IN THIS EPISODE…
Maintaining career, personal identity, and family life is an ever-evolving journey filled with challenges and rewards. So, how do parents nurture their careers while supporting their children’s growth and maintaining a sense of self?
In today’s special episode of Matters of Creative, host Matt brings together a panel of parents from the M team —Garth, Ayanna, Bobbie, and Jenny—to share about their experiences navigating parenthood, personal identity, and professional ambition. Listeners will hear reflections on building confidence in children, finding time for hobbies, and trading the pursuit of balance in for finding your flow.
ABOUT OUR GUESTS:
Garth Oliver | M Agency’s Senior Developer
As a developer, Garth is passionate about making fantastic ideas a reality, striving to utilize cutting-edge web technology to give users and clients the best experience possible. With over 10 years of experience working with talented colleagues and a diverse range of clients, Garth is no stranger to facilitating a vision, promoting usability, and executing creative solutions.
When he isn’t glued to his computer typing loudly, he enjoys writing and recording music, video gaming, hanging out with his two cats, and running.
Ayanna Pasha | M Agency’s Copywriter
Ayanna enjoys the challenge of cutting through the noise with engaging and strategic storytelling. From content strategy to defining your brand’s “why,” Ayanna helps your brand govern its communication so your message resonates deeply and drives results. When she’s not reading, she’s usually spending time with family, dominating game boards, or pretending she’s a professional pickleball player (emphasis on pretending).
Bobbie Bailey | M Agency’s CEO
As the CEO and founder of M Agency, Bobbie creates the high energy that drives businesses forward and inspires her team to achieve greatness together. Since starting M Agency twelve years ago, her full-service marketing agency has helped hundreds of businesses, from Alaska Airlines to Celebrity Cake Studio, catalyze their success through meaningful and results-driven marketing.
Bobbie has been able to grow M into an award-winning agency by cultivating a creative and intentional environment where her team’s strengths are leveraged to continuously deliver exceptional work. The result of her dedication has allowed her to invest back into the community in multiple ways, such as South Sound 100 Women, a community organization she co-founded that fundraises for local non-profits. When not in the office, you can find her on the tennis courts, with her family, or learning how to fly a plane!
Jenny Ridenour | M Agency’s Art Director
With two decades of design and branding experience, Jenny has been the visionary behind many successful brands, businesses, and campaigns. Co-founding her own business and growing it to 7-figure sales within two years gave her the confidence and experience to help other businesses elevate their marketing.
At M Agency, Jenny creates the strategies for all creative, ensuring there is alignment between meaningful visual storytelling and solving complex marketing and branding problems to grow businesses.
An eternal optimist, you can find her dreaming of Pantone colors, petting dogs (any will do), or spending time with her family.
HERE’S A GLIMPSE OF WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- [1:14] Garth shares his initial surprises about becoming a parent
- [3:17] Garth shares about balancing his personal identity, hobbies, and parenting, and why it’s important to him that his son sees him pursuing passions outside of parenthood
- [8:28] Garth describes what his typical day as a new parent looks like and how he’s learning to be more efficient and communicative during the workday to ensure everything gets done in a timely manner
- [12:48] Garth reflects on what he’s most looking forward to as his son grows up—passing down wisdom and getting to know him as a person
- [20:42] Ayanna shares strategies for juggling school routines, work, and personal life, including the importance of community support and flexible routines
- [23:22] Ayanna and Matt discuss their unique creative rhythms and finding time for creativity amidst parenting and work responsibilities
- [28:24] Ayanna reveals how pickleball helps her maintain balance and social connection outside of remote work and parenting
- [30:10] Ayanna discusses her hopes for her daughter’s confidence and self-esteem as she enters the pre-teen years
- [32:15] Bobbie discusses managing the needs of two children in very different seasons of life
- [35:54] Bobbie explains how being a parent has influenced her business journey and the importance of staying grounded in family
- [38:50] Bobbie shares tips for parents on flowing (rather than balancing) between family, work, and “blue sky time,” and the importance of pattern interrupts
- [42:25] Bobbie shares her hopes for her children as they enter new life stages
- [45:42] Jenny describes her son’s academic journey and the transition to parenting an adult child
- [46:37] Jenny discusses the challenges and ebb and flow of maintaining personal identity and creativity while raising a child, and the importance of intentionally carving out time for yourself
- [48:25] Jenny shares how her professional life and creativity evolved as her son grew older and became more independent
- [52:18] Jenny talks about being inspired by her son’s willingness to take risks and how that has impacted her creative journey
- [54:40] Jenny shares her excitement for her son’s future—that he can feel his success and see his hard work pay off
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Quotable Moments:
- “A lot of people told me, going into it, you’ll learn that you have a whole new capacity to love… And that was such a foreign concept to me… but when he came out, even though everyone told me that, I was surprised at how much I was like, I love this little guy, and I’d die for this little guy.”
- “I want him to see that his dad has hobbies, I want him to see that there’s more to life than pursuing this very linear route… I hope it shapes him as an adult to find passions and be happy with things outside of just one thing.”
- “I want her to be her most confident self, because I feel like as a girl when you’re getting into the pre-teen stages… there’s a lot of insecurities that start to pile up, and I would just love for her to feel like she’s confident and like she’s growing and learning and adapting…”
- “Having children and being a business owner is the best gift, because it really helps you with clarity. It really supports you with understanding your priorities and where the line needs to be drawn with work versus just home life.”
- “I think that parenting role, like you said earlier, never really is over.”
- “One thing that I really admire about him is that he’ll try anything… I think that’s one thing a lot of us lose as we get older, is we don’t want to try new things because we don’t want to suck at it.”
Action Steps:
- Pursue flow over balance: In life, and with the nature of changing routines as parents, true balance can be impossible to really strike. So, instead of pursuing balance, seek out a feeling of flow between your work, personal identity, and family time.
- Prioritize personal passions: Make intentional time for hobbies and creative pursuits to maintain your own sense of identity and fulfillment in the midst of parenthood.
- Embrace flexibility in routines: Adapt schedules and expectations as family needs change, leaning into when in the day you’re at your “creative best,” and allowing for both structure and spontaneity in daily life.
- Be open to pattern interrupts: Regularly check in with yourself, and don’t hesitate to reset routines or take breaks when it feels like something just isn’t working.
SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE…
This episode is brought to you by M Agency, a full-service creative marketing agency in Tacoma, Washington.
We are a strategic partner for companies wanting to build memorable brands, websites, and marketing campaigns.
Our team of creative professionals leverages their unique talents and skills to provide various branding, design and development, marketing, and creative services.
If you’re ready to take action with your marketing, visit https://whatisyourm.com/.