If you’ve spent any time looking for working moms on Instagram, you’ve probably come across The Corporate Mama. Sarah Hawkins built that account by saying publicly what so many of us were thinking, and I’ve followed her for years for exactly that reason.
Today she’s a VP of Marketing at Ritual, a mom of two boys, a stepmom to three, and she has ADHD.
When I asked her what life looks like right now, she didn’t describe a routine. She described a rhythm with waves. Balance asks you to hold everything level. Waves assume some weeks you’ll be underwater, and that’s part of the deal.
What I keep coming back to is how unpolished her system is on purpose. A legal pad covered in chicken scratch. Three drinks on her desk at all times (I mean, same). A drive-through car wash she sits in on the hard days, just to get five more minutes with a podcast.
We also got into the very real stuff running her life: the 20-minute nightly reset that saves her mornings, the meal and meat delivery services she leans on, and the three skills she says took her from director to VP.
The system behind the system
Sarah talks in this episode about what she’s chosen to outsource at home. Mine’s a house manager. Outside of childcare, she’s the budget line I’d protect above everything else. She comes daily for cleaning, laundry, meal prep, organizing, and she’s the one system in my house that never needs a prompt.
Sage Haus does the sourcing and vetting to find your perfect house manager. Use code NEWMODERNMOM for $100 off matching. Book a free 30-minute info call now.
🔥 Rapid fire with Sarah
I text every guest the same questions. Here’s what she sent back.
Professional superpower: Pattern recognition. I can quickly connect dots across people, strategy, and execution.
Cooking: Not much! I rely on delivery services like Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, and Butcher Box to help me feel prepared and eliminate some of the mental load of prep.
Reading: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt and Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker
Listening to: The Bright Method by Kelly Nolan
Wearing: Negative waffle knit sets, Agolde Riley Jeans, and Chord Baseball Cap
Daily routine: Paula’s Choice BHA Liquid Exfoliant, Salt and Stone body mist, Calm App for sleep
AI she’s testing: ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot
Non-negotiables: Sunlight, protein, skincare and iced coffee first thing. Slack after drop off, and moving my body.
You don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. You just need to know what’s actually yours to carry, and what isn’t. Start here.
The next Toolkit episode drops in two weeks. Subscribe where you listen so you don’t miss it.
Barbara
And in the meantime, catch up on my latest guest episodes:
Sustainable ambition is not smaller ambition
If you’ve got a jar of chili crisp in your pantry, there’s a good chance it’s Fly By Jing. It’s on nearly every best-of list, and as a marketer I’m fascinated by this brand’s cult-like following. Jing Gao is a chef, an entrepreneur and a mom. She started Fly By Jing as an underground dinner club before welcoming her son.
She led a $1B acquisition from home
Jess is the CEO of Coterie. She was promoted from SVP of Brand to CEO, and just sold the company for a billion dollars. She has two little girls, a third on the way, and a husband who also has a big job, and she’s done all of it working from home.