Photo by Cheyenne Underwood
The day my son got a stomach bug at the exact same time I had a grant proposal due, I realized something important: The stamina and strategy I use to power through work are the same attributes I rely on in motherhood. It’s not two different skillsets, it’s one, and it’s wildly transferable.
We don’t talk about this enough: Motherhood is leadership.
If you’ve ever made it through a sleepless night with a sick baby and still managed to hold the household together the next day, you’ve got crisis-management experience. If you’ve ever juggled school calendars, meal prep, doctor’s appointments and three different drop-off times, you’ve mastered operations. If you’ve ever talked a toddler off a tantrum cliff in a grocery store, you’ve flexed emotional intelligence and negotiation under pressure.
These aren’t “soft skills.” They’re survival skills — and they are exactly what companies, communities and entire economies need right now.
As someone who works in economic development and entrepreneurship, I see it every day: Mothers are stepping into more leadership roles across Mississippi, especially in sectors focused on community growth and innovation. These women are caretakers and creators on multiple levels, and they bring something essential to the table: perspective.
This is the kind of perspective that asks: How will this impact families? How does this strengthen our future? Who is being left out, and how can we include them?
If you’re a mom who’s thinking about returning to work after staying home with your kids, please hear this: You are not starting from scratch. You are bringing value. You just need to know how to tell your story.
Don’t diminish what you’ve done. Frame it. Translate it. “I stayed home with my kids” becomes, “I managed a high-demand, emotionally complex multi-year leadership role that required logistics, communication and flexibility.” Sound like something a workplace might need?
Motherhood doesn’t take us out of the workforce; it prepares us for it in ways we rarely acknowledge. Let’s start changing that. Because whether you’re raising babies, building teams or both, caretaking is leadership. And Mississippi needs more of it.
IF YOU’RE RE-ENTERING THE WORKFORCE, START HERE
- Identify three “mom skills” and reframe them in professional terms.
- Practice talking about your time away with pride, not apology.
- Create a story that connects your caregiving experience to the kind of teammate or leader you’ll be.
- Reach out to a local mom in leadership and ask her how she made the transition.
- Remember: You’ve been leading all along.