Last month, in Conversations with Chinwe, we talked about the challenges of juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship. How does Chinwe manage to consistently find balance? This month, she shares her journey to building her best life and gives us a bonus lesson in etymology.
So after that first year, when you kind of, like, got things somewhat figured…I can’t really say figured it out…but, like, at least to a point where you felt like you were somewhat established. You created your specific work hours, and did that mean that work no longer came home or work was in designated areas only, or a combination of things? What did that look like?
Daycare. So they’re not around. So that once you pick them up from daycare, work time stops. And then for a long period, work time would resume after they go to bed. So it was no longer overlapping.
Was it difficult to maintain that personal boundary for yourself at the beginning? Or did you find that it was easy for you to set those boundaries and stick to them?
If I remember, it’s been a while. It’s not as bad in the beginning because in the beginning of starting a business, you don’t have that many clients usually. Just getting a name out for myself, so I’m not as busy. I think it might have gotten a little tough, like maybe three years to five. Then it became hard because you have more clients, more work. But in the beginning it’s not as difficult because I wasn’t swimming in clients like that.
Have you maintained that work/life balance ten years later?
Ten years later, I have gotten much better in the sense of…for the most part, I work on things that I cannot delegate so that I don’t bog myself down with things that I can delegate. And then I stopped working on weekends a long time ago because that’s just time for the kids. Then I don’t work late in the evenings anymore, except I have a trial or something, because that’s just…I’ve gotten much better like, designated times with the kids being present, I do that. And then now I even incorporate self-care where I take out time even during the week, just for my sanity and myself.
What I really appreciate about how you were sharing is that this has been a process and a journey for you, and it obviously takes time, as your needs change and you’ve been getting about listening to what you need and adjusting accordingly. And making sure you’re building the life that best suits you and your family…OK, before we move on, what was the inspiration behind the name, Ōmēna Law Firm. Am I saying it right? You know, I’m Americanized!
Ọmẹna. It’s actually my middle name.
Ọmẹna. What does it mean? I feel like you told me before.
Yeah, My grandmother named me. “This is mine”. It’s a language called Isoko, in Delta State, Nigeria. Yeah, so it means, “This is mine”. Once I started, I was like, you know, I didn’t want to give it my name.Chinwe Kpaduwa is just a hard name for people to deal with and I’ve always liked my middle name, so…and then the meaning was apt! This is mine!
Yeah! It’s true! It is your law firm!
Fun fact: It took at least one, if not two more corrections before I said Omena properly. Another fun fact: I am still very unconfident about how I’m pronouncing it. You’re welcome to judge me. Thankfully, we have access to the recorded sound bite on Omena Law Firm’s social media platform. Make sure you check it out and get practicing because next month, there will be a quiz. Kidding! Next month we’re talking about Chinwe’s proudest moments in law. See you in August!