Getting back on the highway with Lea Curtes-Swenson
“Moms are Scrappy”
Welcome Back to the On-Ramp! In this story of a mom who created her own “on-ramp” back to the career highway, the theme seems to be self-reinvention – inspired by her journey into motherhood. I hope you find it as motivating as I do.
How do you get from yoga teacher to acclaimed social media marketer and writer? For Julie Roads of Writing Roads, the answer began with the birth of her two-year-olds, Jack and Sophie.
In her previous life as a yoga teacher at the famed Kripalu Center in the western Massachusetts Berkshires (and preschool teacher before that), Julie found fulfillment even as she knew it wasn’t her life’s calling. A born communicator with a Master’s in Education, Julie did more than teach yoga classes: she wrote and taught many advanced workshops, led teacher training sessions, and handled most student correspondence.
Almost unconsciously, she found a way to weave her love of writing into her yoga career. Upon becoming pregnant, however, Julie’s views on her career began to change.
Now, being pregnant is one thing. But being pregnant at the same time as your spouse is quite another. Julie and her partner, Patti, could have won the prize for Most Hormones In A Household – and the intensity of that, topped with knowing it was Patti’s dream to be a stay-at-home-mom, led Julie to do some soul-searching.
Before the babies were born, Julie had also worked in an office setting she describes as “miserable.” But one valuable thing she took from that experience was the knowledge that she wanted to be her own boss.
“I asked myself, ‘What do I love to do? And how can I make enough money doing it on my own?’” she says. After reading a book about writing (recommended by her sister-in-law, a successful freelance writer), Julie’s plan to pursue a writing career began to take shape. 
Of course, all plans were put on hold with Sophie’s surprise early arrival (and subsequent 2 ½ weeks in the NICU) – then Patti’s own delivery of Jack eight months later. Julie decided to stay home with her family for a full nine months, purely out of “survival,” she says.
“With two newborns, we had no other choice.” But slowly, as the babies grew, she began to take steps toward her dream job: professional copywriter.
One early decision Julie made was especially helpful – joining and becoming active in BNI, the “world’s largest business referral organization.” She’d read about BNI and was looking for a chapter when she was invited to join one by someone she knew. (BNI has strict rules about potential new members having to be screened and sponsored by an existing member.)
Through her chapter’s weekly meetings and member presentations, Julie got to “meet a group of [non-competing] businesspeople face-to-face and have them really get a chance to know me, not just the portfolio I was creating,” she says. “They came to feel good about referring me and hiring me… which gave me the chance to show my stuff and build experience at a time when my portfolio was a little light.”
Showing Up & Diving In
Julie attributes a good part of her success to simply “showing up” and diving into her work. She became a student of her craft, reading everything she could get her hands on, and got busy creating a writing portfolio – which consisted of plenty of spec projects (writing projects she assigned to herself, in the absence of paid client projects). It seemed that the more she networked, the more work opportunities she uncovered.
Going With the “Web 2.0” Flow
As Julie was getting started as a freelance copywriter, “Web 2.0” technologies were burgeoning – and would soon ignite a new, super-concentrated career focus on social media that she couldn’t have predicted going in.
From Facebook and LinkedIn to Twitter, Digg, del.icio.us and beyond – Julie’s passion for communicating and networking led her to jump with both feet into the world of social media (often referred to as Web 2.0). Soon she was leading her clients in new directions, and learning more every day about how best to use the new tools to her clients’ advantage.
She became a prolific blogger, making it her mission to teach others about writing and the use of Web 2.0 – trumpeting “participate” as a recurring piece of advice to her growing cadre of readers.
Now, working from the post-and-beam shed in her backyard forest on Martha’s Vineyard, dogs at her feet and only steps away from her family, Julie is in her element.
“I’m earning four to five times more than I did before my children were born,” she says. “And I’m doing what I love.”
Julie’s Advice for On-Rampers:
“Check out these great resources: www.twittermoms.com and www.mombloggersclub.com. Also, through my journey I’ve learned that moms are courageous, scrappy and resourceful – and they will do anything for their families. You can do it!”
Interested in becoming a Get Your Genius Resident Genius?Click here to contact us and please include your bio, a link to your website and a few sentences why you feel working mothers can’t live without your expertise.