managing talent, meetings (including interstate and overseas) and attending events and showings, etc. the list goes on. After I had Rocky, it was important I had flexibility with my job so I could spend time with my daughter, plus do my job in my own hours. Working for myself as well means I can go anywhere at anytime and work without the commitment of having to be in an office. There have been times when I have travelled and worked with Rocky with me which I love.

What do you outsource?
Nothing – aside from daycare. We have no cleaner and we do it all together. Toby does the cooking every night as I am terrible cook! We do a weekly shop on Saturday or Sunday.

Running a business, what did maternity leave look like for you? 
I took 7 months off and that was the perfect amount of time. Then, my husband took 3 months off which was really nice as he got lots of one-on-one time with Rocky.

You mentioned you work from home – how do you work? What’s a typical day look like?
My day is very different on a day-to day-basis. I do tend to work a typical 9 to 5 as my clients tend to work these hours also, however there are times I need to work later than others or earlier depending on my schedule for the day. I don't like to work nights when Rocky is asleep (only once a week max) as I feel it is important to reset at night and have time for myself. I work all over the place, sometimes at home, cafe, or with my business partner at her office. Again my day / weeks are not the same, which is love!

How do you get into work mode or a creative flow?
I have a great team and we are all so passionate about what we do so daily WIPs and face to face work sessions weekly keeps me going and in that headspace.

Aside from income, what does your career mean to you?
My career means everything to me as it keeps me driven, inspired and I love to challenge myself. I love what I do and I am so passionate about what I do that I feel it is important to teach my daughter you can do anything if you put your mind and heart to it.

What do you find most delightful and most challenging about motherhood? 
Watching her grow into a little girl and hearing use more words is really cute. Every week she changes so much and being able to interact and run around more with her – I love it when she comes home from daycare and gives me a big hug – it’s the best!

Most challenging was being pregnant in lockdown and feeling isolated after birth as my face-to-face Mother's group got shut down due to COVID and reduced to a group chat. I really struggled with no human contact which turned to post-natal depression. We don't have any family local to help, so I find asking for help really hard. If Toby and I want to spend time alone and do date night we pay a babysitter which in the current financial climate is not always easy to do this frequently.

What's your best piece of career advice for mothers?
Never be afraid of taking risks when it comes to your dream career. Don't be scared of saying yes. Yes there are days that are a juggle and do test you to your limits, but I had the same when I didn't have Rocky, which gave me the skills to be the person and Mother I am today. You have to take one day at a time.

What does your morning routine look like? Any hacks for getting ready with a toddler at your feet? 
I usually wake up around 6-6.30am and get Rocky dressed and breakfast, then jump in the shower and get ready while hubby takes over feeding. Some mornings however this does not go to plan and she wants to me to hold her haha!

Self-care and motherhood often don’t come hand-in-hand, but it is so important, and I know you have a really good routine in terms of exercise and wellness. What self-care practices do you have in place? How do you ensure you take time out for yourself, and how do you make this happen? 
Self-care is so important but as I mentioned before I do suffer from mum guilts pretty bad. I have an amazing husband that does encourage me to get out of the house to exercise or just go for a walk. I go to boxing 2-3 times a weeks which is awesome, I love it so much. I feel such high anxiety if I don't and I get really hard on myself.

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@nadine_pike_ / @by_them.co
Images – Nadine’s own.