Two younger broadcasters I work with recently made decisions that made me want to stand up and cheer for them.
If I have a regret in my career, it would be those times that I felt I had to stay and put up with mean people and unfair tactics. My mortgage, worries about finding another job, and the belief that the tough hang in there no matter what, all conspired to keep me in situations that I would have been better off walking away from. It was a lesson I finally learned at CHML in the late 1990s, when I hired a lawyer and negotiated my way out of what started as a dream job and became a mess.
A couple of women I work with now are learning the lesson earlier. One recently took a brief leave of absence to find her happy place and get some much-needed rest. How some of these young moms and dads cope with these hours when they have a toddler or two running around, is just amazing to me.
The other Mom has decided to resign and seek some life balance and time with her kids who are growing up fast. She’s been in an extremely stressful job, with the same crazy, early hours as the rest of us but much more pressure and a bunch of different on-air partners and support team members. She’ll head down a different career path once she’s had some time at home to find her centre again.
When I left CHML, I found work quite easily – actually, it found me. And my availability led to getting hired at CHFI and ultimately, 680 News. It was the best thing I could have done. As the great philosopher Kenny Rogers sang, “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em. Know when to walk away, know when to run.” I’m proud of my younger sisters who are taking this philosophy to heart.