Balancing Act: 7 Ways Working Moms Make It Work

Baltimore, Maryland, environmental planner and landscape architect Allysha Lorber grew up with a mother and grandmother who worked. “Just the fact that they had that extra something they could teach their kids about and that I can teach my daughter about, it makes me feel good,” says Lorber, who was promoted to senior management just before her now seven-month-old’s birth.

Samantha Cabot, who lives in Los Angeles, California, is a senior marketing manager for the staffing firm Robert Half International. She takes pride in her work and in raising her two young daughters. “I really enjoy working, and I think I have a lot to teach my children about how the world works through working,” she says.

Lorber recalls someone once saying it’s not fair to your children to be a working mom. She counters, “I don’t think it’s fair to [you] to sell yourself short if it is something you want to do, because it’s not that hard once you get a system down.”

“Some people think you have to be the complete extreme and be the supermom and be able to do everything,” says Cabot, who believes she and her husband have found balance. “I think as long as you’re happy, your children are happy, your family is happy, and you’re doing the best you can—I think that’s balance.”

“You don’t really find balance," says Evans. "You have to continually seek it. It’s in the seeking that you actually have some balance in your life. It’s like a butterfly. It never really lands on your shoulder, but you can appreciate it as it’s flying around.”

Cabot, Lewis, and Lorber focus on setting priorities—especially when it comes to time with family. Home life revolves around high-quality family time.

Lewis, who refuses to take work-related frustration home, says, “Just because a customer is mad at you, that should not make or break your day. My son is the highlight of my day.”