Diane worked in the wealth management business for 15+ years and took some time off to raise her kid. As a mummy, she returns to work. I catch up with her and talk about time off, motherhood, and the challenges of returning to work.

Diane, congrats on becoming a mummy and good to connect with you again. What is new and exciting with you?

Hi Jerry, it’s been a while.  Nice to connect with you again. 2019 is proving to be a year of change.

After being a stay at home mummy for 4yrs and my child having started school in September, I was torn on what I wanted to do with my life.  Did I want to return to work?  Did I want a career change?  Was I ready for full-time work again? All I knew was that I needed further brain activity for my own personal satisfaction, regardless of the form in which I could get that.

It so happened that in the new year, I went back to work on a whim, filling in last minute for 8 days – this was going to be a great test, it would tell me if I really wanted to be back in the workforce.  Well, within the first 3 days, I was offered 3 job opportunities.  If that’s not a sign, then I don’t know what is!

How was the time off for work?

Simply put, Amazing! I was fortunate enough to be able to stay home to raise my daughter and I wanted to make sure I took full advantage, knowing full well these years would be precious & gone too quickly. So, I did, I embraced it and went on many adventures.  Nothing to regret, only a million beautiful memories that I will forever cherish.

Let’s talk about marriage. What have you learned from it?

We all have our own journeys and meet at different stages of life. Andrew definitely came into my life not only when I needed him, but when I can honestly say I could appreciate him.  He has taught me many things; love, compromise, trust, perspective, self-worth, and balance.  We balance each other well; I keep him on his toes and he keeps me grounded LOL.

It sounds so cliché, but I often refer to him as my better half…. Not because he is ‘better’ than I, but because he has helped me be my best self.

How has motherhood changed you? What are you learning from it?

Motherhood has given back in so many ways.  I have learned what unconditional love truly is & how to love deeply with all your heart and soul.  We all experience love in various forms and know what unconditional love is, but being a parent puts you on the other side of the equation.  It is pretty powerful & amazing.

Also, Watching the world evolve, and discovering everything again through the eyes of a child is pretty spectacular. From their joy and pleasure of feeling sand in their toes, the sight of a vibrant flower blooming from a bud to being able to ride their first tricycle, spelling their own names. All of this has taught me to reconnect and experience/appreciate all the wonders of life whenever possible, even the simplest of things.  Life is too precious, embrace what you have, and enjoy whenever possible.

What have been some of the challenges returning to work?

The biggest challenge has been time management.  I want to still be able to do all that I did before I began working and not jeopardize the time I have with my child.  Someday, it seems impossible.  Those days are when I have to prioritize.  Our daily routine has changed a little, but our priorities have not – at the end of the day Mom or Dad will still do homework with her, we have dinner as a family, and bedtime has been extended to being a bit later, but still a family affair.   Returning to work has given me a better balance to life and hopefully will allow my child the privilege of having a good female figure, in her life as well.

How are balancing food, faith, finance, and family?

Am I truly balancing it all?  As best as I can, I guess. I believe this is where you need a village to raise a child. Someday we have take-out so that the day/evening runs smoother.  Other days, I enlist the help of either Grandmothers… They’re great at keeping faith and traditions alive.  There’s no foolproof equation to this, certain seasons like Christmas you may be ranking top in the family & faith column when on regular days/weeks/months, you may be more focused on food and finance.

It’s a balancing act and I believe as long as the exposure to all columns/aspects of a healthy life is there on a regular basis, you’re doing fairly well.

The post Diane: The Mummy Returns appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Life is not just about reaching a destination—it’s about embracing the journey. Along the way, we encounter crossroads of food, faith, finance, and family, each shaped by culture, relationships, and the choices we make. Setting healthy boundaries on this journey doesn’t just protect us—it helps us grow, heal, and discover who we really are.

Ashlee Nicole is someone who has chosen to share her journey openly and honestly. Through her blog, Ashlee Nicole Explained, she invites readers into her world—writing about life, makeup, recipes, real estate, and the lessons she’s learned along the way. She doesn’t shy away from vulnerability, and that’s what makes her voice so refreshing.

In this conversation, I sit down with Ashlee to talk about her blog, her inspirations, the challenges she has faced, and the wisdom she continues to uncover. From faith and friendships to mistakes and second chances, Ashlee reminds us that every step on the journey matters.

Ashlee Nicole Explained is your journey through life. What motivated you to start this blog? Who is your audience? How has the response been so far?

I saw an ad on Facebook back in February, and it was for an e-Course of 5 days to create a blog. I thought about it for a couple of days and conversed with my boyfriend. As a result, we decided that as long as I knew what I was going to write about and was going to put forth the effort; then I could make a blog. I believe the audience to my blog is very mixed because some are travelers, some are moms, and I even have some mental health friends. I consider all my readers my friends, due to the fact that I interact with each one and vice versa. In other words, I feel I’m doing great. I am up to 1,000 followers on Instagram, 300 on Pinterest, and 1,000 on Twitter. On my website, I get 75 views a day and I have worked very hard on getting there.

You realize that you have put the wrong people on the back burner. How did you come to this realization? What did you learn from this situation?

My boyfriend and I moved in together about 8 months ago and I got to hang out with some friends and family whom I have not seen in years. Due to the friendship, I was in for years prior I had no car, so I wasn’t able to go and do as most young people do. I learned that I was very naive and vulnerable to letting people get over me. I am still learning myself, who I am, and who I can be.

How do you know when you have the right people in your life?

I suppose the best answer for this would be, something I have learned in all my real estate studies. You want to always know what is your Return on Investment. Not saying it rudely, but let me explain it a little. Ask yourself that what you’re putting into the friendship, is worth what you’re receiving? Plus, you can never truly know who is right to have in your life.

Tell me something challenging you have been through and how you overcame it?

My relationship with my Dad has always been hard and rocky. I have been overcoming this for years now since I was about 16 (when it started the most). It’s hard because he never calls or puts forth the effort to contact me, whereas I always have to call and plan events. So how is that supposed to make me feel? (Like I’m not loved enough for the effort). My brother is away at college, and he calls him every day, the same time. I suppose it’s not something that I have overcome, but it is something that is a challenge that I am trying to overcome.

We need to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them. Please comment…?

The friendship I was in for years that I had mentioned, is definitely a mistake I have learned from. I didn’t know how blind I was at that moment.  I didn’t have any friends besides her. I basically wasn’t allowed because it would take time away from her. I don’t want to repeat that. I enjoy having friends and places to go and have fun. There is this saying I have that goes, “The past is in the past and there is nothing we can do about it.”. That’s why God made us walk forward so we can see the future!

There is positive and negative peer pressure. How has that influenced your life?

When I was in my early 20s, I did many things that weren’t great. However, I learned from the mistakes I made. Negative pressure was the drinking and drugs I got into, and the positive has been me overcoming all of those bad habits I formed.

How has blogging helped you? How has the response been so far?

Blogging has been a wonderful help to me and what I’ve been through. I was never good at grammar (which I’m sure I’m not any better lol), but it is a great feeling to express and get these emotions out of your head and heart. The relief and relaxation you feel when you’re finished putting that pen to paper or fingers to keyboard in this matter is such a relief.

Let’s talk about your guilty pleasures and how does it resonate with your faith?

I guess honestly (it’s no excuse) I am human. Life is hard, and I think you just put these things in place to cope with life. I used to have many other things that I got rid of to come closer to God, and now I am working on the other guilty pleasures that I have put in place. It’s hard to just quit cold turkey with everything at once.

Your blog is a mix of your life, makeup, recipes, and real estate. How did you come up with these various and different topics?

I chose to write about all these topics because it’s what I like to do and it’s who I am. I love putting my makeup on, my life writings have made me feel more and more stress-free, and my real estate is what I have become very interested in making my career. My recipes are just a little spice added because a few people asked me how I make a few things, so I just added them to the blog!

I want you to give yourself advice at 15 and 25?

At the age of 15, I would have said “Finish school and don’t become self-absorbed. Life is hard making smarter choices now, not later.”

At the age of 25, I would have said “Wake up! Drugs are not what you need to make friends or money!”

The post Ashlee Nicole: Journey Through Life appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

I have known Renee for a quarter-century. In 2017, while on a business trip to LA, Renee drove more than 2 hrs to have dinner with me. As we had a meal at Newport Beach, we just talked about everything we had been through in life. I caught up with her recently and she gets honest, real, and vulnerable.

Renee, good to catch up again. Please tell my audience something important about you?

Something ‘important’ about me? I guess it’s that even though I’ve experienced a lot of hardships: divorce after 25 years, having a daughter with some emotional needs, losing over a dozen friends to cancer in 25 years, being disappointed, and feeling betrayed by people you thought were friends, not finding love again (so far;) finances being very tight,  I still have a positive outlook on life and I’m still able to be joyful amidst less than great circumstances.

I have a 15-year-old daughter. You have raised four beauties. How has that experience been? What have been the challenges and what have you learned from motherhood?

In terms of raising four daughters: I won’t lie, it wasn’t easy! In fact, I joke that they’ve given me every grey hair on my head. They’re all wonderful women now, but I’m not going to lie, the teen years were hard. There was a lot of rebellion, especially around the time of our separation and divorce. We had times when they’d stay out all night and we wouldn’t know where they were! I’d be driving around at all hours of the night, while my ex slept unaware! But God is faithful, the two eldest have become disciples and I know the younger two are on their path.

I think the biggest lesson I learned is that, even though I tried hard to control everything, God is in control. I spent so much time worrying when I could have just prayed more and relied on God. So, my lesson would be: develop your faith, develop your prayer life, rely on God because he loves them more than you do anyway.

Motherhood is the hardest job you’ll ever have, but it’s also the most rewarding job.

Marriage has its challenges. What did you learn from your own and the aftermath of that process?

Marriage does have its challenges and in spite of my divorce, I love being married and desire it still. What I learned from the aftermath is that I think most women go into marriage thinking they can change their husband (and most husbands go in thinking their wives will never change:). But you can’t change anyone but yourself. It takes two people to have a marriage. I thought I could love enough for both of us, but it doesn’t work that way. I also realized I knew who my ex was when I married him and thought/hoped I could change him. I also feel it was a co-dependent relationship and I allowed the dysfunction to continue too long. If I ever remarry, I will make sure it’s a healthy relationship and know that we are independent individuals who are responsible for ourselves.

I know you were a model. How was that experience?

Ha! Well, I never thought I was model material, but my girlfriend convinced me to enter the Miss Michigan pageant with her and of course, I was terribly insecure. At that time (the late 70’s) it seemed all they wanted were blondes and I was very ethnic looking. But entering helped me in some ways and then I went on to do the auto shows and after I was married, I even did some print work. I found most of the models to be kind of shallow women obsessed with their looks and I always connected on a deeper, more intellectual level, so I didn’t feel comfortable in that environment anymore. I felt I wanted to try my hand at acting (because I was so dramatic:) but again, fell upon discrimination for my ethnicity. It was very different then than it is now. Now, they celebrate all ethnicities and even mixed races. But I feel God might have saved me from a worse fate, by not giving me success in that endeavor.

Give yourself some advice at 16, 26, 36 and 46?

The advice I’d give myself @16: “Don’t marry that guy”!

@26: “Enjoy this time and cherish the memories”.

@36: and a mom of three: “Don’t sweat the small stuff! The little things will take care of themselves”.

@46: this was when we separated after 23 years of marriage (it took two years to divorce), “You will survive! Just breath and believe”!

What does women empowerment mean to you?

Women empowerment to me means that a woman is able to do anything and everything she sets her heart and mind to. God created “both male and female in His image” and that we are equal in the eyes of the Lord. I believe, especially as a mother to four daughters, and as a divorced woman, that we need to empower ourselves to be independent and not have to depend on anyone for our survival.

How has faith helped you in life?

My faith has been the single one thing that has held me together in the last 25 years! Without it, I don’t think I’d be here! You hear about people committing suicide or overdosing or any other number of harmful methods trying to deal with pain, but God was the one that brought me through the storm. I know where the term “heartbreak” comes from because, at one point, it actually felt like my heart would break in two. It was a physical manifestation of the emotional pain I was feeling.

Your faith commands you to forgive. Has that been a difficult process for you?

Faith does command me to forgive but that’s challenging at times. I had a hard time forgiving my ex in the beginning because he had done this many times before and I felt if I forgave him again, I’d have to take him back and my heart just physically could not deal with that. Then I learned that forgiveness doesn’t mean reconciliation! That freed me so much because I was able to forgive him, knowing that God would deal with him and I could remove myself from a harmful situation.

How do food, faith, finance, and family play a role in your life?

As mentioned, without faith, you have nothing. And of course, my family means everything to me aside from God. I’m a foodie and therefore maybe spend more on it than I should in which case, maybe I should put finances before food ;).

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