Your eyes barely open, before your feet even hit the floor, your brain is already juggling today’s to-do list: the morning meeting, after-school carpool, self-care squeezed into the margins, and lunches packed before sunrise.
This daily balancing act reflects a deeper tension — one that women have been navigating for decades: Career or family. Choose one.
For Gen X and Millennials, the trade-off was clear:
The “lean-in” dream — grind harder, climb faster, prove your worth.
The “lean-out” dream — step back, simplify, trade ambition for peace.
Today’s moms face a different set of ultimatums, but the story remains the same. It’s just been rebranded.
The “bucketlist-before-baby” — travel nonstop, fit work around life to fit it all in, postpone family.
The “trad wife” trend — retreat from ambition before you even begin.
But what if none of the choices feel like a win?
The problem isn’t choosing wrong; it’s that the choices were flawed from the start.
