10 Lifesavers for Executive Moms

All moms - especially executive moms who have resources and feel like they don't have a right to ask for more - have a hard time asking for and accepting help.

The executive track doesn’t come with a pause button. Emails arrive every five minutes, kids outgrow shoe sizes, and somehow you’re supposed to remember when camp registration opens, whether it's the year you need to buy new gloves, and how to look vaguely polished on Zoom.

This list won’t change your life overnight. But it might make it 10% lighter, saner, and more spacious. And that’s where real leadership—at home and at work—starts to breathe again.

10 Lifesavers for Executive Moms

1.Genius beauty trick: Glow Mist Setting Spray instead of rubbing in sunscreen. We know SPF is necessary, and with this spray, you don't have to be on the application struggle bus.

2.Have one non-negotiable weekly selfcare ritual. Mine is a weekend bath with a Flewd Stresscare soak while listening to the Chani Nicholas week ahead podcast. Keep things simple so you can count on yourself getting at least one restorative session in rather than planning to have 2-3 things happen which don't.

3.Curate your blackbook. Mine includes the following service providers (note that I don't use them all the time because wow, we'd be broke! But they are tried and tested and I know who to call when the going gets touch):

• Cleaning lady

• Babysitter and after-school sitter

• Prepared meal service

• Masseuse, Chiropractor, and/or Acupuncturist

• Favorite day and summer camp options

• Executive coach and/or therapist

• Families who say yes to last-minute playdates

I don't have a village who I can rely on the way the media and tradwives exhort and assume us to have. The traditional way of building a community assumes you have flexibility and time to be able to host gatherings and pay favors forward which as executive moms know, you don't have.

The way to have a village? Knowing that money is your secret weapon to deploy at will. It literally compensates for your lack of time, but you have to get out there and try things with your money.

4.No overscheduling the kids. We follow a three activity rule for our son: one art, one language, one sport - that's it! Where possible, we make sure providers come to us or we choose an online option. This allows us to have just one activity on weekends we have to commute to and plenty of time to decompress or choose to do a spontaneous field trip.

5.Set boundaries with your boss and train the EA who manages her calendar. For me, this has meant no meetings before 930 unless necessary, no missing key events (Halloween, birthdays, etc), only checking email at designated times during vacation, etc.

6.Build your capsule wardrobe. I mean honestly - this is so beautiful: https://photos.google.com/u/1/photo/AF1QipMxrus9RyaBrojPTlLevZ4ZIhx-Qi5qG4fiLzxK

7.Keep a trained project folder in ChatGPT for difficult conversations. Every time you have a difficult conversation with someone, store it in the project. Over time you’ll have a running tally and trained assistant capable of taking the emotional load off your plate. This has been a godsend for me and has prevented me from spiraling or dwelling on all manner of ridiculous things.

8.Schedule recurring renewals and bookings like passports, camp sign-ups,driver’s licenses, and buying presents in Google calendar. Seems basic but until you do it, it won't give you back your headspace.

9.Set time aside each week or quarter to make a seasonal bucket list of adventures and then schedule them - do not wait till the day of to plan an adventure.

10.Dedicate a journaling time or a walk in your day - one slot in which it’s just you and your thoughts so you can think about the next stage or phase.

Life for all moms is hard - we shoulder so much of the burden that modern parenting and modern careers place on society. Executive moms have a special level of complexity to deal with. I hope you implement these lifesavers and really take a look at how becoming an AI integrator is the way forward as society grapples with the enmeshment of AI.