Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
When Leah and her husband decided to start a family together last year, she was faced with a tough question: could she balance the career she’d worked so hard to build with the life she dreamed of creating at home? Would parenthood mean sacrificing her professional goals, or could she thrive in both areas?
In this special episode of Everyday Better, Leah brings her most pressing questions about managing kids and career to three of the most successful working mothers in her life: Jessi Hempel, host of the Hello Monday podcast, Courtney Coupe, LinkedIn’s Head of Original Programming and Alyssa Merwin, Vice President of Global Sales Solutions at LinkedIn. Together, they discuss how parenthood has reshaped their definitions of ambition and success, and share their thoughts on how companies can better support working parents.
This episode is for anyone juggling caretaking and career ambitions, anyone contemplating the decision to become a parent and anyone who wants to be a more empathetic and supportive colleague to working parents.
Subscribe to the Everyday Better newsletter to get more stories and strategies for turning a stumble into a fresh start: bit.ly/3D91qoe
00:00 - Introduction
02:26 - “Having it All”
05:40 - Introducing Courtney Coupe, Jessi Hempel and Alyssa Merwin
06:34 - Courtney’s story of becoming a parent
09:24 - Jessy’s story of becoming a parent
10:24 - Alyssa’s story of becoming a parent
13:18 - Finding balance between work and family
19:12 - How parenthood heightens ambition
29:03 - Who you are outside of being a parent
39:44 - The role of privilege in career choices
42:55 - The power of choice and seasons in work and life
45:13 - Meet the Everyday Better production team
#linkedinnews #everydaybetter #women #career #workingmothers
When Leah and her husband decided to start a family together last year, she was faced with a tough question: could she balance the career she’d worked so hard to build with the life she dreamed of creating at home? Would parenthood mean sacrificing her professional goals, or could she thrive in both areas?
In this special episode of Everyday Better, Leah brings her most pressing questions about managing kids and career to three of the most successful working mothers in her life: Jessi Hempel, host of the Hello Monday podcast, Courtney Coupe, LinkedIn’s Head of Original Programming and Alyssa Merwin, Vice President of Global Sales Solutions at LinkedIn. Together, they discuss how parenthood has reshaped their definitions of ambition and success, and share their thoughts on how companies can better support working parents.
This episode is for anyone juggling caretaking and career ambitions, anyone contemplating the decision to become a parent and anyone who wants to be a more empathetic and supportive colleague to working parents.
Subscribe to the Everyday Better newsletter to get more stories and strategies for turning a stumble into a fresh start: bit.ly/3D91qoe
00:00 - Introduction
02:26 - “Having it All”
05:40 - Introducing Courtney Coupe, Jessi Hempel and Alyssa Merwin
06:34 - Courtney’s story of becoming a parent
09:24 - Jessy’s story of becoming a parent
10:24 - Alyssa’s story of becoming a parent
13:18 - Finding balance between work and family
19:12 - How parenthood heightens ambition
29:03 - Who you are outside of being a parent
39:44 - The role of privilege in career choices
42:55 - The power of choice and seasons in work and life
45:13 - Meet the Everyday Better production team
#linkedinnews #everydaybetter #women #career #workingmothers
