Fast Company

After her layoff Nicole Ramirez grew her LinkedIn followers by tenfold, and landed a plethora of new opportunities. Here’s how she did it.

Gen Z is entering the workforce with digital fluency and high expectations, but also rising anxiety about the future.

A few years ago, I met a woman at a networking event who whispered her confession over a plastic cup of chardonnay: “I love my job. I’m proud of what I’ve built. But every time I miss a school play or forget to sign a field trip form, I feel like I failed them.” She didn’t say who “them” referred to. Perhaps her kids, society, herself. Maybe all three. That moment stuck with me because it symbolized the tension so many ambitious parents live with every day: The drive to achieve versus the guilt that comes from not always being present for our family. And let’s be clear, this isn’t just a working mom issue. Dads feel it. Stay-at-home parents with side hustles or passion projects feel it. Anyone who wants something outside of parenthood—whether it’s a promotion, a creative dream, or even just a regular workout routine—knows that familiar battle between showing up for yourself and showing up for your kids. Where does the guilt come from? Let’s start with the root of this guilt. For many of us, especially women, ambition and parenting, have long been thought of as rival (if not warring) priorities. A parent who is all-in at work is assumed to be checked out at home. The culture tells us you can’t be fully present in both places. And if you try, be prepared to be stretched thinner than a toddler’s patience in a long checkout line. {“blockType”:”creator-network-promo”,”data”:{“mediaUrl”:”https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2015/08/erikaaslogo.png”,”headline”:”Girl, Listen: A Guide to What Really Matters”,”description”:”Ericka dives into the heat of modern motherhood, challenging the notion that personal identity must be sacrificed at the altar of parenting. “,”substackDomain”:”https://erickasouter.substack.com/”,”colorTheme”:”blue”,”redirectUrl”:””}} Social media certainly doesn’t help. While we’re eating chips over our laptops, we scroll past moms packing bento box lunches with star-shaped cucumbers and love notes. We see dads coaching every Saturday soccer game while we’re FaceTiming from a hotel room on yet another work trip. The comparison game is brutal. Yet, guilt doesn’t only come from comparing ourselves to the parents who treat lunch prep like a Top Chef challenge. It hits because we care. Ambitious parents aren’t just chasing promotions, we’re also chasing snuggles, bedtime stories, and the sense that we’re nailing this whole “being a present parent” thing. So if we fall short, it feels like a dagger to the heart. Is it possible to be ambitious and a great parent? The short answer is yes. But not without first redefining what “great” really looks like. Being a good parent isn’t about being there for every single moment. It’s about being there for the ones that matter most. You can miss the bake sale and still raise a kid that feels cared for and secure. What children need more than perfection is a realistic role model. They need to see what it looks like to pursue a dream, have challenges, set boundaries, and show up for the people you love. When it’s rooted in purpose, ambition teaches kids resilience, how to manage their time and what it looks like to care deeply about something. That doesn’t mean we should be so focused on the next achievement that we miss what’s happening right in front of us. The key is staying in sync—pursuing your goals without neglecting your child’s needs . . . or your own. {“blockType”:”creator-network-promo”,”data”:{“mediaUrl”:”https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2015/08/erikaaslogo.png”,”headline”:”Girl, Listen: A Guide to What Really Matters”,”description”:”Ericka dives into the heat of modern motherhood, challenging the notion that personal identity must be sacrificed at the altar of parenting. “,”substackDomain”:”https://erickasouter.substack.com/”,”colorTheme”:”blue”,”redirectUrl”:””}}

Enforcing work-life boundaries is good for employee morale and productivity. Managers say that’s what they want—but often they don’t act accordingly.

Women are slower to adapt AI at work. Here are the reasons

Even on the hardest days there are ways to add moments of joy into your routine.

An executive coach explains how the most impactful leaders are the ones who are best at protecting their time.

A Microsoft executive offers insights on how leaders can make sure their organizations thrive in an ever changing world.

Crying at work is not a character flaw.

There’s crisis management, and then there’s crisis hunting. It’s time to stop the causes of crises instead of managing the chaos.

Don’t lie to your boss. But if you did, here’s what to do next to fix it.

Confidence-building tips

People are eager to offer help at the beginning, but that fades over time, especially at work.

Leaders making sure they are compassionate and transparent as they engage in layoffs can help a workplace keep functioning—and retain talent.

There are lots of reasons why employees end up with too much work. But regardless of the cause, here’s how to push back if your workload is too great.