Our toddlers giggled and screeched at each other from across the table as we drank our coffees and chatted. We tried to shush them, but the people at the tables around us smiled and said “hi” to our toddlers. (“She’s precious,” one said to me as we left.) In the last couple of weeks, my daughter and I have met up with other moms and their toddlers at coffee shops, and it’s been life-giving. I’m so happy to be making mom friends, and it’s also been a powerful reminder that the pristine photos of smiling, well-behaved toddlers I see on social media are only part of the story. The Social Media Si ..read more

My Catholic Women in Business co-president, Elise Crawford Gallagher, and I are going to be announcing an exciting new project soon! Sign up here to be the first to hear about it ..read more

As Catholics, we believe that God created people as men and women—that we are made to be different, though equal in dignity. While both genders have both feminine and masculine traits, our physical and spiritual differences give rise to unique gifts. Pope John Paul II called the unique gifts of women “the feminine genius.” Women who work in business, who live one of several vocations (single or married, with or without children), have a special opportunity to use their feminine genius—to make a difference in the lives of other people and in society and culture more broadly. “Women will increas ..read more

I first saw the scene on Instagram, but it went straight to my heart even out of context. In the second episode of season 3 of “The Chosen,” Little James, who we’ve seen walks with a limp, comes to Jesus after He commissions the Apostles. He tells him he finds it hard to believe that he will be healing people, given that Jesus hasn’t healed him. Jesus asks James, “Do you want to be healed?” “Yes, of course,” James says, echoing us all, “if that’s possible.” He’s been with Jesus long enough to know that it is possible, and Jesus tells him so. “Why haven’t you?” he asks Jesus—again, a question s ..read more

“That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.” I was recently reminded of this line from the Litany of Humility, that challenging but oh-so-fruitful prayer. I’ve been comparing my own suffering as a mother with chronic pain to someone else’s suffering. It’s filled me with resentment, shame, and envy rather than inspiring me to improve my attitude toward suffering. Today—on Good Friday!—Jesus corrected me gently, lovingly, and firmly. A Little Way I began this Lent with a commitment to reread St. Thérèse’s “Story o ..read more

My husband and I became parents in 2021. He works full time and I freelance and co-lead Catholic Women in Business. We both have projects and hobbies we’re passionate about, some of which fell by the wayside for a while after our daughter was born and some of which we still haven’t really picked back up again. So, it’s only natural that we’ve been talking a lot over the last year and a half about time and come to the conclusion that we don’t have nearly as much of it as we’d like to have. We’ve learned to prioritize—and reprioritize. We’ve learned to multitask (or at least task-switch quickly ..read more

I read a lot of great books this year (and reread several more). Here are my favorites: “The Blue Castle,” by L.M. Montgomery This was a re-read that my Well-Read Mom group decided to read along with “Anne of Green Gables.” It sounded like a depressing setup but ended up being hilarious, charming, and a sweet love story. (I shared a brief reflection on rereading “Anne of Green Gables” on Instagram.) I reread most of the “Anne of Green Gables” series last year while I was pregnant and re-read most of the rest of them after “Anne of Green Gables.” “The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught ..read more

Last year, I made a Liturgical New Year’s Resolution to read the Bible in one year, following Meg Hunter-Kilmer’s one-year Bible reading plan. I didn’t technically finish in one year, but I am on track to finish by the end of 2023—much to my surprise. It was an audacious goal, and I tend to be better at big ideas than follow-through, so I have to attribute my success to the Holy Spirit. I think God wanted me to read the Bible through this year, because it has brought me so much closer to him. In particular, here are a few things I learned that have deepened my relationship with the Lord: 1. Wh ..read more

“Did you make motherhood an idol?” my therapist asked me one day. I’d been talking to her about my struggles with perfectionism since becoming a mother, about how hard it was when motherhood wasn’t how I’d pictured it would be. At this point, I thought I’d come to all the epiphanies I’d come to about this topic, but her question stopped me in my tracks. Yes, I had turned motherhood into an idol. I’d dreamed of being a mother since I’d been a child, and motherhood had turned into something that I unconsciously felt would make me complete. Hidden Idols Maybe you can relate; maybe it’s a great jo ..read more