How I Prioritize a Full Life as a Working Mom—Without Burning Out

The habits, systems, and mindset shifts that keep me aligned—not exhausted

One of the most common compliments I receive is: "I don’t know how you do it all." It’s meant as praise, but it always feels a little off. The truth is, I’m not doing it all—I’m just clear on what I’m prioritizing, what I’m giving B+ effort, and what I’ve chosen to set down.

I know my top five priorities: building a meaningful career, cultivating quality family time, growing The Cabro, taking care of my health, and nurturing my friendships. That order might surprise people. Family is the most important thing to me—but work comes first on the list because it occupies a fixed block of time every weekday. I start by acknowledging that non-negotiable. Then I build the rest of my life around it with as much intention as possible.

I don’t believe we can do it all—but we can be intentional about prioritizing what matters most in each season.

Know Your Goals, Understand Your Vision
Balance is about staying rooted in what matters. To find it, you need clarity on what you're working toward. I’ve developed a goal-setting method that blends frameworks from books, professional strategy, and personal reflection. It helps me articulate the vision I have for my life—and stay focused on the five areas that define balance for me.

Resources:

• I dive deeper into these ideas in Cabro Mom Group, especially during our session on prioritization.

• I also recommend the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The goal-setting exercise in that book helped me clarify my values—many of which have stayed consistent, even as I became a mother and launched The Cabro. That clarity continues to guide how I make decisions and show up in the world.

• James Clear’s Atomic Habits helped me realize I don’t need to make sweeping changes to see meaningful results with my goals. Small shifts, done consistently, can have the biggest impact. He uses a great analogy: if a plane leaving LAX for D.C. adjusts its nose by just one degree, it won’t land in D.C.—it’ll end up dozens of miles away, possibly in Delaware. That’s the power of a tiny change over time.

• Mommy Burnout is an excellent book for helping mothers prioritize what truly matters. I loved it—and many of its principles are now woven into my daily life. As a mother who has learned to release the guilt around making time for myself, this book was a game-changer.

Work Comes First—And That’s Okay
I genuinely enjoy what I do. It stimulates my mind, energizes my days, and challenges me in all the right ways. I also value financial security—not just for comfort, but for the freedom it creates: to invest in my family, take bold career risks, and build long-term stability. Because my mother worked, I had a model for how I could make it all work—not do it all, but make it work. Work sets the rhythm of my week, and everything else flows from there.

Resources:

• I’ve worked with business coaches over the years to help guide me through communication styles, working preferences, career goals, and values-based decision-making. I’ve even explored the habits and behaviors that were holding me back. During my most recent career change, I worked with two career coaches who helped me navigate the decision to change companies. (DM me if you’re interested in their names.)

• Time Management is key for me to have a career, be a mother, and live a full live. I’m a big fan of Kelly Nolan’s Bright Method for time management — not sponsored but I do plug her work a lot because of how much I use her program. Her Instagram account is a treasure trove of tips and tricks - but it’s her program that really set me on a solid path with managing my life.

• The Lazy Genius Way, Eat That Frog, and What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast are all books that have helped me uncover practical “life hacks” that reduce friction and make it easier to get things done.

Family Time, Reimagined
In this season, I’ve started combining what I love with what I value most. My love of cooking and good food shows up in the meals I make—nourishing, thoughtful, and satisfying. On weekends, you’ll often find us at the Ballard farmers market picking out flowers or sharing a snack. We walk, scoot, or bike as a family—not because it’s scheduled, but because it’s how we stay connected, get outside, and reset. I’m learning how to integrate the things I love with the people I love.

Resources:

• I Know How She Does It by Laura Vanderkam is one of my all-time favorite books. It helped me rethink not just time management, but also my mindset around building a life I actually want to live. It’s at the top of my list for working mothers who want to get clear on what truly matters to them.

The Cabro as a Creative Anchor
The Cabro gives me a sense of purpose that’s distinct from both work and family. It’s where I reflect, connect, and create something I wish I had earlier in my career. It’s a space for ambitious working mothers to feel seen, encouraged, and challenged. Running The Cabro also taps into what I loved about business school—thinking like a CEO. I’m gaining confidence as a marketing leader and feel proud knowing I created something completely on my own. It’s creative and strategic. It reminds me that I’m not just managing life—I’m shaping it.

Resources:

• The book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which I mentioned earlier, helped me realize I wanted something more from my life—something I could create and truly own. That desire sat with me for eight years before The Cabro came to life. Goal-setting exercises, in any form, help you get clear on what really matters. People often ask how I find time to build The Cabro. The answer is simple: I love it, and it aligns deeply with my values and vision for the life I want to live.

Protecting My Health, Protecting My Foundation
After years of IVF, pregnancy, recovery, and lingering health issues, I’ve learned this: health is the foundation. It’s what allows me to show up for everything else that matters. Taking care of my health isn’t a luxury. It’s essential.

Resources:

• Instead of linking to my favorite forms of exercise, I want to share something I learned a long time ago: the best workout is the one you’ll actually do—at the time you’ll actually do it.

Just Say No
Saying no is a skill—and one I had to learn. As a therapist-in-training, I saw firsthand how hard it is for people to set boundaries. But saying no isn’t selfish. It’s how I protect my energy so I can give it where it matters most. Sometimes it means disappointing others. But when I say yes to everything, I end up letting down the people I love—including myself.

Resources:

• An executive mother in my MBA program gifted me the book Thoughtfully Ruthless, and I devoured it. It was instrumental in helping me think honestly and strategically about the life I want to build—and how to execute on it with clarity and courage, even when it’s hard.

Create White Space
Whitespace is where ideas and rest live. I schedule it like any other priority. I block time for walks, creative thinking, napping, or simply doing nothing. It helps me reset and protects me from the cycle of chronic overcommitment. If I’m not managing my calendar, someone else will.

Resources:

• Once again, I’m a big fan of Kelly Nolan’s Bright Method—it’s helped me build more realistic structure into my schedule, especially when it comes to finding time for breaks. The next important step? Honoring the time I’ve set aside and not giving it away to whatever demand pops up next.

Build a Mental Health Support Network
Therapy—both individual and couples—has helped me find clarity, regulate my emotions, and process the complexities of modern motherhood. You don’t need a major crisis to seek support. Having someone to help you think through everyday life is a powerful for helping you live the life you want to lead.

Resources:

• Psychology Today is one of the most widely used directories for finding a therapist. Most licensed therapists maintain a profile there, knowing it’s one of the easiest ways for potential clients to discover them. You can filter your search by provider type, gender, specialties, insurance coverage, and location. I recommend reaching out to 10 therapists—many are at capacity these days, so casting a wider net increases your chances of finding someone with availability. Most offer a free 10–15 minute consultation call, which is a great opportunity to assess whether the fit feels right.

• 12-step groups can be an excellent source of free, ongoing support in a group setting.

Nurture Friendships
After my second child was born, I stepped back from friendships for a season. But now, I’m rebuilding that rhythm—hosting more, spending longer stretches of time together, and choosing connection in ways that don’t deplete me. Most of my friends are mothers too, and we understand that quiet seasons come and go. We pick up right where we left off.

Resources:

• If you’re finding it hard to connect with friends in this season of life, check out what @busymomfindstime shared on Instagram—she crowdsourced creative, realistic ways her community is carving out time for friendship.

Balance the Load at Home
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’m a longtime advocate of Eve Rodsky’s Fair Play. Her approach helped our family redistribute the domestic load more fairly and allowed me to feel more supported at home. Balance begins with equity—and for many women, especially in heterosexual partnerships, that means evaluating whether the household labor is sustainable.

• Find her book here. Learn more about Fair Play here. And watch the Netflix documentary here.

Operationalizing Support at Home
I would be misrepresenting myself if I didn’t acknowledge the help I receive. There is privilege in being able to outsource, and I want to be transparent about the support systems that make much of my life possible.

We have a cleaner who comes twice a month. We also work with a house manager who helps with meal prep, cooking, laundry, organization, and running small errands when needed. I also partner with a family advisor through the app Faye—a person who supports me with editing for The Cabro, event planning, sourcing people for house projects, and even helping brainstorm thoughtful gifts for my family.

We’ve also built a bench of trusted babysitters and schedule recurring hours each weekend and one night during the week for extra support. Sometimes we’re in the house, sometimes we run errands, and sometimes we use that time for a much-needed date night. We don’t have family who is available to support us, so this is how we’ve intentionally built our village. We also trade off babysitting with neighbors and friends to help cut costs and share the load.

Resources:

• If you’re interested in exploring the app Faye, you can use the code CABRO50 for $50 off.

Cut Your Schedule Down by a Quarter
When I pursued an Executive MBA while working full-time, I learned the value of doing less. I created an exercise to evaluate every obligation—writev out all of my commitments. Then cut my commitments in half. And then in half again. That extreme reduction revealed what actually mattered. You don’t need to be in grad school to benefit from this approach. Use any major life transition as a natural moment to reset your calendar - return from maternity leave, new role, or new responsibilities.

Resources:

• Once I became a mother, cutting back my commitments felt hard—but through my values exercises and the time management tools I learned from Kelly Nolan’s Bright Method, I’ve found a way to honor what matters most while still doing less.

Rethink What Balance Means to You
I don’t believe in perfect balance. I believe in alignment. Some weeks, work takes more space. Other weeks, I reclaim that time for family, health, or creativity. Balance is dynamic, not static. The goal isn’t to do everything—it’s to focus on what matters most to you in the season you’re in.

So no, I don’t do it all. I’ve just gotten clear on what comes first—and let that shape the rest. When I align what I love with what matters, it doesn’t feel like juggling—it feels like living on purpose. That’s not balance. That’s clarity. And that’s enough.