60: On "Leaving the Ladder Down", Work-Life Balance for Working Parents & The Power of Therapy

My guest this episode is Dolly Jones - former editor of Vogue and author of Leaving the Ladder Down: How to Combine Career and Motherhood, from the Women Who've Done it, described as a funny, practical and crucial guide for women facing the life-changing prospect of returning to work after having children.When Dolly agreed to come on the Work-Life Balance Confessions podcast, I expected we'd have plenty to talk about on the subject of navigating work-life balance as working mothers. And we did - a lot. But what I hadn't anticipated was that this episode would deliver some of the most hard-hitting, profound advice I've featured on this podcast, on a topic I haven't explored in nearly enough depth before: the transformative impact of therapy on work-life balance.Dolly has navigated work-life balance in some of the most demanding contexts imaginable - the fashion industry, the relentless pace of global online media, and later the solitary discipline of being a writer.Her insights are informed not only by her own experience of achieving work-life balance, but by interviews with dozens of women navigating the return to work after having children. She shares her insights on finding balance within a marriage, the impact of grief on work-life balance, the burnout that can follow traumatic life events, and the transformative role therapy played in regaining and maintaining work-life balance overall.TakeawaysLeaving the ladder down - actively empowering the women behind you as you climb - can be a powerful tool for achieving work-life balance as a working mother, both for others and for yourselfTherapy is not just for crisis; used proactively, it is one of the most practical and transformative tools available to working parents seeking better work-life balanceGuilt and judgment - internal as much as external - are among the biggest barriers to work-life balance for working parents, and naming them is the first stepRELATED EPISODES:45: On Infertility Struggles, Undesired Childlessness, and How to Regain Balance and Find Your Purpose When You Find Yourself In Unexpected Circumstances: https://open.spotify.com/episode/39rxsuhudvR91mOFvMPv24?si=u-wdImeHRrWn_WAEuUTzvg14: On Pride, Acceptance and Finding Balance by Parenting Equally While Working Full-Time: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1YPLrhoJhTGHRVNfftAsKS?si=eqn3LoOaQIe5M9DDaN6F3Q