How Do I Find Work-Life Balance as a Working Mom?
Posted on March 30, 2026 by Susie Fishleder, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
Exhausted and doing everything right? You're not failing. Here's what actually helps working moms thrive.
Work-life balance, as it’s typically sold to us, is a myth built on a broken premise. It assumes that “work” and “life” are two equal, separable things that just need to be scheduled correctly. And it puts all the responsibility on YOU. If you get a better planner. Wake up earlier. Meal prep on Sundays. Delegate more. If you could just get it together, you’ll finally feel whole.
But most of the working moms I talk to aren’t failing at time management or finding a work-life balance. They’re exhausted from trying to be excellent at a job that was designed before they existed in it, and then coming home to a second job that’s largely invisible and definitely uncompensated. The mental load of remembering the pediatrician appointment, the permission slip, what’s actually in the fridge. The emotional labor of managing everyone else’s feelings at work all day and then doing it again at home. These are not time management problems. This is a structural problem where women’s needs are ignored to prioritize everyone else around them.
I had a client who is a director-level leader and mom of two, who came to me completely depleted. She was doing everything “right.” She had carved out time for herself, set some boundaries, even taken a vacation. And she still felt like she was running on fumes. When I asked her what she actually wanted, not what she thought she SHOULD want, but what she genuinely wanted, she paused and said, “I want to stop feeling like I’m failing everything at once.”
That sentence got to the heart of what her challenge actually is. Because by every external measure, she wasn’t failing. She was just trying to succeed inside a system that was never designed to support her whole life.
Here’s the shift I gave her: stop asking “how do I fit it all in?” and start asking “what actually matters to me?”
Practically, that looked like this: once a week, she’d pick one moment where she noticed she was acting from obligation instead of values. Maybe it was saying yes to a meeting she knew was a waste of her time. Maybe it was scrolling her phone during her kids’ bedtime instead of being present, because she was too depleted to actually show up. She’d observe, name it (without judgement!) and make one small adjustment the following week. Not a whole life overhaul, just one simple move.
Over time, those small moves compound. After a few months our sessions changed entirely. She stopped asking how to “find balance” and started talking about how she wanted to actually live.
That’s what’s possible. A life that actually feels like yours.
If any of this is landing for you, I’d love to keep the conversation going! I’m Susie Fishleder, founder of Rebel Leaders — a coaching practice for women, working moms, and socially conscious leaders who are ready to get sh*t done. Visit my Noomii profile and reach out to book a free 30-minute connection call!
