Here is a riddle.
What do you call a mom that works?
A working mom.
What do you call a dad that works?
…
I got you there, didn’t I.
The first time I read that, it stopped me in my tracks. Probably because I am a working mom. And I proudly refer to myself as that. But it also made me realize something I had never really thought about before. Among my male colleagues and friends who are also parents, we rarely refer to them as working dads.
They are just dads.
Or just professionals.
Or just leaders.
My parents, both entrepreneurs, ran their individual businesses from our home. Since you asked, my mom was an event planner and my dad was a DJ. Yes, that is how they met. And yes, that is where I got my party planning skills from. If you have ever been to a Branded Cocktails and Connections event, you are probably having your own little ah ha moment right now.
But back to the story.
I do not remember ever thinking of my mom as a working mom. She was just my mom. And she had a job. It was normal. It was all I knew. Naturally I assumed when I grew up I would do the same. Be a mom. Have a career. Remember my favorite phrase…two things can exist at the same time. Here we are. I can be CMO, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief Mom Officer.
What I did not realize growing up was just how hard managing both would be. And how was it that everyone around me made it look so easy?
I also began to wonder why fathers who work are rarely asked how they balance everything. Maybe they do carry the same responsibilities. Maybe they do struggle with the same pressures. If that is the case, they certainly do not talk about it as often. (Working Dads, by the way, I welcome that conversation anytime.)
Shonda Rhimes once said something that stuck with me. During a graduation speech she shared that whenever she succeeded at work, she was failing somewhere at home. And when she was winning as a parent, she was losing somewhere professionally. She talked about missing Sandra Oh’s final day filming Grey’s Anatomy so she could attend her daughter’s dance competition.
Her point was not guilt. Her point was reality.
And in hospitality, that reality is even more complicated.
Women make up nearly half of the restaurant workforce in the United States, according to the National Restaurant Association. Yet when you look at leadership roles, the numbers shift dramatically. Women hold far fewer executive level positions and ownership roles across hospitality. Studies from groups like the Independent Restaurant Coalition and industry leadership organizations also show that many women leave the restaurant workforce after having children, often citing schedule inflexibility, childcare challenges, and lack of advancement opportunities.
Restaurants operate nights. Weekends. Holidays. School pickups and bedtimes do not always align neatly with dinner rush.
Which means hospitality leaders have a real opportunity. If we want more women in leadership roles, we have to design workplaces where careers and families can realistically coexist.
That is exactly why organizations like Women in Restaurant Leadership, Women Foodservice Forum and the New York State Restaurant Association’s Women in Leadership initiative matter so much. These communities create space for honest conversations about the wins, the tradeoffs, the frustrations, and the progress still needed.
Because the truth is, none of us are doing this alone.
And maybe the language matters more than we think.
Maybe the phrase working mom does not have to be a qualifier. Maybe it can be a badge of honor. Maybe it means someone is capable of navigating boardrooms and bedtime stories in the same day. Maybe it means leadership at work and leadership at home.
And in an industry built on taking care of people, that should include the people building the restaurants themselves.
So this International Women’s Day, I find myself incredibly grateful. Grateful for the women who paved the tracks before me. Grateful for the colleagues and friends who are navigating the same season of life and are always willing to share the wins and the losses. Grateful for the platform to use my voice in hospitality and hopefully reach the next generation of women who want both a family and a career in this industry.
And I am also grateful for the men in my life, personally and professionally, who never made it feel like I had to choose between the two. It was always just the path.
I also would not be me if I did not acknowledge that I am a working mom of boys. And how lucky am I to set the example of what it means to have a mom who shows up fully at work and at home.
One day they will grow up and have their own careers, families (omg am I already promoting myself to grandma when I still have a 4 year old), and titles.
Will they still just be called dads?
Probably.
Will the women in their lives still be called working moms?
Probably.
But if they are, I hope those women wear it loudly and proudly.
Because if there is one thing my boys are learning every day, it is that the strongest leaders they know might just be the ones who do both.
And since we are talking about incredible women in this industry, I will add one small shameless plug here. Thanks to many of you amazing POV readers and supporters, I was just nominated as one of Lunchbox’s Top 30 Women in Food for 2026. Being on a list with so many industry colleagues and friends is honestly an honor on its own.
If you feel like sending a vote my way, I would certainly appreciate it. You can do so right here.
