Balancing career and motherhood can feel like you’re always behind in one or the other. Not because you’re doing it wrong, but because the idea of “balance” often doesn’t hold in early motherhood. In this episode, we look more closely at what balance actually looks like when you’re raising a child and working. Zarina shares her experience of returning to work five weeks after birth, and the beliefs that informed that decision. Zarina and I explore how our relationship with our own mothers shapes how we approach work, responsibility, and motherhood, often without us realizing. We talk about the pressure to be present at home and committed at work, and what happens when those expectations sit side by side. And we look at the reality that balance isn’t something you achieve in a day, it shifts across seasons, depending on what your life is asking of you. If you’ve felt split between your work and your child. If you’ve questioned whether you’re doing enough in either place. Or if making decisions about work feels heavier than it used to, this isn’t just about managing your time better. It’s about the expectations you’re holding, where they came from, and whether they still make sense for the life you’re in now. Because when those expectations go unquestioned, it can feel like you’re constantly choosing one part of yourself at the expense of another. Key insights Balance doesn’t happen within a day—it changes across seasonsYour approach to work is often shaped by what you saw growing upGuilt can come from trying to meet two competing standards at onceWhat worked before motherhood may not work in the same way nowDefining success for yourself changes the decisions you make If this resonates, look at what you’re measuring yourself against. Not everything you’ve carried into motherhood still fits. And when you adjust that, your decisions, and the way you experience them, can start to feel different. Begin The Mother They Remember Guided Experience About our guest: A global citizen, an avid traveler, a proud daughter and mom, Zarina Lam Stanford is a recognized growth catalyst and a strategic advisor and investor for technology-based start-up and steady-state businesses in the US, Asia, and UK. Zarina is passionate about design thinking, compelling storytelling, agile leadership, inclusion, and being purpose driven. Follow Zarina on Linkedin About your host: Mandy Cai is an early motherhood mentor helping intentional women navigate the emotional, relational and identity transformation of becoming a mother. After nearly a decade helping leading global brands clarify their identity and communicate with meaning, Mandy now brings that same depth of work into motherhood. Her work helps women move beyond external preparation and learn how to mother with greater self-trust, emotional safety and intention, so they can consciously shape the kind of family life their children will one day remember. Explore The Mother They Remember, a guided emotional reflection for women in pregnancy, postpartum and early motherhood who want to approach motherhood more consciously. Begin the reflection Subscribe to her newsletter Connect on Instagram Follow on Rednote / 小红书 This episode was produced by Six-Two Studio
