Mary McDirmid, managing director and special care planner at MassMutual Northwest, says nothing is more important to her than time, and that being able to set her own schedule is the key to her success.
“Time is the most important thing to me right now with my kids, so above money, above image, that is the most important thing, and this career fits that. I don’t think I could go back,” she says.
McDirmid, 38, says her biggest challenge is setting time and self-worth boundaries. She now prioritizes time with her two daughters, Charlie, 5, and Ruth, 3, and her husband Jay.
She also sets aside one night a week that she fills with networking events or client meetings, adding that it’s important to connect with others to get ahead.
As for self-worth, “Just having the confidence to know I’m awesome no matter what,” she says. “I think a lot of us tie our identities to our job, and then you get in a trap of thinking you’re a bad person because something bad happened at work.”