No Them. No Mother’s Day. Celebrating My Kids!
As a single mum in the ’80s, I faced some pretty daunting challenges of my own –
😔 sky-high 18% mortgage rates😔 being one of only three women in an alpha male-dominated sales environment
😔 a low-potential territory
😔 being told I had been given the role under sufferance because I was ‘too nice‘ and ‘not aggressive enough‘
😔 that I ‘didn’t have what it took to be in sales.‘
As you can imagine the pressure was on and the budgets were a tad tight.
But working in this tough, male-dominated environment taught me resilience and determination—qualities I’ve tried to pass on to my two children, as well. Seeing them now, having navigated some of their own fairly challenging moments life has placed on their paths, has shown me that the values we cherish most are often caught along the way, not just taught.
I am so proud of who they are!
Especially their sense of loyalty to family, their work ethic and their sense of humour! (And the fact that neither of them enjoy being the centre of attention, they will kill me for sharing this I am sure, but they know their Mum 🤣🤣)
Danielle, my brave daughter, served in the Royal Australian Air Force overseas in the Middle East, achieving the rank of sergeant by the ripe age of 30. She even survived working with me for a year—which, believe me, was probably tougher than boot camp!
I’ll never forget how she also supported me, almost carrying me over the finish line at the Mother’s Day Classic 5km run a few years ago making sure we both finished together (she is also repeating that run as I type this up right now with her own two little girls on her back in in a pusher!) so clearly she is my complete opposite – a brilliant process driven organiser of events which as you can see from this photo, helped me with many of my speaking events and back of room book sales back in Melbourne.
What Mother’s Day Means to Me
Matthew, the sports star of our family, has always shown the same dedication and discipline he honed in the Australian Air Force cadets, whether on the sports field or in his current role, which is as an account manager for a software company. He has also played a role in working with me – debuting his own public speaking skills really, really well as emcee for my ITERATE Breakfast Series in Melbourne, back with Salesforce and a subsidiary of Xerox (Upstream) as a sponsor.
His understanding of people, his patience and his empathy make him not just a great salesperson but an amazing brand new father as well.
Now, as they both excel in parenting their little girls—Danielle and David with Grace(3) and Bonnie (1), and for Matthew and Yas, with our newest bundle of joy, Luna (3 months) —I am once again reminded of what matters the most to both Tim and I on today, my 39th Mother’s Day.
Our Kids and their kids.
Yet, despite their independence and success, the decision to move across the world to the USA was tinged with motherly guilt. Leaving these two behind, even thought they are adults, sparked that familiar fear of missing out on precious moments and milestones – for them and for us.
But here’s what I’ve come to realise –
Motherhood doesn’t have a finish line.
It’s a lifelong journey of love, learning, and letting go.
This Mother’s Day, I am reflecting on the wonderful yet often complex journey of being a mum —from those early sleepless (and second guessing) nights to the rough teenage years that test everyone to the proud moments watching them thrive as adults and parents.
So to all the mums (and dads) out there, know that your strength and love shape more than just your children’s lives—they shape their future.
And to my two children, Danielle and Matthew, thank you for filling my life, and Dad’s, with such immense pride and joy.
You are our greatest achievements beyond anything.
I love you both!
Mum ❤️
P.S.
To everyone else
Stay Bold, Brave and Brilliant
I’m Bernadette – founder of the Decision-Led Revenue™ Operating System and The Revenue Leader of Influence™, where I work with CEOs and sales leaders to build a sales team they can rely on to think, make the call, tell the truth about pipeline and own the result.
If any of this resonated – or if you’re staring at a revenue problem that feels like it should have been solved by now – I’d love a conversation.
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