The Working Mother Experience Is Evolving - Here's Why
Given it’s my 40th birthday today, and entering a new decade and phase of life is about growth and evolution (well, that’s what people say anyways), I think this post on The Working Mother Experience’s evolution is timely.
When I started The Working Mother Experience in 2021, I had one simple goal: I wanted working mothers to feel seen. At the time, art felt like the perfect way to do that. Art has a way of expressing what words often can't. Through paintings, photography, sculpture, poetry and mixed media, mothers from around the world shared their stories with honesty, vulnerability and incredible creativity.
Over five years, more than 260 artists became part of that vision (please, take a peak out our incredible art gallery).
What they created was so much more than a gallery. Together, they captured the beauty, complexity and contradiction of modern motherhood. They reminded us that no two experiences are exactly the same, but that there is incredible comfort in realizing we're not alone.
As I listened to those stories, another question kept surfacing: Why are so many mothers carrying so much?
It wasn't just the mental load or the invisible work. It was the systems surrounding family life that kept appearing in conversation. Healthcare. Workplaces. Childcare. Leadership. Technology. Community. The expectations we place on parents and, often, the expectations we place on ourselves. I found myself becoming just as interested in why these experiences existed as I was in the experiences themselves.
That realization is what led to the next chapter of The Working Mother Experience.
Today, our podcast is focused on the operating systems behind modern family life. Every family has one. It's the collection of beliefs, routines, relationships, decisions and supports that quietly shape how life works day to day. Some of those systems serve us well. Others are overdue for change.
Through conversations with people who are challenging the status quo, I hope we can better understand what helps families flourish and where we still have work to do.
This isn't a departure from where we began. It's a continuation of it. The mission has always been to make life better for working mothers and families. Art helped us start that conversation. Now we're expanding it.
The gallery isn't disappearing. In fact, it will always be one of the most meaningful parts of this community. It represents the voices that brought us here and serves as a time capsule of a remarkable chapter in our history. I hope you'll continue to visit it, reflect on it and share it with others (I am so proud of what we did).
As we look ahead, you'll hear conversations with people from many different backgrounds - physicians, founders, researchers,authors, religious leaders, journalists, educators, employers, policymakers and everyday parents - because building a better future for families isn't the responsibility of mothers alone. It belongs to all of us.
If you've been with us since the beginning, thank you. Your stories shaped this evolution more than you know.
And if you're joining us for the first time, welcome. I'm so glad you're here.
Love,
M