Now More Than Ever, It’s Okay to Put Our Families First

When quarantine began, the good news was I could keep working as long as I had a computer and internet connection. The bad news was, I was expected to keep working as long as I had a computer and internet connection. Entire industries like hospitality, entertainment, and travel all closed their doors and sent home …

The “Luxurious” 40-hour Workweek

Having firm personal boundaries is one of the ways I’m able to be a high-performing professional and a fully engaged wife and mother, while trying to keep my sanity. So when our family schedule recently changed and I became the one responsible for getting the kids up, fed, dressed, organized, and to school every morning, …

What Glenn Close Got Completely Wrong in Her Golden Globes Speech

Last Sunday night, Glenn Close accepted the 2019 Golden Globe for best actress in a drama. In her speech, she honored her late mother, Bettine Moore Close, and her comments have since gone viral. Through her tears, Close said “I’m thinking of my mom, who really sublimated herself to my father her whole life. And …

“Hi, my name is Monica and I’m a privileged white woman.”

I recently shared my article from Working Mother magazine in a Facebook group of other working moms. As I expected, there were a number of comments from readers saying they appreciated the message and totally related to it. Then of course there was one member who was pissed that I have the guts to even …

Don’t Blame “Corporate America…”

There have been a number of responses to the Lean OUT message saying that ‘Corporate America’ needs to change its expectations of what professional success looks like. I couldn’t agree more. But since we can’t write a complaint letter to Mrs. Corporate America, how do we go about getting her to change? The problem isn’t …

What is “Home”?

Home isn’t the majestic 10-acre property nestled in the middle of the redwood mountains; the mountains where I spent my childhood building forts in the summer fog and mud pies in the winter rain. It isn’t the house on that property that I first came home to when I was two days old or the …

Your Baby vs. Mine

In May 2012, when my oldest son was about 19 months old, I went on my first major business trip since becoming a mom. It was to be a week-long trip across the country to Florida, to support the marketing and events during my company’s launch of a satellite at Cape Canaveral. The events I …

Accomplished Silicon Valley Men Can Lean OUT Too

My Facebook feed recently showed a post from a friend who is a very respected leader at my former company, a promising billion-dollar Silicon Valley startup. His post announced that after four years (which is an eternity at a skyrocketing startup), he was leaving the company. This friend had joined the company shortly after I …

Ballad of a “Tired” Career Woman

I’m tired of being told by billionaire COO’s to "Lean In" and to “have it all” I’m tired of pretending I want to climb the corporate ladder as high as I possibly can, no matter what the cost I’m tired of reading “empowering” self-help books that tell me how I can achieve my greatest possible …

“Daddy, when are you coming home?”

This morning was like any other in the office: calm, orderly, busy but peaceful. My friendly, professional co-workers were scattered about the open office floor, comfortably nestled into each of their five-foot by five-foot worlds. Most were reading through the few dozen emails that filled up their inbox since they last checked it at 10pm …