Mom Talk: I’m a CEO and Mom Who Doesn’t Do it All. Not Even Close.
Written by Audrey McLoghlin
Photography by Photo courtesy of Audrey McLoghlin
The balance, the juggle, the dance—whatever you call it, all of us are trying our best at it on a daily basis, spinning a collection of plates representing kids, work, friends, partners, self, and so much more. And while “making it work” looks different for everyone, Audrey McLoghlin’s philosophy definitely struck a cord with us, especially since “simplify” is on our list of resolutions. In today’s Mom Talk, the mom, CEO, and four-time entrepreneur (who owns 100 percent of her companies) admits that to be successful, certain things have to take a back seat. The trick is deciding which ones, and sticking to it. Audrey is the founder and CEO of Grayson, which produces the perfect button-up shirt for women, and founder of Frank & Eileen. We love Audrey’s words in defense of not doing it all.
Perhaps because I’ve been an entrepreneur since the age of 25, or maybe because I’m now a mom and I work grueling hours, I’ve been asked this loaded question more times than I can count:
“How do you manage it all?”
The good news is, I have an emphatic answer. It’s a rule I’ve been inadvertently testing for two decades throughout every phase of my life and career. I’ve watched it hold true for my friends who have big, high-pressure careers, as well as my friends who are incredible, wildly busy full-time mothers. And yes, even for men (not that anyone’s asking them).
The not-so-good: It isn’t something people always want to hear.
Because, truthfully, I “manage it all” by ruthlessly editing my life into what I call three baskets. And stopping myself when I’m tempted to see what happens when I try carrying four.
Here’s how the theory works: Everyone has a set of priorities, or baskets, that require our time and energy. The first catch? There are four major basket categories—Work, Relationship, Kids, and Self—but if we want to operate at the highest level, we cannot carry more than three of these baskets at once.
Your baskets may be different from mine, except for one: We all have a Self basket. This contains anything that fuels your mind, body, and soul. It’s the first and easiest one to put down when we have too many baskets, but it’s actually non-negotiable. We have to care for ourselves—whether it’s with sleep, exercise, meditation, worship, or dinner with friends—or we will eventually, inevitably burn out.
And that’s the other catch. Because if you accept that you must put the oxygen mask on yourself, at regular intervals, you’re really only left with two baskets. This means that if you have a basket for Self, Work, and Kids…then you may not be able to be the perfect partner, all of the time. If you have baskets for Relationship, Kids, and Self…you may not be able to go full-throttle in your career, right now.
Skeptical? Think about the periods in your life when you’ve felt the most frazzled or out of control. For me, it’s always when I’m sneaking an extra basket—trying to go all in at work, and as a mom, and as a partner, and to somehow also look the part of a CEO in the fashion business and consistently get enough sleep to function.
The hard (and also freeing) truth is that we simply cannot do all of these things, all of the time. But we can pace ourselves and deliberately and strategically carry different baskets throughout different phases of life.
For example, you might decide that for the window while your kids are young, going big as a mom is your top priority, and another basket may have to wait. Or you might be like me, who for many, many years, was deep in the throes of building a business, and has relied on a small village of Amazon, Postmates, nannies, and housekeepers so I could devote two whole baskets to Work. Or you may decide that just for the summer, you’ll dial it back at the office to be fully present with your partner and on family vacations and know that come fall, you’ll shift into high gear again.
Choosing just three baskets isn’t easy. In fact, it’s really f*cking hard. And It’s blatantly counterintuitive to a culture that tells women, especially, that we should be the picture of perfection in every domain.
But there are a million ways to arrange your baskets, and a million ways to define success. For me, accepting the limitations of my time and energy forces me to get incredibly clear about what I value most.
Which, if you ask me, is a much better question to ask women we admire.
Are you a mother with something to say? Send us an email to be considered for our “Mom Talk” column.
Write a Comment
Share this story
I totally agree! The times I’ve been the most burned out were definitely the times I’ve been trying to excel at all four domains of living. I like how you note, too, that sometimes one domain occupies two baskets. Very helpful!