Mom Advice #1:
MOM: Joann Chuang Anderson,
the vice president of engineering at Scoop
“I HOPE SHE SEES THAT FEMALE EXECUTIVES ARE
THE NORM, NOT THE EXCEPTION.”
Mom to: 7-year-old Elise and 3year-old Lucas
She hopes her dedication, delegation skills, and her passion all help drive her children forward. And she aspires to illustrate to her daughter that women should be expected to be seen in leadership positions.
Mom Advice #2:
“I WANT TO TEACH MY KIDS TO TRUST THEIR INSTINCTS.”
Mom to: A 17-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son.
Witt recognizes there will be some days where you feel like you’re giving it all to your kids, and others where your career comes first.
Her desire is to make a difference and blaze her own trail, and that’s exactly what she wants for her daughter.
Mom Advice #3:
Catherine Balsam-Schwaber, general manager of Bluprint, an NBCUniversal Company
“WORK IS YOUR OWN THING.”
Mom to: Twin 10-year-olds.
As her children grow and explore their own aspirations, she hopes they take the opportunity to find something that fulfills, empowers, and challenges them. “Work is your own thing. No matter what happens in your life, your career is something you can be proud of, drive forward, and hold onto. When her children grow up, they’ll get to find something that calls to them too and feel proud and validated.”
Mom Advice #4:
Melissa Hobley, the chief marketing officer of OkCupid
“I WANT AM TEACHING MY KIDS TO DO GOOD—
BUT NOT ALWAYS EXPECT GOOD.”
Mom to: 4-year-old, Madeline.
She hopes her daughter takes a page out of her playbook when she thinks about her career and realizes that serving the underserved feels good, is good for business and good for the world. But, that doesn’t mean everything will be rosy 100% of the time. “Not everyone you work with is gonna be a great fit. Some people just won’t like you. You will get fired. You will face big setbacks and f***ups,” she says. “And that’s when you really learn the most.”
Mom Advice #5:
Amy Zakarin, president of Z|COMM
“I TELL THEM IT’S OKAY TO NOT KNOW."
Mom to: Twin 26-year-old stepdaughters.
When describing a work and life balance, Zakarin says her approach is still a work in progress. Life changed dramatically when she met her now-husband and inherited twin daughters, who were 16 at the time.
“Honesty and vulnerability are my greatest sources of strength in business and life. It has cleared the path for authentic experiences—good and bad,” she shares. “Sometimes that means getting a little beat up emotionally, but it brings out the best versions of ourselves.”
Mom Advice #6:
“I WANT THEM TO BE BRAVE.”
Mom to: Three children: two sons and one daughter.
Her 7year-old daughter Zoë has watched—consciously or not—her mom build her company from the ground up, and she hopes it has taught her to be brave with her ideas. “Zoë is the most imaginative, strong, and adventurous girl that I have ever known, and I am so excited to see what she will
accomplish in her life,” she says.
Mom Advice #7:
“I WANT TO TEACH THEM TO FULFILL THEIR HIGHEST HAPPINESS POTENTIAL.”
Mom to: A 2 year old daughter, Weslinn, and two stepchildren,
Eden and Trevor.
“What I wish for my daughter in life is to fulfill her highest happiness potential. Not the potential that others or society as a whole expect from her but for what her own interior calls for,” she continues. “I think ‘success’ is an elusive term so I don’t think the measured success of my career will teach her much. What I think will resonate is how happy I am in building it. I want her to see that time spent is worth spending on something that makes you happy.”
Mom Advice #8:
Katie Rosen Kitchens, cofounder and editor-in-chief of FabFitFun
“I WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT PERFECTION IS BORING.”
Mom to: Two girls, Summer and Sienna.
While Kitchens does believe women can “have it all,” it’s hard for her to believe they can have everything at the same time. So in an effort to give what she can, she exercises a “do the best I can” mentality and tries to spend as much quality time as she can with her girls, who she calls cute—but sassy. Through her own diligence building a successful business, she hopes these two have learned how to chase after what they want.
And more importantly, that perfection isn’t as cracked up as it’s often touted.
Mom Advice #9:
Stephanie Pyatt, cofounder and president of TRUWOMEN
“I WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN’T PLAN FOR THE MAGIC THAT UNFOLDS.”
Mom to: 11 year-old Tatum and 12-year-old Jaxon.
“I hope that my career teaches my daughter that in life you can’t plan for the magic that unfolds. There is so much pressure for young adults to determine their career goals and set forth upon that straight and narrow trajectory,” she explains. “Had you asked me when I was growing up what I wanted to achieve as an adult, I would not imagine I would get to be living out the life that I am. I truly believe that following what and who I love and saying yes to things that I did not feel qualified for but wanted to chase after, was what has allowed me to step into my true potential.”
Mom Advice #10:
MY MOM Beverly Golianis
“IT IS YOUR DECISION TO MAKE. DO THE RIGHT THING.”
I was raised by a single (widowed) working amazing mom. She was a nurse who went on to senior management and received her master’s in health care administration a the age of 55.
She led by doing and showing not so much talking.
She showed me love and the combined power of Independence. Strength. Compassion. She has lived her life this way. She told me that I could be anything I wanted to be and do anything I wanted to do. I just had to try.
Guess what? She was right!
She made her life about all of us while working full time third shift and often times back to back double shifts just to get by. I do not know when she slept.
She raised four young kids as a single working mom and then she was my room mother, my girl scout leader, and even President of the Mother’s Club back in the day; always present and always encouraging.
I do remember asking her from time to time what she thought I should do about different things. And no matter what, it seems her response was almost always the same, “That is your decision. You will do the right thing.”
I remember thinking geez Mommy but I am only 4 years old. Yep.
Do the right thing. I think doing the right thing is glamorous!
So you see what she created and where my attitude in life of “You can lead (well), follow (kindly and respectfully) or get out of the way” came from!
It is all her fault!
I could not have asked for a better mom.
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