Podcast | Habits
Episode 7| May 3, 2023

Wellness Secrets for Working from Home w/ Julie Marxen

She Runs at 5:30 AM Before Anyone Wakes. That Is How She Holds a Full Life Together.

Julie Marxen has a demanding job in finance, two little girls, and a house to run, all from home.

So before any of it starts, she runs. Usually at 5:30 in the morning, before her daughters and her husband are awake.

Running is her release, her clarity, her energy for the day.

Her real superpower, though, is how carefully she protects her time.

In this episode of the Happy Healthy Hustle Podcast, financial consultant Julie Marxen shares how she stays organized and well while working from home, why being present is her ongoing challenge, and the small daily practices that keep her steady.

A run, a few minutes with her husband, a midday meditation.

If you are juggling work and home under one roof, this one is for you.

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“Take it one day at a time, one step at a time, one breath at a time.”

– Julie Marxen

Fast Skim & Timestamps

0:00 Meet Julie: A Financial Consultant Working From Home
2:05 Her Superpower: Staying Organized
2:56 The 5:30 AM Run
4:44 Me Time and Us Time Before the Girls Wake
6:38 The Challenge of Being Present
8:52 The Midday Meditation She Almost Missed
10:56 The People Who Help Her Show Up
13:41 One Day, One Breath at a Time

Key Takeaways

Working from home means the job and the household never fully clock out. Structure protects you.
One protected practice can anchor a whole day. For Julie, it is an early run.
A few minutes of connection with your partner before the day starts goes a long way.
Being present is a practice, especially when your mind is always on the next task.
You do not need a lot of time to reset. Even fifteen minutes of stillness helps.
Take it one day, one step, one breath at a time, and lean on the people around you.

Three Petite Practice® Questions

1. What is the one practice that anchors my day, and am I protecting it?

2. Where am I living in the next task instead of the present one?

3. Who could I lean on, and what would it take to actually ask?

Transcript Chapters

0:00 Meet Julie: A Financial Consultant Working From Home

[00:00:37] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: Today’s guest is Julie Marxen, a workplace financial consultant with a large financial services firm, in the industry for ten years. She is a certified financial planner who helps clients understand their retirement and investment needs. [00:01:08] Julie Marxen: Thank you. I am so happy to be here and really honored.

2:05 Her Superpower: Staying Organized

[00:02:05] Julie Marxen: A huge advantage of my job is that I get to work from home. If we are going to call it a superpower, mine is that I am extremely organized. I write everything down and plan my day well in advance, so I can carve out time for myself among all the things I have to do for work and as a mom. I have two daughters, a four-year-old and an almost two-year-old, so the job does not stop when I shut my computer, then it is mom mode.

2:56 The 5:30 AM Run

[00:02:56] Julie Marxen: I run very early in the morning, usually around 5:30 a.m. before the girls and my husband are awake. Running is such a release for me. It gives me confidence, it lets me think more clearly, and it gives me more energy throughout the day, which I need working full time and then pivoting to being a mom to toddlers. I have been running for decades. It is like my guiding light, and my husband is extremely supportive of that me time.

4:44 Me Time and Us Time Before the Girls Wake

[00:04:44] Julie Marxen: As soon as I get home from my run, I get my coffee and make the girls’ breakfast before they are up. My husband and I also try to have five, ten, or fifteen minutes together in the early morning before the girls wake up. It is really great bonding time, because once they are awake, it is all about taking care of them. I think something is working, we are celebrating our ten-year wedding anniversary tomorrow.

6:38 The Challenge of Being Present

[00:06:38] Julie Marxen: A challenge I have struggled with, especially since becoming a mom, is being present. I am always thinking of the next thing I need to tackle or prepare for, rather than taking a breath and relishing the day itself. Working from home, I put pressure on myself, I also have to keep the house orderly, do the laundry, cook dinner. I am focused on working toward being more present and being grateful for having woken up another day.

8:52 The Midday Meditation She Almost Missed

[00:08:52] Julie Marxen: I started meditating in January. I did not even know it was a benefit of my employer. I went to Florida for work, and one of the breakout sessions was a guided meditation. It was thirty minutes and so empowering, I felt like a different person afterward. It turned out they had been doing these virtually for years. Now I use a fifteen-minute midday mindfulness session, which breaks up my busy day and gives me a minute to breathe and to appreciate how blessed I am.

10:56 The People Who Help Her Show Up

[00:10:56] Julie Marxen: Definitely my husband, for giving me the space and time to run and have that me time so I can be a better mom. My parents are great too, I am lucky to live about twenty-five minutes away. They have always been my biggest cheerleaders, and they help with the kids when I need it. Just last week my younger daughter got hand, foot, and mouth disease, and I had to keep her home while working a full schedule. My mom hopped over and helped me get through the day.

13:41 One Day, One Breath at a Time

[00:13:41] Julie Marxen: My biggest recommendation is take it one day at a time. If you try to tackle everything for the next week, month, or year, you will become so overwhelmed. Take it one day at a time, one step at a time, one breath at a time. It really helps manage the anxiety, which I have historically struggled with, because I feel like I have to get it all done perfectly. You do not, actually. It is going to be okay, and it is okay to lean on other people and ask for support. [00:14:49] Dr. Christiane Schroeter: I love that you appreciate the small steps that lead to wellness. Thank you so much, Julie.

Meet My Guest

Julie Marxen

Workplace Financial Consultant & Certified Financial Planner

Julie Marxen is a workplace financial consultant and certified financial planner with a large financial services firm, where she has spent a decade helping clients understand their retirement and investment needs.

A working mom of two who runs before dawn, she is a living example of protecting small pockets of wellness while working from home.

Meet Your Host

Dr. Christiane Schroeter

TEDx Speaker & Leadership Strategist

I’m Dr. Christiane Schroeter, TEDx speaker, leadership strategist, and host of the Top 1% ranked Happy Healthy Hustle Podcast. I help leaders think clearly, speak with conviction, and take the next step during change.

About Dr. Christiane

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