Take 2

Change change and more change.

Five months after moving to Australia we moved again. This time back to the North Shore of Sydney. With +3 people to relocate there is a lot more to arrange and my start deadline for working on a big network glossy TV show was approaching. With only 4 days until the school holidays I started to pack, looked for houses, schools, preschools, long day care and did all the boring stuff like booking the removal men, changing the phone and electricity, yada yada yada.

 

With all this going on I didn't have time to push for more details on

the schedule and did the rookie mistake of not pushing for details on the dates of travel and how many days away from home there would be. We all know going on the road is tough and with two little people at home it was always going to be tougher, but with all the other stuff going on I just pushed it to the back of my mind.

 

I'm now excited to be working with a great team and on a massive production, the away days are A LOT more and the home days a lot less then first told or expected (breathe in / breathe out). I will miss my children and them me, but it wouldn't be good telly without any tears. 

3 months on

Money where your mouth is.

I did it. Sold the family home and packed our family of 4 off to  Australia.  It's early days of our new/old life and I'm looking forward to not sleeping on a blow up bed... as we wait for the shipping.  I had visions of going back to work within a month or so of arriving and just getting on with our new life downunder.

I mean how hard can it be? Up rooting the family and starting again! After all its not the first time I have moved countries, but it is with kids.  I have watched all those "A life in country/sea/Spain/France" shows and people did it with no problems at all.  And after all I am heading back to family and old friends so it should be easy.

And in someways it has been for me, as they are my family and old friends, but not my kids. As a mother I need to factor in the feelings and emotions of my very young children how long it will take to settle into schools and life. But after a lot of tears and real feelings my first job at hand is to be a mum to my kids and get them started in school and pre school (aka nursery) so for the next month or so it's coffees with old work mates and watching a lot of TV to work out which blonde skinny presenter is who.

Which is exactly the same thing that happened over a decade ago when I moved to the UK.  I had gone from being and Entertainment producer to finding myself asking who are Ant & Dec and Davina McCall not to mention finding it hard to understand what northern presenters were saying.

Things have changed, my old researcher/friend is now the 'Weather girl', reality contestants 'present' better than the host and international reality shows flood the airwaves.  The other thing I have noticed in the short 3 weeks I have been back, is that Australian commissioners have joined their UK counterparts in commissioning shows at the 12th hour and jobs need filling URGENTLY or tomorrow.

Which really sucks if you have a family or life.

I am also being told that there has been a flood of  Brits working on the BIG glossy floor shows and the big 4 have all the work.  So its seems that on both sides of the globe telly types are the same.

Live outside the box

Don't knock it until you try it.

Two weeks ago I decided to try something new. Getting out of the house on a Monday night without kids or hubby and something even more wild... attending a local knitting group.

Yes shocking! I know! It's a far cry from hanging out with the who's who of the music world or flying business class to amazing locations or freezing my butt off doing interviews on the red carpet.

But life is what it is and after watching one to many "Location, Location, Locations" I find myself living in 'an idyllic village' just a short 45 minute commute to Waterloo, yet wanting to live in the city.

Stitch n bitch, as it's named, meets in a local pub (bonus) and half way through the night random amounts of musician turn up to jam at the pub's folk night.  So it is very cool in a geekish way.  The people are lovely, they don't want me to pay them for their knowledge and they are really and I mean really into knitting.   I on the other hand am very much a novice.

Now I'm not asking you to join me, but just to seek out new things to try, go on - be daring.. the world's your oyster.

New Year New You

Actions speak louder than words.

OK I'm the person who NEVER makes New Year’s resolutions because I know I am not going to keep them. I'm honest enough to know I'm weak and don't really care about most trivial things.

And these days it looks like if you want to change something you put yourself on national TV for all to see.  While channel flicking I stopped on Supersize vs Superskinny. It’s not my normal viewing but I was stunned to see the large guy give such great advice to the super skinny woman.

A drink for everyone

 It was 'don't do it for your children, do it for yourself.'  What great advice.  How many of these reality shows do we have to watch where women have lost themselves and live for their kids.  Now there is nothing wrong with having your kids best interests at heart, however if you lose the person you are because you live for you kids what kind of role model are you being?  You’re saying when you have kids your life is over.  It's not. It's just an extension to who you are becoming NOT who you are.

SO let’s get back to CHANGE.

If I wanted to change something I would just go ahead and do it, there is no need for me to wait for a time of year to make a change.  I have lost too many years just plodding along now it's time to live life to the fullest. You just never know what tomorrow holds.

When I decided I wanted to go back to work I wanted to be healthy and fit.  I was sick of feeling lethargic and rundown so I decided to give myself a super healthy kick.  I joined a boot camp exercise group and did a juice detox.  For me, I needed to clean up the inside and outside.

 Boot Camp fitness is outdoor and it’s total madness, full on and not for the faint hearted.  I have fallen in love with it (love-hate really).  It will make you fit, change your shape, it clears out the cobwebs and you will not be able to walk the next day for the first few times.  For me it has better results than half-arsing my way around a gym.

Day 1 Juice Detox

Now Detox. If you’re going to do something, do it well and I booked myself a five day Juice Detox Programme. It was simple, no messy hard work or working out what I needed to buy and drink in what order. It just turns up at my door the night before.

 It was one of the best things I have done in a long while. I lost weight which is a bonus but more importantly I had lots of energy, my skin was clear and I woke up on day 4 ready to take on the world.  I was on a real juice high.

Fast-forward a few months and I have stuck to some of the 'lifestyle' changes. Santa gave me a new juicer (the old one died) and I still love boot camp (just maybe more in summer).

 So if you have found yourself a week and a half into 2013 and nothing is different from last year it won’t change by itself.  If you want change in any area of your life, just do it and don't wait to go on the TV and air your low points to the world.

If you want to lose weight then exercise; it’s free to hit the road and run. If you need a new image then hit the shops or charity shops - something new (to you) is new! Who cares about the price. Need to give up smoking then just stop (I did cold turkey many years ago and it can be done). Got to the library - I'm sure there is a book to help with whatever excuse you’re giving yourself for not changing something for the better.  If you’re not happy there is no person nor amount of money that will change that. You have to decide to change your thinking - the grass is not greener on the other side.

If you want a New Year and a New You then drop all the excuses and say (just like an over produced L'Oreal ad), “I'M WORTH IT”.

We have one life, let’s live it and not just survive.

You get the job... now it’s real.

Are you ready to leave your babies?

My lovely friend Sarah is a Production Manager and with a lot of encouragement she applied for what I thought would be her dream role.  Full-time, close to home and in the same genre and role she did pre-kids. She ticked all the boxes for the role and she really is passionate about the subject, it was made for her (in my eyes).

But right from the start she questioned, did she want to do a full time job? In an industry where these roles a rare I thought it was a no brainer.  What I didn't know where her real fears about leaving her kids with another person.

Sarah was offered a second interview and she phoned asking "am I doing the right thing? I don't want to go for the interview if I don't want the job, how will it work with the kids?".  I thought it was just all those normal fears and questions that get raised when a mum leaves the nest on a more permanent base, but this is not my story.

She was offered the job and given a start date.  And then that is when it became very very real for her 'can I do this'?

 3 weeks later I got this email.

 "I have decided not to take the full time job! Just couldn't bring myself to leave the kids day in day out and have someone else look after them on a full time basis.

I wouldn't feel happy about leaving my boys all day with someone I didn't know. I wouldn't be able to do a good job as I would be worrying too much about them. 

I lost my brother at the age of 21 (I was 19). We were very close. So I am a little more paranoid  than others about the safety of my loved ones. So I have a real issue with someone else driving my kids around. 

We live one mile from a main road so driving is an integral part of my daily life.  As I was interviewing various potential au pairs I had this sinking feeling " what if" something happened to them.

Most of the girls I interviewed for the role had never driven in this country and I felt it was asking for trouble.  I'd already freaked myself out about it prior to that. I also thought that if I was honest with the employer, he may offer me ad hoc freelance work which is exactly what happened. So I'm chuffed to bits about that.

Have to mention though the copious amounts of sleepless nights and analysing with various girlfriends ……. Did my head in after a while! "

I'm thankful Sarah has let me share this journey with you, as I'm sure we all have our very own and real fears, that only we can can work out what is right for us.

Tell me what you want what you really really want

I really really really wanna... 

 

What attracts your eye

I think the hardest thing about returning to work or looking for work is knowing what we really want, "what you really want'.  With confidence issues, self-doubt and skills that may need a bit of spit and polish it can be very hard to be honest to yourself and say “this is what I want’.  Lets face it you don’t want to disappoint yourself if it does not happen.

Yesterday on a course designed for people like myself returning to work in the TV industry there was no ‘how to’ or ‘this is how its done’ it simply help me work out and be honest with myself what I wanted to do 'next' and what employers would think I could do now.  Not long term but next and now.  

  

Yes next, more of a career audit then a step back, the trainer was amazing and very clear that careers should be seen in phases - what you do next doesn’t have to be forever.  There was so much more to it but this bit really changed me.

2011 on location

My industry has change, technology, systems, people retired, leave, have babies and I am starting again.  But this time not from scratch, after all, years of knowledge does not leave you. 

I have lots of hindsight, am very skilled, and have a strong track record.  So I’m great value for money for any employer if I apply for the correct roles. 

One step back is not a reflection on what I can do but a reflection on what a potential employer can see me doing now.  

 And as the saying goes one step back...

 

Transportable skills

What do you do when you officially have not worked for a very long time?

First take a look at your skill set and apply them to being a mum.  Why?  Well they tell me skills are very transportable and it's more fun than looking for a real job!

1. Excellent time management. 

Kiddy dinner

Only a mum knows how 1 minute late for dinner can turn into a Dr Suess story gone wrong.

2. Working with on air talent, contributors and creatives.

Amazing training for a mum with toddlers and a five year old going on teenager.

 

3. Budgeting.

Easy when the wallet says "NO more" it means it's gone and it's baked beans for dinner.

4. Manage small and large teams.

Essential skill for anyone going to a playgroup.

 

What you find in my handbag

5. Experience with single camera crews and multi camera shoots, underwater filming, mounted cameras, working with stunt coordinators, government bodies, tourism offices. 

In reality it means I'm the mum who takes all the photos and videos at everyone's parties, books and finds party venues and arranges the girls' night out.

 6. Familiar with all production paper work, movement orders, call sheets extra.

 Training for the never ending piles of paper found in your kids nursery and school book bags.

7. Scripting half and full hour factual programmes and entertainment news.

Very important to be able to tell a story and feed the mummy grapevine that would put any tabloid to shame!