I’m thrilled to share this month’s Mompowerment mama with you, Deirdre Breakenridge, an amazing businesswoman, public relations (PR) goddess, and all-around inspiring woman. She is an author (of many books), trainer, CEO of Pure Performance Communications, podcast host, college professor, wife, and mom to four. More than anything, I love how Deirdre is able to build deeper relationships.
Professional path
Deirdre has always been a storyteller and relationship builder. She started her career at other people’s PR agencies, working on pharmaceutical, healthcare, technology, and B2B brands. When her daughter was born, she changed things up. Deirdre describes how at that point she was bitten by the “entrepreneurial bug” and realized she wanted to her own communications firm.
She started and grew her firm, which was then quickly acquired by a larger marketing firm. Deirdre has owned a few businesses since that first venture. Today her company Pure Performance Communications is about marketing and PR strategy and media and communications training. She has developed a proprietary approach called FEEL, which stands for facing Fears, having Empathy, living with Ethics, and unleashing Love to help professionals and brands take their stories, media appearances, and relationship-building to deeper levels.
What does work-time look like for you?
Entrepreneurship has allowed Deirdre to design her day so that she is present and mindful in her interactions and communication with others. She shares, “I begin my mornings with a routine: reading, meditation, exercising, and journaling.” That routine helps inspire Deirdre daily. “After my routine, I’m at the height of creativity, so I usually reserve the rest of the morning for writing and creating video courses.”
Afternoons are more about client trainings, team meetings, virtual speaking, and consulting calls. Evenings are left open, although she admits that when you do what you love, you sometimes want to take that work into your nights as well.
Owning an agency and leading clients’ marketing and PR are demanding roles. Being an agency owner meant early mornings and late nights. And at the time she has built agencies in the past, it was all in-person. There was even weekend work if there was a large looming client deadline or an event Deirdre’s team was launching. With time, Deirdre has been able to build more flexibility into her schedule.
What has childcare looked like for you through the years?
Deirdre was fortunate in that childcare was always delegated to close family members and friends early on. As her daughter got older, Deirdre would bring her to the office after school. Her daughter would help out at the office, assembling media kits and promotional packages. She loved being at the agency and helping. This clearly made a big impact on Deirdre’s daughter who launched an agency this year.
With the shift to communications consultant, Deirdre started working from home. There was a lot more time with her daughter and three stepchildren, often as a taxi service to various activities. (What working mom can’t relate to this?!?!)
Blending work and family
The definition and purpose of work-life balance have changed over the years for Deidre. Initially, balance was about trying to be present at work during the workday and with family in the evening and on the weekend. As Deirdre added more things like writing books, speaking, and traveling almost every week, work-life balance changed.
Instead of keeping things separated, Deirdre switched to creating ways to blend work and family whenever and wherever she could. Her family would travel with her to trade shows and speaking engagements. They would go accompany Deirdre to nearby New York City client TV commercial shoots. Two of her kids even became extras in one client’s commercials.
This evolution of how she looked at work-life balance allowed Deirdre to spend more time with her family. It also provided a great model for her children for thinking differently about how to have meaningful time together and still manage a demanding career/business.
Managing opportunities
There is only one “You” and you can’t be everywhere. “Managing your opportunities and all of your projects comes down to choices and doing what you love, “ Deirdre explains. You must learn to say “NO,” a powerful and important word in your vocabulary. It helps you steer away from people and situations that leave you drained. Saying no to some things opens up “space for the more meaningful adventures with the people who matter the most.”
Benefits of entrepreneurship
I loved how Deirdre described entrepreneurship: “When you work for yourself, you learn to be your own biggest champion. You’re empowered to do what you love. You create a path by learning what brings you the most satisfaction and joy, while you help others achieve their goals too.” Part of this is surrounding yourself with like-minded, smart people who are equally passionate (yep, you must build deeper relationships). And you’re able to choose your team, collaborators, and clients. This idea of choice is a powerful thing. Make the right choices and then you will reap the benefits, now and over time. There is a compound effect of your good choices.
Challenges of entrepreneurship
While Deirdre enjoys entrepreneurship, she recognizes the challenges. You’re in the driver’s seat, whether it’s all running smoothly or when you hit a dry patch.
She reminds working mothers who want to start a business that entrepreneurs are “on” all of the time. Especially in the beginning, you’re wearing many hats. You’re the visionary leader who moves your company forward, the head of sales, the person with the purse strings, and you’re getting the work done for clients.
To grow your business become comfortable with delegating. You can’t scale your business if you’re trying to be everything to everyone. The idea that “I’m the only one who can do this for the business” can get in your way. This is where building deeper relationships within your network and creating support systems help.
What are you working on right now that you’re excited about?
For so many COVID was a challenging time. For Deirdre, it was a time to create. She shares that “Normally, the time I would have spent traveling for speaking engagements and client trainings turned into writing time to write three books.”
Deirdre’s first recent project is an eBook about her FEEL research and online test data. It’s the first of a four-part series on the differences between how millennials and Generation X face their Fears (the “F” in FEEL) at work and home, which impacts how they approach communication and build deeper relationships.
Her second book is Grandpa Don’t Worry, Another Whisper from Noelle, the second in a children’s book series. Deirdre and her husband are co-authoring a series in memory of her stepdaughter, Noelle. The series is about a little girl’s journey to understand what it means to FEEL and to explore different feelings with her family. In each book, she receives a visit from a special friend, an angel named Noelle. In this book, she learns that her Grandpa feels worried and how through empathy she can help him to feel better. (All proceeds from the children’s books go to charity.)
And her third book, Answers For Ethical Marketers, focuses on ethics and good judgment in communication. (Remember that second “E” in FEEL?) The book is a Q&A to help marketers, PR professionals, and business owners identify their values and ethics at work and home. The stories, advice, ethical situations with different brands, and scenarios stem from Deirdre’s experiences as an entrepreneur and communications professional. The book also taps into advice from many contributors who are thought leaders. They share their best practices in decision-making and how they demonstrate ethical marketing. (Full disclosure, I did share ideas as part of this book.)
Advice for working mothers
- Know your priorities. These priorities become what you focus on and where you spend your time. As working mothers, it’s helpful to have structure in how you spend your time. Carve out time on the calendar for anything important, including your family. “If you have a work calendar, be sure that you block off the time you need without interruptions.”
- Manage your energy on social media. The fear of missing out (FOMO) is real. It can drain your time and energy. Be purposeful on social media, especially as it relates to building community and catching up with people you care about. Don’t let this overwhelm you, though. Learn to step away from technology and be present. If you feel pulled to hop online, consider putting your phone or computer in another room.
- Be present. Give your full attention to each appointment/person on your calendar, whether professional or personal, in-person or online.
- Start a side hustle first. Consider starting your business as a side hustle if you’re interested in entrepreneurship. There is never “a perfect time” to start a business. Over time you might get to a place where your side hustle becomes your main hustle and can replace the income from your day job.
- Engage your network as you start your business. “Starting a business is one of the most exciting and gratifying adventures.” As you build your business, build deeper relationships to create a close circle of trusted confidants. Engage your network and don’t be shy about asking for help; you don’t have to make it all happen alone. And you can pay it forward when you get help from others.
- Fail fast and learn quickly. You wear many hats as an entrepreneur and there are many lessons. It’s OK to fail, but make sure you fail quickly. And then learn from those stumbles.
Where can we find you?
To learn more about Deirdre and all she does, head over to her website. Listen to her amazing Women Worldwide podcast. I regularly have episodes from the podcast in my queue to listen to. I was thrilled to be a guest on her show as I launched my first book in 2017.
Follow Deirdre on Twitter, read her blog, or learn from her on LinkedIn. And learn more about all of her marketing and PR books.
Want to read more from other inspiring working moms? Grab your copy of the latest Mompowerment book, available on Amazon (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases).
