Standing at the Career Crossroads

So for one final time, I pushed my 7-month-old’s buggy into the internet café. My hands shook slightly as I pressed send on the email — the one that meant I was giving up the fight for justice, for now at least.

My crime? Becoming a mother! 

“This is just a means to an end,” I whispered to those big blue eyes peering up. 

In the weeks leading up to that September day in 2005, I was shocked that I  had to renegotiate my salary before returning from maternity leave. It was immoral, illegal and I was furious! 

Less pay. Long hours. Endless guilt. And for what? The “privilege” of being away from my most precious baby boy, while paying someone else to care for him.

That moment changed everything for me. Why should I sacrifice family life and settle for a career I wasn’t passionate about and a company that did not respect my values. I wanted a career where I could make a difference, feel fulfilled, and still be there when my family needed me.

The time for change was now. I clicked “ send” 

I wanted to build something of my own — something that fitted around my family, not the other way around.

Like so many mums, I’d lost confidence after time away from work. I worried my skills wouldn’t transfer, that it was “too late” to start again, and that I’d need to retrain completely. But deep down, I knew I had so much to offer — creativity, communication, organisation, warmth — the very skills that motherhood had strengthened, not erased.

In the few months that followed, I discovered Caterpillar Music — a business that blended everything I loved: music, child development, community, and connection. It gave me the freedom to work for myself, choose my own hours, and still be there every day when my children got home from school.

Running my own Caterpillar Music classes didn’t just give me flexibility — it gave me purpose. I was finally doing something meaningful, that brought joy to other families and worked beautifully around my own.

And that’s why I’m so passionate about helping other mums do the same. Because I know what it feels like to stand at that crossroads — unsure, nervous, but ready for something more.

You don’t need to start from scratch or go it alone. You just need the right opportunity — one that’s built for women like you.

If this story resonates with you, visit our Franchise Opportunities page to find out more about a Caterpillar Music career!