Work and Family

Here’s the message I’ve been spreading for women in and out of the workforce—one that can never be said enough: Always work in a flexible way that fits your life for long-term financial security and the ability to fund a long retirement and all of life’s you never knows. This message seems simple—and achievable—but as I coach…

Since my book was published (Ambition Redefined: Why the Corner Office Doesn’t Work for Every Woman & What to Do Instead), I’ve been talking to lots of corporate, professional and community women’s groups. Each time I ask women in the audience how they define an ambitious woman. The answers are always insightful and interesting…and they…

What’s your definition of ambitious woman? Since I wrote the book, Ambition Redefined, it’s a question I ask women wherever I go. Most recently I posed the question to a group of women during my presentation at Hayvn, a wonderful new co-working space in Darien, CT. Here’s a sampling of what I heard: An ambitious woman is…

The most surefire way to find any kind of job—flexible or otherwise—is to make networking an extreme sport. This is what most people do not do…whether they are new college grads or seasoned executives. Today everyone spends way too much time on job boards—which are too often black holes. The best strategy is to continually expand…

We’re in 2019, but it often seems like we’re stuck in time…at about 1952. In my career coaching practice I’m continually amazed to hear lots of women say that their husbands would prefer that they don’t work (even if there is not an excess of household cash). In a surprising number of households, men think the…

At the recent Johns Hopkins Women’s Leadership Conference, Desiree Younge, the Vice President of Programs for the Tory Burch Foundation set a powerful tone in the opening session by speaking about the event theme, authenticity. She said that authenticity begins by telling yourself “I am enough. I am clear about who I am.” Her next…

You may be right in the thick of raising young children or your adult children may be long out of the house. But even if potty-training, playdates and homework are a distant memory, we all know women who are struggling to blend work and life. It may be your daughters, nieces, friends or colleagues—in every…

Many smart and talented women take the lead on managing people, projects, events, volunteer committees, households and a long list of other responsibilities in personal and professional lives—but when it comes to taking the reins for their own finances…not as much. This was the message at a recent UBS luncheon for women led by Carey Shuffman,…

All the costs of healthcare and daily eldercare make increased longevity a double-edged sword. Of course, we all want to enjoy being healthy and active for as long as possible, but there are an increasing number of years we have to fund. “Catastrophic longevity” is the risk that people will live longer and need more…

It’s no secret that employers—especially big corporations—have largely turned a blind eye to the fact that many women have not one, but three big jobs—a professional role and equally time-consuming and complex roles caring for children and aging parents. It’s great that millennial men are surpassing their fathers in their contributions to household chores and…