21. Motherhood, Identity and the Messy, Beautiful In Between with Nikki Ciecierski

On this week's episode of Confidence Counsel, Monica sits down with mom of 4 and entrepreneur, Nikki Ciecerski, to have a real and honest conversation about her decision to leave her corporate job to become a stay at home mom. We discuss what it means to be someone’s mom, untethering your identity from your role at work, the importance of surrounding yourself with supportive women,  staying present with your children, limiting beliefs around motherhood, marriage and maintaining a sense of self along the way. Whether you are a stay-at-home mom like Nikki, or a working mom like Monica, there are a lot of great takeaways from this episode.02:20 Monica's episode overview 03:40 Meet Nikki and Nikki's heart-led decision to step away from her corporate career to becoming a stay at home mom 10:30 Untangling your identify from what you "do" at work to who you are as a human16:45 Being intentional and present during the time you have with your kids 24:00 Frustrations with your spouse and striking a balance to maintain a happy home26:40 Finding supportive mom friends and avoiding trauma bonding friendships30:00 Limiting beliefs around motherhood 45:00 The significance of focusing on yourself and your marriage while raising children <br/>Guest Bio:Nikki Ciecierski is a health care director turned stay-at-home mom. She is a Christ follower, wife and mama to a teen, a tween and two toddlers. After working in health care for 18 years, she felt a nudge… a pull to stay home and focus on her family. Now, she spends her days fulfilling her purpose to her family while expressing her creative side as a freelance writer, social media manager and self-publishing journals. She stands boldly in the imperfect… oh, and she is obsessed with to-do lists, productivity and pens.Connect with Guest IG: @nikkiciecierskiWebsite: www.thenikkiproject.comLink to Nikki's Journals: https://amzn.to/45u1qbzConnect with MonicaIG: @confidence.counsel Email: monica@confidencecounsel.com