Saturday Secrets: Laura Vanderkam on Time Abundance


Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend
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Laura Vanderkam on Time Abundance

Dear Working Parents,
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If you've ever read up on time management - particularly as it relates to working parenthood - you've probably come across Laura Vanderkam's work. You might know her from the popular Best of Both Worlds podcast she co-hosts with Sarah Hart-Unger, or from some of her bestselling books. I know her as my Class of 2001 college classmate, and my personal favorites of her (many!) time management books are 168 Hours and Juliet's School of Possibilities.

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Laura has a new book out called Big Time: A Simple Path to Time Abundance, and she graciously sat down with me and Jason on the Parents at Work Podcast to talk about it. I joked with her that the name of the book could have been 8760 Hours (which is the number of hours in a year), but that Big Time definitely had a better ring to it.

In our delightful and practical conversation, we learned about how skewed our perceptions of how we spend our time can be...how to tell ourselves more helpful stories so that we view time more abundantly...how big projects can, perhaps ironically, help us feel like we have more time...and also how to make those squishy evening hours between work and bedtime more satisfying.

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I hope you'll listen to our episode and let me know your top takeaway! Here's the link: Beyond Time Management: Laura Vanderkam on Building a Bigger Life.


#AmplifyVoices

As we close out Disability Pride Month, I'd like to thank the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities and Disability Rights Florida, both for the research they do and for compiling such helpful resources. Though there are many resources out there for parents of kids with disabilities, there are fewer for parents who themselves have disabilities, and these organizations are doing amazing work countering the myth that adults with disabilities cannot be parents, let alone good parents. Here's to celebrating the tenacity of the 4.4 million parents in the US who have a disability.


Back to Work After Baby

​Back to Work After Baby by Lori Mihalich-Levin is the ultimate guide for new and seasoned moms navigating the often overwhelming transition back to work after maternity leave. Whether you're returning to work for the first time or juggling multiple children, Lori provides fresh insights to help you view your return as an opportunity for growth and leadership. Plus, the book connects you to a supportive community of other working moms, ensuring you're never alone in this journey. A portion of proceeds supports First Shift Justice Project, advocating for low-income working parents' rights.

Want to join Lori for a conversation about her book and about strategies for returning to work after parental leave? Join her for a free 60-minute webinar on Friday, August 7, from 12-1pm Eastern. Register here.


Mindful Return Book Talks
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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.


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Saturday Secrets, by Mindful Return

Join our 5K+ strong "Saturday Secrets" newsletter community for some weekly working parent sanity. At Mindful Return, we support working parents through the transition back to work after parental leave and beyond. I'm Lori, author of the book Back to Work After Baby, an entrepreneur, speaker, podcast host, lawyer, teacher on Insight Timer, breast cancer survivor, proud resident of Washington, D.C., Francophile, and mama of two awesome neurospicy redheaded boys.

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