When Nico, Claudia Taboada’s son was diagnosed with severe autism at 2 years old, she abandoned her law career to become his full-time caregiver. But it was the walks she had with Nico’s dog more than 8 years later that completely changed her life.
How would you describe yourself? Have you always identified yourself like so?
Right now I would identify myself as someone who is finally becoming the most self-actualized version of herself. Someone who goes after dreams with confidence and who has found her life’s purpose and mission.
And no I was not always this way, just 11 years ago I was an autism mom not only her physical and mental health but also her identity due to motherhood burnout.
You’re a celebrated speaker, coach & digital entrepreneur. What’s your backstory?
I have a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and a L.L.B. from the University of Ottawa. I was forging my career as a labour and employment attorney in Montreal but life had other plans.
When Nico was diagnosed with severe autism at 2 years old, I abandoned my law career to become his full-time caregiver. Initially a 3 year sabbatical turned into years due to Nico’s severe autism and the lack of proper educational alternatives. And I became the Ultimate Autism Supermom – not only mom but therapist, teacher, advocate, program intervention manager, student of all things autism…and in the process I LOST myself. I LOST MY IDENTITY. I was physically and mentally exhausted and I didn’t know how to get out of this situation on my own.
It just so happened, that when my son was 8 and ⅕ years old, we were offered a guide dog for him. I started taking the dog out for 10-15 minute walks. These walks gave me the time for self-reflection and introspection to reconnect with myself. I eventually became a jogger who could not run more than two minutes continuously and then a runner. And crossing the finish line 5 months after I started jogging would be an epiphany and the kick in the butt I needed to take charge of my life and make self-care a non-negotiable priority in my life. I accomplished my transformation via the self-care, mindset optimization and stress reduction strategies and habits that are now part of my signature program the ”Unstoppable You Self-Care and Stress Resilience Blueprint”. I practice these strategies daily in order to stay in peak physical and mental state to parent my severely autistic son as a single mom – while building my dream business and continuing to train as an endurance athlete (23 marathons and a 70.3 Ironman race).
Have you always been an entrepreneur?
No but I wish did! I LOVE being an entrepreneur! I became an entrepreneur after I wrote my memoir ‘’Burnout to Unstoppable’’ and realized that there was a gap when it came to self-care solutions for very busy moms.
Could you share with the readers your key entrepreneurial competencies that set you apart from the rest in your industry?
I think the most important competency that I bring to the table is that I “walk the talk’’. I am a mom who lives a life of chronic stress, yet I am able to thrive. I use the exact same strategies that I offer to my clients in own daily life and they work! It is a system that I’ve developed and refined over the years, via my participation in courses and seminars but also my life experience.
You have run over 23 marathons. How did you get into running marathons? Has that been easy?
As mentioned earlier, my self-care and fitness journey began with 10-15 minute walks with my son’s guide dog Sicas. When I began to jog, I could not jog for more than 2 minutes, but I persevered because I knew that I was on a new path of transformation. Eventually, I ran my first 5K race and then began to increase my distance until one day I ran a half-marathon and a year later a marathon. Every time that I would go out of my comfort zone and would run harder and longer, I was in fact working on my mindset. It was a way for me to challenge myself and do things while scared. This in turn was key to my transformation as it allowed me to reclaim the self-confidence and my self-esteem that I had lost. The day I ran my first marathon was another epiphany which showed me that ‘’anything was possible’’. That day I built an empowered identity that serves me until this day.
How has your son been an influence on how you approach life and work?
My son Nico is severely autistic and he will not be able to go to University, marry and lead an independent life. One of my life’s missions now is to ensure that I will leave a legacy for my two sons and that Nico’s future will be taken care of even if I’m no longer around.
I feel that this is my second act and I am determined to lead my life with passion and purpose while creating a legacy for my boys and making an impact on the lives of those I serve.
Balancing personal life and business life is a challenge for many people? How do you do it?
Absolutely! And this challenge has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 situation where a lot of us now work from home while homeschooling, taking care of the kids 24/7 and doing house chores that have multiplied.
In my case, my situation is complicated by the fact that Nico needs constant supervision and that my ex-husband works and lives in Denmark and has not been in Canada since July 2020 due to Covid. This means that he is not here to share the caregiving load and when Nico’s school was closed I had to juggle supervising him on a constant basis while writing my second book and working on my business. But because I have experienced motherhood burnout before, I am extremely aware of the importance of self-care to avoid losing my physical and mental health as well as my identity again. Luckily, I have a set of self-care habits, routines and coping mechanisms that I practice daily in order to stay in peak physical and mental state. These are the same strategies that I teach to my clients.
Do you think being a woman makes it harder?
Yes I think so. Being a woman means that we usually do most of the caregiving duties as well as the household chores. And this is on top of working as hard as men in some instances.
Do you have any regrets in life? If so what?
Not anymore. When I was my son’s full time caregiver and had lost myself the autism caregiving whirlwind, I would constantly regret abandoning my law career. Now I am grateful that life had other plans for me and that my life experiences have brought me to a more fulfilled path. One that is truly meaningful and has become my mission: to help those moms who are burned out to reclaim their physical, mental and emotional health via my brand of non-negotiable self-care. And I can say, without hesitation, thatI have found my ‘’why’’, my life’s purpose.
What future do you envision for the women?
I envision a future where all women, including busy moms and caregivers, make self-care a non-negotiable priority in their lives so that they can avoid burnout and better manage stress. One of my missions is to bring awareness to the issue of motherhood burnout. It is a very serious issue and nobody is talking about it. I believe that a lot of women have had to abandon their careers to care for their children and in the process they lose their identity (as it happened to me). And this is a loss of human potential. I’m on a mission to change this.
What lifts up your spirit for you to become the unstoppable person you’re?
Having a why – a compelling reason and a life’s purpose – that makes me wake up in the morning (apart from my kids) and gives me the grit to persevere in the face of adversity.
How important is self care to mothers like yourself with burgeoning careers?
It is non-negotiable. As I mentioned above, having experienced motherhood burnout first hand, I wish to encourage and inspire all busy mothers to adopt self-care habits and routines that will allow them to not only recharge and detach from the daily grind but also empower their bodies and their minds.
Do you have a self care daily routine? Could you share it with our Stellar Woman readers?
I actually have two self-care routines – a morning routine and an evening routine and then I try to sprinkle some self-care moments throughout my day.
My morning routine consists of the following: I wake up at least an hour and a half before my boys. I take a 15 minute warm Epsom salts bath. This helps me wake up gently. Then I take a quick shower with the last minute being very cold. This completely wakes me up and energizes me. Then I drink a glass of warm water with the juice of a lemon (which is great for digestion). If I have time I go for an outdoor run or I run on the treadmill. While I run, I listen to some disco music or an inspiring podcast or audiobook on personal development or business. Then I take another quick cold shower and I journal for at least 10 minutes to set my goals and my intentions for the day.
My evening routine starts at least an hour before bed. I start off with drinking a cup of chamomile tea and start closing all my screens (computer, TV, iPad, etc.). I go up to my room and do some light Yoga moves or stretching. I then wash my face, brush my teeth and put on my pyjamas. I get into bed and then journal for another 10 minutes and recall my wins for the day and brain dump ideas. Then I either read a few pages of a book or do a guided meditation with an App. At the end of all of this, I am ready to fall asleep! The goal of having an evening routine is to stack several ‘’calming activities’’ that will help your nervous system to wind down.
Throughout the day, I try to incorporate mindfulness moments where I focus on the sense: the sights, the smells, the sounds (like going for a “mindful walk’’ for example) and moments where I empower my mind (like listening to inspiring podcasts, audiobooks or TEDx talks while doing house chores or driving in the car).
What advice would you give a woman who feels like they can’t do more, even when the desire is lingering within them?
To take a vacation first! Even if it’s just a couple of days alone, it will be enough to give them time for self-reflection and introspection so that they can figure out what really are the needle movers that they need to focus on. This alone time will also allow them to decide what they need to eliminate, replace or delegate.
Could you list some of the desirable attributes that a Stellar woman should have?
I believe that one of the most desirable attributes a Stellar Woman should have is a growth mindset. Having a growth mindset allows us to see challenges, setbacks, failures and mistakes as opportunities for growth and learning. This in turn allows us to persevere in the face of adversity and to have the motivation keep pushing even when things are hard. We value the process more than the destination.
Do you think women can have it all?
I think so but we need to be able to set standards and healthy boundaries – both at home and at work – in order to avoid burnout.
What is the one dream or addition that would make your life feel like a Stellar Woman?
As long as I am able to make time for self-care every single day in order to empower my body and my mind, I will continue to be a Stellar Woman !