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Maternity Leave Planning: Put Your Best Belly Forward

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So, you’ve told your boss your pregnant.  Which probably means your family, friends and co-workers are now clued in to your big news as well, or will be very soon.  Inevitably, you’ll soon be setting up baby registries and trying to avoid the silly diapering or toilet paper-based games at your shower.  While you’re busy planning your nursery and picking out baby names, it’s also important that you’re preparing appropriately for your maternity leave at the office – and this can be a daunting task.

We all like to think that we are irreplaceable and that no one else can do the job that we do.   While it may be true that no one else can do the job just like you do, if you do it right, your co-workers SHOULD be able to bridge the gap for you during our leave with little disruption to their own roles.  As career driven women, who have spent years climbing the ranks, this may be hard idea to accept – I know it was a scary prospect for me.   You’ve spent how long building up your capital and respect at work and now you’re just going to hand it over for three-ish months to somebody else? What if they find out I’m a fraud or decide I’m not good enough? What if we lose a major client because I’m not there to steer the ship?  I’m due on Opening Day – my entire team is going to hate me – how will I make this work?

Well ladies, I’m going to tell you a little secret – with proper preparation, NOTHING WILL BE IRREVERSIBLY DAMAGED WHILE YOU ARE HOME WITH YOUR BABY.  Yes, you are awesome and work your butt of every day, and they’ll be glad to have you back, but they WILL BE FINE WITHOUT YOU! In fact, planning for your maternity leave is an amazing opportunity to show your company just how much value you really bring to the table.   You can demonstrate your delegation skills, plan for the long-term, and put your rock star status on display.   Think about it – not only will you be forced to prioritize your time leading up to your leave, you’ll also have to think about projects three to six (or more) months past your due date and try to determine how to best prepare your team for success with that vision in mind.

Even though the few months leading up to the birth of my son were hectic (he was also born at the tail-end of our busiest time of year), I honestly enjoyed the opportunity to take a step back and take a look at the big picture.   So, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the key things I did to make sure I left my book of business in the best position possible. I wanted to spend my leave focused on my fresh, sweet, screaming small human – and not on my cell phone (this is also probably going to show just how much I like to plan, make lists, etc. – so I hope this isn’t overkill for any of you more “go-with-the-flow” gals).

This isn’t an all-inclusive checklist, more questions to ask or things to think about in the months after you announce your pregnancy.  Every company’s maternity leave policy is different and it’d be impossible to come up with a checklist that can be applied so broadly.  However, thinking about some of these things early in your pregnancy can help you build out your own checklist and make sure everyone on your team knows the plan during your time out of the office.

Do not take these bullet points as gospel.  I am by no means a FMLA expert (at least not yet – I hope it’s something that’s a by-product of this blog), so please be sure to confirm all of your company’s requirements with your Human Resources office.   These suggestions are based on my personal experience and conversations with other Sports Biz Moms.

  • Tell your boss: Before you do anything else, go back, do not pass go, and read this post if you need help.
  • Talk to HR: Confirm your maternity leave benefits and filing requirements with your human resources department. If your leave is not entirely paid (which unfortunately in the United States, it’s probably not), you may be able to take vacation days concurrently with your leave.  This is important to think about, especially if you’re able to rollover vacation days from year-to-year. I found out I was pregnant in July and my son was due in March, so I purposefully banked a bunch of vacation days in the year prior so I could have more weeks paid during my leave.  I received six weeks paid through short-term-disability and then used my saved vacation time for another two weeks’ pay.
  • Short-Term Disability: Some of you may be wondering what the heck I was referencing in the previous bullet point. Many companies pay their employees during maternity leave through their short-term disability insurance policy.  The exact benefits vary, but in most cases the length of time paid depends on whether you delivered vaginally or via cesarean section.  I thought this article did a nice job at attempting to explain this exciting topic…
  • Technology: Talk to IT about their suggestions for prepping your technology for an extended absence. Does your computer need to be logged-in to your internal network/VPN every so often to make sure you’re not locked out of the system when you return?  I learned this the hard way and spent two and a half miserable days being able to only access email through a public desktop that had not been updated in several years.  The worst part of my first few days back at work was not being able to do actual work – it just made it that much easier to remember the small human I left with complete strangers at daycare.
  • Childcare: Talk to your boss about your childcare plan and how they would prefer you handle any emergencies. Your partner’s work flexibility will weigh heavily on your options here, but it’s important to consider should you need to pick-up you baby from day care during work or event hours.  Once you get to cold and flu seasons there will come a day when your sweet ball of germs isn’t allowed to be around other babies, and it’s going to be during the playoffs, big pitch meeting, opening day, etc.
  • Work Flexibility: On a related noted to the point above, be sure to discuss options for flexible work arrangements with your employer. Your baby’s doctor appointment schedule will put your own social calendar to shame and it sometimes may be more efficient for you to work from home in the morning/afternoon if your doctor’s office is not convenient to your commute.  You may also be able to consider creative ways to fit in time with your child during game nights or weekends when you don’t have direct work responsibilities.  Can you have them with you at the ballpark/arena/stadium if your partner or another family member is able to take over if an emergency pops-up?  On non-event or game days, can you come in early and leave early? Check out my interview with Tiffanne Ryan at the St. Louis Cardinals, as we touched on this topic. Everybody loves a baby in those cute noise-cancelling headphones…
  • Mom Network: Are there other Mom’s in your office? Talk to them. Get to know them well. They should be the best resource for you in navigating your company’s approach to working mothers. It’s so important to have an empathetic resource in the office and this can make such a huge difference on the day when you haven’t slept, your babysitter bailed, and you’re on week 3 of the world’s worst cold.  You’ll love your baby, I promise…
  • Breastfeeding/Pumping: If you plan to breastfeed, be sure to discuss pumping accommodations and schedules with human resources and your boss. It’s important that you are able to schedule this time throughout your day (in the beginning that life sucker – the pump, not your baby – will probably be attached to you every 3 hours) and that you have clean, private place to do so.  This DOES NOT mean the public restroom.  This means a room with a lock and shielded from the view of the rest of your office.  Ideally, it would also include a sink and a refrigerator.  This is actually a law, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, so please share this link if you need to lobby for real estate.  If you need help with this conversation, I am more than happy to chat at any time and I truly mean this.  Please email me.  I pumped at work for 13+ months and have grown far too comfortable talking about it with anyone who will listen.
  • Your Stand-ins:Think about who will cover for you while you’re out. Your boss may have a preference, but I would also recommend coming to this meeting with your own suggestions, particularly if you have a big project that you want in trusted hands. When I was leave, it was during a somewhat busy time of year, so I split my territory among three of my co-workers and that helped lighten their workload and make sure my partners received the best service possible in my absence.
  • Your To-Do List: Build a calendar working backwards from you due to date (mine started about 10 weeks out) that highlights important projects, deadlines, etc. and cross things off the list as they’re completed.   This will be help you prioritize your work before you are out of the office, and can also serve as a guide for your co-workers should baby arrive earlier than expected.
  • Looking Forward: After you create your plan of work to get done BEFORE you’re on leave, extend that calendar through your time off and your first four weeks back at work. This should highlight projects and deadlines your team needs to keep the ship afloat while you’re out and will help you focus once you get back to the office.
  • Status Updates: Schedule regular meetings with your co-worker(s) to discuss status updates and any outstanding issues once you near your due date. About six weeks prior to my due date, I began weekly status updates with my colleagues where I ran them through any major project updates and filled them in on the various idiosyncrasies of my partners.  Depending on the relationship with your supervisor, they may also want to be included in these meetings.
  • Back-up: Save all of your important files on a shared office drive. You don’t want to have to crack open your laptop during a precious nap time to send someone a spreadsheet.  I’d also suggest diving into these folders with your colleagues to explain your own system of organization in your weekly status meetings.
  • Go-Time: What is the communication plan for when you go into labor? Will you tell your boss and your co-workers when you go to the hospital or after the baby is born? If your experience is anything similar to mine, you’ll have 27+ hours to keep the team updated, but the constant barrage of nurses, doctors and husbands poking around (literally) will make you want to avoid all conversation – figure this out ahead of time.  I texted both my boss and my co-workers to let them know it was go-time and they all received an update after my son finally made his appearance.

There you go folks.  My over-planning tendencies for all the world to see.  If I had to sum up the maternity leave planning process simply, it would be OVERCOMMUNICATE.  You may think your co-worker knows that Mrs. James in Suite 42 likes her popcorn stale and beer served at room temperature, but it’s best not to make assumptions – both in planning for maternity leave and in considering the capacity of your infant’s diaper.

Please do reach out to me with any other suggestions or tips.   I’ve only birthed one human at one company, so I’m sure there’s some things I’ve missed that we can add to the list!

Babies Are Gross

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To quote my good friend and co-worker, Hollie, “Babies Are Gross.”  Don’t get me wrong, I love my son dearly, but my sweet ball of germs was sick last weekend, which of course means I was also sick by Monday evening.

So, for anyone wondering what happened to me after my big intro last week – daycare, daycare happened.

Snot and snuggles. You win some, you lose some, right?

I had intentions of writing one, if not two, well-researched posts and getting another interview under my belt.  However, the best laid plans are ruined by toddlers and head colds, and these few paragraphs are all I’ve been well enough to muster in the evening outside of work.

Tonight is the first night since Monday I’ve been upright after 8:00 PM, so I am hoping to be back in working condition for the weekend.  For someone who correctly or incorrectly derives a lot of self-worth from being productive, being sick is mental torture.  However, I am trying my best to not put pressure on myself to write something when I really just need the time to recover (this is a really easy reference to “should-ing on myself” that I just couldn’t help but use…) so I can enjoy a full weekend with my family.

So, this short, but ironic post is all I have to offer in week two.  As much as we want to try to do it all, sometimes the universe just has its ways of making us slow down and appreciate the sweet relief of NyQuil.  All another week in the life of a working Mom, huh?

Here’s to a more productive and less congested last week of June!

Farewell, Ms. Medela: A Goodbye Letter to My Breast Pump

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Ms. Medela, her entourage, and that terrible green bag…

Dear Ms. Medela,

Today, April 16th, 2018, is the first day we have not been connected since almost exactly a year ago.  I thought the day I put you away would be a momentous one, and that I would celebrate my new found freedom. However, I barely noticed your absence.  In fact, I did not know that Friday would be our last day together. Had I known, I would have rejoiced during our final work-day session; because, Ms. Medela breast pump, I WILL NOT miss you!

Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly grateful that you and I were able to work together to feed my small human for so long; but, that precious liquid gold came at a price. A price, I will not miss paying.  In addition to the small fortune I spent on that (oh, so attractive) hands-free bra with holes in just the right places, the spare parts, travel battery packs, a car adapter, etc., the biggest price I paid was with my time. Time spent, prepping, pumping, and washing parts. Time spent scheduling our sessions around phone calls at work for fear someone would hear you (Although, my co-workers can attest that I eventually got over that fear, and had no problem letting you contribute to many a conference call. You’re a true professional, Ms. Medala.). Time spent hidden at social functions so I could “place the order” and have a few hours of comfort. Time spent leaving early for work road trips so I had time to connect and disconnect you along the way.  No, Ms. Medela, I will not miss our alone time.

I won’t miss our meeting spots.  Whether it be my desk, the dining room table, or the driver’s seat – I could find you wherever I went.  You were always there Ms. Medela – in airports, restaurant bathroom stalls, the judge’s library while on jury duty, and a port-a-potty at the start-line of the NYC Marathon.  No, Ms. Medela, I won’t miss our meeting spots.

Nope, these 50,000+ runners won’t mind if I takeover this porta-potty for 20 minutes. 

I also won’t miss the tired green bag I carried you in each and every day to work.  The bag that everyone assumes is a gym bag. Of course, I just let them believe that the contents are my running shoes instead of the object that, other than my son, runs almost every other aspect of my life.  No, Ms. Medela, I won’t miss your green bag.

Perhaps, even more than the tired green bag, I won’t miss your entourage.  Let’s see – you run with tubes, shields, membranes, valves, bottles, bottle caps, special bra, ice pack, cooler, and sometimes plastic storage bags.  (Forget one member of the entourage and watch Mama turn into MacGyver!) While it’s hard to choose my favorite “friend” of yours, I am partial to those handy plastic storage bags and my own hair tie.  A packing mishap on a business trip necessitated some creativity in fashioning a milk receptacle.  I recommend all pumping women carry these two items in reserve in case you forget milk bottles…but, I digress – No, Ms. Medela, I won’t miss your entourage.

Most of all, Ms. Medela, I won’t miss our awkward conversations.  Here are a few of my favorites:

  • “Mr. Construction worker, why did you so rudely rap on my window while I was getting hooked up outside daycare?  I’m sorry I parked right where you planned to place those cones.  Little did you know, this is my 2nd day back from maternity leave and you made me cry. Had you scared the living mother’s milk out of me 10 seconds later, you may have even gotten a little show.  Good luck with your project!”
  • “Hi, male co-worker! How’s your day going? Oh yes…that’s DEFINITELY my printer you hear in the background – busy day in the office!”
  • “Excuse me boss, I’m still breastfeeding and need to go out to the rental car before our event tonight to pump.  That’s right, the rental car you’re going to spend the next 45 minutes in after I’m finished. I’ll try not to spill.”
  • “Your Honor, I am pumped (pun intended) that I’ve been selected for jury duty.  However, we need to delay the start of this trial so I can pump and feed my baby…Why, yes, your judge’s library would be the perfect place for me to expose myself.”
  • “Hello, gentleman I just met an hour ago.  I will be returning late to the next session at this professional conference so I can pump in a dirty bathroom stall. Please don’t think I’m being rude.”

I’m sorry, Ms. Medela, don’t feel hurt as I find a place to store you in my dark, cold basement. It’s nothing personal, you see. You’ve done your job and you’ve done it well. The small human will be 13 months tomorrow and loves to eat, play, and sometimes…sleep. This is in many ways, thanks to you.  

Had you not been there with me as I cried on my first day back at work, during jury duty, or in that smelly porta-a-potty; I would have had to find another way to feed his sweet face. While he would have been just fine, I most likely would not.  Mom-guilt and the pressure to breast feed are REAL, and I can only imagine how defeated I would have felt without your cooperation.  Selfishly, I’ve secretly enjoyed that your involvement meant that I had an excuse to spend more time alone with the small human, and for that, I thank you.  While I have not always appreciated you, Ms. Medela, I am truly grateful for what you have allowed me to do for the past 13 months. I know that because our time is ending, my time breast feeding the small human will soon be too – and that, Ms. Medela, I will miss. So, I guess, Ms. Medela…I may just miss you after all…

Sincerely,

The Producer

Sports Biz Mom: Erin Braddock, University of Florida

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I was so excited to have a chance to speak with Erin Braddock for this post.  I met her at our graduate program’s annual Symposium back in May and knew within minutes that she’d be a great fit for Sports Biz Mom.  She has a wealth of experience in the industry and recently made a major career change for the benefit of her family.  Her perspective is just the type of insight I was hoping to be able to portray on this blog and I’m so glad that it’s one of the first pieces to be shared.  She also gave me one of my new favorite quotes (see below) and I will do my best not to overuse it on this site.  Enjoy!

Erin Braddock lives in the Orlando area with her husband and two sons, ages four and two.  She is currently an Adjunct Professor for the University of Florida Sports Management Master’s Program, where she is developing a sponsorship class that will launch this fall.  She also provides career coaching to the online Master’s students, and mentors several young women who are up and coming in the sports industry.  Prior to Florida, Erin spent 7+ years with the Orlando Magic, where she most recently served as the Assistant Director of Corporate Partnership Activation.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.

“…We have to quit “shoulding” on ourselves.”

Can you describe a typical day in the life for you and your family? I am usually up before everyone else to get ready, that way when the kids get up I can get them dressed and out the door.  I drop the kids off around 8:30 at a three-hour morning school session so I can work from 9:00 to 11:00, and then I leave to go pick them up and we do lunch.  My younger son then naps, and the older one takes some quiet time and then we play and do activities until dinner.   It was really hard coming off of working full-time and getting used to this new schedule.  I was used to be being able to plow through things.  I have had to learn how to be patient, be a lot more flexible and take my time to get things done.

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of? I am most proud of the fact I was part of the team that secured the first jersey sponsorship at the Orlando Magic with Disney. My internship after graduate school and my first job were at Disney, so it was fun to see things come full circle.

What personal accomplishment are you most proud of? My family and my kids.  I got married a little later and early in my 30’s I started to wonder if I would ever have a family.  Needless to say I feel extremely blessed and they were worth the wait.

Would you be willing to share the thought process behind your decision to go out on your own as a career coach and professor?  I loved my job with the Magic. I loved the organization and my team. It was my “Dream Job”.  I went in as a single person but within 7.5 years I was married and had two kids.

I started to think about making a change more seriously after my second son.  I came back in September at a very hectic time. We were pitching the [NBA] jersey patch and I had three major partner renewals.  Working in pro sports it’s not just the day, it’s game nights and some travel and I started to feel like I wasn’t seeing my kids very much. When I was there, I was an Assistant Director, and I knew the next step up would involve even more time and responsibility.  I started to feel very weighed down by the thought of the next step, not excited like I had been in the past, and I used that as a litmus test for myself. I thought, “As I look at the next 5 years, do I want to keep up this lifestyle?”.   I decided it wasn’t something I wanted to do anymore, yet at the same time I knew I didn’t want to be a 100%, full-time, stay-at-home Mom.  So, I started to think about the things I enjoyed doing.  I started looking at adjunct positions and knew I enjoyed speaking with the local students that would reach out to me for career advice.

At the same time, my husband was working for a small company and did not have benefits.  So, in the back of my head, I knew when he found a different job that’s when I may make a change.  Then, a fellow Ohio University alum recommended I talk with the department chair at Florida about an adjunct position that also happened to involve career coaching.   In the meantime, I was able to see the jersey patch to fruition – we made the announcement last June.  My husband started a new job in July, and I gave notice in August.  God just kind of laid it out for us!

I will say it’s been an adjustment.  For the longest time, I felt like my identity was my job, especially before I had kids.  I was proud of the position and the accomplishment and I had to get to a place where I felt ok walking away.  A place where I felt like I still had a lot of value in just being a mom and a part-time employee and not be Erin who works for an NBA team.  It almost feels silly to say this as I don’t look down upon anyone who has made this decision or to completely walk away from work altogether.  It was just a personal hurdle I encountered.  I had to let go of my ego.

How has being a Mom positively impacted your career? Being a Mom has made me change my perspective. I took a leap of faith in branching out [to an adjunct teaching position], and think I would have otherwise been afraid to go to a new category.  I feel invigorated…I’ve thought about speaking or doing career coaching on my own, and I wouldn’t have gone down that avenue if I wouldn’t have felt the nudge from my family to do so.

What’s something you wish you would have known about being a working Mom before you had children? I knew it would put a lot on my plate.  I don’t know that I realized just how selfless you have to become and how you do have to make some hard choices.  Naively, I remember being an undergrad and having a conversation with someone saying, “I know I’m going to have it all.”  You know, the white picket fence, dog running in the yard, executive level job, kids, etc.  That’s not to say I feel like I don’t have it all now, but it doesn’t look like I thought I would.

Being a working Mom made me realize you can’t really give 100% of yourself to every single thing. That has been the biggest change for me.  When I came back from my first maternity leave, my boss, who was a female and a Mom, told me, “You just have to be okay with giving 95%. You’re not going to be able to give 100% to yourself to every single thing anymore.”

This was hard for a Type A personality like myself, but it was true, especially after having my second son.  If I had game nights I was missing my kids.  If I was home I felt like I was dropping the ball at work. I was always worried about not being a good mom, wife, employee…and did not realize just how challenging the juggling act would be.

What non-traditional benefits do you think would help to make the life of a Sports Biz Mom easier?  Outside of on-site childcare, I think the opportunity to network with other Mom’s in the industry would be a great benefit.  I know for me I dealt with the guilt of leaving work on-time.  Prior to kids I’d often work long as would my team.  When I had kids I had to draw line in the sand so I could get home and see them, but recall feeling almost guilty for not putting in the extra time.  Perhaps if there were more women who were in a similar situation who said “I do the same thing too”  it would have made it a little easier.  Just a support system who could empathize or share tips on how to balance it all.

What type of childcare do/did you use while with the Magic? With our first son, my mother-in-law watched him and we also had a nanny that shared the responsibility.  After my 2nd son the boys would go to daycare in the morning and then a nanny would pick them up and care for them in the afternoon.

Are they are other questions you would like me to ask another Mom that I speak with or anything else you would like to share with Sports Biz Moms? It’s important to do whatever is best for you and your family, and that’s going to look different for everybody.  Whether you’re in sports or not, there’s no right or wrong way to be a working Mom.  We women compare  ourselves to each other and we’ll have “Mom Guilt”, no matter if you’re a stay at home mom, working full-time or part-time. It all depends on what’s best in your personal situation and we have to quit “shoulding” on ourselves.

Telling Your Boss You’re Pregnant – 5 Tips

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When you first find out your pregnant your mind is awash in emotions.  My first thought was somewhere along the lines of, “YAY-Ermahgerd-Holy *@%&*!-So excited-So scared”.  I also immediately started to think about how I would tell my husband (he was out of town for a wedding when I took the test), our parents, and the one I was dreading the most – my boss.

I don’t know why I was so nervous about this.  My boss at the time was an awesome person to work for.  He understood that we had a personal life outside of work and was genuinely happy/excited/sad for his employees whenever one of us experienced a major life event.  However, I was terrified, as I had been in my role for less than a year, and truly loved it.  I didn’t want my pregnancy to be seen as an indication of my commitment/non-commitment to my job and my career.  I also felt incredibly awkward in telling my male boss I was pregnant because, well, you all know how babies are made and how immodestly we enter this world…

Yes, I understand this is silly, but I’ve always been a rule follower and something about the situation made me feel like I was doing something wrong.  Which is probably a reflection of misogyny, expectations for women, etc., but that’s for another post…

Anyway, I actually told my boss I was pregnant at only 9 weeks along. This was 2-3 weeks before I told my parents, and he was only the 4th person to know behind my husband, a girlfriend and my doctor.   A situation had come up at work that required us to plan for something several months down the road, and I didn’t feel comfortable having those conversations without also letting him know I was now carrying around a very tiny co-worker. I hadn’t intended to tell him that early; but, I felt the circumstances necessitated I divulge my little secret.

So, I spent a weekend stewing over the appropriate wording; googled all the articles about telling your boss your pregnant (I recommend this one); and wrote down my talking points, so that when my voice undoubtedly started shaking, I had an anchor point.   In the end, my boss was overjoyed, immediately insisted I take the full 12 weeks of leave offered by my company, and assured me we had plenty of time to come up with a plan.  I tend to jump to worst-case scenario as I think through tricky conversations, but as per usual, my worry was much ado about nothing.  It was a pleasant conversation (although I probably sounded like I was about to cry the whole time) and I came away even more grateful for a supportive supervisor who placed such great value on family.  Regardless, it was an exchange I was THRILLED to be finished with and I know that not everyone comes away feeling better after having it.  However, with a little preparation, you can put yourself in the best position possible to walk out the door leaving your boss confident in your plan and still feeling excited about your good news.

Here’s my five tips for telling your boss your pregnant:

  1. Call your HR department and/or review your employee manual before you speak with your supervisor so you are up-to-date on your company’s family leave polices. My HR department had an anonymous line, which was a huge help.  However, if this is not possible at your place of employment, be sure to ask your HR department as soon as you’ve spoken with your boss so you can begin to develop your plan.  If have a mind for legalese and the patience to read a government website, the Department of Labor also details your FMLA rights.
  2. Schedule a specific time to talk with your boss. Don’t spring it on her/him at the end of the meeting or during a particularly stressful project.
  3. Prepare a rough outline of your plan for coverage while you are on leave. Your boss will appreciate you taking the initiative on this and coming with ideas in hand.  Some questions to consider:
    1. Will you be out during a busy time of year?
    2. Do you plan to work up until the baby arrives?
    3. Who on your team would you need to step-up in your absence?
    4. What will you need to do to hit the ground running when you return from leave?
    5. What’s your childcare plan (or when do you plan to have one), particularly for nights, weekends, etc. You do work in sports…
  4. Consider the appropriate timing. Many women choose to wait until they are in the 2nd trimester, but if your small human has you spending a lot of time w/ the doctor or in a bathroom stall, you may not have the choice but to share.  This is a personal decision, but one that needs to consider the appropriate amount of time your company will need to prepare for coverage while you are out of the office.
  5. DON’T tell your co-workers before you tell your supervisor. Your boss should hear the news and your plan directly from you, not the rumor mill.

I hope these five tips help guide you through our own conversations with your employer.  Please comment below with any other suggestions and check out my post about preparing for maternity leave and your first few weeks back at work after baby.

Sports Biz Mom: Tiffanne Becks, St. Louis Cardinals

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One of the goals of this blog is to celebrate and highlight the awesome work of Moms in the sports business industry, and one of the first Mom’s I thought of when I embarked on this project was Tiffanne Becks.   I first met Tiffanne when I was a graduate student at Ohio University.  She worked in Community Relations for the St. Louis Cardinals and was kind enough to meet me for lunch while I was in the area over Christmas break in 2011.  Fast forward 6 or so years, and we were both expecting our first babies in early 2017.   Her daughter Brynlee was born about 6 weeks prior to my son, so we’ve both be managing the Sportz Biz Mom life for a similar amount of time.  Tiffanne is an amazingly genuine person, who is always willing to talk.  I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I always enjoy speaking with her.

Tiffanne Becks lives in the St. Louis area with her husband 1-year old daughter, Brynlee.  She is the Manager, Cardinals Care for the St. Louis Cardinals and has also served as the Associate Director of Major Gifts for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri.  She holds Masters degrees in Business and Sports Administration from Ohio University.  Tiffanne attended Southeast Missouri State University as an undergrad, where she studied Sports Management and Business Administration, and was also a member of the Women’s Basketball team.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Be in the moment. Live in the moment. Appreciate the moment.

What is your role with the Cardinals and your primary responsibility? Established in 1997, Cardinals Care has provided over $24 million in grants to non-profit youth organizations and built 22 youth ball fields in local under-resourced neighborhoods in both Missouri and Illinois. Since 2004, Cardinals Care has also orchestrated the innovative Redbird Rookies program. Redbird Rookies is a free baseball/softball league for kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play. In addition to providing all the uniforms, gloves, bats, balls and other equipment needed for each team, Redbird Rookies also provides extensive off-field support in the areas of health, education, mentoring, cultural arts and scholarship for each of the nearly 3,000 kids who participate in the program each year.

As manager of the foundation I oversee all our fundraising efforts, which includes, in-stadium 50/50 raffles and silent auctions, golf tournament, 6K Run/Walk, and 3-day fan fest, Winter Warm-Up.  I also oversee the administration of our Redbird Rookies Program, including planning  all of the off-field events, as well as ordering all of the equipment and uniforms for each of our 14 leagues.  I coordinate over 500 volunteers a year in the execution of these fund development and community events.  I also play a role in the review and allocation of our cash grants to other non-profits serving youth.

What do you feel is your greatest professional accomplishment? Establishing a new role within the foundation and achieving consistent improvement to our community initiatives and partnerships. 

What do you feel is your greatest personal achievement? Overcoming insecurities in order to strive every day to be the best wife and mother I can be.

How has being a Mom made you better at your job? Being a Mom has improved my  time management skills.  In the past, I did not need to rush home and the ability to  stay late here or there meant it was easy to get off-task.  Now, I am more focused and on-task,  and organized in general. My “Working Mom Brain” mind goes 100 mph making sure her needs are met.  I also take things less seriously.  Some of the things I used to let stress me out at work, now I don’t. Life is too good and too short and I want to be in the moment. Live in the moment. Appreciate the moment.  Your child is with the childcare provider more than she’s with you and I am intentional about spending time with her.  If Brynn is awake, we’re awake.

What has been the biggest challenge for you at work since becoming a Mom? Being away from her (Brynlee) goes against every motherly instinct.

Would you have done anything differently in your preparation for becoming a working Mom? While I was pregnant I was preparing for what life was like when she got here and we were home together. I didn’t think to prepare for how hard it would be to go back to work.  I dreaded the day I went back and the transition was harder than what I thought it would be.   Looking back, I would have asked my boss ahead of time about what type of flexibility I would have had more discussions with my supervisor about adjusting to being a working Mom.

How has your employer helped in your transition to being a working Mom? Have you been afforded any additional flexibility? I now come in early so she can leave early.  The evening time is crucial – in the morning it’s just getting out the door.  There isn’t any time to enjoy you family in the morning. I am always in by 7:15 or 7:30 and leave by 4:00 PM if I don’t have game duties.  When I have game duties, which is about a third of the time, I can’t bring her to work with me. However, I am able to have her at  some community events outside of game days and sometimes in our suite when my responsibility is to host partners or sponsors.  May is also the thick of our season for community events, so from May through September I will be working from home every other Friday.

What type of childcare do you use? Brynlee goes to an in-home day-care and is cared for by my best friend’s Mom.  However, we will likely be transitioning her to preschool around 18 months.  My husband also works from home so he’s able to keep her home in the morning sometimes.

Did you, your husband or partner receive paid parental leave benefits when your child was born? I received and took the full twelve weeks mandated by FMLA.  However, I only received 60% of my salary for six of those weeks. The last six weeks I used vacation and sick days. It was like being punished for having a baby!  This level of [parental leave] benefits is hard when a woman does go back to work, because now, when the baby gets sick or has doctor’s appointment you have to hustle to not use a bunch of sick days.

My husband received four weeks fully paid.  He used two of those weeks immediately after she was born and was able to split the rest of the time throughout the year.   He took the final five days the week I went back to work to help ease with that transition.

What advice do you have it  for women in sports who do not yet have a family, but may someday want to?  Be intentional about the time you have and keep a positive mindset.  Make it as fun and the best quality it can be… and put your phone down! Be in the moment. Live in the moment. Appreciate the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

Sports Biz Mom – An Intro

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Sports Biz Mom – An Intro

June 12th, 2017 was a day I had dreaded for entire pregnancy. Not the specific day exactly, but the idea of it.  After 12 weeks, I was headed back to work.  I was officially a “Sports Biz Mom”.  I choked back tears the night before while I packed up my things for the day.  I cried as I put my son in his car seat.  I cried as I dropped him off at daycare.  I cried as I drove away and pumped on my way to the office.  I cried when I called my boss to check-in.  I cried when we got home from daycare that night because he was so sleepy from his first day, he went to bed almost immediately.   I was just as exhausted, and incredibly overwhelmed with the thought of our new schedule of ;bottle washing, pump bag packing, bottle making, nighttime feedings, and…oh yeah, also working.  How in the world was I going to do this? How in the world did anyone do this? 

But, we did do it.  One year later, I have a healthy almost 15 month old; we’re on our second daycare; have weathered our first winter of ear infections and pink eye; and I learned to pack a pumping bag, diaper bag, and computer bag like a pro.  I’ve officially been a Sports Biz Mom for 365 days and I am proud, grateful, humbled and wonderfully exhausted.   I’ve learned a lot over the past year, but also know I have so much more to discover and share about life as a working Mom in the Sports Industry.  So, here I am – officially writing and putting these thoughts out in the open.  Thoughts that are probably at least 8 months in the making. Thoughts that I have doubted were of any value time and time again. However, I believe that if an idea just won’t leave the crazy, scary corners of your mind, it’s worth exploring – so here goes – my official entrance into “Mommy Blogging” and your introduction to Sports Biz Mom.

WHY: I think no matter the project, Why is the most important place to start – without it, we have no purpose.  First, my “why” is Fraser Steven Jacobs – my sweet, sweet, son, who turned one on St. Patrick’s Day. This boy lights up my day and I could probably find a way to incorporate every Mom cliche into this section – but I’ll spare you.  Since he was born, I have felt an immense obligation to leave this world better than I found it. And while the summation of that is “don’t be a jerk”, to me, it primarily means striving for equality for all. One of those areas where I think I can help to make a big impact is for women’s equality in the workplace – particularly those working in the sports industry.  So, here you go baby boy, this is my gift to you (one you’ll probably hate come junior high).

WHO: Sports Biz Mom is me, Abby Jacobs – native Nebraskan, current Milwaukeean, and former New Yorker.  My husband, Ben, and I have been married since 2014 and are both proud alumni of the Ohio University Sports Administration Program.  I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska and have worked in professional and collegiate athletics, as well as on the agency and brand side of the industry.  I love running, bad documentaries, baseball, scotch tape, and spicy food.

WHAT: Sports Biz Mom is where I plan to shine a light on some of the amazing things Moms in the sports industry. Yes, there are challenges, but my goal is for this to be a positive, uplifting site that focuses on what we as Moms can do, not what we can’t (Please call me out if I get to be a Negative Nancy – we all have bad days).  I want this blog to be a resource for Moms in the sports industry, or women who someday want to be one. It takes a village to raise a child, and my hope is that this will become a community and platform to share ideas, ask questions, and empower others.  

HOW:  This is going to be real.  I want to be REAL honest.  I don’t want to sugar coat my experiences nor make myself or other working Moms out to be martyrs.  But folks, THIS. IS. HARD. I am going to touch on awkward subjects (Pumping at Work), sensitive subjects (Deciding NOT to Return to Work), and practical subjects (Maternity Leave Prep Checklist).  I plan to interview current Moms in the business, highlight employers that are Mom friendly, and showcase Mom/Baby/Kid related Sports Biz activations. Some days it will be based on my personal experiences, sometimes on those of others.

WHEN:  A goal is just a wish until you write it down, right? Well, my goal for the first 6 months of this blog is to publish at least one post per week.  The day of the week things will go live is TBD; but, I plan for this to be consistent. I’m a Type-A type of gal and I work well on a deadline!

There you have it.  My blog plan in a few paragraphs.  Thank you to anyone who is still reading this.  It is PETRIFYING that someone out there still actually is.  

Story ideas? A connection you’d like to share? Cute baby pic? Please comment below or email me at sportsbizmom@gmail.com or share your ideas on social media using #sportsbizmom and/or #sportsbizbabies.