First Responder Wife & Working Mom: Balancing Career, Family, and Fire Life

Dear Chiefs Podcast

In this episode, we chat with Jenna Partlow, a fire wife married to a fire captain at the El Segundo Fire Department, who’s also a managing director at a Big 4 public accounting firm. With nearly 20 years at her firm, Jenna has spent the last seven years navigating the demands of being a working mother of two on a 50% reduced schedule. Balancing her high-powered career and the unpredictable nature of fire family life, Jenna is an expert at managing her family’s unique dynamics.

We discuss her decision to scale back her work hours, the challenges she’s faced as a career mom in a first responder household, and why she prefers to say she “builds room” in her life rather than seeking balance. Jenna also shares how she prepares her children for the rewards and challenges of having a firefighter parent.

Topics covered in this episode include:

•Jenna’s decision to transition to a 50% reduced work schedule and how it’s impacted her career and family

•The unique challenges faced by working mothers in first responder families, including managing shifts, childcare, and family routines.

•Jenna’s approach to “building room” in her life instead of striving for balance.

•The importance of flexibility and how Jenna prioritizes both her career and family amidst her husband’s unpredictable firefighter schedule.

•Preparing children for the challenges and rewards of having a firefighter parent.

Tune in for practical tips on managing a fire family while pursuing a career, and hear how Jenna makes it all work!

Follow Jenna

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennacpartlow/

Books Mentioned During This Episode

The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabary

Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin

Do You Mind If I Cancel? by Gary Janetti

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