About Stacey
Stacey works remotely part-time in Digital Content for a Women’s Health and Fitness company based in Liverpool. She is also a mother and military spouse. Stacey’s partner is currently based at Credenhill, Hereford, and she is a member of our Hereford Coworking Hub.
Having a career alongside military life can be hard and isolating.
Up until 2016, Stacey had always worked within the corporate world. But she found it increasingly difficult to sustain a successful career and benefit from opportunities for progression due to the constant moves that are a common feature of military life. And with no children at the time and therefore fewer touchpoints with the local community, she also found it particularly hard to connect and settle in each time she moved with her husband to a new location.
Change of Career Path
In 2016, Stacey decided to dip her toes into the world of self-employment and started teaching yoga part-time alongside her corporate role– she’s a qualified yoga instructor and personal trainer.
“I wanted a career that I could literally pick up and take with me each time my partner was posted, which would also allow me to better integrate into the community on base more quickly and with ease.
“Transitioning from full-time employment into self-employment was a big step for me, which is why I decided to do both in parallel for a period. This allowed me to test the water with minimum risk, create strong foundations for my business, and build my confidence for the final leap.”
Stacey had been following the MCN for years with interest, but she hadn’t really needed its services until now.
“The MCN Online Community helped me come up with some great ideas to market my business. I discovered other military spouses working in the same field as me and was able to learn so much from them – different marketing tactics and strategies, new ideas and some great inspiration as well.”
After yet another move, this time overseas, Stacey transferred her skillset to an online work environment, and began coaching women remotely with her current employer.
“Working in full-time employment, means I need the Online Community less now. It was great whilst I was self-employed, but my needs have changed. I predominantly work from home, which can be quite lonely and isolating especially after transitioning from a more physical work environment, teaching classes face-to-face and delivering personal training sessions, to a wholly virtual environment. I love being able to work alongside other people rather than working in isolation, which is why the idea of a coworking hub has such great appeal. It doesn’t have to be my colleagues, just like-minded people I can get along with.”
A new coworking hub at Hereford provided the solution.
“There had never been a coworking hub at any base where I was posted previously. I’d keenly followed the growth of the hub network, so you can imagine how excited I was to discover that one was coming to Hereford, and I’d finally get to become a member. I now have a son, and have made friends in Hereford, but it is still nice and crucial to have that different experience rather than being in my house alone all the time.”
Although Stacey does not use the hub on a daily base, knowing it is available when she needs it is important to her.
But for Stacey, the main advantage is its convenience, and the role that plays in enabling her to effectively and easily manage her personal and professional commitments, especially during those times when her husband is away.
“The window for childcare provision is short anyway, so spending a chunk of this solely on senseless travel, just adds to the stresses of daily life. Having the hub in such a central location allows me to not only achieve important separation from home and work, but also have a better work-life balance.
“The hub is literally opposite my son’s nursery. Previously, I would always be in a mad rush – taking my son to nursery, driving home, working, back to nursery to collect him, and then home again. Now it’s just two journeys – one there and one back. I can park up, drop him off, and walk straight into the hub. No more toing and froing. No more being constantly on the move and under time pressure. Less stress, and more time to do the things that are important to me and my wellbeing, such as yoga.
“Previously, attending a yoga class would have been no easy feat. In fact, I’d likely never have considered it. But with the Community Centre being literally a few paces away from the hub, now, I can pop out for a lunchtime yoga class with minimum disruption to my working day and walk straight back into the hub and carry on where I left off.
“Having this level of flexibility and opportunity, is so important to me – it’s good for my physical and mental wellbeing, it helps me to manage my daily life better, and it also gives me a chance to connect with people who share my interests and my passion for yoga, which has in turn, improved my social life, too.”
Being a military spouse can feel like being a single parent.
“Life as a military spouse is particularly challenging when your partner is often away or working unpredictable hours. The only time that is truly available to me is during those limited childcare hours. I can’t do or plan anything consistently outside of this tight window. I simply can’t rely on always having my husband around to support with childcare. That’s military life – the defence of the country must come first.”
A form of non-institutional support.
“I don’t need formal support from the Welfare Unit, but equally, I am stuck here on my own for long periods of time, and sometimes it would be great to get some support - practical or emotional – and just have a coffee with someone who ‘gets it’.
“Even if there are any welfare support events or social opportunities available that you’d like to attend, they are mostly inaccessible to people like me who work during the day, so having another avenue to support is vital. That avenue is the coworking hub. It’s a great middle ground between formal support and having no support at all. Here I can meet like-minded people and find the informal support I need from people who understand the challenges I face, because they share my lived experience. And it’s also a low barrier entry to support – a £30 per year membership is the only hoop you need to jump through, and that’s easy and affordable. But also, the online events run by the MCN give you access to some great support on a range of different topics. And the fact that they are recorded, means even if you can’t make the time, you can still access the information anytime, anywhere, whenever you need it.
“And finally, hubs are also a place to connect. If you work from home, but are not into sport, don’t belong to a book club, or perhaps don’t have children, it’s harder to meet new people. So being able to connect through the common ground you do share, so your job or your business, is vital. And what better place to do that in a coworking hub that is designed with military spouses in mind.
“There are so many soft benefits to hub membership – it’s so much more than just a place to work. And I’m so grateful that I have one here at Hereford.”
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