Meet Samantha
My name is Samantha Kemp-Jackson and I am a mom of four kids from four different decades: my oldest is 33, my middle child is 15, and my twins are 9 years old. I had the twins at 43 years old. At the time I was working full-time in a PR agency and took a year off for maternity leave. When I went back to work the boys still weren’t sleeping through the night and I was exhausted all the time. The frenetic pace of agency life was unsustainable life felt chaotic and hectic. To give myself a cathartic outlet, I started a blog called Multiple Mayhem Mama. And, after a year of being back at work, I quit my job and started my own PR Communications agency. Now I work in social media, am a regular on CTV, teach part-time at Seneca, have a podcast called Parenting Then and Now, and do writing, strategy, and consulting.
What would you say has been the biggest shift in your life since turning 40?
Both becoming a parent of twins in my early forties and realizing that I had to shift gears in my work-life. The key was recognizing what wasn’t working, acting on it, and creating something new for myself that I loved. I believe it’s important for women over 40 to know that it’s possible to shift gears and do what you want to do.
When do you feel you are most powerful?
I feel most powerful when I just being true to myself doing what I love, parenting, writing, public speaking.
What are the top three most important things to you right now?
- My family
- My health
- Being true to myself
How do you make sure your actions are aligned with what’s most important to you?
I am strongly committed to what my values are and what’s important to me. Remembering those pillars of what makes me the person I am and matching my actions to those values.
What seeds are you planting today for the future?
Continuing on with my personal and spiritual growth journey. Keeping in focus what’s important to me: family and health. And thinking about what my next big thing will be for the next phase of my life.
What advice would you give someone who is interested in redesigning midlife?
Follow that voice in your head that says, “Go for it”. Listen to that voice because it’s really right. The beautiful thing about getting older is that I don’t care anymore what other people think. I care I what I think. I trust myself more and I trust my intuition. When I’ve done things and made decisions that have been wrong I’ve always learned from them. So it’s always win-win. I would tell everybody to follow your gut because it’s usually right. And when in doubt … don’t.
How can people connect with you and your work?
On social on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. On my website, Multiple Mayhem Mama. And my Podcast, Parenting Then and Now, is available on iTunes and Google.