As a working parent coach, Karishma Motiram helps parents show up powerfully at work, whilst creating the freedom to enjoy their family, with confidence. Her goal is to help working parents understand what balance means to them, identify what could be causing an imbalance and apply tools to take more control of how they experience their life. In her own words, “Because we all deserve to enjoy our journey as a working parent.”
What were your initial years of growing up like? Tell us about your life before starting your corporate journey/venture/initiative.
I was born in Canada and grew up with my parents, older brother and grandparents before moving to the UK when I got married at the age of 22. While I made sure to visit ‘home’ once a year to see my family and friends, I was able to quickly integrate into the British way of living. Although my university degree was in Psychology and English, I ended up working in a sector I didn’t even know existed – facilities management. It was a male dominated, high pressure and high speed environment but I enjoyed it very much. Both of my children were born while I worked within the facilities management industry and I shifted into creating my own business a few years after my son turned 3.
Every industry that is now a large-scale, top-notch business once started as a small idea in the minds of entrepreneurs. What was that idea or motivation that made you start your business /initiative? What motivated you within to say YES, go for it!”
Before moving into coaching full-time, I worked within facilities management – a male dominated, high pressure and high-speed environment. Both of my children were born while I worked within this industry, yet the return to work was completely different on the two occasions. While the business and team I worked are factors to consider, my own mindset heavily influenced the differences during my return to work. The realisation of how much power we have within ourselves to shape our experience was life-changing. This is what has inspired me to help other parents take more control of their journey into parenthood and as working parents.
Tell us something about your initiative or current role. What is it about, and what impact are you trying to make?
I have noticed that as our world becomes more modern, the life of a working parent becomes more challenging. While I cannot change the fact that it’s not easy to be a working parent in our modern world, I can make it EASIER so we get to ENJOY our experience as working parents. The new world comes with new challenges and our future generations need to see that is is possible to create balance and happiness on this journey, so they are also inspired to take more control of their own experiences.
Your journey and your vision are very inspiring, but are there any achievements or accomplishments you would like to mention?
My biggest achievement has been to take action and be an example of the changes I wish to see in this world. Without that, the impact on working parents would be non-existent.
Would you like to share with our young budding women entrepreneurs the change you would like to see in the world if given an opportunity?
I would like to see a world where managing our thoughts is as automatic as brushing our teeth. Your thoughts determine everything about how you experience life, yet we hardly pay attention to them.
Women are a growing force in the workplaces worldwide, standing shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. There are cracks in glass ceilings everywhere, with many women breaking through to carve out a space right at the top of the pyramid. What are your thoughts about women leadership today?
While there has been a fantastic movement to get more women into leadership roles, I believe there is still a long way to go. I genuinely believe that supporting more fathers to take an active role in the household will help even more women continue to follow their professional dreams. I speak to many fathers who still feel they cannot take time out for school-pickups, school breaks, etc and this needs to change to continue to help women truly be treated equally.
What would you want to say to our young women leaders/audience reading this?
Whatever your dreams may be, professionally and personally – make sure to stay in touch with who you truly are in order to ENJOY the journey towards your goals. Losing yourself and identifying with the roles we take on is one of the biggest challenges we face. Take time to identify with your innate characteristics and bring that to each and every role you take on.
