Your "baby" is about ready to drop you at the school gates and (after the first couple of days) probably with barely a backward glance. It's time to get to grips with what "mummy" does next. But you stepped off the ladder a year ago or more - so many things must have changed. And there are so many things to consider.

If you return to work, will you be able to slot back in without missing a stride? How do you show an employer that you're serious about your career? How do you position what you've been doing as being valuable to their organisation? Or maybe you feel the best thing for you and your family now is full time motherhood but how do you manage with only one income? How do you plan for your eventual return? How do you keep your skills and marketability sharp?

Well, like every other decision in life, there's no one answer that's all pros and no cons. For instance, full-time motherhood brings the rewards of seeing your child grow and develop. And, when you're working, you often have to miss things like the school play or the carol service, or just the being there when they get home from school. But work can be fulfilling in other kinds of ways. For the professional woman, work issues can be stimulating: the workplace can provide opportunities for your learning and growth. It can be a place where your talents are appreciated and, when all your professional friends are working, home can be lonely.

The number of variables can seem overwhelming: the effect on your child(ren), your partner, your finances, your physical and mental well-being, even other people's ideas of "the perfect mother". Perhaps your time away from the world of the employed has dented your confidence in your ability to deal with adult situations. Will you be able to handle any feelings of guilt at leaving your child? Where will you find childcare you can have confidence in? Then there's the question of how you manage your workload at home: will you and your partner be able to negotiate a fair division of labour? Will you be able to negotiate with your employer for your right to ask for things like flexible hours or sick leave if your child is unwell? So you put off the decision: perhaps you feel it makes sense to give your child time to settle in at school and your brain time to return to its "adult" setting and then maybe you should just hang on until they've done their SATS.... moved to secondary school ......... done their A-levels ....... got their degree......

Imagine looking back and wishing you'd at least tried to develop that neat idea you had for a baby product. Or to work from home. Or to go for the more creative career you've thought so often you'd love to try. And now imagine how it would feel to know that all your time is "quality time" - whether with your family or in your career. What if you could see yourself with a well-planned and fulfilling life that enables your family to have the same - be a role model for your kids of how to make the best of both worlds? How would it be to hear yourself say, "I've got my family/work/life balance sorted!"?

These are probably not decisions you want to make on your own so, who can you turn to for help? Your partner? Partners are so intimately involved, though, that it can be just as hard for them to see the whole thing objectively. Family? Friends? They usually have a sadly limited view of our possibilities, however much they wish the best for us.

When you have a will to write or a particularly tricky tax return to fill in, you go to a solicitor or an accountant for expert advice. A professional costs money but they can save you from wasting precious time and making costly mistakes. A coach will help you to get clear about what you should really be doing and how to make it happen. A coach is someone to rely on for the moral support a friend would give and who also has the skills, experience and objectivity to help you see beyond the limits of what you currently know. To help you extend your resources to find the time and money to achieve your goals. To help you deal with family and friends' objections and lack of belief. To give you the confidence to take whatever steps you choose.

Call me on 01223 811913 or email me for a free initial consultation to see if we can work together to:

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