The Power Pause
How to Plan a Career Break After Kids--and Come Back Stronger Than Ever
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER!
A paradigm-shifting guide to career breaks after kids that rebrands stay-at-home parenthood for a new generation of women and families.
"So, what do you do?"
When Neha Ruch had to answer this seemingly innocent question for the first time after leaving her corporate job to care for her infant son, she drew a shameful blank. She couldn’t find the words to describe this new stage of life she’d just embarked on. She wasn’t a 1950s June Cleaver type, nor was she one of today’s updated stereotypes. (Craft Project Mom? Exhausted-in-Sweatpants Mom?) How, then, was she to navigate this identity shift?
Frustrated, Ruch embarked on a mission to rebrand the stay-at-home mother for a new generation of women who don’t want to leave their ambition behind just because they decide to pause or change their careers post-kids. Her online community has become the leading voice and resource for women navigating this transition, and in her first book, The Power Pause, Ruch addresses all the questions women face at this inflection point: Can I afford to pause? Who am I without my career identity? How do I find meaning in the role? And can I ever transition back to paid work?
With expert advice and diverse stories of stay-at-home mothers who buck every stereotype, as well as interactive exercises to help the reader plot a course for the long term, The Power Pause is an essential handbook for a new generation of caregivers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this robust debut, Ruch, a former marketing professional and mother of two, details how women who leave the workforce to raise children can navigate the transition. Outlining steps for adjusting to living on one income, Ruch advises readers to draft a budget to determine whether such cost-cutting measures as renegotiating a mortgage or moving somewhere with a lower cost of living will be required. Other guidance focuses on psychological stressors, as when she recommends setting personal goals (e.g., "I want to work on standing up for myself") to stave off feelings of listlessness. Elsewhere, she offers tips on reentering the job market, encouraging mothers to describe during interviews how parenting has improved their skills ("I might talk about developing a clarity of communication and a deeper sense of patience"). Ruch is candid about the downsides of taking a break from paid labor, noting, "Women who have paused their careers for more than twenty-four months tend to step into salaries earning 79 cents for every dollar a man who had not paused would earn." However, her sage advice will help those who want to take the plunge. The result is a forthright take on an aspect of motherhood often overlooked by parenting guides.
