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Conversations with the Inspiring Maggie Zehring

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Zehring.

Maggie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a working mom to 3+ kiddos (I’m a foster parent), married to my college sweetheart. I regularly write and speak on millennial motherhood and foster care.

I started my career in Arizona politics and at the age of 23 was one of the youngest Communications Directors for a member of Congress. Since my stint in politics, I’ve consulted with countless small businesses and nonprofits to help grow their online footprint through targeted digital media.

I previously served as City Director of the Phoenix House of Genius, where I coached entrepreneurs in their pitch to intimate groups of C-Level business leaders and as a board member of South Scottsdale Alliance. I currently mentor small businesses for Seed Spot.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Getting to this point in my career and life has been a series of awesome opportunities, intense effort and hard work, and tons of faith.

In the earliest part of my career, cutting my teeth (at all costs) was the biggest priority. Right after college, I held three jobs: district aide in a Congressional office, Starbucks weekend employee, an assistant editor at a local magazine. Managing that workload– and looking ahead to a life with my husband and future family– was the beginning of my own challenge of prioritization.

Amid the truth that we can in fact do it all is the reality that we can’t do everything well– and in all reality, some areas of our lives might suffer as a result. It’s possible to be married, go to the gym, have a full-time job, and start a side hustle. But if we’re honest, are all of those things truly thriving in the way we’re pursuing them?

Now a decade into the professional world, I’d say one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the ability to say no and move forward confidently in the direction that is a priority for me right now.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I regularly write about millennial motherhood and foster care. I approach this journey of caring for little people with the honesty I wish I saw more of online. This gig of foster care and being a mom to my biological kids and those with a hurting family has opened my eyes and heart to so many new areas of understanding. I love getting a chance to share my thoughts and experiences with people across the internet.

When I’m not writing about foster care and motherhood, I work with small businesses and nonprofits to build and maintain a consistent, effective online footprint through email marketing, social media, and website content. I’m most known for my data-focused approach.

Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
One of the most inspiring people in my life is my mother. She is a lawyer by trade, mother to three, and incredibly successful leader in the licensing space for a large company in Atlanta.

Behind the scenes of those more basic descriptions is the fact that she has maintained a strong relationship with my Dad, overcome decades of daily pain from Rheumatoid Arthritis, and is an incredibly generous friend and grandmother.

Her career has varied since she passed the bar exam in the early 1990s and has included a slew of creative pursuits and time out of the job market to care for her children. Seeing her success on both sides of exiting the professional world is reassuring as I juggle both worlds of young motherhood and work life.

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Image Credit:
Shea Brie Photography

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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