In HELLO!'s new series, How I Make It Work, we speak to inspiring women in business about how they make it work.
From the perfect work/life balance to the people they rely on and self-care that helps them function, prepare to feel motivated…
In honour of International Women's Day, we spoke to midlife powerhouse and women's fitness trainer Kate Rowe-Ham, 48.
© Sophie Mitchell PhotographyAfter suffering crippling menopause symptoms, the mum-of-three pivoted from working as a personal trainer to channelling her energies into helping empower women in midlife take control back of their lives.
As patron of the Menopause Mandate, she authored the bestselling book Owning Your Menopause: Fitter, Calmer, Stronger in 30 days and founded her Owning Your Menopause platform to support other women navigating the journey.
Here she shares how she makes it work in her life…
How my day-to-day works
I wake up at 6 am, get my gym kit on and teach a session for my Owning Your Menopause app at 6.30 am. That can be a weighted workout or HIIT class then I might do a few little extra bits afterwards, and my exercise is done and dusted for the day.
Next, I get the kids ready for school which usually involves a little bit of screaming and shouting to keep it real. Once everyone is out of the door, I switch into work clothes, which changes depending on whether I have meetings in London or articles to write.
I'm always creating content and thinking of ways to reach women and inspire them to empower themselves to navigate this life stage.
I split my day between home and my office next to my gym. Leaving the house to go to the office has created much more of a work/life balance. I try to get everything done before I pick my son up from school so I don't need to go back to it. This helps stop the 'mum guilt'.
Being realistic helps me make it work
I set myself a goal of 4,000 steps a day, which is more realistic than 10,000. Too many of us beat ourselves up when our goals are unachievable.
© Shutterstock / PeopleImages.com - Yuri AHow my work/life balance works
The difficulty with working from home is I have to be forceful about switching off. I recently stepped away from my phone and deleted social media for two weeks and it was extraordinarily hard to do.
Before deleting the apps, I'd pick up my phone to do something and an hour later I'd still be scrolling – and my task remained incomplete. Social media can be such a waste of time and I am trying to lead by example for my kids by being more present.
© GettyDuring my break, I asked someone else to upload my content and it helped me create more of a balance. When you have an Instagram profile, it is 24/7, there is no cut off point - you are at everyone's disposal.
It's okay to step back and realise we don't have to do it all and don't need to – that's where a lot of midlife overwhelm comes in.
"It's okay to step back and realise we don't have to do it all and don't need to"
We worry about our kids and have elderly parents to take care of so it's important to find work/life balance even if it’s just three or four times a week.
The perfect work/life balance for me is …
When you don't feel so overwhelmed by work and instead you can be present for the family.
© Sophie Mitchell PhotographyWork/life balance advice
When my dad was ill, I went to visit him and I got an email about a really exciting thing for work. I started to reply and he asked, "What are you doing?" which made me sit up and take notice of my behaviour.
There is an immediacy to modern life which makes us feel the need to reply straight away – but in reality, there's more to life.
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