I hoped this was how I'd feel

Coming to us from Sydney Australia, Kate Elks is head of Client Services at a PR media agency. Before that, Kate was a journalist, executive assistant, a broadcast monitor, and importantly, an adventurer. 

We spoke to Kate about the realities of parenting and careers, choosing to switch off from stress, money and negotiations, the shifts over the last 3 generations for women and more.

Key facts about Kate:

1. Last meal: a packet of mint slice biscuits.
2. Currently reading: Stalin's wine cellar, a true story. 
3. Currently watching: Bridgerton
4. Listening to: Shiva Man, Fat Freddie’s Drop. On repeat. 
5. Favourite unwind: Dance break. To walking on sunshine by KC and the Sunshine Band.

A word of advice for people taking the next step in their careers

Be really open to opportunities. They could come from anywhere. You could find them in unexpected places. If you can't see any, ask questions of anyone, everyone. Be open minded. And if you don't know what next step you want to take, just think about how you want to feel and run decisions through that filter. Is it going to make you feel how you want to feel? Then go in that direction.

Intentional or accidental? Is this where you planned to be and how did you get here?

My instinct is to say that it wasn't planned, and I ended up here. But when I think about it I did plan. I hoped that this is how I would feel when I found a work life, that I would never be bored, and that I'd be doing something positive. I wanted something that would open up opportunities, not close them down.

What do you love about your career right now? 

In my career right now, I like that it doesn't require too much of me. I know that sounds so limiting. But that's where I'm at. You know, I have two little kids. And they are a massive, joyful, exhausting time sink. But also I feel like the work I'm doing isn't done. Like I'm not marking time. I'm doing the best I can. I know that there's a lot of opportunity waiting that my energy can expand into when I have more of it, which I will. So it's full of possibilities. Still. I really like that feeling. You know, it's the opposite of boredom. 

Is there anything you love a little bit less about work? 

I genuinely can't complain about the workplace that I'm at. But if I think about what I like less about work: becoming a parent was absolutely terrible for my career, just to be really frank. The positive is that it's made me much better at time management, and much more focused in a way. As a result, since I became a parent, I’ve hired other mothers and fathers. Because I know how hard working and how smart they are. But I don't like I don't like the feeling that comes with limitations. And I don't have all the time in the world to sink into problem solving in the way that I used to, I just don't have the hours. I'm fatigued. And so I'm not as sharp. I hate that. It's frustrating. 

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