Hi there, it’s Jill!

As some of you may know, I became a mother six months ago.

These past six months have been the most memorable period of my life. They have also been the most physically and mentally demanding season I’ve ever experienced.

Today, I want to share some honest reflections on this chapter: an observation of how much it has reshaped me.

Let’s dive in.

Everyday, there is crying. Sometimes persistent crying. That sound scrapes the part of my brain that wakes me up from sleep in no time.

Even when I’ve tried everything I can think of, it continues and it’s very frustrating. At that moment, I simply don’t know how other mothers manage it. The task of being a mother is the most difficult task I have ever taken on.

one months, two months, three months…

Interestingly, overtime, I began to feel deeply attuned. If the crying continues, there must be a reason. Discomfort may not always be visible, but it is real.

That realization extended beyond motherhood.

When I think back to my years doing stakeholder management at work, I see it differently now. The colleague who keeps following up. The partner who escalates concerns. The team member who repeats a question.

More often than not, people “push” because something genuinely matters to them.

Motherhood has strengthened my ability to pause and ask:
What might this person be experiencing that I’m not seeing?

And to all the mothers — especially those raising multiple children — I now see your invisible labor more clearly. The emotional regulation, the physical endurance, the constant vigilance.

You are extraordinary!

Before becoming a mother, I was warned about sleep deprivation.

I understood it intellectually. I did not understand it experientially.

Waking up multiple times a night is simply the default setting. Sometimes after feeding, I can’t fall back asleep but stare at the celling, and the day begins again before the night feels finished.

During the day, when my husband is at work, my time revolves almost entirely around the baby’s needs. There are beautiful moments: watching his expressions change, seeing small developmental milestones, but there is also very little uninterrupted time.

I used to have long stretches for deep work. Now? Sometimes five minutes is all I’ve got.

Strangely, that constraint has taught me something important.

I’ve had to lower my expectations of traditional “productivity.” Instead of measuring my days by output, I’ve started measuring them by presence.

Instead of trying to do everything, I protect one or two focused hours in the evening — like writing this newsletter 😉! And let that be enough.

There is a quiet discipline in adapting to reality without resentment.

One unexpected joy has been how motherhood creates instant connection.

When I push the stroller out for a walk, I often meet other mothers doing the same. Conversations begin effortlessly while waiting at a traffic light or sitting on a park bench.

We may not know each other’s backgrounds, but we understand this shared chapter.

It reminds me that growth isn’t always about expanding outward into new achievements. Sometimes it’s about being placed in new communities, and discovering belonging there.

Anchor Growth has always been about development, about becoming more capable, more thoughtful, more intentional in our careers and lives.

Motherhood has not paused that growth. It has redefined it that growth is not always upward

Sometimes it is inward:
more patience,
more empathy,
more resilience than you knew you had.

Sometimes it is slower:
learning to operate on limited sleep and still choose kindness.

Sometimes it is humbling:
realizing how much you once took for granted.

This season is demanding and it stretches me daily. But that stretching is growth.

Sometimes the most meaningful growth is not the kind that adds to your résumé, but the kind that reshapes who you are when no one is watching.

Wherever you are in your own season, whether building a career, raising a family, or navigating both, I hope you can trust that growth is happening, even when it looks different from before.

— Jill

Founder of Anchor Growth Newsletter

Manual tax processes drain your team's time and energy, leaving no time for analysis.

When you automate and centralize your tax data your team can access what they need, when they need it and confidently make decisions.

The best part? Your team gets time back to focus on strategic initiatives.

Download the paper

If your employees waste time searching for information or juggling disconnected tools, it’s time for a better approach. Haystack’s 2026 Intranet Buyer’s Guide shows you exactly what to look for in a modern platform, so you can streamline comms and empower your teams.

Download The Free Guide Here