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Finding Your Identity and Foundation in Christ with Cydne Maher
19 Plays6 hours ago
After a career in education, Cydne entered a season of transition. In this episode, she shares how faith, prayer, and trust in God helped her navigate uncertainty, rediscover her identity, and move forward one step at a time.
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Crossroads Career Podcast, a show where we help you hear God calling, get the right job, and maximize your potential through inspiring stories of individuals and professionals who've experienced a crossroads in their career.
00:00:16
Speaker
Welcome to the Crossroads Career Podcast. I'm Hannah McNaughton and we have our co-host Tim Cross with us today. I'm so excited for you to meet our guest today, Sydney Maher, one of our board members, Angela. She's one of her great friends. They have lived a lot of life together and Sydney has just a deep experience and passion and history in the education space. And so we're excited for you to hear her journey and how it's progressed and how God has moved in her life. And so Sydney, thank you so much for being with us. And we're really excited to just hear from you and we're honored to have you. Oh, thanks for having me guys. Thank you.
Current Role and Work-Life Balance
00:00:54
Speaker
Wonderful. First, we'll just talk about, you know, what is life and work look like for you right now in terms of career, family, what's going on now?
00:01:04
Speaker
Yeah, well, Now I am back in education. and i will talk about that journey, I'm sure shortly, ah but I am back in education, the education space part-time.
00:01:16
Speaker
um I am still ah in search of trying to pinpoint exactly what I want to do in the creative space, um but I'm really blessed, very fortunate to have that opportunity to have the wiggle room to be able to, i would say work-life balance ah But I have found for myself in this journey that that's kind of in my book, in my journey, just an overused term because um I don't know that there is a work-life balance in my case.
00:01:52
Speaker
ah What that has had to turn into is just God's priorities. ah And that work-life balance is going to come from a more balanced approach to life.
00:02:05
Speaker
And so those ah trying to figure out the balance is really going to come from making sure that my priorities are God's priorities. So I've changed that verbiage.
00:02:17
Speaker
And I know that once upon a time in the journey, I was using that word, that phrase a lot, work-life balance, work-life balance. But um just again, understanding that that comes from a more balanced balanced view and um trying to get that view in line with what what's what are God's priorities. So that's where I am with that.
00:02:41
Speaker
Oh, that's great and so helpful.
Teaching as a Calling
00:02:44
Speaker
Well, and now, can you tell us what it's like to be a teacher and to experience unfulfillment in that role kind of what to do with that?
00:02:52
Speaker
Sure. So, um you know, unfortunately, historically, I think um teaching has um a lot more about what we do in the classroom or what we're not doing in the classroom ah has been um put out into the ether now.
00:03:10
Speaker
And i want ah others to understand the work of a teacher. And it is a calling.
00:03:22
Speaker
It is something that, as ah Tim has pointed out before, we don't go into because it's something that's glamorous, because we think that we're going to strike it rich.
00:03:33
Speaker
um Really, i feel you have to be called to be an educator. You really have to believe that you can make a difference. And what that means is believe you can make a difference no matter who is a superintendent,
00:03:50
Speaker
no matter who is president, no matter who is principal, you have to believe that you are there for students. There is only so much that our technical skill can do, especially in these times when it comes to our students.
00:04:08
Speaker
um Our technical knowledge being, you know, if you're a social studies teacher, you can know all of the countries, the GDP, the how the governments work, but um You also have to understand the workings, the whole child. You have to understand the workings of the middle school brain.
00:04:29
Speaker
You have to ah be empathetic and compassionate. And um there are so many soft skills that are required to be a teacher in addition to, again, those technical skills that you have to have.
00:04:43
Speaker
It is a profession and teachers are professionals. We've got to, on one hand, know what we're talking about, but we also, on the other hand, have to know how to deliver it, when to deliver it, um the best way to deliver it 30 different children with 30 different levels of understanding and 30 different ways to learn.
Teaching vs. Professional Sports
00:05:07
Speaker
So what I believe is missed in our society is that teaching is a professional sport. And it is our classrooms are full of professionals who do not just babysit and watch kids for eight hours and provide snacks. We are trained in what we do and we love the children we teach and we love to teach them.
00:05:36
Speaker
There's nothing like ah the light bulb coming on There is nothing like sitting next to a kid who is lonely at lunch and you get to find out more about them and you develop relationships with that kid. um There's nothing like finding out the the the band that a student loves and being able to weave in that example for that student that makes them sit up in class and feel good about themselves.
00:06:08
Speaker
There's nothing like it. um So ah being a teacher is, there's a reason why people enter the profession and want to be there for 20 and 30 years and you know spend the the rest of their lives being an educator.
When to Leave Teaching?
00:06:25
Speaker
Now, how do you know when it's time to exit stage left, right? How do you know that?
00:06:35
Speaker
Again, i think this goes back to maybe something that I've said before. When you feel like you don't have anything to give, ah when you have that feeling, that that spent feeling, the type of um tiredness that cannot be remedied through rest or a good break or a good vacation,
00:07:05
Speaker
um When you feel that, when you feel that tug, when you walk into the building and the building becomes fortress-like, maze-like, it's time to think about your role.
00:07:24
Speaker
And before you jump ship, it's you may want to think about a few things. um Should I change grade levels? Should I change fields?
00:07:38
Speaker
um Maybe it would help to change schools. So there's so many variables that you may want to consider before considering that education is not for you.
00:07:51
Speaker
ah So I would urge any teacher who's feeling that way to really make those assessments and do it prayerfully. um And at a particular time, i had done all of those things.
00:08:05
Speaker
And so once you assess your role and you make any necessary changes, um again, step back again and just look at the big picture.
00:08:18
Speaker
And if it is time for you to move out of education or if it's time for you to take a break or if it's time for you to possibly go into ah teaching field but maybe in another arena, networking important.
00:08:35
Speaker
a great idea that Crossroads class ah absolutely gave me an opportunity to do that. And one of the first things I did was i had a sit down with Ms. Angela. I had a sit down with my mentor and I just had a sheet of paper, ah my notebook, and I took notes because I really was interested, you know, how do you see, you've seen me in other and another light,
00:09:01
Speaker
ah You've seen me in other environments. What do you think I have so to offer? And so I'm just taking notes and I'm taking it all in, taking in some suggestions.
00:09:12
Speaker
And so that was helpful. And the crossroads, the networking, the um sitting down with mentors, I think that those were things that were very helpful to me.
00:09:27
Speaker
um Because again, teachers tend to think that we can do everything. And in a lot of cases, we can't. But, you know, if you're
Corporate America Experience
00:09:38
Speaker
interested in going into the corporate world, for instance, you've got to be prepared for that.
00:09:43
Speaker
And I actually spent some time in the corporate and i did a season with insurance. And it was there i learned that there's an element to corporate America that's just not my soul style.
00:10:01
Speaker
There's a level of... Does it mean you're saying that the difference between sixth grader and CEO is a... There is a difference, right? Slight, slightly. There is a slight difference. um You know, so if I disagree with something, you know, you're in a relational environment, like ah being a teacher, that's that's a relational job.
00:10:20
Speaker
And so when you're in a corporate setting, um there are some there are are some changes that you're going to have to get used to and you may thrive in that. And there are some teachers who have been able to bridge that gap and go over to corporate and ah they're amazing. I've met them and they do great work and they've been able to teach in the corporate setting and it works out for them.
00:10:46
Speaker
um That just was not my style. So I needless to say, did not last long in, in, in the corporate world, but, uh,
00:10:58
Speaker
it's possible and there are some awesome stories, wonderful stories of teachers moving out of the classroom and into very successful fields outside of the classroom.
00:11:11
Speaker
um And it really does just take that, taking inventory and taking stock of ah what you're good at, who you are and who you're not.
00:11:24
Speaker
Thank you so much for sharing that, Sydney, because it really is all about fit and knowing yourself and asking the right questions and meeting with the right people to get a pulse on where might I fit next. yeah And so I love the framework that you gave teachers to consider, but also others to consider. And I don't want to skip over that, like teachers do deserve the utmost I love that you said it is a professional sport. It doesn't mean that you're stuck there. You're professional sport for a whole career and then you still have other opportunities to go and explore and go be a professional in another area. Everything that you said was just on point.
Career Transition and Self-Exploration
00:12:09
Speaker
Could you tell us about a time that you were unemployed or unfulfilled in this journey and kind of give our listeners um ah view into your journey and and then focus on that and how you navigated it? um Absolutely. And, you know, the first thing that comes to mind of is the Crossroads class.
00:12:28
Speaker
So ah the Crossroads class was one of the best things I have ever done, one of the best investments in myself ever. ah because ah understand I never saw myself in this position.
00:12:40
Speaker
I just knew that I was going to be an educator forever and ever and ever. ah So sitting in the Crossroads class and kind of listening that first those first two sessions, I'm getting a lot of information and a lot of great information.
00:12:57
Speaker
And I just remember thinking, i really don't know where to start. I don't know what life is like outside of education and for good or for not, I was one of those teachers who just thinks that they can do everything.
00:13:14
Speaker
You know, you're a teacher, you can, ah you mold minds and you, you think that there's nothing you can't do. You've got problem solving skills, you know, you're creative. And so I just remember being in a space thinking, well, what do I do with that?
00:13:35
Speaker
I know that I have these talents and I know that I can do this. So I was at a time where you could have told me, well, Sydney, I think that you would be a great alchemist.
00:13:46
Speaker
And I would say, you think? And then let's go let me learn about alchemy and maybe i can do that. Sydney, you would be a great furniture maker. You think? Okay.
00:13:57
Speaker
Well, let me read up on furniture making and um I could probably do that. So just remember being in that space where I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to go.
00:14:09
Speaker
um And then there were the things that I tried, that I've tried before that weren't successful. So then I thought, well, if they weren't successful, then I guess I must not, it must not be meant for me to do those things.
00:14:24
Speaker
um So it was just an up and down. And ah there was more confusion than there was clarity. And I know that that's where, you know, he he's not in that confusion. He's not in that chaos. So I had to really sit and ask humbly for the wisdom to, how do I move forward in this space? So, and In that time, i don't know if this would resonate with anyone, but I just got busy doing things and um figured that in the busyness, something would pop up. So during this time, of i was i launched a business.
00:15:11
Speaker
I became a notary public. I got serious about writing a book. um What else? I became a marketing specialist. I got a certificate at ah at the local college. I took some classes.
00:15:23
Speaker
And you know you can imagine the time and the cost of those things trying to figure it out. So um that was what I had to, that was on my plate.
00:15:37
Speaker
And that's what I had to sort through on top of making sure that I was mentally okay. you know I'm now kind of rediscovering myself after education. So there was some um some mental tug of war that was happening as well.
00:15:57
Speaker
And I'm a mom, I'm a wife, I am a daughter. And so there was a lot of space to navigate. Yeah. Well, and that's so relatable. And you shared with us that, you know, you've been in education for 20 years or more. And so what led you to that Crossroads class to begin with? Like what led you to the space where you were navigating so much? Yeah.
00:16:20
Speaker
um So when I decided that I was going to leave and I was um out of education, I'd resigned um at the end of that semester.
00:16:32
Speaker
i had an opportunity and it was Miss Angela who brought this class to my attention. And I thought that it was a godsend. I was like, okay, this is a perfect opportunity um because this was going to be a God-centered life.
00:16:48
Speaker
kind of career finding pathway. Um, and I'm dating myself. I was, you know, back in the days of the ASVAB where you would take that interest inventory to, you know, kind of see what you wanted to be when you grew up.
00:16:59
Speaker
Um, and I just thought that this was just going to be a God-centered ASVAB research, uh, resource for me. And, um, that's what led me to the class.
00:17:12
Speaker
And again, maintained that it was one of the best decisions, um, because it did give me time, it did offer some clarity and it did offer some a resource.
00:17:26
Speaker
No, I'm so glad to hear it because that is sometimes just what we need but in the middle of the chaos is some anchoring and some practical help in the midst of it. and ah And even just some protected time to think about because that, again, you have so many different roles. And so thank you for sharing about that, that gave you some protected time to really think through this process.
00:17:49
Speaker
And you obviously take so much initiative. And so we're whenever you found yourself after so many years in education, experiencing some burnout and everything, like what, what ended up like giving you hope through the most hope throughout the process of that just uncertainty of like, where do I go next?
Faith and Career Transitions
00:18:07
Speaker
ah It was the process of learning more and more about myself um and and learning more and more about who I am and who I'm not and what I can do and what I'm just you know, may not be equipped to do And some of that education was a hard pill to swallow, but I knew I knew that I knew that God was going to, that Christ was going to lead me in the right direction.
00:18:44
Speaker
And there's, I'm not going to say that I didn't have, um, you know, crisis of faith during different times and different seasons. But there was just something that I knew that I knew that I knew that if I just continue to hold on, trust and pray through this process, that it was that something was going to come of it.
00:19:07
Speaker
And it may not look the way I may have originally designed, but something was going to happen And so I continue in that belief.
00:19:21
Speaker
And um I've also realized that it may not be ah something. It could be the some things, the small things that that i'm I'm learning through this process.
00:19:35
Speaker
um And, you know, I'm OK with that. Yeah, well, ah I love your story for that piece of it, too, of being like, man, like God is in the details and uses the things that are at our fingertips. He can oftentimes, I think...
00:19:52
Speaker
you know, just work really powerfully through people being willing to take the time to learn about themselves and to learn about what's out there and see what might fit and where it might go. And like his leading can look like that.
00:20:06
Speaker
I think sometimes it can be a really scary thing of how to discern his leading. And so i love that about your story that you are willing to actually explore the details and take it step by step, even when it's hard. Yeah.
00:20:18
Speaker
And, and, um, ah thank you for saying that, uh, and acknowledging that. I also think that it was important to um praying. the they i think the advice that I would give in this would be the praying and the moving forward.
00:20:32
Speaker
I just wanted to be, i just wanted to move forward. And again, sometimes that forward was moving forward career-wise. Sometimes that forward was moving forward and something I realized about myself. Sometimes that forward was um aligning my priorities,
00:20:50
Speaker
in ah in a better way, whatever that was, i just wanted to continue to move forward. And that's been the process um so far, just trying to move forward.
00:21:07
Speaker
Okay. So Sydney, during your time in education, i'm curious about, you know, what kind of advice you got along the way. Maybe there was like a phrase, a statement, you know, a mentor leader, somebody said something, right?
00:21:21
Speaker
Or maybe it was just over time where you discovered this, which happens many times, but what was something that somebody said or did that really impacted you and then helped change the trajectory of where you're going in education?
Finding Identity Beyond Career
00:21:35
Speaker
So, advice I've been given along the way. ah I think the advice that just has stuck with me for the longest was, um, you know, sometimes it's not about you.
00:21:49
Speaker
And i thought that was a great piece of advice in relationships, and working situations. Um, so during this season or outside of education,
00:22:04
Speaker
um I was learning so much or and I continue to learn a lot about me and ah learning a lot about um how I respond to certain things. ah And when I think about that piece of advice, i think about serving.
00:22:27
Speaker
And I've had to learn a lot in this season about what that actually means. and what it means to give and not expect in return, um what it means to serve and not need anything back.
00:22:51
Speaker
That's not something that the Lord, that's something that man can't give me, but that the Lord can. And i don't know if I'm making sense there because, you know, it's still a part of my journey, but going back into education part-time,
00:23:07
Speaker
um my perspective has changed. And I think that when you build your identity on a career, you expect it to do all of the things that only God can do.
00:23:26
Speaker
And so when you go in expecting that you're going to get all of these things because they make up your identity, it's going to fail you at some point.
00:23:40
Speaker
And that was a hard lesson to learn. And it, again, it's something so and that I'm still learning, but knowing who you are in Christ sounds very cliche and it's a Christianese phrase that has been used but it is paramount and so true.
00:24:05
Speaker
And it is worth your time investigating that because you will go into every situation looking for something to give to you that only Christ can give to you. And so, uh,
00:24:25
Speaker
ah I hope that this time around, my prayer this time around, as I'm figuring my way out, figuring things out now and um teaching part-time, is that I go in not defining myself by those metrics, going in, knowing who I am in Him and being able to give from that overflow, to give from what He's given me
00:24:57
Speaker
to give to my husband, to give to my children, to give to my students. And again, that's a very important lesson that I'm learning.
00:25:10
Speaker
Thank you for sharing not only your past journey, but your current journey with us. Like it's an honor to hear. And it's so connects with what you shared at the beginning of um work-life balance, just not even capturing the reality of it, but rather it being about um God and him setting our priorities. But thank you for sharing because man, we hope that that is such an encouragement um to the people who get to hear your story. And we believe that it will be just because it's so relatable.
00:25:41
Speaker
And so thank you for sharing that. And um is there anything else from your journey or that you want to like leave our listeners with? I think you've just been a great encouragement.
00:25:52
Speaker
um But yeah, anything else on your mind before we wrap up? um Yeah, I just really appreciate the opportunity to really hopefully give back.
00:26:06
Speaker
Crossroads again has been such a, it was such a ah great experience for me. And ah just encourage those who are unfulfilled or in between jobs to again, take that time to to listen, take that time to really hear,
00:26:30
Speaker
from the Lord and be very sensitive to the way that He's guiding you. ah We will often make the golden calf ah our careers and what we do and find our worth in what we do, um but that's not where it's found.
00:26:49
Speaker
And we were put here for more than excelling at insurance. and you know, being a top salesperson, being a number one teacher, um we were built for more than that.
00:27:07
Speaker
And so when we can wrap our identity and our lives and our being and who we are around the one who actually made us, things become a lot clearer.
00:27:21
Speaker
And where we're supposed to gets a lot clearer and the people in our lives benefit from that because we are anchored to something that's more permanent.
Identity and Career Challenges
00:27:34
Speaker
um and that Yeah, this identity, yeah I'd like to dive in a little bit more on the identity stuff, right? Because, I mean, this is a big deal for pretty much everybody and yeah who is a believer in Jesus, right? And you see this from a very young age when they're teenagers, and you remember that awkward stage of sixth, seventh, eighth grade where you don't know what's going on?
00:27:55
Speaker
And your identity is all over the place, right? And then you grew up, or you're supposed to grow up, right? And then you find that you're still struggling with this identity thing. And i would arguably say, too, um sex has a role in that, right? Like men typically have this identity of the job.
00:28:13
Speaker
But then you're saying it's really anybody, right? It doesn't matter who this is, that we can get wrapped up in our jobs and find our identity really in that um accidentally.
00:28:26
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. um That's a great point. And, you know, I didn't even think of the gender aspect to it. ah You know, it is certainly something that we've commonly heard men suffer with, you know, they're they're finding their identity and being the breadwinner in, um you know, the the career.
00:28:43
Speaker
But women can find do the same. You know, we find our identity in our children. We find our identity in, you know, the fact that we are the PTA mom, we're the soccer mom, we're the volleyball mom. I mean, it's it's an industry.
00:28:56
Speaker
um I happen to be a volleyball mom. And, you know, i look at the shirts that they sell us and all the merchandise that's there. These are all of the things that we need to kind of define who we are. And if you're not doing a B, and C, then what are you doing?
00:29:13
Speaker
um And so even in that, you have to ask yourself, and I have to ask myself, you know, am I serving my child well if I'm finding my identity in what he or she is doing?
00:29:26
Speaker
um Am I serving my students well if I'm finding my identity in what I am doing there in the classroom? um So if, again, anchoring to something that is permanent and anchoring yourself to something that is unchangeable and the one who made you, yeah that sounds like a much better way to find your identity.
00:29:55
Speaker
than in the temporal things of the world. And i think if we're honest about that, you know we we really are beholden to a lot more than we think we are. And sometimes it's not just the job, sometimes it's other things that, you know and then that gets into idolatry.
00:30:14
Speaker
um So there's a lot to unpack there, but that identity is is ah is a root issue. Yeah. Well, Sydney, thank you for sharing because you have given hope to believers and an encouragement and a charge to those who are walking with Christ actually take that freedom of our identity in him and let it be an anchor through the twists and turns of life, um whether they're in a job or whether it's related to other things. But you've also provided hope for maybe those who don't know Jesus, who are in the midst of a really hard
00:30:49
Speaker
season and giving hope that there is something stronger and more stable. And so thank you for that. And we encourage you if you're listening and you are in that season and you don't have someone to journey along with you, we're grateful that we get to be there and we have more resources and we have free guide calls that if you want to jump on and tell someone your situation, we would love to walk alongside you.
00:31:14
Speaker
And we're so glad to walk alongside those of y'all who in your current communities. And we hope that this has been an encouragement to you. And so Tim and I, we're grateful to hear your story, Cindy. We know others will be as well. So thank you for the time. And, um you know, we're excited to see where God leads you next.
00:31:29
Speaker
Thank you. And thanks, Tim, for that question about the identity. And Hannah, you just summed it up so well. um but So thanks, guys. I really appreciate the time. Looking for guidance in your career? Our Crossroads guides are ready to help.
00:31:44
Speaker
Set up a complimentary call now by visiting our website, crossroadscareer.org. Thanks for listening.