Executive Coaching for Working Moms

CELEBRATE MOTHER'S DAY THIS YEAR by enrolling in a Working MAMA executive coaching group.

Mimi Darmstadter and Meredith Persily Lamel, executive coaches and human capital consultants, launched Working MAMA to address the goals of high-achieving working moms who seek continued success and satisfaction professionally while also succeeding in their roles as parents. Coaching groups begin in May and meet two hours monthly for six months over breakfast or lunch. Working MAMA's approach is based on the Immunity to Change model developed by Harvard Professors Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey.A lunch group will launch in NW Washington DC on 5/24. The Alliance for Workplace Excellence and Working MAMA have partnered and will launch two Montgomery County groups this May (a lunch group beginning 5/13 in Silver Spring at Discovery Communications and a breakfast group beginning 5/18 in Bethesda at the Alliance). Mention the Alliance receive a 5% discount for the MD groups! Enroll by May 3 and receive an additional 5% discount.

More details at: http://excellentworkplace.org/events.html

Please share this information with other working moms you know. It may be the best gift they receive!If you have questions, please call us at 301.728.6487 or 202.365.5559

http://www.workingmamagroup.com

Running for office ...

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I hope this e-mail finds you well. I know you are all quite busy, so please allow me to take just a couple minutes of your time to ask for your support. A few months ago, I decided to run for a position that would allow me to serve on the board of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia (WBA). I was introduced to the WBA as a law student and summer associate at White & Case because my summer class was invited to attend the WBA Annual Dinner. That dinner was both inspiring and motivating as I listened to the speakers and joined with other participants to recognize the accomplishments of women whose names I cannot recall, but on whose shoulders I stand today.

Eleven years later, the WBA continues to be an important part of my professional life and a powerful advocate for the advancement of all women lawyers. I am excited about being able to serve on the WBA Board because I believe it will give me the opportunity and platform to work on issues that are dear to my heart - namely, mentoring of female law students and junior women lawyers. I believe our ability to inform, shape and guide the legal careers of women during the early stages is critically important to the issues of advancement and retention that relate to women lawyers.

During my career, I have been fortunate to be mentored by many successful women. I still rely heavily on many of these women for professional and even personal guidance, particularly as I try to navigate the often tumultuous work-life balance waters. In turn, I am also committed to supporting the careers of women law students and junior lawyers. With your support, I hope I will be able to join the WBA Board, make a positive contribution to the WBA and participate more actively in the process that would ensure the continued success and advancement of women lawyers. If you are a WBA member, you should have already received your ballot, so I urge you to complete and return it at your earliest convenience. If you are not a WBA member, I would encourage you to sign up - I promise you will not regret the decision!

Thanks again for your time and support.

Warm regards,

Ama

Happy New Year

Keeping it short and sweet - feeling incredibly thankful to have ended the decade with a beautiful healthy family, a roof over our heads (jobs), food on our table (jobs) and lots of love in my life. Happy 2010!

Balancing Moms on the Rise!

Hill Veteran Kristin Wells Joins Patton Boggs' Renowned Public Policy Team

Teachable Moment

Second grade home-work came down on me like a ton of bricks. Yes, you read that right. It came down on ME - as I was frantically trying to figure out the magic formula to getting home from work only to be faced with home-work assignments that had me asking Princess incredulously, on an almost daily basis: "didn't they teach you how to do this at school?"
I would approach the home-work process begrudgingly, leading to much frustration for me and Princess (and even hubby once he got home as I would immediately let him know just how much he was NOT contributing to this process).

Then at the end of second grade, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head - the money I pay the school for my daughter's education does not take the place of my active parenting. I needed to change my attitude about this process. So at the end of second grade I headed to bookstores, picked up summer bridge activities and brainquest workbooks, downloaded and printed numerous online materials from the math playground and started our "home, home-work" (as we fondly call it). Princess and I started having "bonding time" around academic activities all summer and throughout the school year. Princess is now soaring academically and consistently approaches her work with a positive attitude and a willingness to try new things.

Last weekend Princess wrote an essay - and shared that one of her favorite activities is spending time at night with her mom doing "work". When I asked her why, she responded - "it's because I get to learn in a fun way and spend time with you." And just like that I was reminded - life (and parenting) really isn't so much about what you do, but how you do it.

Halloween Math

This morning I sat with my kids as we sorted, grouped and counted their Halloween candy - it was really Princess' math homework and not to be undone, Prince joined in the fun.  So I thought I would provide Princess with some additional math facts to chew on ... the next time Halloween falls on a Saturday, you will be 8 + 7 ... yes, my Princess will be 15.  This means, our next Halloween Saturday party will look nothing like the one we had last night.  Yet one more reason to remember that we should savor these moments (rushing from one Halloween party back home to another Halloween party combined with trick-o-treating). Exhausted at the end of the day? Sure!  But with math facts like these... need I say more?

Birthday Dilemma

So during the period that I was absent from my blog, my son celebrated his 4th birthday.  Of course, on the other side of the scale, was the marketing summit that was being put on by my clients at work - a week long intensive of meetings, break out sessions, lunches, dinners etc.  What to do? Attend the dine-a-round dinner or skip out for the birthday celebration.  

I finally made peace with the fact that although the summit was conveniently located in my home city (this time), if it was in another city, birthday or not, I would have missed the festivities. Instead I focused on the reality that Prince did not know exactly which "day" of the week was his birthday -- so we sang happy birthday the night before then celebrated in fine style at his party the following Saturday.

Sometimes being a working mom means you will miss precious moments.  But increasingly, I am realizing that the key to my sanity is making choices that are practical with the understanding that I cannot be everywhere, all the time and I will never make everyone in my life happy.  So if my son is too young to realize that we celebrate his birthday on a day that isn't his birthday, then the world won't stop if I "miss" his birthday... especially if I make up for it by giving him personal neighborhood train rides at his party :-)