Happy at Work, Happy at Home: The Girl's Guide to Being a Working Mom
Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval ReviewHappy at Work, Happy at HomeLinda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval are CEO and president, respectively, of advertising agency The Kaplan Thaler Group. Together, Kaplan Thaler and Koval have also authored three bestselling books:Bang!: Getting Your Message Heard in a Noisy World,The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness, andThe Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference. Read their review ofHappy at Work, Happy at Home:Pregnancy. Maternity leave. The "next step." As mothers, authors, and executives ourselves, we know that while this time is incredibly exciting and special, it can be equally just as confusing and overwhelming. We’ve experienced first-hand the challenges of trying to balance a family and a career, and so we appreciated Friedman and Yorio’s forthright, head-on approach to tackling the expected--and often unexpected--issues working mothers encounter.Perhaps most importantly,Happy at Work, Happy at Homearms readers with the facts, perspectives, and tools necessary to make their own smart decisions. The authors show that success (by any definition) lies in each woman taking charge of her situation and managing it by creating their own action plan. We particularly liked how they articulated applying your work skill set to this period in your life.Friedman and Yorio also do a strong job of sharing the stories of a wide range of women from various corporate backgrounds. Combined, these mothers’ (and even some fathers’) viewpoints and decisions illustrate that there is no one "right way" to do things. The only "musts" are to educate and be honest with yourself (no, you really can’t do it all well, all of the time), as well as be flexible. These stories also generate a great sense of solidarity--this may be a unique time in your life, but you’re not in it alone. As the authors point out, "If there was ever a time for mothers (working and stay-at-home) to band together, it’s now." So whether you’re a chief executive officer, or a "Mom in Chief," everyone deserves the same amount of respect and support.Happy at Work, Happy at Homeis an empowering guide--one that will help readers find their own path to growing a career and family.--Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval(Kaplan Thaler photo © Gideon Lewin)(Koval photo © Chris Cassidy)