Reflections on Balancing Work and Personal Identity

Speaker 2
Fair. I also thank you so much for your time and for your insight. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't think we have done a podcast like this, maybe even ever, but definitely not in a long time that I remember where somebody explained how your private life and your work life like absent flows of it in that sense. And I think that's also very important for people to hear that life still goes on, you know, whatever project you're on, whatever operation you're on. And yeah, I really appreciate you taking the time.
Speaker 1
Thanks. Thanks so much for having me on. And it's like, because we're semi -retired, and we see sometimes how people really build an identity around the job instead of their own personhood. It's really important to understand that, hey, as much cool things as you might do in this job that does not define who you are. Like you got to, and I think like people who have a hard time finding themselves upon retirement, like they don't know what to do with themselves. All they know is like to go back to work. You know, I think that's a, but there's so much of life to enjoy out there. I'm
Speaker 2
going to hear from your life. I mean, you always found ways to help others and to serve. So I don't think it's a problem for you after retirement. Well,
Speaker 1
I have so many, I feel like I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. But I've also really appreciated all the... I had some really fantastic women bosses who were very supportive. Male bosses too. And so one of them apparently was getting an award and didn't tell us. And so she calls me one day, 2 o 'clock in the afternoon. She says, Oh, my teacher says I need to tell you because we have like some kind of award thing for me. And so yeah, it's going to be at the school at 2 30. I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm supposed to go to a meeting. And my boss, who was also a mom, she was right behind me and heard my conversation with her. She was like, go. child was graduating from eighth grade, right? Not graduating, but you know, and she got the, she got the Drama Queen Award, and they only award that to one, one boy and one girl in eighth grade. So I thought, this is kind of like an important thing. And so I think there are, you find in any, in any organization, especially big ones, right? find your tribe of people that got you back. And that's really key. I'm not talking about nepotism or anything, but it's just like my boss saying, go, we'll cover you for the rest of the day. So yeah, and the support system is out there. Fantastic.
Speaker 2
Again, Esther, thank you so much for your time. And I hope to speak soon with you again, either on a podcast or off of it. And yeah, thank you so much. Is there, do you want to share anywhere where people can find you if they have questions or whatever?
Speaker 1
Well, I do have a LinkedIn profile, so they're welcome to contact me via LinkedIn. I think that would probably be the best way. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2
We will share it to the show notes too.
Speaker 1
Okay. Great. Thank you so much for having me on. Thank
Speaker 2
you.

Former CIA Collection Management Officer on Life with Esther Atwell – Episode 55

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