Welcome to episode 118 of the Nerd Journey Podcast [@NerdJourney]! We’re John White (@vJourneyman) and Nick Korte (@NetworkNerd_), two Pre-Sales Technical Engineers who are hoping to bring you the IT career advice that we wish we’d been given earlier in our careers. In today’s episode we share part 2 of our interview with Kate Emshoff and discuss aspects of motherhood and career along with interview considerations and women in technology.
Original Recording Date: 04-06-2021
Kate Emshoff works for Innovatis Group and serves as the Senior Director of Program Management and Operations for VMware User Group (VMUG), one of Innovatis Group’s largest clients. Catch part 1 of our interview with Kate in Episode 117.
Topics – Mother as Part of the Woman, Advice for the Career-Minded Mom, Interview Approaches, and Women in Technology
2:17 – Mother as Part of the Woman

* Kate’s mother-in-law was a stay at home mom.
* Kate’s husband has always supported her pursuing a career.
* Even on days she feels overwhelmed, her husband reminds her that she would be otherwise unhappy and lose her mind if she wasn’t pursuing a career.

* He knows her well enough to understand she needs to be in a career she loves and enjoys.
* If she was not, she would feel unfulfilled.

* Listen to Kate’s story about being able to give her husband the freedom to take risks and make big moves.
* Does it offend a mother of young children if you say "I could never do that, have a career and be a mother / parent of small children?"

* Yes. People may not understand it is extremely hard for a mother of small children to go to another country and be away from them.
* Traveling to other countries made Kate more appreciative of her country and appreciative of how big our world is. She loved being able to give her kids the perspective of different cultures and countries.
* Listen to her story of having to make a trip to Vienna with less than 24 hours notice, being 12 weeks pregnant, and feeling sick the whole time.
* This type of feedback from others can make you question your sanity.

* Does being away from family like this help you be more present when you are with them?

* Kate knows she and her family have a system that works for them. She is thankful her kids are with people who care when she is away.
* She sees mother as a part of her but not the entirety of her.
* Being a mother should not be something we use to define a woman’s capabilities.
* Kate’s boss at the time of all of her international travel (though a woman) did not have children and couldn’t understand why Kate wanted to take a full 12 weeks of leave to have a baby.

* Her boss eventually had a baby and finally understood the struggles associated with leaving the country and needing to worry about all business travel related items as well as caring for small children. She and Kate were about to support each other.

* No one Kate knew was doing anything similar to what she was with the international travel.

* Kate’s friends said things like "I will travel when my kids are grown" or "now is not the time for me to travel."

* Nick mentioned Caitlyn Bryan̵...