By Jennifer Doll

My personal self and my professional self were, at one time, two distinct and different beings. Then I had a baby. And then another one. Now my lines are blurred.

It gets harder and harder to separate one from the other when I show up to work with snot (or worse) on my sleeve, or when I’m distracted by the buzzing phone while trying to watch (or not watch) Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with my soon to be three-year-old. My kids come to work with me and my work comes home with me.

For me, and for many others, this is ok. Personally, I think it would be harder to keep them separate and I am grateful that I work for a flexible employer and manager.

At work, I see the same things. I am no longer just an internal communicator who writes articles for an intranet site or sends the company newsletter. We are expected to know and advise on all things: media relations, social media, executive advocacy, community relations, change management, data and metrics, business strategy, branding, marketing, crisis communications, etc.

And this is why I’m excited to attend, for the first time, the Convergence Summit on March 23. I’ve heard about the great speakers in the past, and after nearly three years of focusing on keeping my babies fed, clean and happy, I’m ready to start focusing on my professional development again!

This year’s speakers address many of the communications topics I mentioned and more. Check out the full agenda for yourself.

I hope you’ll take the time to register for this exciting opportunity to learn from other communications professionals. I, for one, am looking forward to reconnecting with IABC members and my peers in the communications industry to find out how their dealing with the changes in our profession.

And, for those with daycare costs like me (or just a cost-conscious employer), here’s a tip: register before February 23 to save yourself $50!

Jennifer Doll is a past president of IABC Minnesota and current communications advisor at Wells Fargo.