Empowering Women Executives: Balancing Ambition and Motherhood
I had the privilege to photograph Kaitlyn Greenleaf, Vice President of USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures. She shared some of her story.
“I am a working mom and am on a personal mission to make it easier to talk about working and being a mom and the elusive “work-life balance”. Motherhood is hard. Whether you are a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, it is all hard, but in different ways. I am fortunate enough to work from home for my full-time job. And while I love being able to manage laundry between meetings, the balance to find yourself present in the moment at work and being present with your kids is not for the faint of heart. And on top of work and the moment-to-moment, there’s the never-ending list of to-dos. I believe women feel the constant pressure to constantly use every moment to get everything accomplished, more so than men.”
I am currently reading a playbook for women at work called, “Something Major: The New Playbook for Women at Work”, by Randi Braun. I highly recommend it! It is helping me reframe and think about where I want to head. It teaches how to promote and advocate for yourself and that being aggressive is okay. Braun teaches putting yourself first and helping yourself obtain your goals.
As an executive and mom, I know the struggles. I’m not going to have a perfect 9-5 day. We are all human. But moms are all-star employees because we know how to get it all done and make it happen. I love this quote, “𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻.”
Being a female executive and the minority in a male-dominant company sometimes the top can be very isolating. There are no people to talk with or to commiserate with about things going on at the office or at home. When I do find others in this position it is such a breath of fresh air!
My advice to other working moms is to remember that you are not alone.
I found Alissa on the Chief app. The great thing about Chief is there are many other kick-a** women! My photo shoot was so much more than getting a headshot done. I never had a headshot. I have three young kids. I had to find a new wardrobe due to my post-baby body. It was the push I needed to invest in myself. I told myself it was okay to have a new body.
I was nervous. I knew I needed it and wow, it did more for me emotionally and mentally than just the photos. The two hours of hair and makeup pampering were wonderful. The experience built my self-confidence.
I loved seeing the photos in real-time. I was able to be honest with Alissa about what I liked and didn’t like. At the end of the session, I drove away on cloud nine!
I felt empowered, attractive and worth it! It was a huge confidence-builder.
I want to spread the word about the awesomeness of Alissa.”