The Juggling Act

Motherhood as the final frontier? Well, it definitely changes you far more than I anticipated.

Emily Wiess, founder of Glossier, recently compared the change she experienced becoming a mother to being “an astronaut taking off for outer space and watching your house and all the people you love getting smaller and smaller on the ground, until you look out the window and all around is darkness and you don’t know what you’ll see next. That’s you, looking at your old life, fading into oblivion at warp speed.”

As a relatively new mom to two young boys, I've embarked on the epic adventure of parenthood which has not only reshaped my life - but has also strengthened several critical leadership skills that have served me well as I’ve taken on expanded professional responsibilities over the same course of time.

The Juggling Act

“The juggle is real.” This is probably the one statement every member of my team (and tribe) has heard me say in the last 3 ? years since becoming a mom.?And while most days it is a juggle – let’s be real, at times it’s a full-blown struggle to keep all the balls in the air both at work and at home.?I never could have imagined just how often my work and home lives would demand I be in different places – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Balancing a career, nurturing children, maintaining a household, and finding time for self-care can be overwhelming! Yet it is through this delicate balancing act that I've found several key leadership skills are continuously refined.

• Time Management: The ability to effectively manage time is vital when juggling littles alongside pretty much any and every other responsibility on your plate. Every minute counts and we become experts at multitasking, prioritization, delegation, and setting realistic goals. Days are filled with meetings, deadlines, school activities, and bedtime stories - all of which teach us the importance of being organized, efficient and making the most of every moment.
• Resilience & Adaptability: Life with children is nothing if not unpredictable – so we learn to adapt quickly to unexpected situations. Whether it's dropping everything to pick up a sick child or dealing with ever changing dietary preferences, mothers are masters of flexibility. This adaptability transcends into our professional lives, enabling us to navigate challenges, embrace change, and find creative solutions to complex problems. Not only do I find myself calmer in moments of “crisis” and faster to move on to what needs to be tackled next – but I also find it easier to identify real “emergencies” as compared to the artificial urgency (I can’t be the only one raising a would-be drama king).
• Empathy and emotional Intelligence:?Raising children is a master class in empathy that forces you to?communicate effectively and connect with others on a level deeper than some may be naturally inclined. Whether this is a natural evolution or forces you fully out of your comfort zone, the ability to see your colleagues, vendors and customers as people first helps us foster stronger relationships and navigate conflict with compassion and grace.

Today and every day, I’d like to recognize the immense personal growth that comes with motherhood and acknowledge all mamas – whether they choose to work, have to work, or able to focus on the work they do in their homes and communities.

Happy Mother’s Day and thank you for juggling your hearts out for the next generation!