𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀.
Especially the high performers in my team.
"Think twice,” I told them. “It’s going to be twice as hard to come back in the future—if it’s possible at all.”
“So much wasted potential....,” I’d think.
How wrong I was...
It took me ten years, becoming a mother myself, spending time with full-time moms, hearing their stories, and witnessing their relentless work at home to realize:
❌ 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.
I had bought into the patriarchal lie that caregiving isn’t as valuable as a corporate career.
But here’s the truth:
💦 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.
This work is vital, challenging, and requires every ounce of strength and dedication. It’s time we recognize that.
The narrative is changing. Slowly but surely.
And I hope to see the day when women are financially compensated for this indispensable work—work that many men would find too tough to handle.
𝗧𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
🦸♀️ 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗲𝘀!
👊 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁.
A reflection piece after running the event "The power of sponsorship" last week, 8 women DMed me to ask for advice on how to find a sponsor as they have been caregivers in the past 3 to 8 years due to unforeseeable circumstances, despite their stellar past working experience, outstanding graduation certifications, nobody wanted to hire them.
💔 It is heartbreaking...
💡 So here’s my ask:
Before you judge or dismiss someone for prioritizing caregiving, pause.
Take a moment to reflect on the value they bring, the strength they show, and the sacrifices they make.
🔄 Ask yourself: What if caregiving was seen as a core part of leadership, not a detour?
Because the next time you meet a caregiver, you’re not just looking at someone who ‘stepped back’—you’re looking at someone who chose to step up, in ways many of us can’t imagine.
🌱 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀. Let’s shift the narrative, and make space for all forms of leadership.
#ChangeNarrative #RedefineLeadership
