Audrey Gelman, CEO of women-focused shared workspace business The Wing, graces across the cover of Inc. Magazine’s October issue. The cover makes her the first “visibly pregnant CEO” to be on the cover of a business magazine, she shared on Twitter.
“You can’t be what you can’t see, so I think it’s so important for women to see that it’s possible to run a fast-growing business and also to start a family,” Gelman told “Today” of her decision to do the photoshoot with Inc.
She added: “My hope is that women see this and again feel the confidence to take greater professional risks while also not shelving their dreams of becoming a mother and starting a family.”
I wish I saw this ten years ago. I really do.
It’s funny how our 25 year old selves make career decisions for us that can determine our job trajectory. If you listen to How I Built This, you’re also aware that you’re never too old to start over.
In my late twenties, I thought my current job as an online content creator was the perfect job to work from home part time as well as be a stay at home mom.
Fast forward 5 years and two kids, and this summer I really felt like I was no longer cut out for that stay at home parent role.
I feel like I sabotaged my own business from scaling in my twenties because I wanted freedom and flexibility. And if I were to be a stay at home mom like my own, I thought, I’d still be able to make money without paying for child care! We can all collectively laugh at this thought now.
I look at the cover of Inc. and wonder what I would have done different if I saw it back then at the start of my career, the start of social media essentially. Would I have moved to LA? Would I have rented space to film videos or hired full time employees?
I’m sharing this because I feel a connection to those of you who read my blog and I know there are many of you who have similar feelings. It’s tough today to be a woman. Our roles have changed dramatically since our mothers. We have so many opportunities to compare ourselves where as just a couple decades ago there were few outside our direct communities.
I feel very blessed to have two beautiful boys, a supportive partner, a home in a safe neighborhood and a job that I love. This summer however, I realized I wasn’t cut out for being a stay at home mom and craved more time to dedicate towards my work.
While I wish I had an inspirational cover like this in my 20’s, as I mentioned, you’re never too late to put your best foot forward and make a change.
When a friend of mine no longer needed her part time nanny, I jumped at the opportunity to hire someone that was already loved!
I hired a nanny and it has been a game changer.
I now have someone who watches Connor 4 days a week from 9-2 while Tommy is mostly in school. She picks up Tommy and brings them both home. I have all day Friday to spend with both kids and after 2 pm M-Th. It’s not full time but it’s the most time I’ve had since the Spring when I was pregnant with Connor and Tommy was doing daycare 3 days a week for 6 hours each time.
I am way less stressed out but I do feel added pressure now to grow and expand SarahFit.
I also miss preschool pick up. I get how working moms must feel.
There is this false halo when it comes to motherhood on social media. How do these mommy bloggers do it all!? I’m talking about a full face of make up and hair, a perfectly healthy baking afternoon activity, snap a perfect picture at school pick up, cook a delicious dinner for kids but have time to go out to dinner with girlfriends and then watch a favorite show with a glass of wine to wind down???? ON TOP OF CURATING A PERFECT INSTAGRAM. Some of these people have nannies you never see. Some have other experts create these delicious recipes and they just take a quick picture. Don’t google “mormon mommy bloggers” if you don’t want to go down a rabbit hole that will waste time you don’t have.
I’m telling you that I hired help because I want to be transparent that I have someone helping me do all these things and I can’t do them on my own. I tried to do it and I struggled. My mental health was beginning to take a toll. It’s ok to want to lean in and it’s ok to lean out. This is my decision and it was made because quite frankly, my boys deserve better than what I was able to provide trying to do both.
That being said, I’ve been pretty fired up listening to How I Build This podcast all summer and now I’m ready to take things to the next level and this cover of Inc. has made me realize I don’t have to wait until the kids are in school full time to do this and I don’t need to feel bad about hiring help.
