Can Parents Get Promoted?

Sacrifice, struggle and trade-off. These are words I hear often from women managing a career and a family.

I connect with thousands of women every year all over North America. The most common themes I hear are the following:

“I struggle with balancing my desire for challenging and rewarding work with spending quality time with my children.”
“I sacrifice myself to do a great job as a mom and an employee.”
“I make trade-offs every single day.”

My hope is to help erase the words “sacrifice,” “struggle” and “trade-off” from the active vocabulary of working mothers.

Don’t get me wrong, the emotional tug-of-war of working motherhood will not go away entirely, but you can certainly stop feeling a sense of frustration, loss and guilt. MORE

This month Lisa talks with Jan Stewart, vice-president of Human Resources and corporate secretary at GEICO.

What’s the biggest challenge you have faced trying to balance ambition and motherhood?

The biggest challenge for me has been getting to the point where I truly feel comfortable with my choice about working full-time in demanding positions. I spent many years emotionally and mentally wandering and beating myself up until I reached clarity, acceptance and happiness with who I am and the path I have taken by investing in myself – meaning I finally allowed myself to spend the time and money on having a coach, who guided me through a lot of self-discovery about how I am living my life, from the small and mundane matters (simplifying my approach to the amount of “stuff” I keep at home and in my closets) to the headier and more complex matters (helping me see the choices I have in my life and providing me with a sound and comforting way to consider my options and make decisions).

Read full interview here.

How can I eliminate sacrifice, struggle and trade-offs?

	Parenting Solo How to ease into your role as lone head of household View From the Top Women executives talk about their careers, the importance of mentoring and work-life balance	Stay Tuned. Lisa is the host of a TV special called "Maxed Out On Time." Air date: Jan 1, 08.	The Briefcase Moms Community is a place to connect with other like-minded women December Balance Teleforum Join Now	Manage your subscription Subscribe Me Update My Address Unsubscribe Me	Like what you see? Send to a friend Use this material

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	Sacrifice, struggle and trade-off. These are words I hear often from women managing a career and a family. I connect with thousands of women every year all over North America. The most common themes I hear are the following: “I struggle with balancing my desire for challenging and rewarding work with spending quality time with my children.” “I sacrifice myself to do a great job as a mom and an employee.” “I make trade-offs every single day.” My hope is to help erase the words “sacrifice,” “struggle” and “trade-off” from the active vocabulary of working mothers. Don’t get me wrong, the emotional tug-of-war of working motherhood will not go away entirely, but you can certainly stop feeling a sense of frustration, loss and guilt. MORE		This month Lisa talks with Jan Stewart, vice-president of Human Resources and corporate secretary at GEICO. What’s the biggest challenge you have faced trying to balance ambition and motherhood? The biggest challenge for me has been getting to the point where I truly feel comfortable with my choice about working full-time in demanding positions. I spent many years emotionally and mentally wandering and beating myself up until I reached clarity, acceptance and happiness with who I am and the path I have taken by investing in myself – meaning I finally allowed myself to spend the time and money on having a coach, who guided me through a lot of self-discovery about how I am living my life, from the small and mundane matters (simplifying my approach to the amount of “stuff” I keep at home and in my closets) to the headier and more complex matters (helping me see the choices I have in my life and providing me with a sound and comforting way to consider my options and make decisions). Read full interview here.

			Ambitious Working Mom Listen to what Victoria Sopik, owner of Kids & Company, says about how ambition has helped her successfully parent eight children and grow her company. Click here to listen.