Hi, I'm Lori: A Long-Overdue Reintroduction

Dear Working Parents,
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According to some community leaders and entrepreneurs, a founder should do a quarterly reintroduction of herself. “Woah,” I thought when I heard this advice. “So if I’ve been leading Mindful Return for the past 12 years and have never done a reintroduction, I’ve missed nearly 50 opportunities to reintroduce myself! Oops.”

Fortunately, I don’t think I’ve made a grave misstep. Even with this advice in mind, I probably won’t post a reintroduction of myself every quarter. Also, the mantra we hold dear in this working parent community is that “there is no such thing as ‘late’ in Mindful Return land.” So, I propose that I am coming to you right on time with this reintroduction.

Why now? Over the past decade+ we’ve had so many parents in this community grow their kids into school aged children, tweens, and teens. And we’ve had so many of you join as you enter the pregnancy, newborn, and baby stages that are full of all the things. There’s no time like the present to let you know a bit more about myself as a working parent!

Note: I did not use AI to write any of this. Is this format the *best* way to do a reintroduction? Who knows. It’s all me. All human. You tell me (please!) if this is interesting or helpful.

My First Stab at a Reintroduction: Here Goes!

I’ve decided to pretend to interview myself. If I’ve missed any questions you think I should have asked myself here, let me know, and I’ll answer them. Promise.

Where do you live? Washington, DC. I fell in love with this city as a kid, when I came here on school field trips. (I grew up outside of Harrisburg, PA. Hershey Park was my favorite place back then.) I decided to come to DC for law school almost 25 years ago and simply never left.

With whom do you live? My hubby, Jason, and my two boys, who are now 13 and 15. My kids are going into 8^th and 10^th grades. We are (or were, before grey hair set in) a red-headed family of 4.

Favorite color? Purple. Hands down. Since I was about 3 years old.

Favorite US National Park? Zion, in Utah. And more specifically, hiking the Narrows.

Best book you’ve read this summer? Loving Frank. Historical fiction is my jam, and this wonderful book is all about Frank Lloyd Wright’s second partner, Mamah Borthwick Cheney. I’m also in the middle of The Count of Monte Cristo, which I’m reading with my 13 year old. It’s his summer school assignment. And it turns out to be a wonderful tale full of pirates, revenge, treasure, and intrigue!

How did you meet Jason? Oddly enough, we met in Tours, France, on September 11, 2001. He’s from NJ, I’m from PA, but we both had fellowships from the Rotary Foundation that landed us in France. Jason had organized a happy hour for that day, but it turned into more of a group hug hour. At our wedding, instead of favors, we donated to the 9/11 education fund.

Where did you go to school? Princeton for undergrad. Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence for a one-year political science certificate after college. And Georgetown for law school.

Why did you start Mindful Return? I founded Mindful Return in 2014 out of sheer and utter desperation. I was a new mom, with an infant and a toddler at home, and I was *drowning*. Drowning in anxiety, identity crisis, doubt, guilt…you name it. (Yes, I was likely suffering from postpartum anxiety, but no one screened me for it.) I looked around for a course I could take on how to navigate the transition back to work after parental leave and couldn’t find one. Yes, there were tons of courses about my baby (which is amazing). But nothing to support me as an adult, a professional, and a new parent. I set out to create what I wished had been there for me when I was heading back to work after maternity leave.

Other than the newborn era, what other challenges have shaped you? I grew up in a household where violence, alcohol, and dysfunction were the norm. (I’m now about 35,000+ words into writing a memoir all about family collapse and creation, so I’ll share more on that in the years to come.) Like all of you, I lived through Covid. Having two energetic school-aged boys at home with no in-person school for 15 straight months while trying to work full time was traumatic. Both of my kids have had serious mental health crises in the past few years. And last year I had breast cancer.

You’ve had a bunch of people tell you that you’re resilient. What helps you recover from setbacks? So many things! When I was a kid, I buried myself in academics and playing the violin. As an adult, a deep belief that I can’t do any of this alone has helped. I’ve learned that asking for help benefits not just me but the people I lean on. Having mentors, a therapist, psychiatrist, yoga teachers, an acupuncturist, adopted family, groups of friends who get together every month, and an incredible husband have gotten me through each challenge.

You mentioned law school. Do you still practice law? Sure do! After law school, I clerked for a judge for a year, then I became a Medicare reimbursement lawyer. I was an Associate in BigLaw (Vinson & Elkins and King & Spalding), worked in-house for a non-profit health care trade association (Association of American Medical Colleges), and then was a Partner at a global law firm (Dentons). I started Mindful Return as a 20-minute/day passion project back in 2014. Now it’s my main work, while the law is my “side gig.” I still practice in about 10-15% of my workweek and run my own boutique law firm (The GME Group, PLLC).

What is Mindful Return today? First and foremost, we’re an incredibly supportive community of thousands of working moms and working dads who love their families and their careers. We run 4-week courses every other month for new moms and for new dads, and we partner with over 100 employers to guide their new parent employees through the return from parental leave. Once a year, we run a program for “experienced parents” who are past the parental leave stage, called Mindful Return 201. I love leading webinars and workshops for employee and community groups (my speaking page is here). And I lead a group of 300 leaders of working parent and caregiver affinity groups called the Working Parent Group Network (WPGN).

What’s your favorite part of leading Mindful Return? All of it! Two things stand out, though: leading our monthly coaching calls for our course alumni, and hosting in-person retreats for the working parents in our community. Co-hosting the Parents at Work Podcast with my hubby is also super fun.

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That’s probably enough for today. Seriously, though, if you’d like to ask any other questions, put them in comments below or drop me an e-mail. I’m a relatively open book!

Read my full reintroduction in this week’s blog post, Hi, I’m Lori: A Long-Overdue Reintroduction.

​The Setback Cycle​

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.