We had the good fortune of connecting with Erica Campbell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erica, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I think that the defining a work/life balance is tricky… especially now. I’m fortunate to have a majority of my career based outside of the home but with Covid, I’ve started to figure out ways to utilize my skills in home as well. Being a mother of two, work/life balance has a special meaning. Before kids, I had a perfect “balance” because I didn’t have any occasions where work and life had to overlap. Now, it happens quite often. I recently read a quote that was ultimately sending well wishes to all of the mothers that have their ambition and parent responsibilities overlap and I really resonated with that. I’m 5 years into motherhood and every year, I had to pivot and re-learn what balance means for our family. Some days it means that I get little work done but a lot of cuddling and playing. Other days it means that the kids get to enjoy movies and popcorn for dinner and I’m busting my butt to get blog post written and charts completed. Right now, there’s no real balance and that’s okay for me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a Registered Nurse and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. I feel that I bring a different vibe to the table when it comes to this profession. I’m very chill and I’ve been in the “new mother” role before, so I have a lot of empathy for my patients and their families. The journey to become a lactation consultant wasn’t necessarily hard but it was long! Lots of studying until I ultimately took and PASSED the board exam! Fortunately along the way of becoming a LC, I was also nursing my own children. Along the way, I learned what it meant to be an empathetic listener and more patient teacher. I slowly learned that there are a lot of emotions surrounding the infant feeding aspect. This inspired me to create a journal specifically meant to capture the beauty and hardships of the feeding journey.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I absolutely love going out in Houston. If we were to go on a week long trip, we’d start in The Heights, Melange Creperie in Heights Mercantile has amazing crepes and coffee, Then we’d walk on the trail for a bit, maybe look at some shops on 19th Street. After that, we’d head to the Museum District. I absolutely love Centennial Gardens and how often they have foods trucks. If there were no trucks there, we’d probably find a place to get boba tea and Ramen nearby. I’d take them to the Japanese Gardens and we’d chill and take in the beauty. I would hope to end the night downtown at literally any restaurant or bar with a skyline view. Typing this out really made me miss life before Covid!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am in career without my children, first off. I would have never even known about this career if I didn’t have them. Next would be the lactation consultant that helped me! Then finally, the lactation consultants that inspired me to go forth and do bigger things

Website: www.themilkmanual.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/themilkmanual
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/themilkmanual

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.