158: What My 5-ish Month Maternity Leave from My Business Was Really Like (the “day in, day out” life on maternity leave, emotional rollercoasters, and changing desires as a new mama!)

Last week we talked about early motherhood from a postpartum life perspective, now let’s talk about those early days from a BUSINESS perspective. I’m sharing all the nitty gritty details of my 5 month maternity leave. (It was about 5 ½ months total - including the time before Colin was actually born, which we’ll get into in this episode!)    On episode #139 (What I Did To Prepare For A 2 ½ Month Maternity Leave As An Online Business Owner), I told you all about how I planned a maternity leave from my business! Well, now maternity leave is over, and Colin is 6 months old!    I’ll be sharing… - What taking so much time away from my business was like - The hilariousness of the early days of my maternity leave while waiting on Colin to be born  - The experience of working a little bit but not “a lot” (because you never really “stop” as a business owner) - 3 ways I’ve built a business that allows for this much time away while still thriving  - How did all my planning actually play out in real life - How much I worked/didn’t work  - What it was like executing a Black Friday sale while on leave (and what I’d do differently next time)  - How my desires for my work life changed when becoming a mom  - My team members review of the leave  - Plus, plenty of random tips for you throughout!    This is in no way a COMPLETE picture of my maternity leave. I wish I could share every important detail, but the truth is… I forget a lot of things and this outline is already 10 pages as it is. I hope you’ll enjoy this casual and very real episode. And, I pray it helps you in some way as you plan time away from your business, whatever that looks like for you!    Links mentioned in the episode: - Get the full show notes for this episode here: https://elizabethmccravy.com/158  - Episode #139 - Details on planning my maternity leave: https://elizabethmccravy.com/139  - Episode #158 - All about my postpartum journey: https://elizabethmccravy.com/157  - Episode #148 - Colin’s Birth Story: https://elizabethmccravy.com/colins-birth-story/    Are Need more (& BETTER) images/videos to use in your business’ marketing? Then you NEED my fav stock photo & video company, Haute Stock! I use Haute Stock images  & videos for things like webinar slides, podcast promo graphics & videos, on my website, for Reels, & so much more. Get 15% off your subscription using the referral code ELIZABETH at checkout. Or visit elizabethmccravy.com/hautestock.