Mom Feature Monday - Chantel Fruhling, Prowess Project Tribe - Hire Expert Online Business Managers

Happy Mom Feature Monday!

Today we are featuring Prowess Project tribe member, Chantel Fruhling.

See Chantel’s (almost) full blog post below. We saved the productivity hacks for the Prowess Project Tribe. For more hacks, resources and camaraderie, check out the tribe.

Enjoy!

Ashley

What have you done, where are you from, what do you want us to know about your past?

I was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but grew up (part-time) in New Orleans. My parents were divorced so my time was split between two cities. I loved growing up in New Orleans. I eventually went to college there and still visit family and friends frequently. People seem to think it’s pretty novel when they meet a person from NOLA.

I was a competitive swimmer throughout high school which I’m very proud of because it taught me that I could do anything I wanted to do if I worked hard enough. At 84 lbs, no one thought I’d make the team, much less help lead our team to the State Championships.

I put myself through college and upon graduating, quickly realized that what I got a degree in was just a stepping stone to opening doors to other exciting opportunities I never realized existed. It was then that I learned that an open mind was one of my greatest assets. Opportunities lie around every corner. It is up to us to be open to recognizing and following them.

I am a Mother and Wife. I feel like those words should be capitalized like Dr. or Mr. and Mrs. They are titles I hold close to my heart. We have 3 boys. I did not grow up with boys and had no idea why I was blessed with 3!! (I still ask my Husband, “Is that normal?”) I quickly realized that,

“We were given 3 boys so that we could put 3 good men out into the world. That is our mission.”

Describe the moment when you realized “holy sh*t! Prowess Project is going to change the world!”

The sheer number of women who identify with the struggle of going back to work after having been out of the workforce for an extended period of time.
The data being capture that may change the landscape of hiring return-to-work moms & beyond.

What do you wish that your coworkers knew about your work style?

I have a collaborative works style which means I love to sit in a room and hash things out with whiteboards, lots of brainstorming and maybe the occasional disagreement.

What’s your all-time favorite productivity hack (this can be in personal or professional life)?

INTERESTED in the answer here? Join the Prowess Project tribe for this productivity tip and many others.

If you could bring attention to one thing that women deal with juggling kids and career that goes unnoticed or unthanked, what would it be?

For me, it is the lack of recognition from your peers for a job well done for getting dinner on the table at the end of the day of managing home projects, school calendars, traffic woes during the endless commutes, etc. Motherhood is a thankless job and the “Great Job” and “Hang in there” from your significant other or parents doesn’t feel validating enough.

Things I’ve heard other women talk about is the ability to be present, in the moment with their children without the weight of work clouding the moment.

What kids song (or song your kid listens to) is currently stuck in your head?

Ha! This is a timely question because just the other day, my 10 year old was singing “99 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall!” I asked him why he was singing such a song and he said he didn’t know, that it was just stuck in his head. Well guess what….

We are way beyond kids tunes.

What does a “me day” look like for you?

I like to keep things simple. I appreciate a day when I can wake up gently, have a quiet breakfast/talk with my husband, lunch with the kids followed by a hike or a movie (it is Texas) and then a quiet evening with friends and cocktails.

Define empowerment.

Empowerment, to me, means knowing who you are and what your value is to your family and friends. If you know these things; then other people’s struggles, shiny object syndrome, worry about what other people think, etc.; becomes white noise. In summary, comfort in your own skin. Not the fake-talk you use to try and convince yourself but, the true comfort of knowing, YOU ARE ENOUGH.