Anyone who is contemplating becoming a mother should do so at the peak of their career. I’ve always wanted to have a family and own my own business, but for most of my life I struggled to contemplate how the two would play out in tandem.
Throughout my career, I witnessed colleagues of mine become pregnant and face the comments and assumptions that reinforced the idea that motherhood and corporate success were at odds. I watched coworkers receive polite but disapproving scrutiny from bosses, investors, board members, and others: “Will she return?” and “Is this going to make her soft?”
As the CEO of my company, I also experienced my own version of these sentiments when I announced my pregnancy.
As an entrepreneur, I am the beginning and end of my companies and the fact that something could put that at risk scared me. This fear led me to postpone having children, prioritizing my first business as my “firstborn.” The persistent fear of a child hindering my success loomed for more years than I’m proud to admit.
But then, I got pregnant. And as I watched those around me hesitate, wait for my first falter, the first sign I would decide to leave my position, I realized that my impending motherhood had changed me. I realized it made me a stronger leader.
Redefining success
Motherhood has not only failed to impede my success but has made me a more astute operator and leader. It brought a clarity of thought that I hadn’t experienced before—a realization that my fears, as well as society’s, are unfounded.
For the longest time, success meant taking my company public. However, becoming a mother triggered a profound value shift. Now, my definition of success is anchored in freedom, profitability, and sustainability. Establishing a lifestyle that offered choices beyond work became crucial, not diminishing but empowering my ambition to build an authentic business. Rather than feeling confused or distracted, I felt my business acumen becoming even sharper and my decisions more bold as I aligned my actions to my personal values. Complex business dilemmas, once requiring weeks of contemplation, were swiftly resolved. Balancing motherhood and business focused me on essentials, streamlining operations for greater efficiency.
Changed for the better
Becoming a mother didn’t replace the business leader in me; it enhanced and transformed my capabilities. I envision a world where motherhood is seen as an empowering step for business leaders—a departure from the archaic belief that women are defined solely by their roles as mothers.
Yes, becoming a mother does change you and the role of a parent and a businesswoman is something that you must learn to balance. However, balance implies that there is a relationship between two things, not that they are mutually exclusive. We have been led to believe that you “can’t have both.” You will undoubtedly change when you become a mother. I say, use that change as a catalyst to become a better leader, informed by the symbiosis between who you are in business and in parenthood. Abandon the idea of planning for “the right time” and instead embrace motherhood as an elevation. Starting a family could be the vital next step in your career you’ve been looking for.
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