What ‘Having It All’ Looks Like for 6 Mom Bosses

If you were a little girl in the 1980s or 1990s, you grew up with the sense that you could “have it all.” But what roles were assigned to you in that vision? Corporate America Rockstar? Involved soccer mom? Wife of an incredible partner?  Philanthropist? The Rock to all of your girlfriends? A woman with an unwavering commitment to her sense of self? All of that?  None of that?

No one explained it to us either, but as we grew up, we realized that “having it all” means something different to every woman. And coming up with a blueprint for a satisfying life that includes work and family was something we had to do ourselves.

And what we are realizing is, “having it all” doesn’t mean what you were told it has to mean. You alone can build a beautiful life that lights you up and leaves you fulfilled and energized—not depleted and overwhelmed. And it doesn’t have to look like your neighbor’s life. Or your sister’s life.

It can be uniquely yours.

So, what’s the first thing you need to do when seeking to have it all? Throw out the word balance. There’s no place for it in this beautiful life of yours, especially in the context of work and life balance. Balance sets you up to fail like you have to do two separate things wholly, fully, and well. No one can meet that expectation. And we mean no one.

It’s fair to say women don’t want to feel overwhelmed and lacking focus professionally and personally. Instead, we want to feel capable and present in whatever role we are in at the time.

So how do you get there?  One word: integration.

For 10 years, Emily A. Hay, founder of Hay There Social Media, has been a Work+Life Integrator and her life’s purpose is to help moms start their own social media businesses through her proven training program. Her team of work-at-home-moms are living, breathing role models for what it means to blend, with synergy, your professional responsibilities, and your personal choices.  This place—this lifestyle—is something she’s dubbed the Work+Life Integration Nation™.

At its core, living successfully in the nation means you get intentional/selective about what “having it all” means to you.

Because she’s always searching for ways to grow and learn, Emily has been interviewing amazing moms who are work+life integrators from around the country who work in different industries to find common themes. Disclaimer: There isn’t one set path to follow. There isn’t a step-by-step guide. Whether they realized it or not, each of these six women embraced work+life integration, even if it seemed to be an accidental choice—or not a choice at all.

In the Work+Life Integration Nation™ video series, these innovative women share how they created their business, and how they learned how to integrate their life choices and professional goals. Consider this a master class in inspiration so you can apply their insight to your professional goals today.

Meaghan Murphy, Content Chief at Woman’s Day Magazine 

Meaghan is also an author, podcast host, and mama to three—and she shares her tips to find the #YayInEveryday!  She relates how you can channel your passions, and how she literally incorporates her kids into her work.

But most of all, Meaghan candidly shares how she never chose to have her work and life come together in harmony – but the Work + Life Integration life works for her— and she integrates her kids (aka “Team Murphy”) into her work.

She reveals her biggest learnings from life in magazines, what’s in it for YOU to show gratitude often and sincerely, and some work and school wins and challenges.

Samantha Ettus, Founder and CEO of Park Place Payments

Best-selling author, Harvard MBA and mama of 3, entrepreneur Samantha is a champion for women at her core. She gives action steps and new ways to think about how you CAN have it all when you incorporate Work + Life Integration.

Samantha talks about what she did as a mom of 3 littles under age 5 when she looked for an expert to help keep women in the workforce—and how she started interviewing the world’s most successful women and found out two things they all had in common. She discusses how she was fundraising from her bedroom, how she delegates, challenges with entrepreneurship and pandemic life, gives suggestions for creating structure—and highlights her advice on nurturing that professional spark inside of you.

Nikki Little, VP of Strategy at Franco, Integrated Communications Professional

Nikki, a self-proclaimed Type-A woman, shares how the Work + Life Integration path chose her after finding out she and her husband would go from a family of 2 to 4 in just 9 short months.

She talks about how she wears her mom hat without losing sight of her professional goals, how she reconciled having career goals and a desire to be an involved mom, how gets around the expectation to have balance, how she dealt with the pandemic as a person who LOVES going into the office, and how being grateful can help fellow work + life integrators.

Susie Wheldon, Entrepreneur

Mama to 2 and wife to the late Dan Wheldon, the two-time Indianapolis 500 Champion, and the 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series Champion, Susie realized “balance” wasn’t working for her, and she felt like she had too many balls in the air that would drop at any moment—until she started practicing Work + Life Integration.

Susie shares insight on how she manages her professional goals, her passions, and her responsibilities as a single mom raising two talented up-and-coming racecar drivers. She talks about how she obtained fulfillment when feeling stretched; how to handle overwhelm; how she persevered after becoming a single mom & demonstrated to her children how she uses her professional skills; the challenges of work + life integration; and how to see the best regardless of it being a good or bad day.

Christine Moore, Founder of Fitness-Sensation “Lil Buff Protein” 

As a frontline medical worker by day and an “accidental” entrepreneur by night, Christine shares how the Work + Life Integration path CHOSE HER, ways she incorporates her kids in her business, and advice for women currently doing one profession wanting to build a passion project on the side.

She talks about how she sets boundaries and keeps it real with her customers, how she refreshed and reloaded after no maternity time, how she employs her kids and offers advice for women who want to jump into a Work + Life Integration lifestyle.

Navyn Salem, Global Humanitarian & Founder of Edesia Nutrition and MeWe Nutrition 

From meetings at the U.N. to supporting the lives of her 4 teenage daughters, Navyn shares what Work + Life Integration looks like for her—including what works and what doesn’t, and she gives women her best advice if they are considering a change.

“My advice is to just start. You’re not going to have everything perfect, so just start and try. Otherwise, the years are going to go by and you’re going to keep wishing that you did it…so just do it.”

Living in the Work + Life Integration Nation™

Are you inspired? If you are ready to solidify what having it all means and start integrating your work and your life, we can help. When you jump into the Work+Life Integration Nation™, Emily A. Hay and her team of work-at-home moms can help with our proven training program. We’ll teach you to start and run your own social media business, giving you a tested business model and top-notch support. Want to learn more? Contact Hay There Social Media today.

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