The CPA MOMS Podcast

However, sometimes the idea of feeling justified or offering a justification isn't as dramatic, as in the example of laying on the horn of your car when someone cuts you off. No matter what comes to mind when you hear or use the term justified, it's a pretty common feeling. When I work with clients, I often get asked "Is that normal?" when they are trying to justify a negative thought, feeling or action. This question comes up in many different situations like "I have too much work, too much responsibility at home and I just want to run away; is that normal?" or "My children aren't following the rules and I just feel like screaming all the time; is that normal?" What you may be looking for when you ask "Is that normal?" is justification for what you are thinking, how you are feeling or how you are acting. Often you are experiencing something negative and want to know that it's ok to think and feel that way. On the one hand it's understandable to want to justify and to feel that it's normal to do so because your brain is offering you over 60,000 thoughts a day. You are often looking for a legitimate reason why your brain is thinking a certain way in order to be ok with feeling less than great. On the other hand just because its "normal" doesn't mean it's helpful. Taking a look at what you've been justifying in your life is some of the most powerful work you can do. This week I'm going to discuss the problem with feeling justified, the powerful question that you should be asking yourself and how that question can change everything.

Whether it's to raise your children, to be the caregiver for aging parents or any host of reasons, hitting the "pause" button on your career may be something you've considered. The concept of pausing the trajectory of your career by working a reduced schedule or leaving your career entirely with the plan to return at some later point can come with a lot of questions and concerns. Thankfully things have changed over the years for women looking to pause their careers and for those looking to re-enter the workforce after pausing. More women than ever are exploring the fact that their career doesn't have to be a linear path; that a non-linear path is an option and can actually be optimal. This week I'm going to discuss the questions and concerns you may have about pausing your career and how to make the decision to pause your career or re-enter after a pause.

For women, money is one of the last taboos. Women are often more comfortable talking about personal details of their sex life than they are talking about money. In order to eliminate shame and build confidence around money you have to be willing to take a look at your beliefs. The results you currently have in your relationship with money are due to some unconscious programming that needs to be acknowledged if you want to create different results. This week I'm going to discuss why women experience so much shame around money and how to start improving your relationship with money.

I'm sure we can all agree that rejection doesn't feel great. In fact most of the time, it sucks. Whether it's in your professional or personal life, rejection can destroy your self-esteem, create anger and fear, as well as take up precious brain space. If only there was a way to be willing to experience rejection without it stopping you from being, doing or having what you want; a way to be self-confident and give yourself all the approval you need. Sound good? Then I have a secret to share. This week I'm going to discuss where the fear of rejection comes from and the secret to dealing with it in a way that empowers you rather than paralyzes you.

So many women wear the badge of "people pleaser", especially mothers. On the surface using the term people pleaser seems so nice. It seems like all you want to do is make people happy and what's wrong with that? You may not even label yourself as a people pleaser, you just consider yourself a nice person. Doing for others allows you to feel loved and valuable. You also may believe that pleasing others is what a good mother, wife and friend does. What if you are actually attempting to manipulate people into liking you or thinking positively about you at the expense of your truth? This week I'm going to explore the truth about people pleasing and how to recover from the need to people please and begin to, more importantly, please yourself.

If you are a high achieving woman and feel you need to always be producing at a high level, then it's safe to say you may not know how to enjoy time off. If you can't stop thinking of work when you are off, you are not alone. Many hard working moms, and accountants in general, have the same pattern of thinking. This week I'm going to explore why you may be resisting enjoying time off and what you can do to change that.

Have you ever experienced that insidious feeling that you're out of your league, not good enough, that you are only in your position because you got lucky or that sooner or later you will be found out? It doesn't matter if it has to do with your profession, with your ability as a mother or any other area of your life, imposter syndrome can creep in at any time. This week I'm going to discuss what imposter syndrome is, where it comes from and how to cure it.

I have to admit that my inner judge and jury is quite a bitch! How about yours? The issue is between making judgments and being judgmental. One is discerning and feels empowering and the other feels defensive, fearful and often justified. One gets you the results you desire and the other gets you a whole lot of emotional pain. This week I'm going to discuss why you are judgmental, how it's hurting you and how to stop being the judge and jury in your life.

By learning that the results you create in your life are within your control, you can create the awareness that "problems" are just neutral Circumstances that you get to solve with your thoughts about it. This week I'm going to discuss the Manage Your Mind Model and how to use it to solve any problem.

Is there something you need from someone else in order to feel better? If you have unmet needs at work or in your relationship with a partner or your children then I've got some great information to share with you. This week I'm going to discuss the issue with wanting others to meet your needs and the secret to ending that struggle.

Becoming aware of the questions you ask, how you phrase those questions and looking at the default answers you've been getting, is how you can start making some big changes in your life. This week I'm going to discuss the problem with dead end questions and how to ask better questions so you can get better results.

Drama has become somewhat of an addiction just like the overuse of alcohol to numb your feelings or the overuse of social media to escape your life. If you identified with any of these statements, you may want to keep reading. Even if you don't think you are full-blown addicted to drama, you may be affecting your children without even realizing it. This week I'm going to discuss why drama is enticing, how that could be affecting your children and how to stop.

The issue isn't that you feel good when you are paid a compliment from others; the issue is when you desperately need other people's positive opinions to create your own self-confidence. You want other people to compliment, approve of or validate you because you haven't been able to provide it for yourself. This week I'm going to discuss why you may be seeking validation and how to create self-confidence so you can have your own back.

This week I'm answering Jackie's question about feeling better when her husband isn't acting the way she wants...

If you are like me, overwhelm can become, well…overwhelming. It can feel like being on the proverbial hamster wheel with no relief in sight. Your feeling of anxiety seems to be playing tag with your feeling of overwhelm and you can't make those feelings take a time out and watch TV instead. This week I'm going to discuss what causes overwhelm and how to overcome it so it so you can get back to having the life you want.

A listener asks about the podcast on difficult people and wants to know how to deal with a coworker that drives her crazy...

There's a story about a man riding a horse, galloping quickly. It appears that he's going somewhere very important. A man standing along the roadside shouts, "Where are you going?" The rider replies, "I don't know. Ask the horse!" This is the story of most people's lives; you're riding the horse of your habits, with no idea where you're headed. The results you have in your life are created by the actions you take so if you don't like the results, you have to start looking at the cause. Your habits are an important place to start. This week I'm going to discuss habits that help, habits that hurt and the process of changing a habit.

As a female accountant you can probably relate to struggling with different areas of your professional life. This week is all about improving your time management and productivity, improving your analytical skills and improving your confidence. Sound good? Great....come join me!

Imagine how different life would be if it wasn't possible to take things personally. Your mother-in-law's comments about your house wouldn't affect you, your co-workers not mentioning they were going out for drinks wouldn't be an issue and your child's teacher sending home a note encouraging parents to send healthier snacks into school wouldn't be a personal attack. It would be great if you could take a sip of some magic potion and not react to people's words and actions in a self-deprecating way. You could go through life knowing that other people's opinions are interesting but cannot affect you. This week I'm going to discuss other people's opinions, being a juicy peach (you'll understand in a minute) and how to stop taking things personally.

Let's face it, life would be so much easier if you could hand everyone instructions on what you need from them in order for you to be happy. If only there was an instruction manual that you could give your significant other, your boss or your children that would tell them in detail what to do so you can feel better. This week I'm going to discuss how you already have instruction manuals for the people in your life, why you may want to throw them away and what to do instead.

I'm sure you would agree that finding out about the latest celebrity drama and sharing it with a friend or a coworker is just part of our culture today. It may not feel like such a big deal to let a trusted friend know what you heard about that difficult mother in the PTA. Gossip can be a little exciting at first and maybe you feel a little bad afterwards but in the grand scheme of things it's no big deal right? What if I told you that gossip is harmful to your brain and can hurt you in the long term if it goes unchecked? Once I learned about how our brains work and how we experience life, I realized how harmful gossip is to the lives we say we want to have. This week I'm going to discuss why we gossip, how gossip affects your brain and how to curtail it.

As a working woman there can be many layers of comparisons that can lead to questioning whether you are good enough. You may feel the pressure to do well in all areas of your life and exhaust yourself with trying to figure out where you fall on the ladder of "enough-ness". In trying to balance it all, the area that is often the greatest struggle is being a good mom. There are so many opinions and suggestions that bombard moms with beliefs about child rearing, financial planning, discipline, education and wellness that it's no wonder you question whether you are doing a good enough job. This week I'm going to discuss what is "good enough", what it means to be a good mom and the importance of creating your own definition.

As a working mom with an accounting career you know a lot about hard work and trying to balance your career with your family. Sometimes it can seem like it's just not possible to do it all and especially to do it successfully. There may come a point where you want to consider working a reduced schedule but aren't sure how it will affect your career. You want to be successful in your career but you also want to be happy in other areas of your life. You begin to question whether working part time and being successful is possible. In an article titled "5 Habits of Highly Successful Part-Time Professionals" the author describes helpful tips like being organized, staying connecting, using your voice, etc. What articles like this don't discuss is the idea of what success actually means and how to add value to your job in a way that makes working part-time a win/win for both you and your company This week I'm going to discuss what success means to you, how to add value as a part-time employee and my own journey with being successful and working part-time throughout my career. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/

The wisdom of people who have lived a life that's full tells you to not leave yourself open to saying on your deathbed, "I wish I had…" But what if regret can be the impetus for changed behavior? What if there is an upside to regret? Regret doesn't sound so bad if it can be used to shine a light on future desired action. There's always an opportunity to flip regret and change the future. This week I'm going to discuss the downside to regret, the upside to regret and how to live a life that's full. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/

From an early age your parents most likely taught you right from wrong. They taught you how to treat others as you would want to be treated. You learned what was considered appropriate and were reprimanded when you weren't following the rules. You were taught to not question authority, to respect your elders and how to behave. Basically from a young age you were taught what to believe about the world. Those programmed thoughts have been running in the background of your mind and if you aren't careful, you may assume that everything you've been told is true. This week I'm going to discuss two lies, two truths and how to help your children not repeat the cycle. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/

No matter what profession you are in, the concept of burnout is all too familiar to working women. As working moms we have an added layer of challenges, expectations, judgments and time constraints that can take the feeling of stress to the next level. Many women hit the proverbial wall and surrender by announcing that burnout has beaten them; they just can't do it all. This week I'm going to discuss the signs of burnout and how to beat it at its own game. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/

As a working mom I'm sure you've said out loud (more than a few times) "There's just not enough time in the day!" With everything we have going on in our lives, it seems like a reasonable thing to exclaim. But what if you could actually create more time? This week I'm going to share three secrets to creating more time which include our greatest ally, honoring the plan and the gift of constraint. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/

In the past ten years, the awareness of Eastern philosophies and ways of healing our minds and bodies has become part of our normal conversation. What used to be considered "hippie-ish" is now more mainstream. People are looking for ways to be more "zen" and less stressed. It's not unheard of for someone to learn yoga, practice meditation with the help of a phone app, burn candles or play spa-like music to help slow down their hurried lives. One of the Eastern traditions that have become popular is using a mantra. This week I'm going to share some working mom mantras, why you may want to start using one and how to create your own. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/

It's important to shine a light on the beliefs that are no longer serving us and replace them with ones that do. With a deeper understanding of how our brain works and the power of creating new neural pathways, I have decided to do something different for this coming New Year. I have decided to do a Year of "No More". Each month I will be tackling a limiting belief that has been taking up space in my life. Listen in as I explain what I will be working on each month and what I will be doing instead of practicing that limiting belief. I'm super excited to see what this next year will bring when I say "no more" to what is no longer serving me. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/

The idea particularly relevant to achieving goals is perfectionism. In the book Finish - Give Yourself the Gift of Done the author explains that perfectionism offers us two distinct distractions – Hiding Places and Noble Obstacles. A Hiding Place is where you go when you have a fear of messing up and a Noble Obstacle is the "Very Good Reason" you cannot pursue your goal. This week I'm going to shine a light on our Hiding Places, uncover our Noble Obstacles and provide tips on how to finish what you started. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/

Have you ever heard of the saying "If you want to know how enlightened you are, spend a weekend with your family"? Well the message that I want to teach about goal setting is "If you want to know what's been creating the life you currently have, set a goal." Your mind will show you everything you need to know about your failed New Year's resolutions and much, much more. This week I'm going to discuss why we shy away from setting goals, how we can uncover "gold" when we set a goal and steps to take before, during and after setting a goal. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/

Of all the things clients want to be coached on, fear is the most common. They've taken fear to an extreme that doesn't serve them. It makes them play small. Things like the fear of imperfection, of judgment, of success or failure, not being good enough, losing control or fear of what might happen in the future are just some of the fears that we carry around like a super heavy backpack. The feeling of fear has become a mental "Warning!" sign to our brains that we just take for granted is trying to protect us. We don't stop to question if the fear is logical or necessary. This week I'm going to discuss the truth about fear, how it affects us personally and professionally and an exercise to take control when fear shows up. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/

As adults we understand that being happy all the time is not feasible but we also can't help just wanting to feel better The holiday season is upon us which means the giving and getting of gifts. As children we can't wait to get that special toy we've been waiting all year for. We feel the thrill of anticipation. We may feel excited, happy and loved believing that getting that desired present is the cause of our happiness. No matter what holiday we celebrate or what age we are, we often wish those great feelings could last throughout the year. Most of us are taught at a very early age to want something outside of ourselves in order to feel better. As we grow up the desire grows bigger, the programming gets stronger and the worse we feel when we don't get what we think we want. This week I'm going to discuss why we feel the way we do, how to feel better and share an exercise that will help you to decide how you want to feel on a daily basis. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/ You can find the full show notes HERE

Being an introverted mother meant learning coping skills that helped me to show up in ways I would have resisted before the gift of being a mom The first time I understood the deeper meaning of the difference between an introvert and an extrovert, I got emotional because I wasn't aware that there were other people just like me. I was reading a book on behavior management and thought it would be fun to take a quiz on whether I was an introvert or an extrovert, never knowing how those results would change my life. I have since learned to own my introvert nature and to even be grateful for how I handle the world in my own unique way. The biggest surprise I had when learning about the qualities of introverts is realizing that I wasn't a bad mother. Up until then I was concerned with things like not wanting to be attached to my kids 24/7 and staying behind to talk at PTA meetings making me uncomfortable. Learning that my introvert nature wasn't a character defect was a major relief. This week I'm going to discuss the qualities of an introvert, how those qualities have affected my role as a mother and tools that you can use if you are an introverted mother. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/ You can find the show notes HERE

If we can end mom guilt in the accounting profession, who knows how powerful that change will be for other working moms! It can strike at any time no matter what we do for a living, how many children we have, what their ages are or how much help we have balancing our career with our family. When we are at work, we can feel guilty because we wish we were with our kids. When we are with the kids, we can feel guilty because we wish we were at work. We have a tug of war going on in our hearts and minds and it's a war that's has been creating stress for working moms for decades. I have been a CPA for over 30 years and a mom for 26 years. My children have only ever known having a mom that works and for most of my early career, mom guilt reared its ugly head on a regular basis. This week I'm going to discuss where the feeling of guilt comes from, some truths we may want to own, how we can end mom guilt and the last chapter of my mom guilt story. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/ You can find the show notes HERE

It's almost that time of year when families gather for the holidays and work parties require everyone to try to get along. It's when we dread having to see that uncle who always finds something to complain about or we try to avoid that coworker who only wants to brag about her kids and never asks us how ours are doing. Whether it's at work, in our family or in our daily interactions, difficult people seem to be everywhere. This week I'm going to discuss the truth about difficult people, why we feel the way we do about them, tips for dealing with difficult people and a fun exercise that will have you laughing instead of dreading. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/ You can find the show notes HERE

In this episode I'll be discussing what buffering is, why we buffer, how it hurts us and how to stop. When we use buffering in our lives to "lessen or moderate the impact of something", it's to lessen the impact of our negative emotions. This can become so habitual that we aren't even aware we are doing it. If we feel stressed or overwhelmed and tend to binge Netflix to escape, we are buffering. Buffering hurts us because it dulls the aliveness of life. It shows up in our lives as overeating, overdrinking, overspending, overworking, over Facebooking and any other action that we overindulge in, in order to numb out uncomfortable feelings. Buffering with external things puts us at a disadvantage because we believe we need the things in order to feel better. By understanding what buffering is and what it is costing us, we can take the steps to stop and create the life we would like to have instead. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/ You can find the show notes HERE

It's that time of year when we bring out next seasons clothes and become re-familiar with what's been stored away. It's when the old can become "new" again. When we can make decisions about things we want to keep, discard or give away. If you got swept up in the decluttering craze of Marie Kondo's book "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" like I did, you know all about only keeping items that you love and how to properly fold and store what you decide to keep. My husband joked that he had never seen our counter tops so sparse than when I became obsessed with the Kondo method. This week I'm sharing the most important first step to organizing and simplifying your life and an exercise that will change how you feel in a dramatic way. The thing I know now that has been missing from the organizing and simplifying craze is what I would consider as the first step before emptying everything from your closet onto the floor. It can make your life dramatically more organized and simplified and doesn't require any storage bins. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/ You can find the show notes HERE

A few weeks ago my husband had chosen to not speak to me for a day. I was mistaken about the time we were supposed to leave for something and I wasn't ready when it was time to go so he went without me. Before I learned how to manage my mind, this type of scenario would have played out with thoughts like these: Why is he not speaking to me? I already apologized for being mistaken about the time This reminds me of all the other times he's given me the silent treatment I hope he talks to me soon so I can defend myself I hate when he's in a bad mood This feel so uncomfortable This week I'm going to discuss why we take things personally, what we can do instead, why it doesn't make you an uncaring person and the key to learning how to stop taking things personally. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/ You can find the show notes HERE

When was the last time you were happy at your job? When was the last time you came home and felt a sense of accomplishment? In this episode I'm going to explore why you may not be happy at your job and what you can do to feel better. When you have the awareness that I teach, it puts you in control of how you feel which means you will no longer be a victim of any circumstance. Let's face it - you spend way too much time at work to not feel the way you want to feel when you are there. The great thing is that it is 100% within your control. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/ You can find the show notes HERE

Setting boundaries the correct way sets the stage for a more peaceful, resentment- free and drama- free life Envision this – resentment free relationships, no longer engaging in gossip, clear and honest communication with others and with yourself, managing your relationship with technology, feeling peaceful and in control. Sounds great right? It's possible when you learn how to set proper boundaries in your life. This week I'm going to share the secrets to setting boundaries (hint: just saying "no" is not setting a boundary), what a boundary is and is not and share an example from my life. To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/ You can find the show notes HERE

You are poised and ready at a time in history where women are truly needed in ways that are more important to businesses than ever before! This week I'm going to explore my beginning as a female accountant, why statistics don't paint a true picture, the female business owner trend, the new generation of "conscious creators" that female accountants are poised to support and how I can support you by showing you how to manage your mind. This episode is only the beginning! To find out more about how to create a successful CPA career with confidence, check out http://cpa-moms-coach.com/ Keep coming back because we are going to learn how to deal with mom guilt, how to reduce overwhelm, how to set proper boundaries, how to handle difficult people, how to get things done without added stress and much, much more. Amazing things are possible when you learn how to manage your mind. You can find the show notes from this episode HERE

This is the introduction to my podcast. Before I start posting my weekly podcast I wanted to introduce myself and tell you what this podcast will be about. So let's start with who I am – I am Dawn Goldberg. I have been a CPA for over 30 years and a mom for 26 years. I have worked for large firms like Deloitte & Touche and Ernst & Young as well as small firms. The whole premise for this podcast is that you can have the thriving career and the happy family that you desire by learning some powerful things that I've learned along the way in my own life's journey. We're going to talk about the best gift you CAN give your children, about the lies we are told as girls and women, how to build self confidence, the secret to minding your own business, why being a CPA and a mom is a perfect match, how to work part time and be successful if you choose to go that route and much, much more. This podcast will show you that nothing you have experienced up to now is your fault. You were just never taught how your brain actually works and how you can take charge of it instead of it taking charge of you. You are going to learn a new way of being. It will inspire you to set big and small goals as well as show you how to have the balanced life you've only dreamed of.