The Rhythm of Careers and Motherhood: Finding Growth in Every Season

You may already be familiar with working in sync with your hormonal cycle. I like to think of our hormonal cycle in seasons.

Seasons in Our Hormonal Cycle

• Follicular Phase – Spring: This is when energy rises. Creativity flows. We feel curious and open to trying new things.

• Ovulatory Phase – Summer: Confidence peaks here. We feel social, expressive, and magnetic.

• Luteal Phase – Autumn: Energy starts to turn inward. It’s the perfect time for reflection, refining details, and finishing projects.

• Menstrual Phase – Winter: This is the rest phase, a natural pause where our body asks us to slow down and reflect.

In my work with women, I’ve also noticed we go through seasons in our careers, and I see this reflected in my own journey as a working mum.

For so many of us, there’s this unspoken rule that careers are supposed to move like a staircase. Step by step, always upward. Promotion. Title change. Bigger salary. I've been there, done that.

So when things don’t go that way, we feel frustrated, disappointed, stuck, or even bored.

But if you’re a mum, you know life rarely follows a neat, upward path.

Careers don’t either.

Like our hormones, careers also move in seasons. And when we stop expecting staircase progress, we can actually breathe and appreciate the season we’re in. Less burnout, right?

Careers don’t move in straight lines, they flow in seasons. Right now, I’m in a season of slowing down, being present with my boys, and still finding ways to grow in my career. Whatever season you’re in, it’s not stagnant or stuck, it’s shaping your next chapter.

The Seasons of a Career

Think of your career like the seasons of nature.

• Spring: Growth and Curiosity: The season where new things start to sprout. You might consider exploring a side project, taking a course, or dipping your toes into something that excites you. It’s messy, it’s experimental, and it’s not meant to be perfect.

• Summer: Flourishing and Momentum: This is when everything clicks. Work flows, results pile up, and confidence grows. But it’s also the season where mums can feel stretched thin because when you’re thriving at work, it’s easy to say yes to everything.

• Autumn: Harvest and Transition: The season of reflection. Maybe you’re wrapping up a role, considering a new path, or recognising you’ve outgrown a certain way of working. It’s both a letting go and a gathering of data or wisdom.

• Winter: Rest and Renewal: The quiet season. Often mistaken for being stuck, this is actually when we restore, reflect, and prepare for what’s next. For mums, winter can feel like pressing pause to be more present at home, but it’s not wasted time. It’s a season of deep reflection.

My Season Right Now

As a homeschooling mum of two boys aged 8 and 5, I know what it’s like to feel torn between growing a career and being present at home.

Since 2016, when I was pregnant with my first, I’ve been working remotely.

Back then, it was out of necessity. Over time, it became a choice that allowed me to honour the season I was in ... sometimes leaning into career growth, other times pulling back to focus on my family. Although I didn't quite get it back then, I found myself feeling frustrated and even a bit resentful.

Right now, my season is about presence.

I’m home with my boys still, guiding their learning and shaping how they show up in the world as men, while continuing to grow my career in ways that fit my capacity. It doesn’t look like a staircase climb (absolutely not!), but it’s still growth.

It’s just growth in a cycle that matches this chapter of life, and that's what I wanted to share with you.

What I’ve Learned From the Seasons

• Comparison is the thief of peace: Just because someone else is in their summer doesn’t mean you’re behind. It simply means you’re in a different season.

• Rest is not failure: Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is pause. That’s where clarity comes from. I once watched a video of Cameron Diaz explaining how a jellyfish or an octopus moves forward: it must first contract inward with all its energy and force before propelling itself forward.

• Your season doesn’t define your potential: It’s just where you are right now, not forever. Let's be real, our kids are growing up in the blink of an eye.

So next time you feel stuck or frustrated, ask yourself: What season am I in?

Maybe you’re in growth, testing new paths.

Maybe you’re flourishing and juggling more than ever.

Maybe you’re harvesting wisdom from a chapter that’s ending.

Or maybe, like me, you’re in a quieter season, resting, reflecting, and redefining what success looks like as a mum.

Wherever you are, remember your season is not a setback.

It’s part of your story.

And it’s moving you forward in its own rhythm.

Aligning Both Rhythms

When we see both our career and our hormonal cycles in terms of seasons, we gain perspective.

In motherhood, sometimes our career feels like it’s in winter because our energy is pulled to being home and present. At other times, we find ourselves in spring or summer, ready to create, connect, and expand.

Neither is right nor wrong ... it’s just rhythm.

For me, syncing my expectations with both cycles has helped me stop fighting myself.

If I’m in a quieter season hormonally or professionally, I lean into it rather than pushing through. And when I feel energy rising again, I ride that wave with more purpose.

The more we honour our natural rhythms, whether it’s our career seasons, our hormonal seasons, or the season of motherhood we’re in, the more sustainable and fulfilling our growth becomes, with energy, joy, and peace.

 If you’ve been wondering what season you’re in right now and how to make the most of it, I’d love to help you find clarity and confidence in your next steps.

Book a free call with me and let’s explore how your career can grow in alignment with your life as a mum. Book your call here