Name: Anjee Davis
Location: South Carolina
Company: Fight Colorectal Cancer
Professional Industry: Non-Profit/Advocacy
Job Title: Vice President of Programs
WIXII-ISM™ FROM ANJEE DAVIS:
“…having a leader who could directly relate to my work-life mix was an invaluable benefit.”
“I didn’t have a set course, but where I landed is pretty cool. Not sure I could have actually planned this. If I had to give myself advice, “I would say trust yourself. Being a mom and having a career is possible and incredibly rewarding. It’s going to be an amazing journey so enjoy it!”
“I have 2 close girlfriends from college, and we all had kids about the same time…Our journeys have paralleled from a distance, and knowing we all are finding our “mix” and figuring our own ways has supported me in countless ways.”
ANJEE’S STORY:
Meet our featured Wixii™, Anjee Davis. She is in her mid-30s and mother to one young son (age 3). She has her Masters Degree in Public Policy Administration; and she received her undergraduate from Missouri State University in Psychology. She is currently VP of Programs at Fight Colorectal Cancer and loves movies.
ANJEE’S CAREER PATH:
After graduate school, I worked at Big Brothers Big Sisters in St. Louis. I was part of their mentoring institute consulting Fortune 500 companies on how to implement effective mentoring strategies to improve productivity and retention. In 2002, I was hired by a private oncology clinic to oversee clinical trials and recruitment. That job was pivotal. It gave me a unique understanding of cancer research as well as clinical systems. It also directed my passion for patient support and education. In 2005, my husband decided to go back to school for his PhD. It was an exciting move, and I found a job at the University of South Carolina’s Center for Colon Cancer Research, managing the development and implementation of community-based colorectal cancer programs supporting screening, education, and awareness activities. This was a huge opportunity, and I had the chance to branch out and blend my clinical experience in academic setting. Over 7 years, I built a program bridging academic services and knowledge to the community. Then, an opportunity to join a national advocacy organization came along. I had just had my son and I wanted to better balance my life and my work. I realized, my “mix” was off, when my odometer increased by more than 18,000 miles in less than a year (I had quite a daily commute!). I had schedule flexibility and the work was fulfilling, but I also knew the hours and time on the road wasn’t going to change. Fight Colorectal Cancer knew I wanted a better balance between my work and my family. They offered me an opportunity to reduce my travel to once a month and work from home the rest of the time. Previously, twice a week, I was driving a minimum of 4-5 hours/day. My new job required a 1.5 hour direct flight to DC once a month. But what sealed the deal for me was when I realized my new President would be a working mother with a 2 year-old toddler—having a leader who could directly relate to my work-life mix was an invaluable benefit. In 2011, I started my current position as Vice President of Programs.
ANJEE’S MINDSET AND WORK-LIFE MIX:
I think my mindset is, “I am doing the best I can, and I have to make sure I stop and enjoy life’s moments.” I tend to be very scheduled and focused. I do my best to be faithful spiritually, that tends to center me. When work is tough or life is challenging, I lean hard on the knowledge that His plan is the best plan. A pastor described life as a refinement process…it’s not always easy but for better or worse it’s a necessary process. That really resonated with me. I make an effort to remind myself of this daily. I think just knowing it’s not “my” plan is a huge relief.
My work-life mix is different every day. My husband has an active career as well and we have both our families here in Charleston, SC, so it’s a real juggling act. I work a minimum of 40 hours but it ebbs and flows, sometimes it’s upwards of 50-60 hours. I don’t work if my son is awake so I work a lot at night. Sometimes I work on campus with my husband. It changes each semester based on the latest course schedule he gets. On most days, I am able to meaningfully blend the things that matter most to me: work and family time, laundry, cooking, cleaning, and just having some fun. Where my balance is off is working out or having manicures. But, I do make time to garden on the weekends, bike rides, baking, and going to the beach. I make every effort to not work on the weekends. My philosophy is work all week so I can NOT work all weekend. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest), I would rank both my job-satisfaction level and work-life satisfaction level at an 8.
In terms of division of responsibilities, my husband is the majority breadwinner, and we share caregiving and homemaking equally. We both fall into fairly traditional roles: I cook, clean, and do homemaking, but he has the burden of cars, the lawn, and fixing things. All in all, we are equals partners and we both respect our individual careers and passions. I love that.
Describe a “day in your life” from waketime to bedtime:
6:00am: My toddler wakes us up –he is better than any alarm clock.
7:00am: Get everyone ready.
7:45am: The boys (my son and husband) leave for work and pre-school. I start working from my home office until 4:00pm (normally skipping lunch). Two times a week I try to work on campus with my husband.
4:30pm: The boys come home, and I stop working to get dinner ready and run around and play.
7:30pm: My son goes down for sleep.
8:00pm: I catch up on last-minute things around the house and work on my phone in bed.
How does your current mindset/attitude empower and/or frustrate your ability to thrive in your work-life mix? How has your mindset/attitude toward life changed over time?
We had one of those catastrophic births. That experience was a turning point in my life. And surviving that experience strengthened my marriage, it humbled me, but it also made me a stronger person. Our son is happy and healthy now, but those early challenges tested me. It tested my faith. It’s been 3 years, and I know that that experience gave me clarity about who I am and who I want to be. That sense of clarity has transferred to the work place. I am much more honest, compassionate, and confident. In my 30’s, I can say I am pretty happy in my own skin as a wife, mom, and professional.
What specific actions, choices, steps and/or decisions have you made (or would you like to make) to better manage your work-life mix?
I think what has been invaluable has been the opportunity to work from home. Having a job where I am in charge of my own time has been extremely helpful managing life and work.
Please share specific tips for effectively managing your time and schedule.
Project management has become more and more important in my work life. I do my best to look as far out as I can to anticipate the work, and not procrastinating. I spend a considerable amount of time working on strategy and anticipating the pace of projects. But even with all the technology, I find the best thing that helps me stay organized is keeping a notebook. I write a “to do” lists every day.
Please share your favorite efficiencies and timesavers.
I am a multi-tasker. It’s not always a good thing but having a smart phone has saved me and wrecked me. My husband thinks it’s an appendage, but it allows me to keep up even from the beach.
If you could change one thing about your work-life mix, what would it be?
I would take more vacation time and travel for fun! Even short, quick trips would be nice.
What do you currently find most challenging/concerning about your work-life mix? What areas do you most needs support?
My husband has a demanding and successful career and so it’s an interesting dance to have both our careers and our child’s growing social life. Soon, I know our son’s parties, soccer practice, and more are going to take on a life of their own. Lately, the extracurricular activities have me interacting with more moms that don’t work, and I sometimes I wish I had more time for “mommy”-related activities. I am always a little behind when it comes to summer camp or new trendy family-fun activity. That’s the part I wish I had more time to for. But we have both grandparents near us so we have lots of support. Our future may be juggling more balls in the air than we can juggle, but I know at the end of the day my son is going to be okay.
What advice would you give an earlier version of yourself?
I think that really hindsight is 20/20, and I got lucky. I didn’t have a set course, but where I landed is pretty cool. Not sure I could have actually planned this. If I had to give myself advice, “I would say trust yourself. Being a mom and having a career is possible and incredibly rewarding. It’s going to be an amazing journey so enjoy it!”
Is there anything you would like to share about work-life mix?
My key influencers are, of course, my husband and family. But, I also have two close girlfriends from college, and we all had kids about the same time. One friend embarked on a new career in L.A. and started her own business successfully and the other was in NYC and wrote a book and launched her career as a chef. Our journeys have paralleled from a distance, and knowing we all are finding our “mix” and figuring our own ways has supported me in countless ways. Sometimes just the knowledge that they get it and are with me (in spirit) is enough to get me through challenging times—friendships are such an invaluable gift.
