Director and Senior Actuary, Allstate; Northbrook, IL
Children: Campbell, 3; Andrew, 9 months ♦ Husband: Andrew Thomas

Why We Love Her
Shantelle has a dizzying amount of responsibility. As mom to a child with special needs, she balances work with weekly physical, occupational and speech therapy for her daughter, Campbell. She serves as the Family Advisory Board President at children’s Memorial in Chicago, and both she and her husband are enrolled in part-time MBA programs. Oh, and she has a new baby at home. We’re a little lightheaded just thinking about juggling all that.
 

Q: What’s your best advice for a new mom returning to work?

A: This is true for any mom, but especially for moms of children with special needs. When I first went back to work, I spent a lot of time worrying that I wasn’t giving enough to work or that others would notice or complain about my need to fit in my daughter’s medical appointments with work. Finally, someone pointed out that I was thinking about it a lot more than anyone else was. As long as I was getting the job done, I shouldn’t stress about it or make it an issue and neither would anyone else.

Q: What’s your best tip for keeping your home life running smoothly?

A: For us, it’s the family calendar. We keep one calendar that has every appointment in it — doctor’s appointments, business trips, preschool parties, etc. We try not to make any commitments without checking the family calendar first.

Q: What does balance mean to you?

A: I’m not sure where I heard this, but it has stuck with me. I believe the key to balance is looking for it over the right time period. If you look at just one day and ask yourself if you achieved work/life balance, you’re likely to be disappointed. Occasionally a day goes by that I don’t even see my kids, but to me that doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t have balance. I prefer to look at a month, or even a year. If over that timeframe I’m satisfied with the time I’ve spent with my family and the experiences we’ve shared and I’m happy with the work I’ve done, then I feel pretty good about the balance in my life.