I loved my job. As a fund manager helping decide what shares to buy and sell each day with billions of euros of our clients’ money under management, it was challenging and fun in equal measure. FTSE CEOs and analysts were clamoring to meet me, at parties people were fascinated and the entertainment was seriously fun. Having already changed from the brutal hours of corporate law, it was bliss.

But then an unexpected pregnancy age 27 changed everything. I was terrified to tell my team: there weren’t many pregnant role models on the trading floor. I reassured them, and myself, I’d be back to full time in a matter of months. But then my son, Noah, was born. After the early days, when I clearly remember offering to pay my husband if he would let me head off to work for the day instead of him, I fell totally and utterly in love.

 

I know lots of mums who do it and they and their children thrive. But for me, the idea of leaving home in the dark before Noah woke up and getting home long after his bedtime, the idea of only seeing him at weekends, suddenly seemed heartbreaking. My husband and I had the flexible-working discussion. At the time himself an investment banker, there was no way he could do it. And it was difficult to see how my job in the stock markets could accommodate part time. So I quit. It seemed like the only choice.

But having gone from the higher earner in a prestigious job – the kind everyone in the city wants – to a stay-at-home mum was hard. I needed something for me but also wanted to see my son. I felt completely lost. Seven years ago at the depths of the credit crunch, part-time jobs in the city didn’t exactly abound. My husband was still at work and didn’t get it, my friends were all still single and didn’t understand. Then, on the advice of my mother-in-law who had been through a similar transition 30 years before, I saw a maternity coach. She was in the business of helping mothers stay engaged at work. She was insightful and supportive, but more importantly I was fascinated by what she did. I had provided the listening ear to all my friends for decades and I was equally passionate about making sure other mums didn’t experience the same career quandary as me. I felt elated: finally I knew what I should do.

 

My career change didn’t happen overnight – there was a part-time masters, two more children (Otto now 4 and Lulu, 2) and plenty of hard slog and self-doubt in there, too – but I feel so lucky to now have crafted a career that fits around my life and is perfectly attuned to my interests. Now I spend my time developing people, whether that’s coaching them to find a new job or training them on business development. Just as I planned, I’ve been able to focus much of my time on other women; coaching new mothers, training future female leaders and consulting to companies on their diversity strategy.

All this work is corporate and the final piece of the puzzle was being able to offer that support and expertise to women who didn’t get it through their jobs. A chance drink with my old friend Alice Olins confirmed it was something that needed to happen and the Step Up Club was born. Yes, sometimes it’s crazy busy especially with our newest baby, the Step Up book in the making. But being freelance means I can fit everything in and still make it to school shows and plenty of school pick-ups. I still get the buzz of the City without the hours. I wake up every day thrilled not only to have created a career that works for both me and my family, but also incredibly motivated by doing something I find so inspiring: helping other women find success in their careers.

@thestepupclub; step-up-club.net