asking

Four Birth Stories and a Voice for Every Mother Counts

I’ve had four opportunities to test my body’s limits and be the co-creator of new life. Four chances to bring a child into the world, four first breaths, four beginnings. With each birth, I learned more about what I was capable of, and with each birth, I found power, courage and voice. My eldest child, […]

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Faith, Mercy and Letting Go

Thumbnail image for Faith, Mercy and Letting Go

Last night in a special church meeting, I received a pink balloon (not a typical church experience!), along with my 400 fellow congregates. It represented two things. The first was to honor the memory of Emilie Parker, who lost her life almost a year ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The second purpose was an […]

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Frozen in Fake Fraudulence

I wrote a note to a very successful blogger and leadership coach once, that was slightly critical — I greatly like her work and still follow it. She would temper her sales pitches with feelings of anxiety and fear over what she was asking and how it made her ill to ask for business (though […]

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A Wish For All Girls

My seven year old brought this home in her backpack. She had two wishes for the beginning of the year. One was to not be mean to her brothers and sister and this was the other one. Both brought me incredible joy. A friend posted on Facebook how incredible it is when a child can […]

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A Birth Story for All Mothers

Baby boy is three. Fiesty, mischievous and finally (it took til the fourth child) introducing us to the joys of permanent marker on the walls, scaling impossible-to-climb surfaces and the shortest alpha male you’ve ever seen. His birth was eagerly awaited. We knew he was our last, and I’d lost two pregnancies prior. I honestly […]

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How do you speak about yourself as a mother?

I got some amazing advice a few years back. Watch your language! And I’m not talking about having a potty mouth! Watch how you refer to yourself. We so flippantly “write-off” this part of who we are. Whether it’s “oh, there’s my ‘mom brain’ again!” or “I’m ‘just’ a mother” or “I’m such a bad […]

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A Toe in the Mommy Wars

“this is not just a mother’s issue” As a work life flexibility advocate and pundit and I have the occasional opportunity to attend forums where employers, academics and organizations gather to advance innovative work place solutions. Without exception, the mantra of “this is just not a mother’s issue.” is proclaimed. Seems so obvious – of […]

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Why Does the World Mourn for Steve Jobs and Not the Millions?

For several days the unsettling thought has niggled in my mind. My Facebook newsfeed showed I was not alone, as several friends shared this image on their walls. I understand why. An iconic genius, a visionary and a man who inspired so many of us on our creative journeys deserves the attention of the world […]

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When Outright Discrimination Gets Mistaken as a Quest for Work Life Balance: Or How the Judge Got it Wrong!

I’ve been quietly steaming over last week’s decision by Judge Preska to dismiss the Bloomberg women’s class action, anchoring her decision it seems, on former GE CEO Jack Welch’s view that, “There is no such thing as work life balance. There are choices, and you make them, and they have consequences”. On one level, absolutely […]

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Why Making a Plan and Talking to Your Boss About Flex is Critical

Is it any wonder some in the traditional workforce throw their hands up in the air? The Work Life Dilemma Our increasing hunger for work life policy reform has been thrown into sharp relief for me via my friend Lisa’s recent childcare conundrums. A few weeks ago she started a brand new job. No sick […]

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