“Since I started working, meeting my career goals has been a top priority and I always saw myself on a professional track. Having my daughters only intensified this belief.”

While litigation consulting isn’t considered a walk in the park, compared to infant twins, it might as well be. “Without a doubt, caring for two babies at once has been harder than any consulting project I’ve worked on,” says Kim, who can count oil companies, financial institutions and government contractors among her list of heavy-hitter clients. “I know that I can push through to meet any deadline after surviving infant twins.”

Still, even after the demanding days and long nights that come with two new babies, going back to the work she loved was not an easy decision. Kim struggled - as we all do - with the prospect of becoming a working mother at all, concerned about what it would mean for her relationship with her family. “I had developed such a close bond with my daughters, and the idea of missing a part of their lives was frightening,” Kim recalls. “I kept extending my time at home – coming up with reasons not to return.”

Eventually, after using up all her paid vacation plus another month of unpaid leave to stay at home with her family, Kim went back to work for Kenrich and took on the new and ever-changing role of working mom. It didn’t take too long for her to get back into the groove of things. “Six months after returning to work, I realized my fears had been unfounded,” she says.  The company’s “family first” philosophy made it easier for Kim to transition into her new role, as she was able to structure a flexible schedule to accommodate the demands of a new mother. “Looking back, I am glad I didn’t give up such a large part of my identity.”

As a partner at The Kenrich Group, a national business and litigation consulting firm that provides consulting and expert witness services, Kim deals with disputes in an array of fields; including construction, electric utility and government contracts; analyzing different accounting and economic issues as well as calculating various losses and damages. Succeeding for her clients and being a mentor for others in her field is what, Kim says, brings her daily satisfaction. And as the person in charge of recruiting young professionals to join her firm, seeing the “light bulb moment – watching someone realize they would enjoy a career in litigation consulting,” makes her happy, too. “Similar to being a mom, you are able to teach and challenge that person.”

Growing up, Kim’s parents inspired her to both dream big and work hard. Her dad, the family “dose of reality,” taught her to set the bar high; while her mother - a full-time teacher - was the cheerleader of the family, always encouraging and supporting Kim and her decisions. “Seeing her passion for teaching has always inspired me to find something that I love,” Kim says. 

But as Kim’s career continues to evolve and she establishes new goals for herself as a career mom, she notes that not having a role model in her own field has been difficult. “All my female professional mentors had decided to stop working when they had children,” she says. “I thought there was no way to balance both roles and questioned whether consulting was a field for working mothers.”

Luckily for Kim, the Kenrich Group provides her with a more accommodating schedule that allows her to spend more time with her family. While she admits that clients are a top priority, she’s still able to take advantage of her job’s flexible environment. “I have no qualms telling a co-worker or client that I need to reschedule a meeting due to a family conflict,” Kim states. “I’ve found that people usually respect me more for being honest and making an effort to stay active in my children’s lives.”

“I might be the only senior woman on the team, but all of the male officers have also made a point to put family first. When you really get down to it, this is what matters.”

Kim believes that consulting makes for a great profession for women, especially mothers, as the skills they use at home are easily translated into the workplace. She feels that litigation consulting would benefit from having more women take on more leadership roles, women who are “dedicated, determined and resourceful,” like most moms are.

Above all, Kim encourages all mothers, when making the difficult decision to start or stop working, to really evaluate their workplace. “So much about balancing your career with your family is finding the environment that meets your needs,” she says.

Along with the understanding and cooperation she has gotten from her workplace, the support from her husband of ten years, Kevin, has made the ability to raise their two daughters that much easier. A part-time improv teacher at the infamous Second City in Chicago, Kevin cares for the girls during the day when they’re not in school, while Kim watches them in the evenings while he teaches. “He is definitely the more creative person in the family… I would say I’m much more business focused – we’re very different in that regard,” Kim says. “I think it’s a nice balance from a parenting perspective.”

Kim does feel that it’s important to make time as a couple, without the kids, in order to maintain her family’s sense of peace and equilibrium, especially since all of their other activities are work or child-related. “On the horizon right now is a trip to Italy to celebrate our 10-year anniversary. No kids!”
 
As for her daughters, Katie and Emily, Kim finds that while they may not fully understand her role as a working mom, they motivate her to work even harder. “Whenever I tell them I am traveling for work, I get a huge guilt trip because they tell me not to go,” she says. “They are quick to tell me that all of their friends’ moms stay home.” But, she adds, those emotions are just the fuel she needs to work harder and more efficiently so that she can get back home. “My daughters inspire me to be more resourceful.”

Kim hopes to be the same kind of working mom role model that she had growing up. While they’re still young at five years old, she wants her girls to see that they can have both successful careers and a nice family life. “I want them to be creative and find their own passions in life,” she says.  “I really want them to realize that they can do anything.”

While Kim considers herself successful as a working mom, she also stresses the fact that her definition of success is always changing. “As I meet goals, I am already developing new ones – both personal and professional,” she says. “Right now I am content with my ability to balance motherhood and professional development.”

“The responsibility I have to set a good example for my daughters keeps me returning to work and advancing my career.”