As my children have grown older, I’ve realized that the challenge of being a working mother isn’t the voluminous tasks, but the existential struggle between motherhood and my ambition for my career.

To find the answers to big decisions, there are two options: stillness or movement. Somehow the duality of these, provide the insight and the clarity when lists and logic aren’t enough.

As the new year starts and we slowly move toward equilibrium with better choices and movement, why not use January to rest, relax, and recover? We deserve it after a long year of coming out of the pandemic, possibly working from the office, and re-starting family holiday traditions, especially if you are a mom who creates the magic. The year is long and there is no rule that says goals or resolutions need to be set or start on day one.

More moms are doing the work to connect their values and their tasks list, but we are still living through the impact of the Great Exhaustion  (as I recently heard it called) – with talent retainment and acquisition the biggest challenge facing organizations – and the quiet quitting phenomenon making it seem like employees are not yet getting what they need.

It makes me wonder- what are companies doing to deal with these topics to better support, engage and retain their employees?

Now that we have landed back in the US after years of living overseas and are preparing for this new school year, my husband and I have re-started conversations a lá our early married days, taking our learnings before kids, after kids, and overseas to divvy up child and home responsibilities.

When you are planning your trip, be prepared to pick up exactly where you left off in the office when you return.