<p>What does meaningful work actually look like once you become a parent?</p><p>For many professionals, the answer changes. Priorities shift. Energy changes. The things that once felt exciting or important can suddenly feel disconnected from the life you want to build.</p><p>Career strategist Julia Toothacre works with high-performing professionals who look successful on paper but quietly feel stuck, burned out, or misaligned. Her work focuses on helping people take ownership of their careers while navigating the pressures of family, ambition, and changing priorities.</p><p>Julia explains why meaningful work is often misunderstood and why the answer usually isn’t a dramatic career overhaul. More often, it comes from understanding the season of life you are in and aligning your choices with what matters most right now.</p><p></p><p>Julia shares how to:</p><p>• Understand why meaningful work means different things to different people</p><p>• Recognize when feeling “stuck” is coming from internal pressure rather than external reality</p><p>• Think about career risk differently once kids enter the picture</p><p>• Identify when a job is temporarily demanding versus fundamentally misaligned</p><p>• Manage career transitions without making emotional or reactive decisions</p><p>• Spot the early warning signs of burnout before they escalate</p><p></p><p><strong>Dig Deeper</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.bluey.tv/">Bluey</a></p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI-5uv4wryI">Champagne Supernova by Oasis</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Follow Julia</strong></p><p>On her website: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://ridethetidecollective.com">ridethetidecollective.com</a></p><p>On her podcast, Control Your Career: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ridethetidecollective.com/podcast/">https://ridethetidecollective.com/podcast/</a></p><p>On Instagram: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/ridethetidecollective">https://www.instagram.com/ridethetidecollective</a></p><p>On Facebook: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/RideTheTideCollective">https://www.facebook.com/RideTheTideCollective</a></p><p>On YouTube: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/@ridethetidecollective">https://www.youtube.com/@ridethetidecollective</a></p><p>On TikTok: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ridethetidecol">https://www.tiktok.com/@ridethetidecol</a></p><p>On LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliakrussell">https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliakrussell</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Follow Gap to Gig</strong></p><p>On Instagram: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://instagram.com/gaptogig">instagram.com/gaptogig</a></p><p>On TikTok: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://tiktok.com/@gaptogig">tiktok.com/@gaptogig</a></p><p>On X: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://x.com/gaptogig">x.com/gaptogig</a></p><p>On YouTube: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://youtube.com/@gaptogig-gtg">youtube.com/@gaptogig-gtg</a></p><p>On your podcast player of choice: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://rss.com/podcasts/gaptogig/">https://rss.com/podcasts/gaptogig/</a></p><p>Sign up for the Gap to Gig newsletter: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://gaptogig.com">gaptogig.com</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Follow Michael</strong></p><p>On LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/themichaeljacobs/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/themichaeljacobs/</a></p>