What an exciting week!
It was an honor to participate in the #DoingItAll series on the TODAY Show in support of Maria Shriver’s important, groundbreaking, The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink.
Many of you have asked for links to the segments and key takeaways…so here you go!
Tuesday: Two Amazing Women #DoingItAll
First, on Tuesday, I worked with two truly remarkable women who epitomize what it means to “do it all.”
Both of these women approach the challenges in their lives with courage, persistence, optimism and humor. They inspired me.
Watch and listen to their stories and my advice (video links below):
How to set productive boundaries: Teleworking, independent marketing consultant and single mom of two
How to ask for help and take small, doable, intentional steps: Small business owner, and single mom of three
Wednesday: #DoingItAll Help-a-thon
Then, on Wednesday, a group of finance, health, legal, career and life experts gathered in the TODAY Show studios to answer questions posted by viewers on email, Twitter and Facebook.
We were there from 7 am to 12 pm est. You have not seen a more dedicated group of people. We tried our best to answer as many of the hundreds of often very difficult, emails, tweets and posts that people sent in.
In this picture, Hoda and Kathie Lee pay us a visit in the Orange Room during their show. The experts pictured (starting from the bottom left) are Dale Atkins, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Carmen Wong Ulrich, Dr. Janet Taylor. Then in the back row (starting on the right), Dr. Roshini Raj, Valorie Burton, Lisa Bloom, and then me.
Down in the main studio were Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Sharon Epperson and Dr. Gail Saltz. And in Washington, D.C. with Maria Shriver, were Ellen Galinsky and Jean Chatzky.
#DoingItAll Series Gratitude
As I reflect on the experience, here are the three things I am most grateful for:
Maria Shriver: I am grateful that she used her powerful platform and voice to draw attention to the realities of millions of women (and men!) who are trying to do it all under very difficult circumstances. If you haven’t done so already, read The Shriver Report–A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink, and take at least one or two of the “next steps” outlined in the study. (And yes, she is as smart, nice and cool in person as she appears on television.)
TODAY Show: For sharing the stories of real women who are #doingitall and then trying to connect viewers with the resources they need.
The people I met who truly care and want to make a difference: From Maria Shriver, to the TODAY Show producers, to the experts participating in the Help-a-thon, to the participants in The Atlantic’s day-long symposium streamed live yesterday, people care. Individually, we may be limited in what we can do, but together we can make a difference. And it starts with caring…I saw that in spades.
Finally, as I prepared for the segments and the Help-a-thon, I thought about what I wished everyone knew to help them manage work and life, better and smarter, in 2014.
So, stay tuned…next week I will share my “Top Ten Work+Life Fit Tips for 2014.” And I want to hear your ideas, too!
Together, we can succeed while we’re #DoingItAll.
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