By Akilah S. Richards

In 2004, I made the transition from twenty-something working woman to Execumama; and it has been remarkable! The evolution into motherhood is life-altering for any woman; especially one in her twenties, still facing the challenges of deciding on her career path and defining her post high school/college self. Add to that society’s unyielding assertion that a woman is either a good business person or a good mother; not, God forbid, both. I had finished college four years prior, and was on a very specific path, tunnel vision blinkers affixed. Then came Marley; occupant of my uterus, and shifter of my paradigm. I couldn’t possibly be a great mother and a successful businesswoman, right? Wrong! I was doing what society had trained me to do; choosing between my career and my child.

My dear readers, I’ve learned that we can choose NOT to choose!

Make no mistake, the priority is steadfastly placed on my children, but I don’t have to entirely abandon my goals to focus on them. After Marley, I did some soul-searching and decided to go for gusto and pursue my “first baby”, writing. Since then, every position I’ve held has allowed me to further hone my craft. Part-time day care has seen me and the hubs through to our current lives of raising two amazing souls, and full-time entrepreneurship. He owns a brand enhancement and graphic design company, and I’m a budding, well…Execumama! Undoubtedly, it’s a tightrope, and oftentimes, only faith and doggedness carry us through. But we’re controlling our time, and that feels fabulously right!

In my first book, Execumama: A Pocket-guide for the Twenty-something Mommy on the Move, I was blessed to interview dozens of Execumamas who successfully navigate the high seas of working motherhood, brazen enough to pursue their personal and professional goals. Here are two of the Execumama Mantras that grace the pages of this quick but substantive read.

• Mantra Two: Motherhood does not define me. I, in fact, define motherhood. I will create and live an ever-evolving definition of motherhood with pride, commitment, and God-granted energy.
• Mantra Four: My child gets the benefit of a woman who is mentally stimulated and challenged. I will free my mind of the thoughts that put unnecessary limits on my work performance, and of the thoughts that limit the quality of the time I spend with my child.

Blaze your own path, Ma’ – it suits you!

Akilah S. Richards is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University where she studied Speech Communications and honed her writing skills. Her creative energies are devoted to full-time freelance writing, and she has been on assignent for several on-line and print entities including Mommy Too!, Odyssey Couleur, IONA, SANDZ!, CaribLifeCentral.com, and the graphic design and copywriting company she runs with her husband, Voz Visual Designs.

Akilah’s first book, a non-fictional work, Execumama: A Pocket Guide for the Twenty-something Mommy on the Move, details the struggle and ultimate triumph of young minority women who blaze career paths without compromising the care and attention that their children and partners need. You can find her Execumama musings at www.execumama.blogspot.com . Akilah is currently immersed in the creation of her first fictional novel entitled Naturalized Flies. She lives in metro Atlanta with her husband and their two busy-bodies, Marley and Sage-Niambi.