What do moms in the paid workforce really need to navigate the obstacles and flourish? That was the question behind the Boston Globe’s Working Mother’s Summit on Thursday. The superpowers moms bring to our careers were highlighted but without sugarcoating the tradeoffs and challenges. Like rising stress, declining wellbeing, and persistent workplace and financial inequities.
I’m still energized from participating, as both a speaker and learner. This year’s summit was a delightful mix of honoring our own health and emerging ways to support our kids. Especially in the current economic, technology and social climates.
Here’s a little highlight reel with high impact quotes from sessions I was able to attend. Please enjoy thoughtful insights and inspiration from incredible mothers in leadership!
Navigate the Current Climate
“…I’m honest with my kids about what’s happening (in the world)… I don’t want to normalize it, and I don’t want someone else to interpret it for them….”
Joanna Lydgate, CEO States United Democracy Center
“…Nothing has radicalized me quite like motherhood. …Not only because I love my own children, but because I’m paying attention to the world they are inheriting…”
Natanja Craig Oquendo, CEO Boston Women’s Fund and Activist
Manage Stress
“…I don’t always find work/life balance, but the things help most are, community, comedy and escape. Escape, is finding those experiences just for you, where you can be in the (present) moment…”
Joanna Lydgate, CEO States United Democracy Center
“…We’re rewarded for being hyper vigilant and staying on high alert but constantly being (mentally) in the future, isn’t a way to live…. I’ve developed the skill to ask myself each time I get an incoming message, do I have to deal with this right now? It’s a skill I now teach to others…”
Morra Aarons-Mele, Leadership Advisor, Entrepreneur, Podcast Host and Author of The Anxious Achiever
“…In every healthy relationship there are boundaries, but they are porous or nonexistent with our devices. Before bedtime or during times when you need deep focus, put your phone in grayscale. It’s a wonderful tool to create digital boundaries…”
Dr Aditi Nerurkar, MD, Faculty at Harvard Medical School & Author, The 5 Resets
Keep Growing as a Parent
“Parenting decisions are hard but the step that’s often missing is deciding if the decision even matters. The first step, is to decide, ‘is this something I even need to think about?’ …(Then determine) ‘what are the options?’ ‘what does the data say about each of these options?’ and ‘what are my preferences’…”
Dr. Emily Oster, PhD, Professor of Economics, CEO ParentData and Author of the Unexpected
“…Modeling your compassion and imperfection with children builds their capacity for connection and relationship navigation…”
Dr. Dana Suskind, MD Pediatric Surgeon, Public Health Director and Author of Human Raised (July 2026)
Evolve Your Leadership Toolbox
“…It’s a terrible job market now so, I think we have to be more careful about vulnerability at work. Two years ago, I would have given a different answer…”
Morra Aarons-Mele, Leadership Advisor, Entrepreneur, Podcast Host and Author of The Anxious Achiever
“…How do you want people to feel? What do you want to be known for and how can people tap you in when those opportunities surface? Best known, beats best…. If people don’t know you exist, you’ll be left out of opportunities.”
Marina Middleton, Speaker & CEO Create and Cultivate
Use Technology to Help versus Harm
“If you’re scrolling on your phone at 9 pm with the intention to go to bed in an hour but find yourself still scrolling at midnight, it may be ‘reverse bedtime procrastination.’ We have impossible demands on our time and there’s a biological need for brain breaks. 9 pm is probably the first point during the day when you can actually have me time.”
Dr Aditi Nerurkar, MD, Faculty at Harvard Medical School & Author, The 5 Resets
“Human connection is not just a ‘nice to have’ it’s a biological necessity… …Let AI help us create more time for human presence, not to replace it. …We can’t out-compute the computers, but we can out connect them…”
Dr. Dana Suskind, MD Pediatric Surgeon, Public Health Director and Author of Human Raised (July 2026)
Remain Healthy and Whole in the Process
“…(Don’t fall for) the ‘resilience myth’ because resilience is protective, but it’s not enough to prevent burnout.”
Dr Aditi Nerurkar, MD, Faculty at Harvard Medical School & Author, The 5 Resets
“Motherhood didn’t just change my schedule, it made me change my standards…”
Natanja Craig Oquendo, CEO Boston Women’s Fund and Activist
Your priorities have probably changed in the past 6 months. As you navigate your needs, think about the support that’s meaningful right now. Although it can take time to find mentors, sponsors, and community with people who share your path and passions, it’s possible. And well worth the up front effort and mental energy to expand your circle.
If you feel stuck, unseen at times or just drained beyond what feels healthy, seek out the help you need. The day-to-day can feel isolating at best and excruciating at worst. But we are a very large, very powerful sisterhood.
Friendship, brilliance and compassion can come from anywhere. Whether it’s on the playground at professional events, or in online spaces, find people to uplift and acknowledge you. Remember, there’s solidarity in the motherhood journey and millions of us on this path alongside you.
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📚 Buy the new book, Repair with Self-Care: Your Guide to the Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs.
Enjoy the gift of more time for wellbeing and growth. Plus delightful self-care packages for Moms, delivered to your door.
Ready to put yourself back onto your to-do list? Take a TimeCheck.
Shared your story yet? Take our quick survey to change how workplaces support parents.
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