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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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Saturday Secrets: 3 Things That Make Parental Leave Less Stressful

Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend 3 Things that Improve Parental Leave Dear Working Parents,I believe in continuous improvement. Even things that are going well can be tweaked and improved over time, as we learn, grow, and get new tools and skills. Let's not pretend that the parental leave experience in the US is generally "going well," though! There are probably about 5,427 things I'd like to improve about how parental leave goes for new moms...

Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Tolerating Mixed Feelings in Parenthood & Life Dear Working Parents,I have mixed feelings as I write this. I’m about to head out the door in a few hours to attend my 25th college reunion with my family. And when I ask myself how I’m feeling about going, the answer is: ALL the things! I’m excited and really happy to get to hug my roommate and some dear friends. I’m delighted to get to see all our kids together...

Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Work Travel + Parenthood = Many Feelings Dear Working Parents,If you've ever packed your bags and headed out of town for work after having kids, you know the rules of the game changed drastically from those trips you took before you became a parent. Now there's not only more logistics to juggle, but many more people's feelings about the travel (including our own). I'm approaching (gasp!) the fifteenth...

Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Do You Know a Mom Who's "More Than Blue"? Dear Working Parents,I've been in that dark place postpartum, feeling “more than blue” and undiagnosed with a perinatal mood disorder. In retrospect, it should have been easy for my medical providers to spot my incredibly tearful and anxious state. That is, if anyone had screened me for it. The Mindful Return program probably wouldn't exist if I hadn't fallen into a hole...

Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Summer Sanity for Working Parents Dear Working Parents,Ah, the thought of summer sanity! Long, calm evenings outdoors. Carefree days. Relaxing vacations. National Parks. Beaches. Unplugged time without a care in the world. Kids playing harmoniously with one another. Cue the orchestra… Well, no, not exactly. If you've lived through a summer with a kid (or kids) in tow, you know how complicated this season of the...

Tips on living a calmer life as a working parent sent to your inbox every weekend Pick a Community + Deepen Your Connection Dear Working Parents,If you're anything like me, you "belong" to a number of communities... maybe professional associations, book clubs, alumni networks, neighborhood or religious or political groups. But the word "belong" doesn't tell me anything about how much interaction you actually have with that community or organization. There are some groups I'm all in on and...