Meet Chelsea: Leaving the Classroom to Find Purpose (and Flexibility) Elsewhere

After taking several years off to stay home with her son, Chelsea returned to her career in teaching. The schedule worked — but something was missing, and the passion just didn’t align.

“I was no longer feeling inspired and satisfied with my work. I wanted to work for a local nonprofit but I was extremely nervous about not being on a school schedule. It took 2 years of thinking, overthinking, and negotiating before taking the jump.”

When she finally was ready to leap, she was clear and upfront about what she needed in order to make it work.

“I was very communicative in letting my new company know that my availability would be around my son’s schedule. I would come in after getting him on the bus and I would need to leave to get him off of the bus. I also only wanted to work 4 days a week with the one weekday off being flexible so that I could still be involved with different things at his school.”

And… wouldn’t you believe it:

“They accepted all of my terms!”

Challenges Along the Way

While the logistics aligned, the emotional toll of stepping into something unfamiliar was real.

“Just taking the leap out of what was known into the unknown was really challenging.”

Like many parents, Chelsea realized just how much her daily happiness shaped the well-being of her entire family.

“I knew I wasn’t happy with what I was doing. I don’t think I put enough value into the effect my happiness with my day-to-day has on everyone else too. I know it in theory, but when it came down to it, it was hard to prioritize.”

What I Wish I’d Known

“I think we as a culture need to talk more about the value of keeping women happy and engaged in the workforce when they want to be.”

Advice to Others

“Be confident in what you have to offer and how/when you’re willing to offer it.”

Chelsea got everything she wanted — but only after having some honest conversations with herself.
Instead of staying in a career that didn’t feel aligned, she sought out a better one, created her terms, and advocated for her and her family’s needs.

We can all learn a lot from that story.

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