Working & Motherhood - Advice and Essays - Motherly
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Work & Motherhood

The choices can feel overwhelming, but remember – you’re not alone. Get fresh inspiration and perspective with advice from real mamas.

working mom

Someone at work questioned my ambition because I’m a mom. The irony? He was a dad

When pitching an investor, I got a question that stopped me in my tracks. Here’s how I wish I had responded—and what it taught me about proving the doubters wrong.

Updated Aug. 20, 2025
motherhood career

I built my business during my baby’s 40-minute naps—and it changed how I work forever

And then I became a mother, and that vision of an ideal workday became impossible.

Updated Aug. 20, 2025

I used to glorify hustle—motherhood taught me to prioritize presence

And suddenly, the markers of success I used to chase didn’t matter as much as the moments I didn’t want to miss

Updated Aug. 20, 2025
moms leaving workforce

The number of working moms with young kids just hit a 3-year low — here’s why

Child care costs, rigid schedules, and shrinking flexibility are forcing many to ask: how long can I really keep this going?

Updated Aug. 15, 2025
Summer camp - a woman lying on a towel with two children on her back

Summer break is costing parents more than just time—here’s how debt is becoming the new normal for child care

“As much as they’d love to take a bunch of time off during the summer to spend with their kids, that just isn’t a realistic thing for most Americans..."

Updated Jul. 24, 2025
a group of people in a dance studio

Ballet moms are done hiding their postpartum bodies—and they’re changing the rules of the stage

“We’re told we should do it ‘for the love of the art form,’ but we still have bills to pay and families to raise.”

Updated Jul. 16, 2025
Cheyenne Parker

WNBA player hid her pregnancy to protect her job—now her story is exposing the pressure working moms still face

“I have a right to reproduce as a woman,” she says. “Just like men have a right to start families, so do we.”

Updated Jun. 20, 2025
Lilo and Stitch

She’s not a mom—but Nani from Lilo & Stitch shows what real motherhood looks like

But in the heart of Lilo & Stitch lives one of Disney’s most powerful portrayals of motherhood—and she’s not even a mom.

Updated Jun. 02, 2025
mom breastfeeding

Washington just passed one of the strongest lactation protection laws in the U.S.

On May 20, 2025, Governor Bob Ferguson signed into law Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5217, a landmark bill...

Updated May. 29, 2025

Connie Britton opens up about single motherhood, guilt, and the power of community

The actress and advocate joins Motherly co-founder Liz Tenety to reflect on identity shifts, solo parenting, and what it means to ‘get your pink back.’

Updated May. 07, 2025
women in politics

Study reveals the powerful reason girls who see women run for office are more likely to vote

A groundbreaking study discovered that girls exposed to a woman running a viable campaign for a visible political office were significantly more likely to vote as adults

Updated May. 02, 2025
Mom talking about invisible labor

Mom of four shares why household chores almost ended her marriage

The video opens with a gut-punch: “I had an amazing husband... but I was incredibly frustrated and burnt out from our marriage and from motherhood.”

Updated Apr. 04, 2025
A mom in the grocery store with baby

Mom wears her baby to the grocery store—and finds herself at the center of an unexpected social experiment

But the video highlights something deeper: the moment you step out in public with a baby on your body, you become a magnet—for connection, commentary, and sometimes scrutiny. 

Updated Apr. 02, 2025
Book and author

The messy, hilarious truth about new motherhood—told in painfully funny comics

Barnicoat shares the inspiration behind her book, the moments that shaped her storytelling, and the lessons she wishes she had known as a new mother.

Updated Apr. 01, 2025
Chappel Roan

‘They don’t have light in their eyes’: Chappell Roan’s motherhood comments struck a nerve

“All of my friends who have kids are in hell,” she said. “I don’t know anyone who’s happy and has children at this age... anyone who has light in their eyes.”

Updated Apr. 02, 2025
Erin Andrews

Erin Andrews says she ‘felt like a failure’ trying to balance work and motherhood

“I feel like I’m not giving 100 percent of myself to my son, or my job, or my clothing line,” Andrews said. “I felt like I was barely above water.”

Updated Mar. 25, 2025
Ellem Pompeo

Ellen Pompeo on working motherhood: ‘You can’t give 100% to your job when you’re a mom’

Rhimes helped adjust Pompeo’s schedule so she only needed to film one day a week after becoming a mom.

Updated Mar. 24, 2025
Mom holding a teddy bear

Teddy bears aren’t just for kids—why comfort objects might help adults sleep better too

Hugging a stuffed animal or weighted plush can reduce cortisol levels and lower anxiety.

Updated Feb. 13, 2025
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