|
Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend
|
|
|
Celebrating Mindful Return's New Business Certifications! |
|
|
Dear Working Parents,
Happy August to you! Today, I'm excited to share some news about Mindful Return as a company. I've been at this supporting-working-parents-thing for 12 years now, always running a woman-owned business...always running a small business...always running a business through my own struggles. Over the years, though, I toyed with the idea of getting the official business certifications but never seemed to find the time to prioritize it. I knew I was woman-owned and small. So what did the official title matter?
Then, toward the end of 2025, one of our amazing and innovative employer partners offered to sponsor our certification process. This tipped the needle for me. I said YES to the offer of assistance with the paperwork, process, interviews, and fees. Turns out my going through this process helped our employer partner, too, because their clients care that they hire diverse vendors. Amen to that.
So today, Mindful Return is proud to announce to you that we are now certified as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) and a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) through the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation's leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women. The WBENC Certification process has confirmed that our business is at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled by a woman or women, and has the appropriate structure and strategic business planning and implementation in place.
Mindful Return is also now officially certified as a Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE) by the International Certification Committee of Disbility:IN. I don't talk about it much, but I've struggled with some quite "invisible-on-the-outside" lifetime mental health challenges that, it turns out, qualify Mindful Return for disability-owned status as well.
|
|
|
In addition to the educational opportunities and business connections that certification provides to me and to my team, I do think there is sometimes value in putting in the work to get official recognition of talents we already have and the work we're already doing. Not for the sake of merit-badging, but rather to claim what is ours anyway, and to celebrate our successes with the world.
Will you join me in raising a glass or mug to these new certifications? And if you know an employer who cares about supplier diversity, we'd love to meet them!
With gratitude for this amazing community,
Lori
|
|
|
|
|
#AmplifyVoices
Welcome to National Breastfeeding Month! This year's theme is RISE: Resilience, Interdependence, Self-Determination, Empowerment. This week, it's also World Breastfeeding Week. Curious about what progress has been made in global breastfeeding practices? Check out the World Health Organization's Global Breastfeeding Scorecard.
|
|
|
|
Pop-Up Family
Gathering in DC
I'm excited to share that my friend and fellow working parent advocate, Leslie Forde (some of you may remember her as the author of Repair with Self Care) is going to be visiting DC in August. We've decided to do an informal gathering in Rock Creek Park, so that we can spend time with our amazing communities - and your families! Will you stop by and say hello if you are in town?
Date: Thursday, August 6
Time: Around 5-8pm
Where: Pierce Mill Area of Rock Creek Park
What: Bring your own picnic, your kids, your partners, your dogs, a ball, a frisbee...
No formal agenda, just a chance to hang out with other working parents who get it. E-mail me at lori@mindfulreturn.com if you can join us, and I'll add you to the calendar invitation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Free Webinar on Friday
on the Return from Parental Leave
Returning to work after parental leave can feel exciting, overwhelming, and everything in between. Join Lori Mihalich-Levin for a FREE live webinar on Friday, August 7 (12:00–1:00 PM ET) to explore practical strategies for navigating the transition with greater confidence. You'll learn mindset shifts to ease the return, solutions for common challenges, how parental leave can strengthen your leadership, and ways to build the support system every working parent deserves. Whether you're expecting, on leave, recently back at work, or planning ahead, this session is for you.
Reserve your free spot here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mindful Return Book Talks
|
|
|
September 17, 12–1pm Eastern: The Setback Cycle - Join me in conversation with Amy Shoenthal. In this thoughtful and practical conversation, we’ll explore how setbacks — from career disruptions and burnout to caregiving challenges, identity shifts, and unexpected life changes — can become catalysts for growth, reinvention, and transformation. We’ll talk about the four phases of The Setback Cycle, why defining moments often shape us in powerful ways, how working parents can navigate uncertainty and transition with greater self-compassion and resilience, and practical strategies for moving forward when life doesn’t go according to plan. The Setback Cycle offers a compassionate framework for understanding how difficult moments can ultimately move us toward greater clarity, confidence, and possibility. Register here. |
|
|
