My default is to put my own needs last, and that’s proven to not be a healthy approach for me.
Name:
Lauren Tietjen
Current Occupation:
Group Manager, Flagship Events at LinkedIn
# of Children and their Ages:
Mason, 10
Ellery, 8
What do you love about being a working mom?
I love that I get to show my kids everyday a positive example of hard work and creativity. Our house hasn’t always worked like everyone else’s and that’s ok! I’ve always been proud that my husband and I share the parenting and home responsibilities.
What is the biggest challenge of being a working mom?
Ugh. Only one?
The biggest challenge for me is when I travel and I miss out on things that are happening in the kid’s lives. Whether it’s sports or conversations at dinner and bedtime.
When they see “LT Away” on the family calendar and ask me about it, it breaks my heart a little bit.
If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change about working mom life?
I would use the magic wand to make time for myself. My default is to put my own needs last, and that’s proven to not be a healthy approach for me.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve learned that I have to make time for myself whether it’s for exercise, focusing on mental health, or to see friends and fill my cup.
The magic wand would force me to prioritize myself.
What tips do you have for other working moms?
When I get overwhelmed and start to spin about all the responsibilities and wishing life was simpler, I go back to a book I read, Emotional Success by David DeSteno.
It focuses on the power of gratitude, compassion and pride as drivers for living positively. So I’ll take a few minutes to:
- Recognize people or things I’m grateful for
- Acknowledge moments or situations where I can bring compassion or have benefitted from someone else’s compassion
- Celebrate accomplishments or goals I’m proud of
The exercise always grounds me and helps reset my perspective. I love talking to myself when I’m alone in the car - so I usually do it while I’m driving.
Any relationship tips for working moms?
My husband Travis and I started using dry erase “family calendars” a few years ago. We have two months at a time visible, and they hang in our kitchen in plain view for everyone. It’s a huge communication and planning tool.
Travis started his own company, Gardenfolk, a few years ago. I’m so proud of him for what he’s created! And that means that we have to balance each other out to make our personal and professional commitments work. So we support one another at home and with the kids when the other one needs to focus on work.
And we snowboard together in the winter. Being on the mountain together is a shared happy place.
What's the best piece of advice your own mother gave you?
Karen Pelletreau once told me,
“You're too young to be miserable.”
It worked when I was 13, and still guides me today.
What stresses you out?
That question feels like its own column, but I’ll give it a try.
Simply put, things I can’t control stress me out. The world today has so many variables and challenges that I never had as a kid, so I worry about macro things that will affect my kids and the lives they want to live.
How do you mother yourself?
The best thing I do for myself is yoga.
I use Yoga by Adrienne on YouTube and she has so many different options, I can always find the right practice for how much time I have or how I’m feeling that day.
When I haven’t done it for a few days, I can tell.
How and why do you take CBD?
I can get very stressed by the end of the day, after a bunch of calls and emails, and trying to keep the house and kids moving forward.
The Mother Bar mints have been a great way to decompress and take a few calming breaths for myself… and then determine that takeout for dinner is totally acceptable.
Please use LAUREN20 at checkout for 20% off your order of Moment CBD mints made for busy, working moms like Lauren whose advice is to focus on gratitude, compassion, and pride on your journey to "do it all."
