From Meltdown Mom to Living the Life of her Dreams; All with Kids in Tow- Featuring Amanda Clark

Amanda Clark helps moms be 100% Moms and 100% CEOs, with the clarity to understand it doesn’t have to be all at the same time but if it is, she is the woman to help you strategize on how to "have it ALL!"  Wait.. what..? Haven’t we always been told we can it ALL at the exact same time? I am a firm believer that this can be true for some, but not for every woman and that is o.k.

Amanda is here as a guest to blow that age old myth out of the water for those who may not want it ALL, but would rather enjoy the different seasons in their life without the inherited guilt!

That’s right, ladies! Its time for some real truth from, me, Amanda and here is my story.

I was a 19 year-old teen pregnancy statistic who had big dreams of being a Photographer. Now pregnant and a Wife, I had this belief in my head that my dreams had to be put on hold to take care of my new family. I assumed everyone else’s needs had to come before mine so I dove head first into the dutiful role of Wife and Mother. In the midst of motherhood and wifely duties, I began to realize that I had lost myself. Giving everything to everyone else, I found my dreams were a fading memory, getting farther and farther away; eventually giving way to feelings of despair and simply trying to survive.

The thing about having a dream and vision for your life is the fact that no matter how hard you try to keep yourself busy taking care of others, that dream still remains tucked away in your heart, weighing heavily on your mind, if you are not working towards making it a reality. So one day, I was tired of being a victim of my own circumstances and decided to draw the line in the sand.. I got up, dusted myself AND my dreams off. This began my personal development journey. I began journaling and reading Professional Development books along the way.

I was always the girl with a camera in my hand so I figured, why not try photography? I had taken a class in college when my Daughter was almost one so I decided to put those skills to use and started a photography business shortly after my 2^nd child was born.

Things didn’t just “take off” for me like they seemed to for others. I struggled for years telling myself I didn’t have the money to hire a sitter or outsource my editing. It was one excuse after another and again, I found myself falling victim to my circumstances.

After moving to the opposite end of Utah, it seemed like the perfect time to re-evaluate my business and reflect inward. I finally decided to hire a Life Coach and this is when my life changed. The highs began to get higher and the lows a little less low. This finally felt like progress!

Not only did I begin to shift my mindset in massive ways, but my business shifted as well. I was then able to hire my first Business Coach who equipped me with the tools and skills to run a business and things skyrocketed!  

I had been wanting to start a podcast, but had so much fear around it until my Coach pushed me to take the leap and I instantly fell in love! It is called Braving the Mountain and there I talk about all things building a business with kids in tow while sharing a behind the scenes peek at the no-so-pretty side of Entrepreneurship.

Little did I know, this would turn into me coaching some of my friends on the side without even realizing it. I quickly became the “go-to” girl for advice. After hearing I should do this for a living, I finally decided to go for it!

I went from Photography to helping Moms build businesses they love without feeling stuck, spinning their wheels, or sacrificing motherhood with Amanda Clark Studios.

But here’s where things get interesting… with each new and uncomfortable situation we put ourselves in, all of the uncertainty and doubt in our mind comes bubbling back to the surface.

You find yourself looking around at others and it seems so easy, but why does it feel so difficult for you? This is where the next layer of my healing journey needed to happen. I was now re-creating the negative patterns I had when I was starting my photography business.

I decided to hire another Coach, but for mindset. I became a firm believer that you can have all of the strategy in the world, but unless you do the work on reframing your mindset while healing yourself on the inside, you will continue the unhealthy patterns of feeling stuck as I began to do in my coaching business.

This is the time you have to do the internal work within. Become aware, because that is the key to getting yourself “unstuck.” 

I want to challenge you with some questions I ask of Clients because I realized, I never stopped to ask myself these questions. Get quiet with yourself and ask:

   What do you want your dream life to look like and how do you want it to feel?

   What do you really WANT and NEED?

   Where are you now in your life and what is working and what is not? 

Now, specifically take the things that aren’t working and ask yourself, what can I let go of? Maybe you are volunteering for something out of obligation but it is no longer lifting you up. Surely you can let go of something that no longer gives you joy, right? Seems pretty logical.

Create a list of things you love and the things that no longer serve you. You know what you should do next: let go of those things that no longer serve you.

You don’t have to get rid of everything all at once, start with one item on the list at a time. Slowly adjust your “to-dos” until it is back to being manageable. Start small, start simple and know that taking these baby steps will lead to BIG results! This is how you manage being a Mom and an Entrepreneur and it’s ok if you do not have the capacity to do it ALL at the same time. Lend yourself grace and live in the season you are in without the guilt. You are there for a reason.  

I want to leave you with this, you CAN build a life you love, but it takes the right mindset and the willingness to simplify. So, perhaps it’s now time for YOU to pick yourself up, dust off those dreams and tale the first step to your own loving your life journey!

Wishing you the authentic life you dream of,

Amanda

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