How I Knew It Was Time to End My Career Break and Return to Work

Lydia left a steady job for stay-at-home motherhood, knowing her career pause wouldn’t be forever. Here’s how she knew it was time to pivot back to the paid workforce.

In January 2021, Lydia Lauer and her family packed up their Portland home and moved to a small town in Mexico. The move came shortly after another major life change for Lydia: the decision to leave behind her steady, decade-long career as a creative at Nike and embrace a career pause for motherhood. 

“I had been considering a career shift, and younger me always figured I would work for myself at some point, either in a consulting or small agency capacity,” Lydia says. “I woke up one morning and realized that maybe now was the time. This was my opening, or rather my exit.” 

But first, Lydia took some time away from her career entirely, embracing what she calls a nearly year-long “brain break.” While she initially threw herself into stay-at-home parenting–managing Zoom school for her kindergarten son, taking on the lion’s share of domestic responsibilities, and lapping up time with her little one–there came a moment when Lydia knew it was time to shift focus and tend to her career. Her career pause was over, and it was time to get back to work.

What followed was a double launch: her own creative marketing agency, La Madre, and later, Casa Madre, a joint venture with her husband that found the couple renovating a series of casitas—or small homes—to rent as getaways in Mexico.

Below, in Lydia’s own words, she discusses life in the gray area–that space between career and family life–and how she knew her nine-month career pause had run its course.

Q: How did you know it was time to return to the paid workforce?

A: My first couple of weeks untethered from the corporate world felt like a mix of a familiar summer vacation and a bit funereal. I typically take two weeks off at the end of summer to spend quality time with my son and enjoy our beautiful weather with day trips to the water, exploring parks, enjoying lunches al fresco, and spending time with friends.

I jumped right into this as it was natural, but at the same time, I was receiving wonderful notes, phone calls, bouquets and gifts from my friends and colleagues honoring 10-plus years and working, supporting, and pushing each other. It honestly was a bit [surreal] and extremely touching. 

After the two weeks of typical vacation mode and answering a lot of ‘what's next!?’ I committed to a ‘brain break’ through the rest of the year. I did not want or need to think about work or the specifics of what was next quite yet. I knew it would come naturally and organically. 

This brain break was a complete privilege. Especially as my son, Mario, was starting virtual kindergarten, my husband was jumping into a big production out of state, and we were preparing our house and lives to move out of the country.

… I could begin to refocus, transition, and flex into my next and new role as an independent creative.

I quickly fell into a spell of domestication that was initially a fun change of routine. I was doing the school work with Mario and a lot of the home chores: meals, clean-ups, organizing, groceries, etc. I told myself I had the extra time now and I could do all these things cause I was ‘just being a mom’. 

Looking back on this, I realize that I took too much on. Because I was no longer contributing financially to our family, I felt like I needed to do more than I had ever done before. More cooking, cleaning, organizing, planning, etc.

After some time, I learned that I wasn’t comfortable in this role, and to be honest, I felt completely isolated and so far removed from my former self. This was when I knew my ‘brain break’ was officially over and I could begin to refocus, transition and flex into my next and new role as an independent creative.

Transitioning Out of My Career Pause

Now, I am fortunate that my husband, Mike, is in the same industry. Where I used to be the one leaving the house every morning and coming home for dinner and bedtime we are now both home. When it comes to working from home, I have a pretty good example in him of what works and what doesn't.

I tend to leave the house when I have work or a Zoom Call in order to remove all the distractions. I rotate between a few local cafes for lunch and work, or coffee and work. If I am out of the house, I cannot be bothered and my work comes first.

And similar to my prior life, when I worked in corporate America, I get a lot of work done after dinner and after Mario is in bed. I often stay up late at the kitchen table or on the couch putting together decks or pulling inspiration for ideas. 

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Editor’s note: A version of this story first appeared in 2021.