The Trajectory of a Working Mom Who Lived on a Tightrope Until Finding the Freedom of Being an 'Outside Director'

Hello!
I'm Chihiro, representative of Sunny Career.

I currently serve as an outside director for two listed companies while raising three daughters aged 7 to 12.
I also host the 'Mom Accountant Association,' working toward a society where women can work happily without overextending themselves.

At first glance, my career might look like smooth sailing, but in reality, I have struggled with how I work ever since I graduated.

My hobby is traveling abroad alone. People are often surprised that I still travel alone almost every year even after becoming a mom, but this is one of the 'ways of being myself' that I discovered after much trial and error.

In this article, I would like to look back on the 20 years from when I was living on a tightrope every day, to becoming an outside director of a listed company at 36, and finally finding my own 'way of working' at 42.

My early days as a new hire (single years) when I despaired that I could never be a superwoman

I obtained my CPA qualification for the vague reason that it might be easier to raise children someday, but the audit firm I joined as a new graduate in 2006 was unimaginably demanding.

I would be wide awake from working late into the night, and days turned into weeks where I couldn't sleep without relying on sleeping pills.

At the time, there was a female manager I respected. However, as soon as she became pregnant, she resigned and became a full-time housewife. Despairing that 'if even someone as talented as her has to quit, then balancing work and parenting is only possible for a superwoman,' I abandoned my accounting qualification and fled to the U.S. for a short-term study abroad program.
This was my first major setback.

Postpartum depression and my days as a full-time employee living on a 'tightrope'

After returning to Japan in 2011, I changed jobs to the internal audit department of a foreign-affiliated company that seemed to offer a good work-life balance and a meritocratic environment.
I gave birth to my first child in 2013, but I was bewildered by my first experience with parenting and fell into a state of postpartum depression.

During this most difficult period, coaching and a 'neighborhood grandma' saved me.
By starting coaching, I was able to organize my thoughts. I was able to self-analyze that the cause of my postpartum depression was the feeling that I had 'no free time.'

At the same time, I began requesting housekeeping support from a neighborhood grandma through the local government's Silver Human Resources Center. In fact, I have been receiving help from this same grandma for 12 years now.

Returning to work five months after giving birth was a major turning point. I realized that I could reconnect with society and draw energy from my work.
However, my daily life as a full-time employee was always a tightrope walk.
Usually, I left the morning drop-offs to my husband and arrived at the office early.
When my daughter suddenly ran a fever, I would call my mother-in-law at 5:00 AM and have her travel for an hour and a half to help me, just barely managing to get through each day.

The birth of my second child, caught between 'balance' and 'fulfillment'

(2016: Eldest daughter 3, second daughter 0 / around age 33)
I wanted to take on new challenges, so I transferred to the compliance department. While I felt a sense of fulfillment as a project manager for a 600 million yen project, I was also struggling with how busy I was.
After the transfer, I gave birth to my second child in 2016. I planned to return after six months, but my child didn't get into daycare, so I ended up taking an unexpected year and a half of maternity leave.

After my leave, I was called back by my former boss to the internal audit department. Although I was able to achieve a work-life balance, I then faced a new problem: 'I don't feel like I'm growing.' Should I choose 'balance' or 'fulfillment'? I touched on this conflict in an article previously published on Mynavi.

What 'coaching' and 'traveling abroad alone' taught me about living my own way

Struggling between 'fulfillment' and 'balance,' I began to face myself even more through coaching. I delved deep into questions like 'What do I truly value?' and 'What kind of work style suits me?'
I realized the importance of having free time to satisfy myself even after becoming a mom, and I took the plunge to start refreshing myself by 'traveling abroad alone almost every year.' I have realized that taking time to recharge as 'myself as an individual,' away from the roles of wife and mother, ultimately leads to vitality for both work and home. I don't have to be a perfect superwoman; by incorporating outside support and time to heal myself, I have been able to look forward.

Age 36, the challenge of becoming an auditor. And now at 42

(2019: Eldest daughter 6, second daughter 3, third daughter 0 / age 36
→ 2026: Eldest daughter 12, second daughter 9, third daughter 7 / age 42)

In 2019, when I gave birth to my third child, a turning point that would change my life arrived. A former boss from my audit firm days saw my Facebook post about giving birth and returning to work and asked me, 'Would you like to become a full-time auditor (outside director) for a listed company?'
At the time, I had three young daughters, the youngest being 0. Moreover, it was an unknown role as an auditor. At first, I didn't know what the 'proper auditor duties' were and it was a series of trial and error. Even so, with the help of those around me, I was finally able to find a way of working that allowed me to balance work and life while feeling fulfillment and growth.
Six years have passed since that challenge at 36, and I am now 42.
I am no longer a full-time employee; I serve as a part-time outside director while also working as a recruitment agent for outside directors and accountants.

I am almost never chased by tasks like I was when I was a full-time employee.
I have a flexible and free work style that allows me to take time off when my daughters have days off from school. (Though I still rely on my mother-in-law during the long summer break, haha.)

What I want to tell you because I have struggled too

For 20 years, I have been struggling and wandering regarding my own career.
That is precisely why I want to help mom accountants who are struggling in the same way, and I currently support them in finding their own career paths through 'Sunny Career.'
Recently, I also published a book summarizing my own experiences and know-how,'The Secrets of an Outside Director'from Chuo Keizai-sha. (I also included a column on the transition of my schedule as a mom.)

Finally, I have something I want to tell all the mom accountants who are doing their best every day.

During my 30s as a full-time employee, I lived on a tightrope, having my mother-in-law travel an hour and a half every time my daughter had a sudden fever. There were times I despaired that I could never be a superwoman.

But by taking the opportunity to challenge myself as an outside director at 36, I am no longer chased by work. Last year, I cut back on work to support my eldest daughter through her middle school entrance exams. I am able to work with a sense of fulfillment while valuing time with my family, such as taking time off when my children have days off.

I want mom accountants who are worried, thinking 'It might be impossible for me' or 'I don't have a special career,' to know about the option of becoming an outside director.
I am now starting the 'Outside Director Secrets Academy' for those who want to aim to become an outside director someday or achieve their own way of working.
Please check out the trial session here.

['Outside Director Secrets Academy' Trial Session]
▼ Details here

[Free Seminar for Female Accountants]
This is a seminar featuring three mom accountants as speakers (CPD credits provided).

▼Click here to apply

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