Keely

I am beyond grateful for the opportunity The Arndt Agency has given me. Like many working moms, I have always struggled with feelings of guilt when I was not with my son, Cooper, who was born in 2010. It broke my heart that he spent more time at daycare than he did with his dad and me. I didn’t like it, but for my own sanity I had to get on board. My husband, Justin, and I made it work and did the best we could managing our work schedules along with Cooper’s sports and activities schedule. 

Then in May of 2019 we were blessed with the news we were expecting again, but this time it was a baby girl. Lillie came into this world a month early due to complications throughout my pregnancy. While I was in the hospital recovering, I began feeling that “mom guilt” again. I didn’t want my little peanut who had such a rough start in life to spend more time at daycare than home with her family.  Then COVID happened. A week after my maternity leave had ended, the company I was working for made the decision to require all of us to work remotely from home. Then the schools and daycares closed, leaving me at home tasked with working my “day job” 8 hours a day, teaching my 3rd grade son, and caring for Lillie who was 3 months old. My husband couldn’t help during the day because he was an essential worker. It all fell on me. I was laid off in July of 2020 because of COVID and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. 

I hadn’t realized, but I had become an emotional basket case in trying to meet everyone’s needs but my own. It took me burning the candle at both ends to a point of utter exhaustion for me to say enough is enough. There had to be a way to make a living without sacrificing my family’s needs. I took some time off after being laid off; I spent it regrouping and straightening my priorities. When I entered the workforce again, my priorities remained the same… my family first.  While COVID was tough, it also provided clarity. I knew that it was time for me to find something that was flexible, allowing me to put my family first. I also knew it was time for me to have something that was mine, and that I could build. I had built so much for others it was time to build it for me! 

The Arndt Agency provides an opportunity that checks every box for me. I’m all in and I couldn’t be happier, and my family couldn’t be happier. So, if after reading my story you find yourself relating to any it, WE NEED TO TALK! Not only am I there for my family, but I also get to help other families protect themselves in case the worst was to happen! Now, that is a win/win in my book!