Balance Key to Mom's Success

Dyan Pithers

Age: 39

Neighborhood: West Park Village

Mommyism: "Don't forget to take care of yourself, and your husband, too," Pithers said. "It makes you better a better mom. Happy parents make happy kids."

It's been more than a decade, but Dyan Pithers still gets a bit teary when she talks about her early days as a mom. She was a corporate finance attorney working super long hours in New York City with an infant at home.

"I was gone before he woke up and back after he went to sleep," she recalled of those early days.

She soon realized it wasn't the life she wanted for her family, which consisted of husband Jason and young son Harrison.

"I couldn't be that kind of lawyer and be a mom," Pithers recalled.

In 2002, Pithers and her family moved to Tampa. She traded in legal briefings to become a full-time mom. She finally got to see every moment she'd missed as a busy lawyer in New York, but the desire to make her mark outside the home persisted.

"It was hard," Pithers recalled of being a full-time mom. "Not because it was hard to be with my kids, but because I was too active and ambitious. I need to be busy."

In 2003, she joined her husband Jason as a Real Estate Professional with Coldwell Banker.

"I really thought I was going to be a full-time mom after law," Pithers said. "But once I stayed home, I did realize I needed a balance of both."

Since then Pithers has worked to maintain the right balance between being mom to Harrison, 11, and Jake, 7, while pursuing her own personal ambitions.

She is currently the vice president of the Westchase Community Association, an elected position which makes her responsible for policies and decisions affecting the Westchase community.

"I want Westchase to be amazing," Pithers said. “Enough people don't give back to the community. I want to make Westchase a better place with balanced reasoning."

Her days are still hectic, Pithers admits.

"The phone rings all the time for me," she said. "Emails, meetings with clients, brokers, vendors."

But she's able to prioritize in a way that puts family first.

"I work just as many hours just on my own terms," she said. "I set expectations for my clients, still giving them stellar service, but if I can do so with my kids and doing what they need me to do, that's what I'm going to do."

Pithers finds time for herself as a singles player on the "Westchase Alley Cats," the Ladies Day 3.0 United States Tennis Association Westchase Team.

The team recently won the Fall and Spring Hillsborough County 3.0 Championships. They head to Daytona for the USTA Regional Playoffs in July.

What she tells her boys about community work: "You have to look outside yourself," she said. "It's OK to work hard for capital desires, but it's also important to give back."

On being an ambitious mom: "Just try it," Pithers said. "But know when to ask for help and pull back."

What motherhood has taught her: "I have everything I need inside," Pithers said. "Sometimes I have to dig deep to find it, but I know I have it."

Editor's note: Westchase Patch teamed up with Westfield Citrus Park to pamper some special moms from our neighborhood. For our Mother's Day photo shoot, Westfield Citrus Park merchant Banana Republic supplied Dyan's Chambray button down shirt ($59.50); White Sateen Bermuda shorts ($49.50); and a Bauble Beauty necklace ($69.50.)

Mom's Day Gift idea: Still looking for mom's gift? The Bermuda shorts Dyan is wearing can be dressed up for work or down for the weekend, are comfortable, and come in a variety of colors.

Check back tomorrow for our next featured mom!